Guest View

The City of Morgan Hill is breaking ground on several downtown community parks while continuing to invest in our existing city parks and trails. Construction is beginning on Little Llagas Creek Trail, located west of the Third Street and Monterey Road intersection; Depot Park, along Depot between Third and Fourth Streets; and “Hill Top” Trail, connecting Third and Fifth Streets at Del Monte Avenue. I am proud to make beautiful parks and trails accessible to our residents and encourage you to use them here and throughout South County.The city invests in parks and trails for their many economic, health, environmental and quality of life benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, providing places residents can be physically active can improve both physical and mental health. Chronic disease sufferers can greatly benefit from walking on local trails and spending time at our parks. Being outdoors can increase vitamin D levels, decrease blood sugar levels for diabetes and reduce feelings of depression, thereby improving mental health. Parks and trails function as a hub for community members to meet for social events and recreational activities resulting in increased social cohesion strengthening our community.The City of Morgan Hill has partnered with Santa Clara County Public Health, the City of Gilroy, Santa Clara County Parks, the South County Collaborative and the South County United for Health Leadership Team to coordinate a “Let’s All Go to the Park” project to promote parks and trails as a destination for physical activity and meeting other members of the community. Five free events have been planned in South County geared to all fitness levels.I encourage residents to participate in all five of these events. The first event is at 10 a.m. May 13, starting at the east side of the Centennial Recreation Center, 171 W. Edmundson Ave., and will include a walk or bike ride along Little Llagas Creek Trail. Please join Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman, Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Steve Betando and me for a walk or bike ride on the Little LLagas Creek Trail.Taking steps toward better health as a community is important.  More details are available on the City of Morgan Hill website, morganhill,ca.gov.Steve Tate is the mayor of Morgan Hill. He can be reached at [email protected].

We have a place here in Morgan Hill where more than 70 kids go when school gets out, where they can do their homework and get help if needed, where they can get exercise and “Play 60,” where they can do fun projects and socialize with other kids. It’s a place where they thrive and take great steps toward attaining their full potential. It is the Lori Escobar El Toro Clubhouse on Crest Avenue, and it needs your help!Last July, the Boys and Girls Club of Silicon Valley (BGC) took over the operation and oversight of the Clubhouse from Catholic Charities and revamped the programming by adding staff and proven BGC programs. Catholic Charities did a great job of keeping the old center going with minimal resources. BGC brings a much more comprehensive and a proven program, so it is a great, successful upgrade for the Clubhouse.  If you get a chance, please drop by some afternoon and witness the enthusiasm and positive spirit of the kids there. They will capture your heart.Boys and Girls Club took over the operation with the understanding that the Morgan Hill community would continue to support the Clubhouse financially. Amigos de El Toro is an organization of volunteers that do whatever is needed to support the Clubhouse, and fundraising is one of our basic missions.While the annual budget for the Clubhouse is well over $200,000, BGC asks that the Amigos raise about $100,000 locally. Almost $40,000 of that comes from identified, sustainable sources. So the Amigos need to raise a little more than $60,000 annually and are working hard to identify potential generous contributors and establish sustainable sources for that local share. We welcome ideas, suggestions and of course contributions to help us achieve it, for we may very well lose this precious asset if we are unable to do our share.Of course one way to raise funds is by having a fundraiser, and the Amigos put on an outstanding event that we hope you will support. Now in its fourth year, our “Building Futures” event will be at Mama Mia’s restaurant, 275 E. Dunne Ave., 6 to 9 p.m. May 15. The cost is only $15 with plenty of hors d’oeuvres and a no-host bar. We’ll have exciting raffle and auction items including a private dinner for eight served by the Pirate of Morgan Hill at his Cove. Also, we will have some very special art prepared by El Toro kids—and some of those kids will be on hand to tell you about what they do at the Clubhouse.It is a fun event where our great community comes out to support a very good cause and has a ball doing it.  Tickets are available from BookSmart, 80 E. Second Street, or from the event committee (Laura Gonzalez-Escoto, Melissa Santos, Cecelia Ponzini or Steve Tate) and will also be available at the door. I sure hope to see you there.Contact the mayor at (408) 621-7377 or [email protected].

Santa Clara County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and is projected to add more than 500,000 new residents in the next 25 years.What is the best way to accommodate this growth and build communities in ways that allow local governments to provide cost effective services while ensuring that valuable natural resources such as open space and agricultural lands are preserved?This is a major challenge for local government—and a core concern for the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County, more commonly known as LAFCO.LAFCO is a state-mandated, independent local agency whose purpose is to discourage urban sprawl, preserve open space and agricultural lands and encourage efficient delivery of services.LAFCO fulfills these goals by regulating the boundaries of cities and special districts and by conducting studies to inform its regulatory duties.Santa Clara County’s LAFCO has seven members, including two county supervisors, one San Jose City Council member, one council member from any of the other 14 cities in the county, two special district board members and one public member selected by the other six. As LAFCO members, they must act on behalf of the countywide public interest, consistent with locally adopted LAFCO policies and the state mandate.In the 1950s, California experienced dramatic population growth and economic development. Demand for housing, jobs and services triggered rampant, unplanned, sprawling development that resulted in inefficient public service delivery systems and massive conversion of agricultural and open space to urban use. In response, the State Legislature created LAFCOs in 1963 and gave them responsibility for encouraging orderly growth and development in each county.Early in the 1970s, Santa Clara LAFCO, the 15 cities and the county jointly adopted policies that call for urban development to occur only within cities. Cities proposed urban service area boundaries that identified lands each intended to annex for future development. Those boundaries were adopted by LAFCO and future expansions became subject to its approval.Since urban service areas are key to where and when future growth will occur and services will be provided, LAFCO reviews each expansion request very carefully.One of LAFCO’s first considerations in reviewing an expansion proposal is whether there are infill development opportunities and whether the city has used or underused its existing supply of vacant land before seeking expansion.Among many other factors, LAFCO also will consider whether the expansion would result in conversion of agricultural or open space lands, whether the services and infrastructure needed to support the proposed growth can be financed and provided without negatively impacting current city services, and whether there is an adequate water supply available.  The creation of LAFCO and implementation of its policies has slowed the outward spread of urban development in Santa Clara County. This has, in turn, allowed for the preservation of an informal “greenbelt” around the urbanized area that consists of protected open space lands, farmlands and scenic hillsides. Consequently, despite experiencing significant growth over the years, our county remains a very desirable place to live and work.Today, LAFCO continues to play a vital role in promoting sustainable growth and good governance in Santa Clara County. Through its actions to curb sprawl and preserve open space and agricultural lands, LAFCO can play a key role in addressing emerging issues such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.Neelima Palacherla is Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County. For more information about LAFCO, visit,www.santaclaralafco.org.