Guest View

We celebrate the 4th of July because that's America’s Birthday. When I think  about the 4th of July, I think of Morgan Hill’s 4th of July Parade, and our whole community gathering together to celebrate America’s Birthday. I think of the 4th of July...

The Times noted in the Sept. 30, 2015 article on PG&E’s proposal to build a new substation in South County, "The last open house took place Sept. 28 at the Morgan Hill Community Center. Two previous sessions took place in Gilroy and San Martin.The trio of meetings was sparsely attended, but the public can continue to provide feedback to PG&E via email, phone or the internet.”I believe the sparse attendance was by design on PG&E’s part and not apathy on the part of those who will be negatively impacted. I was completely unaware of this project as were most of my neighbors when we just recently learned of the plan and the eight possible locations for the substation. We learned that mailers had been sent out, but were intermingled with other ads and junk mail, and easily dismissed rather than in an envelope PG&E would normally send customers regarding matters of importance.Many of us are now scrambling to understand how these eight sites were determined. It obviously wasn’t using valuable public feedback.Three of the sites are particularly distressing to the residents along the scenic Watsonville Road Wine Trail corridor. The “Watsonville C” site location is particularly troubling for my family in that it will be built directly across the street from our house! My neighbors are understandably equally troubled.This is such a scenic area that it is hard to fathom how PG&E would even consider a 6-acre substation and its devastating impact. The impacts are devastating in potential health effects for those living in the vicinity, environmental considering the impact to Little Arthur and Uvas creeks, and loss of property value.I am also wondering where our county stands on this very important matter. I have yet to hear back from our District 1 County Supervisor Mike Wasserman to whom I have sent several emails. The county should have been giving PG&E guidance, direction and input from the start because there are obviously so many zoning, planning and permit issues.Redwood Retreat Road has by county ordinance been designated as a scenic road and as such the county has placed limits on building in order to preserve the beauty of the area. So again, my question is, why wouldn’t the county be involved and also keeping us informed? Mike Wasserman has never mentioned the South County Power Connect Project once in his newsletters—leaving me to wonder, why?John Tepoorten and his family have lived on Redwood Retreat Road for 19 years. PG&E is in the outreach phase of its South County Power Connect project, which will add a new substation and new transmission lines to South County to enhance the electrical grid. To learn more about the project and the eight substation site options, visit pge.com.

During major storms, hundreds of households and businesses in Morgan Hill are at risk of flooding from Llagas Creek and its smaller streams. Flooding has happened multiple times over the years, including six times since 2000.  I’ve seen the damage these floods leave behind, and...

As the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise, human trafficking is not something we can ignore. We hear news reports and wonder, how can this be happening in our region? What can ordinary citizens do about it? The following account, which details the victimization of a woman in Santa Clara County, sheds light on the problem. Names have been changed to protect privacy.Aesha is a 28-year-old woman from South Asia with a Master’s degree in Engineering. She left her home to live in Santa Clara County with her new husband, Robert. Before marrying Aesha and bringing her to the U.S., Robert promised her a wonderful home and opportunities to pursue a career. Shortly after arriving, Aesha discovered Robert had a fiancée and his real purpose in bringing Aesha was to have a cook and maid to serve his family, and a nanny to care for his younger brother.From day one, Robert and his live-in parents emotionally and physically abused Aesha. Her workday began at 6 a.m. and rarely ended before midnight. Robert raped Aesha regularly. His parents sometimes beat her. They kept her under constant surveillance. She had no car or money of her own. She became desperate to return to her home country but was not free to leave the house. She had no one she could turn to.Federal law defines human trafficking as the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, obtaining or providing of a person by means of force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.Act: Robert courted and married Aesha under false pretenses, transported her to the U.S., and harbored her in his house, denying her the means to leave or to communicate with her family.Means: Robert resorted to put-downs, threats and physical abuse to force Aesha to comply with his demands. He confiscated her passport and controlled her through isolation, constant surveillance and control of household finances.Purpose: Robert intentionally defrauded Aesha, then exploited her for labor, forcing her to act as a domestic servant and caregiver for his family, while denying her basic freedoms and rights.Even a well-educated person can fall prey to a situation where he or she is deceived, abused and exploited.In reality, the same factors that increased Aesha’s risk of being trafficked prevented her from leaving the situation. Nearly every aspect of Aesha’s situation was a red flag indicating that she was a victim of human trafficking. Robert ensured that Aesha was dependent on him for survival. Her lack of familiarity with U.S.  systems, resources and protections further isolated her. Aesha was unable to attain financial independence, because Robert kept her from obtaining employment and didn’t pay her.  Fortunately, a neighbor noticed bruises on Aesha’s arms when she was working in the yard and connected her with Community Solutions, a South County nonprofit with offices in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The local organization provided Aesha with confidential services and a way out of exploitation.Learn more. Attend an anti-trafficking workshop at the Morgan Hill Library, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27. To report a potential case of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline 888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733).Perla Flores is Director of Solutions To Violence at Community Solutions. Sharan Dhanoa is Coordinator for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking. This guest view is part two in a three-part series on human trafficking in Santa Clara County. To read part one, visit morganhilltimes.com.