Guest View

Like all communities, public safety is of utmost importance here in Morgan Hill. At the top of the public safety list is our police department. They not only enforce our laws; they do so much more to establish a feeling of safety in our community. By being out on patrol, officers establish a sense of comfort and safety for our residents. Our officers are in our schools, interacting with kids on a personal basis, forming personal relationships that pay dividends in avoiding gang involvement.Although our PD is fully staffed, we need all the help we can get to assure that the feeling of safety in Morgan Hill stays vibrant. Volunteers are a huge part of making that happen. Our volunteer CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is trained and ready to help on emergency situations. The Explorer program trains and uses young adults to supplement our officers when additional personnel are appropriate. The Volunteers in Policing (VIP) program trains citizens to support the department by doing administrative tasks and supplementing them on patrol. The PD also relies on residents to form Neighborhood Watch groups and report any situations requiring police intervention.The notion of community policing is that everyone is involved in keeping our city safe.There is one other group that is extremely supportive of our policing efforts: the Community Law Enforcement Foundation, or CLEF.  They raise money to donate to the PD for very specific purposes. The most notable example is our canine unit—the dog, Basco, his training and all his food and equipment is funded by CLEF.  CLEF also funds equipment, like license plate readers, that allow our officers to take advantage of the latest technology for law enforcement. Another area of funding provided by CLEF is for training, not only for our officers, but for citizens as well, including the very successful Parent Program.So you are probably wondering where CLEF gets the funds it uses to support our PD? Well, take out your wallet and prepare to have a whole bunch of fun! The annual Cops and Robbers Ball is coming up April 30 and it is truly a BALL! What better cause can there be than to support public safety in your home town by providing funds to this great organization that does so much for the MHPD, making us all safe.And what a great evening it is. CLEF has been doing this for a number of years and event chair Sharon Daniel knows how to do it right.  A great dinner followed by a brief but meaningful presentation of the annual Public Safety Award, honoring Mike Johnson and Frank Thomas for their stellar support of CLEF and our MHPD, followed by dancing. There is a live and a silent auction and some additional fun opportunities to spend money in support of this great cause.Please treat yourself to a really fun evening while helping to keep Morgan Hill safe.The Cops and Robbers Ball will take place 5:30 to 11 p.m. April 30 at the Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. Tickets cost $95 and are available online at morganhillclef.org or from Craig C. Van Keulen at Van Keulen & Van Keulen, 17600 Monterey Rd., Second Floor, Morgan Hill, CA, or by calling Sharron Daniel at (408) 891-7795. Steve Tate is the Mayor of Morgan Hill.

This guest view is the first in a periodic series of upcoming op-eds on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which started May 1 in Santa Clara County.No matter where you live, the most common reason homes burn during a wildfire is because embers land on something easily ignitable around the home. Remove leaves and pine needles from your rain gutters. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home.Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire and up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers.Most of the activity that makes a home less vulnerable to ignition focuses on the home and its immediate surroundings. Our Ember Aware campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping. You can learn more at emberaware.comTip number two: Unclutter the gutter.Rain gutters attached to the edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during wildfire. Burning embers can land in the gutters, and if they are filled with dried leaves, pine needles and twigs, a fire can start and possibly ignite the roof, roof sheathing and fascia. Even houses with fire-rated roofs are vulnerable to this type of ember attack. Rain gutters made of vinyl will melt and drop into flower beds, igniting plants next to the house and maybe even combustible siding. To keep your home safe, we suggest that you:• Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season.• Keep a ladder handy and check your rain gutters throughout the fire season, cleaning them out as necessary.• If a wildfire is approaching and there is no time to clean out the debris, plug the rain gutter downspout with a tennis ball, or something similar so that the downspout will be plugged, and fill the rain gutter with water.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

To get a warm and fuzzy feeling this holiday season, consider donating to a local animal care organization such as wildlife rehabilitation, pet shelter, and animal rescue group, who are always in need of that extra helping of generosity.Giving to a local organization enhances your community and produces immediate and visible results. Many of these organizations, including the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, are supported solely by donations from individuals and companies. A donation to your favorite animal charity can make a heart warming, deeply appreciated gift and gives the giver a feeling of goodwill (and a tax deduction, too).A word of warning:  Beware of fly-by-night “charities.”  Check out an organization before sending off a check. If you’re not familiar with the organization, ask for the phone number and address. Call to see if they’re reputable or have them send you more information. The organization should have a 501(c)(3) tax exemption number. It’s your hard earned money—don’t hesitate to ask questions regarding where that money goes.W.E.R.C. wishes to thank all in our community who have generously donated throughout the year to help us help the helpless, injured and orphaned native wildlife that would not have survived on their own.Sue Howell is the Executive Director of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill.