Guest View

There comes a time when each of us comes to terms with aspects of life that can change our views and challenge long held beliefs. For me it is the present issue of police in schools (school resource officers).

Not wearing a mask properly is like double dipping your chip at a party. Double dipping is not cool and neither is wearing a mask improperly.

Charitably, officials in five wealthy Bay Area counties erroneously—but in good faith—miscalculated how local property taxes were divvied up among local governments and schools. A more jaundiced view is that five county auditors disregarded state law and state Department of Finance guidelines and grabbed hundreds of millions of dollars in “excess ERAF” funds that were supposed to go to schools.

It all begins with a broadcast of the Patriotic Singers on July 3 at 6pm. Then, we move into the grand celebration on July 4. At 10am, we will bring you a full live celebration, which will include: over 200 horses, 300 band members and singers, a dozen classic cars, two dozen marching groups and floats, along with special messages from local first responders and essential workers.

Our top priority remains an effort to retrofit and strengthen Anderson Dam, home to Santa Clara County’s largest reservoir, so it can safely withstand a strong earthquake.

California’s Latino community is experiencing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact. About 50 percent of the state’s more than 62,000 cases, and 33 percent of its total deaths are Latino, more than any other racial or ethnic group in California.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the severe economic recession it induced are disasters unparalleled in recent generations and it will take years to fully recover from their human and financial tolls.

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.

The Morgan Hill Community Foundation is asking for help to raise money to cover childcare costs for essential healthcare workers and first responders. For more information and to donate, visit morganhillcf.org.

Today we are “sheltering in place” to protect our physical health, the health of our loved ones and our greater community. However, these protections, combined with the enormous uncertainty we face, can have a significant toll on our mental health.