Guest View

In my 17 years as a central coast franchise owner, I was always grateful for my community and the passion they had for supporting local family-owned businesses.

Hans Kung is a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian and author who served on the faculty of the University of Tübingen in 1960, and served as a theological adviser during the Second Vatican Council. In his address at the opening of the Exhibit on the World's...

Our world is filled with fearful people. There are some things which we need to fear, and many things which are concocted fears, but both kinds cause us great distress. Some real fears have arisen from the Covid-19 pandemic that began for us in...

Farmers’ markets represent a unique bridge between urban and rural communities that provide an opportunity to support the local economy, as well as access to fresh, nutritious foods. Aug. 5-11 is National Farmers’ Market Week. This designation seeks to increase the public’s awareness of the role local farmers’ markets play in creating healthy communities and in building prosperity among farmers and small businesses.Farmers’ markets support California’s small and diversified farms, and return money to our local economies. At a farmers’ market, 100 percent of your food dollar goes to your local farmer, while a farmer only receives 15 cents of every food dollar that consumers spend at traditional food outlets. Studies have shown that all farms, regardless of scale, are significantly more likely to survive if they have local food sales as a part of their marketing portfolio.Local markets also provide low-barrier entry points for new farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs, allowing them to start small and test new products.In 2017, 7,377 markets and direct-marketing farmers accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) electronic benefit transfers, resulting in $22 million in SNAP spent at farmers markets. This provides access to fresh, local produce and enables SNAP recipients to purchase the nutritious foods their families need to stay healthy.  A growing number of farmers’ markets also offer incentive programs to low-income seniors and WIC (Women, Infants and Children Program) customers.Unlike many supermarkets, farmers markets put fruits and vegetables front and center and create a shopping environment where nutritious foods are not only affordable, they are celebrated.Visit your local farmers’ market this week and enjoy the bountiful crops that are grown close to you.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. The weekly Morgan Hill Farmers Market takes place year-round 9am to 1pm Saturday, at the Caltrain parking lot on Depot Street in the city’s downtown.

For many Californians, the term “Honor Roll” conjures up images of academic excellence and the proud feelings associated with seeing your name included on a prestigious list. For those of us in law enforcement, the “Honor Roll” is not a list on which we want to find our names. Although this list also gives rise to feelings of pride, it is the list of California peace officers killed in the line of duty. So far this year, 33 names have been added to the Honor Roll nationwide.Each year, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice and joined the list that year. The numbers vary from year to year, but since 2001, the names of 159 California Police Officers have been added to the Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Capitol Park in Sacramento. Those names are also included in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and are joined by thousands of others. These brave men and women are honored each year in our nation’s capital during National Police Week in May. This year, May 15 will be recognized as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.Those of us who chose law enforcement as a career start each day with a desire to serve and protect our communities by putting the safety of others before our own. We are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. We are coaches, counselors, mediators and mentors. We dedicate ourselves to fighting crime and drugs to create a safe community for those we serve. We help at-risk youth in schools as well as parents in crisis, and connect the homeless and mentally ill with services. We show up when you call 911 to help you in a time need or an emergency. We do these things with the understanding that it’s part of our job and we are proud to serve our community.The men and women of our department care deeply for Morgan Hill and demonstrate that care through various community engagement efforts—often on our own time. We also strive to decrease crime and ensure a high quality of life through proactive and intelligence based policing strategies.We are grateful to serve a community that supports its police department. I encourage you to show your support during National Police Week, the week of May 15, by shining a blue light to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community and to show your local heroes how much they are supported by those we serve.On behalf of the men and women of your Morgan Hill Police Department, thank you for the opportunity to partner with you to provide a safe environment in which to live, work and play.David Swing is the Chief of the Morgan Hill Police Department.