Guest View

As part of a nationwide protest through Families Belong Together, we, the members of SURJ South County (Showing Up for Racial Justice) are hosting a rally, march and day of action on Saturday, June 30, 9 to 11am along with local civic leaders, community organizers, activists and concerned citizens, at the Community and Cultural Center (17000 Monterey Road) in Morgan Hill.This movement is to let the Trump administration know that we do not agree with their policies and efforts to separate families at our borders. We also want to let immigrant members of our community know that we stand behind them and will do whatever we can to support them.This president believes that our country can inflict the trauma of separation on children without recourse. We need him to know that we stand with all families in America. Our members are rallying and marching until we no longer have a President Trump because we believe every child is a gift to this world with limitless possibilities.We are appalled by the actions taken by our government. These families have been through so much to reach our borders. They deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion. As a country we need to do better than this.Our members intend to speak up as much as possible about what we see as the unraveling of America right now. Among our group are immigrants who came to this country and were welcomed and made to feel at home. We want that hand extended to others, especially those in need of a safe harbor. Isolating children from adults who care for them is the worst torture we can imagine.We feel it’s important that voices from communities both small and large—rural and urban—will be joining with those across the United States who are also protesting the federal government’s atrocities against families along our borders.We will also be registering voters, because we want to remind people that America is supposed to be a democracy and we all need to use our voting voice.Many of us are parents of children as young as those being ripped apart at our borders. We can’t and won’t stop thinking of the more than 2,000 children separated from their families by the Trump administration. We are horrified at the lack of plans in place to reunite the children with their parents. This all happened on our watch. History has its eyes on all of us.Our rally is a start to ask: What are we going to do to correct this injustice? What can we as a community do to fight against centuries of injustice and to prevent further injustices from occurring? Our families will stand together with the families affected to say “¡Ya basta!. Enough!'Join us.This guest view was written by SURJ members Katie McGinty Ruiz, Gemma Abels and Jenny Kirchoff. For more information about the June 30 rally, visit facebook.com/events/445428659203124

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].

We are fast approaching another Fourth of July. In Morgan Hill, we celebrate July 4 over two days with six events, together known as Freedom Fest.Many people are not aware that Independence Day Celebration, Inc., (IDCI) produces the events. A 501c3 nonprofit corporation, IDCI is staffed entirely by volunteer, community-minded individuals. With more than 500 volunteers led by more than 50 dedicated team leaders, six event chairs and a five-member board of directors, our team works much of the year to bring you these events. Freedom Fest is not produced by the city or Chamber of Commerce, although both work closely with us.The six Freedom Fest events have a little something for everyone. Our Patriotic Sing on July 3 features local children singing patriotic songs, Blue Star moms and much more. Immediately after, the Family Music Fest held downtown includes live music and a DJ for dancing, food and drinks featuring wine from local wineries.Runners and walkers can start the day on July 4 with a quick tour around the parade route, then enjoy the car cruise and historic parade. Following the parade, car enthusiasts can stop by our Car Show at the Community and Cultural Center. The Fireworks on the Green at the Outdoor Sports Center is the perfect way to end the day with live music, food, drinks and crafts to go with our world-class fireworks show.All volunteer community organizations face annual challenges in the areas of financial and volunteer support. Freedom Fest is a perfect example. Despite the growth surge that Morgan Hill is experiencing, we have funding challenges this year. Morgan Hill businesses and residents have given us tremendous support over the years. We hope it will continue, and even grow. Without your support, there can be no Freedom Fest.We always try to find new ways to reach out to sponsors and communicate with Morgan Hill residents. One new way we will do so this year is to mail our award-winning program to every household and business in Morgan Hill. In past years, we have increased our Facebook and web presence.On behalf of the Freedom Fest team, I want to thank the community for always showing up. It is your participation and support that makes Freedom Fest events a pleasure to produce. We are proud to serve our community in this way.Please go to mhfreedomfest.com to donate, volunteer or learn more about us.Jeff Dixon is a Morgan Hill resident and President of Independence Day Celebrations, Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].

To consider non-essential legislation without opportunity for public hearings violates the Brown Act, writes Bob Silvestri, president of Community Venture Partners in Mill Valley. And, he says more new housing bills do not qualify as essential legislation.

On any given Wednesday night, if you're lucky enough to get an invite, you can spend some time barbecuing and hanging out with the Elrods, a local racing family.Their shop in San Martin—the walls lined with trophies going back four decades—is a proud homage to the off-road racing lifestyle. Everything you might need to build a machine capable of enduring the roughest terrain on the planet is found here. Engines, motorcycles, and hunting trophies encompass the walls. Add all that to a cooler with a never ending supply of Coors Light, and it is paradise.I’ve know the family for about two decades. I was introduced to them through my childhood friend Curtis Giacolone. His cousin J.C. Elrod was the heir apparent to the racing legacy that his father Jeff and his uncle Wes created. For J.C. on the weekend of Sept. 30, this would be his first time in a race car after almost six years. He broke his back in a motorcycle accident, an injury that left him incapable of pursuing his passion.I was excited to go back to a racetrack, even more than usual since this would mark my friend’s return to racing. I was there one night when J.C. announced and displayed the car that he would be building. While a great deal of input came from Jeff and Wes, the mastermind behind the build would come from another friend, Donnie Powers. The build started about five months before the first scheduled race. I got to witness some of the transformation from rust bucket to race car, and I was ready to put aside a weekend to come see them in action.In the pits, no one was expecting anything too dramatic. All they hoped for was to just finish. So when J.C. won his second heat, all of us were ecstatic. For everyone who had put in a ton of sleepless nights, it was vindication. The night ended with what some could consider a disappointing finish: 11th place. But everyone was happy with how the car performed.The next night I was hoping for more good racing. The American Stock class provides for a lot of rubbing and crashing. J.C. had a few extra dents after the qualifying heat, which led to a little bit of an altercation in the pits. Emotions can run high, so scuffles between drivers aren’t uncommon.In the main event there was a lot of good things that came out from the race. Unfortunately it ended with J.C. spinning out just before the final lap. Throughout the weekend everyone was coming over to take a look at the car, admiring the rugged and traditional aspect it brought to the track. In short, while not finishing, they let everyone know they were just beginning..Being a family affair, Jeff—who all of us call “Boss Man”—was prouder than I’ve ever seen him. Self-admittedly he was a nervous wreck throughout the race, so to see his son come out unscathed after the nightmare six years earlier was an awesome sight to behold. J.C. himself was proud of everyone coming together to get that car on the track.While Elrod Racing didn’t take the checkered flag that weekend, it was just the beginning. The Team motto, “Build, Race, Win,” is prevalent. Where a lot of people starting off in racing use a cookie cutter style of building a racecar, these guys started from the bottom.So if you're ever free on a weekend and want to see a part of an old school American tradition, come out to the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds and cheer on the number 84x Elrod Racing car, the local boys.Gilroy resident and Live Oak High alumnus Connor Quinn is Region IX State Membership Coordinator for Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization that employs military veterans. He is also a VA work study at the Gavilan College Veterans Resource Center.

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.

Teachers in Morgan Hill are committed to the students, families, and community they serve. They respect and admire their colleagues. When we negotiate, we are negotiating for ourselves, but we are also negotiating to improve education in Morgan Hill. We believe that our present negotiations represent a pivotal moment in this district.  We are asking the district for an increase in compensation that will provide an incentive for our veteran teachers to stay in this district. We are asking for an increase in compensation that will make this district competitive enough to attract well-prepared new teachers.  We are asking the district to acknowledge their 30 percent increase in revenues over the last five years has only resulted in a 12 percent increase for teachers and this is why teachers have left the district. We are asking the district to value teachers as the greatest resource our students have.We are asking our community to support us in our effort to protect public education in Morgan Hill.Nicole Dietmeier is a Special Education teacher at Central High School, the district’s continuation high school. Her assignment requires her to teach a small group of students—making sure that each has access to an appropriate education program—and work with supporting agencies who service her students. Many of her students also deal with poverty, family crisis, depression and other traumas. Unofficially, Nicole says she also “provides emotional support, counseling, and access to outside resources in order to make sure that each student receives all of the support they need in order to thrive and be successful.”   Like many teachers, Nicole has a son that is a student in the district. She began her career in Morgan Hill as a paraprofessional and went back to school to become a Special Education teacher. In the process, she earned two credentials and a master’s degree. It is distressing to a parent who is also a teacher when her son “questions the legitimacy of higher education because it has not enabled me to make enough money to support my family on my own.”She also has to sacrifice time with her son to tutor and work at a friend’s home business in order to make ends meet.When Nicole first came to Central, she said, “Students told me that I would give up on them like everyone else. I told them I wouldn’t. So, when I returned the following school year, they were all shocked, but told me they were happy that I was willing to stay and not give up on them. That one single action did more to build trust with these students than anything else I could have done.” She wants to show these students that people do believe in them and will support them.Nicole is committed to both the students and staff at Central. She is not currently looking for a new position, but she also knows that she can provide a more secure life for her son, and maybe even buy her own home, if she moves to a different district where she would make more money with better benefits.  Nicole explains that “leaving the district is not something that I am looking forward to doing or have decided upon without a significant amount of thought and conversations with family. I have built a reputation, gained a second family, and have been personally rewarded with fulfilling relationships and the success of my students while at this district. I have learned how to become a successful teacher here and would love to be able to learn more and share my expertise with the district. I have realized though that the loyalty and respect I have demonstrated to the district is not mutual. The district continues to show that it does not have loyalty or respect for its teachers.”Since last March, teachers have been asking the district and the board for an increase in compensation that would keep teachers like Nicole in this district, but have only been told that a significant raise is unsustainable. Now, we are asking our families and our community to come to the Dec. 13 Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education meeting and remind the board that they must invest in their greatest resource, OUR TEACHERS.Gemma Abels is a veteran high school English teacher and the president of the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers. The Dec. 13 MHUSD board meeting will start at 6 p.m. at district headquarters, 15600 Concord Circle.