Letters

I’m Lance Wolfsmith, Dave Wolfsmith’s son. Despite the local smear campaign against my father, my family and I couldn’t be prouder to call Morgan Hill home. I’m eternally grateful for amazing support my family has received from many in the community.I’ve been a Wolfpak member for 20 years, and I know every victim personally. What you’ve seen in the media is the perception of less than 2 percent of the athletes my father coached. I refuse to let this be his legacy.My father’s passion and conviction makes him polarizing. You don’t hire a coach if you're satisfied with your current situation, and when you hire my dad, your success becomes his priority. Through expert knowledge, passion and accountability, his clients achieved amazing results.The most profound memory with my dad was before my freshman year of high school when he set aside time for goal setting. Measurable goals were inappropriate because my ability was unknown, so my father simply asked me how good I wanted to be. Naturally, I wanted to be the best, so he made known the sacrifice and hard work that would be required. He assured me that together, we would accomplish my goals, and until those goals changed he would hold me accountable. Because of my father’s commitment to me, I was blessed with a lot of success during my high school and collegiate athletic career.What’s amazing is that commitment wasn’t exclusive to me. Over his 30-year career, nearly 1,000 clients received his commitment. He trained the full spectrum of athletes—from children and soccer moms, to collegiate athletes and elite military operators. Not once did my father advertise; every client was the result of a praising recommendation.I’ll never know the “why” behind these accusations. I have years of great memories with each victim and knew these people better than many members of my own family. Many trained years ago, a few came and went multiple times, but all continued to train at their own will after their assaults. The toughest for me to wrap my head around is that a group of victims trained with my father up until his arrest.My intent isn't to attack any victims, but to shed light on the other side to this story. I believe most people in our community have good intentions, but they've only been exposed to an extremely biased fraction of the story.Martin Luther King said, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”Sexual assault accusations do not always require physical evidence for a conviction, which leaves no tolerance for ignorance. Before his plea, my father’s accusations were broadcasted to millions, his business was taken, and he spent nearly a year in jail. As a community, that should concern everyone.I was raised a strong supporter of the law, but my family learned the hard way that innocence until proven guilty is nothing but a fantasy reserved for those wealthy enough to fight.I urge you to critically exam what you read in the news and see on TV. Too often, you're only exposed to a fraction of the story and as good as your intentions may be, they can be misguided.The bond I have with my father and family has only grown stronger. Together we will pass this test and remain unshaken, because we know the complete story and will continue to stand by my father.Lance Wolfsmith, 1Lt, USAFEditor’s note: Former Morgan Hill personal trainer David Wolfsmith pleaded guilty June 23 to 12 counts of sexual battery by fraudulent purpose, and one count of lewd and lascivious acts against a child younger than 14 and a misdemeanor child molestation charge. On Aug. 23, he was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Measure B offers accountabilityJoin me in supporting Measure B, the 30-year, half-cent sales tax that will reduce traffic congestion in Morgan Hill by:• Completing and modernizing Hale Avenue/Santa Teresa Boulevard to provide a thoroughfare for the west side of Morgan Hill.• Increasing Caltrain capacity and service with more user-friendly schedules.• Providing more than $800,000 annually for road maintenance in Morgan Hill.• Providing direct access to Saint Louise Regional Hospital with a Buena Vista interchange.• Providing bicycle and pedestrian improvements near schools.While Measure B provides the traffic improvements Morgan Hill needs, it also provides the accountability improvements our voters deserve:• The two-thirds vote threshold (67 percent majority required for passage) assures that the Measure B projects are legally binding.• Changing a single word  or sentence in Measure B requires a 75 percent (9 of 12 members) vote of the VTA Board.• Measure B requires Annual Independent Audits by a Citizens Oversight Committee to report on how every dime is spent.Please vote YES on Measure B.Steve TateMayor of Morgan Hill Sales tax measure has pros and consI have been given an opportunity to state my opinion on Measure B by Valley Transportation Authority for a half-cent sales tax on the purchases of goods and services in Santa Clara County. In return, VTA promises to distribute some of this money back to Santa Clara County and its cities for road repair and gridlock mitigation.I am conflicted as to whether I support this measure. I am not going to ask you to vote yes or no, but instead tell you what I feel are the pros and cons as I see them so that you can perhaps make an informed choice.  First, Morgan Hill could use the money earmarked for improvements to our crumbling roads. South County needs the additional Caltrain service to and from Gilroy. Monies are supposed to be set aside for the west-side bypass from Hale to Santa Teresa. Extra money is always good if the people in charge of that money have a proven record of fiscal responsibility and fulfill their promises. For all of that I would say by all means, please consider voting for Measure B.However, we are being overtaxed. It seems so easy for government agencies like VTA to come around with their hand out. We face a backlog of street repairs and severe gridlock on 101. We have multiple taxes and fees from Santa Clara Valley Water District, property taxes, school bonds and state bonds, gas tax, water/sewer charges and garbage pickup.At this point, you the taxpayer are paying 8.75 percent sales tax in Morgan Hill. At some point our local government is probably going to need some type of tax to help with the backlog of infrastructure repairs. An additional .5 percent by VTA will bring us to 9.25 percent total sales tax.From this standpoint, I am inclined to vote No on Measure B. VTA does not seem to ever get control of the situation and give the relief that the people of Morgan Hill need. VTA has broken many such promises in the past, and I am having trust issues with VTA and our money.Would I trust VTA with $6 billion at this point? The answer is no I would not.So I hope this helps you make the best decision for you. Can you afford the tax increase? Will VTA fulfill their promise to use the money correctly? Do you trust VTA?These are your decisions. Please vote with your best interest and that of your community.Kirk R. BertoletCandidate for Mayor of Morgan Hill Editor’s note: Mayoral candidate Joseph Carrillo did not respond to a request for his opinion on Measure B. 

Santa Clara County and the State of California have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction of the ICE facility being built on agricultural land just minutes from the Gilroy Costco. The lawsuit alleges the federal government violated multiple federal and state laws...