Guest View

Do we have enough water? As a board member for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, I can tell you the answer is complicated. The bad news is that this year is shaping up to be one of the driest to date. The good news is that thanks to last year’s heavy rains, our groundwater storage levels are normal. So, it is unlikely that the board will need to call for any mandatory water use reductions.

The County of Santa Clara provides the services that hold the fabric of our society together, but are often invisible to the majority of our 1.9 million residents. My colleagues and I on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently approved the fiscal year 2017-18 $6.5 billion budget. For South County, I’m pleased to announce that we are funding some key projects including a new Urgent Care Center, a new Animal Shelter, funding for services provided by the South County Youth Task Force and the Fire Safe Council, as well as expansion of the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail.The County’s $6.5 billion budget provides residents with vital medical services, public health protection, behavioral health care, food safety, environmental protection, child and adult protective services, senior services, family reunification, assistance to those in need, homelessness prevention and treatment, transportation, park and recreation, libraries, emergency response to disasters, the criminal justice system and scores of other services. Many of these are expected by our residents and taken for granted. However, they require a lot of work from a committed workforce of 20,000 employees including social workers, doctors, nurses, park rangers, engineers, firefighters, accountants, librarians, deputy sheriffs and so many more.A new 12,000-square-foot Urgent Care Center will soon be built within recently-vacated space in the existing Gilroy Valley Health Center, located at 7475 Camino Arroyo in Gilroy. The center will offer walk-in style urgent care, including night and weekend hours, and will serve up to 20,000 patients annually. Construction will begin later this year with plans to open the doors in summer 2018. The project is estimated to cost $5 million and will be funded with existing 2012 Measure A revenue.As an animal lover, I’m especially excited to announce that a new County Animal Shelter is on the way. It will be located at the Sig Sanchez County Government Center at Highland Avenue in San Martin. The new shelter will be approximately 34,600 square feet. It will feature multiple kennel and cage animal holding spaces, as well as spaces for administration, veterinary medicine, adoption, food preparation, laundry and storage. It will be able to house up to 90 cats, 70 dogs and multiple livestock on a daily basis. This shelter will cost $26 million, and is anticipated to open in late 2020.Public safety has always been my top priority. I was able to secure $266,000 of funding for the South County Youth Task Force after state budget cuts eliminated their funding. In just four years, the task force has helped to reduce juvenile arrests by an amazing 46 percent by reducing delinquent behaviors and preventing recruitment of youth into gangs. The task force has successfully reduced gang violence overall in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin.The Loma fire of the summer of 2016 gave many of us a renewed appreciation for fire services. We know that prevention is key. The Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities at risk from wildfire. It is funded by private donations as well as local government agencies. The county is funding a new fully equipped tool trailer to perform hazardous fuel reduction and evacuation route clearing.Since we helped launch the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail in 2013, it has been enormously popular with residents and visitors alike. The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley recently asked for my help after they identified the need to expand the Wine Trail (with increased signage) to provide better access to the wineries located inside the 29-mile Wine Trail loop. These new signs are scheduled to be installed in time for California Wine Month in September as well as Fall Passport Weekend in October.These new projects and services are just a few of the many ways that Santa Clara County government is providing what I like to call “Real Life Help” to South County residents every day.Supervisor Mike Wasserman was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in November 2010, and re-elected in 2014. He represents District 1, which includes Gilroy, San Martin, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and portions of San Jose.

Morgan Hill City Councilman Rene Spring delivered the following comments at a June 1 rainbow flag raising ceremony at City Hall Plaza on Peak Avenue. “As I prepared for what I wanted to say at our local ceremony, I googled around and came across an amazingly well written speech by Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Tom Guest. His words speak for themselves. I found them so fitting for our ceremony. He's one of my heroes!,” Spring said, including portions of Guest’s speech in his comments at the local ceremony. The flag will continue to fly over City Hall throughout June, commemorating the month as LGBTQ Pride Month in Morgan Hill.Good morning. My name is Rene Spring. I am Morgan Hill’s first openly gay councilmember.Thank you all for coming. We are here today to celebrate the beginning of LGBTQ Pride Month, as it’s being celebrated in many communities across our region, throughout the country and even in many countries all over the world.It is great to see so many of you joining this event today and to show your solidarity and respect for the LGBTQ community! I did not expect this great turnout! Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia still exist. Events like today are a signal that we need to change that and need to embrace each other even more.In my short speech today, I will use the generic term “gay” instead of the acronym “LGBTQ.”Partly because it is the word I am most comfortable with, it is the word I feel is most universal and it is the word I am least likely to get tongue tied over.PRIDE. What exactly do we mean by GAY PRIDE? Does that mean we are proud to be gay? Isn’t that sort of like being proud to be short, or proud to have blue eyes? We really have nothing to do with the fact that we are gay.I started to realize I was different at about the age of 12 or 13. By the age of 16 or 17, I was certain I was gay. I was never PROUD of it. I was ashamed; I was embarrassed; I was afraid. I came out to my family and friends at the age of 17, and to my surprise, their response was: “Well, finally, we knew!” I was lucky to be embraced by a loving family and wonderful friends, but I also realize not all are that lucky yet.We are born gay. And if you are gay, you can deny it, you can pretend, you can act. But you cannot change that fact.Gay pride is not about being proud of the fact that we happen to be gay. It’s about NOT allowing others to make us feel shame because we are gay. It’s about NOT allowing others to define our worth based on our sexuality,It’s about NOT allowing others to define the love we share as less pure, less real, less deserving of recognition.Gay pride is about owning who we are. Gay pride is about valuing the diversity that is humanity in all its varied presentations.According to the Flags of the World Project, which unravels the history behind many of the world's flags, the original Pride Rainbow Flag was designed by a San Francisco individual named Gilbert Baker who just recently passed away. The rainbow flag is also symbolic because of its diversity.As you know, Morgan Hill is a very diverse community, in many ways. I believe that strength and solidarity can be found in diversity. Through this strength and solidarity, we can build communities which are based on the foundations of acceptance and inclusivity. Diversity is not just about recognizing our differences; rather it is about acknowledging our uniqueness and individuality.In acknowledging this uniqueness, it's evident that we're actually very much the same. We are people with different identities and layers—but people nonetheless.Welcome to LGBTQ Pride month in Morgan Hill—the first one ever in Morgan Hill!

Although many may immediately associate the holiday season with brightly-wrapped presents shared among friends and family, I want to take a moment to encourage people to think about another kind of gift-giving this holiday season: helping those who are less fortunate.It is my wish that during the holidays, everyone who is able set aside some time to help others. There are members of our community who do not have the means to purchase gifts for their children, who struggle to put food on the table even though they work full-time, or who may not have a home for the holidays. Additionally, there are those throughout California and across the country whose lives have been devastated by floods, hurricanes or fires.All of these people could use a helping hand, which can come in many forms and does not need to be a monetary donation. Donating your time can be just as valuable as a donation of money. Your gift of service to others can have a positive impact and help to create a sense of community that may not be there in our everyday lives. You can help food banks package food for the hungry, donate warm clothes to the homeless, visit senior citizens or donate blood to those in need.  My family and I have a tradition of volunteering and I encourage you to volunteer during this holiday season as well. The joy that it brings us is rewarding and a powerful reminder of the meaning of the season. We find the most positive aspect of service to others is getting to know people we would not otherwise have the occasion to meet, as it broadens our sense of community.In these times of uncertainty, natural and human made disasters, and the desperation caused by poverty and homelessness, those of us who are able to make a small difference can help to reinforce the basic bonds of community and humanism.I wish you, your friends and family a peaceful and joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy 2018.Sen. Bill Monning represents the 17th State Senate District, which includes all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, and portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.   

Here in Santa Clara County, more than half the water we use is “imported,” meaning it’s conveyed to us from other parts of the state.Most of that water starts out as snow in the Sierra Nevada. When it melts, it makes its way into large reservoirs like lakes Oroville and Shasta.From these reservoirs, the water flows in rivers to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where it is then conveyed through state and federally run infrastructure known as the State Water Project and Central Valley Project to us and other southern, central and coastal parts of the state.That close to half the water we use in Santa Clara County comes through the Delta means the health of the Delta is extremely important to us and should be a concern to everyone. But the Delta is quavering under pressure from aging levees, sea level rise and human and environmental demands. So we have been working with other water agencies, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders to evaluate options.There have been a number of plans throughout the years to improve the health of the Delta and to try to meet the demands of urban and agricultural users and the environment. The latest is a pair of proposals by the state, called California WaterFix and California EcoRestore. The WaterFix plan aims to change the way water moves south through the Delta in an effort to safeguard drinking water and improve water flows for the environment. The EcoRestore plan aims to restore at least 30,000 acres of habitat by 2020 to benefit the Delta environment.The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors is poised to make a decision on whether to support the WaterFix plan and whether to participate in it sometime this year. But before we can do that, we want to be sure we—and the public—fully understand it.That’s why we held a special workshop Jan. 26, where we invited representatives from the state Department of Water Resources, the California Natural Resources Agency and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to present more information on this plan for the Delta. If you missed it, our board meetings are webcast and archived online for later viewing.Board members asked a number of questions, ranging from cost to governance to environmental impact, and we also heard from members of the community who voiced concerns and asked questions. This is an important part of the process, and we have more workshops and committee meetings planned to learn much more about this proposal and what benefits or challenges it could pose to our county, as well as how much it would cost to participate. These workshops and meetings are open to the public, and we invite you to attend so you too can learn more and provide input. The state of our water concerns everybody.Our next discussion of the plan is scheduled for a Feb. 22 meeting of our BDCP Ad Hoc Committee. Check back at valleywater.org for final dates and times. You can submit feedback to [email protected] Varela is Vice Chairman and District 1 Director of the Board of Directors for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. For further information, contact Varela [email protected].

During the holiday season it is easy to become overwhelmed with errands and tasks that are inherently linked to this time of year, such as shopping for gifts, baking and visiting family and friends.

Justice, reason and respect demand that we respond to the horrific events that happened in Orlando, Fla. during the early morning hours of June 12, 2016.Nearly 50 people have been killed and even more injured in a senseless mass shooting. The target of these vicious attacks are our sisters and brothers within the LGBTQ community—a community which is often threatened, condemned and marginalized.Our hearts go out to the people of Orlando who identify themselves as being a welcoming community to the world.The Interfaith Clergy of Morgan Hill and Gilroy stand in solidarity with those who suffer and with the families of those who lost loved ones within the LGBTQ community; and we call on all people of faith to work alongside those of us within the Interfaith Clergy of Morgan Hill and Gilroy to do all in our power to continue fostering understanding, acceptance, healing and respect.We urge all people of faith to reexamine their understanding and attitude toward LGBTQ people, insuring that their teachings and practices do not endanger the lives of real people.The time has come once again to end the prejudice, fear and hateful rhetoric that often occur when speaking about people within the LGBTQ community.We call upon political leaders and governmental officials not to reduce this tragedy to political opportunism, but to take real action toward the abatement of weapons that threaten the health, safety and well-being of all people.   We caution everyone about labeling religious people, especially our Muslim sisters and brothers, immigrants and other minorities with names and slogans that enable unscrupulous people to react with hatred, scorn, fear and violence.For now we mourn and pray alongside those who were injured, for those still missing, and for all those grieving the loss of their loved ones, that this violence ends.Together we must work for what is right and just that peace may prevail on earth.Signed by Clergy representing the Interfaith Clergy Association of South Valley:Imam IIyas Anwar, South Valley Islamic Community, San MartinFr. Tom Bonacci, Executive Director, Interfaith Peace Project, AntiochThe Rev. Dawn E. Boyd, Pastor, The United Methodist Church of Gilroy, CAThe Rev. Philip R. Cooke, Rector, St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, Morgan HillThe Rev. Patrick E. Davis, Pastor, Morgan Hill United Methodist Church, Morgan HillRabbi Debbie Israel, Congregation Emeth, Morgan HillThe Rev. BJ King, Associate Minister, Gavilan Hills Unity Church, GilroyThe Rev. Ron Koch, Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, GilroyJim Rawlings, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Del Rey Park Ward, GilroyRev. Jose Antonio Rubio, St. Mary Catholic Church, GilroyThe Rev. Bill Wilson, Senior Minister, Gavilan Hills Unity Church, GilroyThe Rev. Lee Tyler, Advent Lutheran Church, Morgan HillThe Rev. Karen Perkins, Advent Lutheran Church, Morgan Hill

Although many of the farm fields and orchards that once covered the valley floor are long since gone, agriculture remains an important part of Santa Clara County’s heritage and its future.As in the past, the availability of water to grow crops and raise livestock affects individual farmers and ranchers as well as the economy of our county. Because of this, the Santa Clara Valley Water District continues to offer support to farmers, through the open space credit, which offers a credit on water rates to account for the benefits the larger community receives from that open space.Additionally, the district supports agriculture through its planning efforts performed in partnership with local jurisdictions such as the South County Recycled Water Master Plan. Recently updated, this master plan, completed in partnership with the South County Regional Wastewater Authority (SCRWA) and cooperation with the cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill, addresses a variety of options for expanding the use of recycled water in South County.Most of the farming in Santa Clara County takes place in the southern portion of the county, where farmers, residents and businesses rely almost entirely on groundwater. The amount of groundwater pumped each year far exceeds what is replenished naturally by rainfall and other sources. So, the water district carefully replenishes the groundwater basin there, to ensure there is enough water. We do this using a mixture of water from local reservoirs and water imported to our county through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.In addition to refilling the groundwater basin through percolation ponds and creeks, the water district also works to reduce the amount of water that needs to be pumped through water conservation and recycled water programs. For example, every gallon of recycled water used is a gallon of groundwater that doesn’t need to be pumped.To fund and implement the projects in the master plan, the district hopes to continue our partnership with the two cities and SCRWA, with the eventual goal of recycling 100 percent of the wastewater treated in South County, thereby decreasing local reliance on groundwater and bolstering our water supply.Richard P. Santos is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. John Varela is Director of District 1 of the SCVWD. They can be reached at [email protected].