Letters

Think big for Morgan HillMorgan Hill is going through a renaissance of sorts.Downtown is finally blossoming into the vibrant scene we always wanted and knew was possible. Construction is booming, and not just on the Granada Hotel, Sunsweet project or any of the other economic developments going on, with three new parks scheduled to be built and finished this year in downtown.Downtown Morgan Hill is actualizing into our dreams for a prosperous, inviting and sustainable city center, and I couldn’t be happier.But the renaissance I’m referring to is not the one of our downtown. I’m talking about the rebirth of innovation in Morgan Hill; the revival of our Silicon Valley spirit.If you’ve been following news on self-driving cars and the technologies used in them, you may have heard of Morgan Hill-based Velodyne LiDAR, a high tech sensor producer that has worked with Google, Baidu and Ford on autonomous vehicles.If you’re into cutting edge recreation, you might have heard how Morgan Hill’s own industry-leading Specialized recently won 2017 Bike of the Year for its Roubaix Comp model.Morgan Hill companies are leaders in their respective fields and now some South Valley entrepreneurs are trying to help make Morgan Hill a true center for innovation with their upcoming Innovation Goes Outside Disrupt Forum, a local networking event and pitchfest. Never before have local leaders taken such proactive measures to help grow an innovative incubation community in Morgan Hill.Now is the opportunity to grow Morgan Hill as an integrated center of innovation in Silicon Valley. After all, this seems the logical step for a city with pioneering startups and an ideal location within Silicon Valley.Mayor Tate and Councilman Spring both came from tech and most of the other city councilmembers have experience working with tech or with Silicon Valley as a region.We are a population poised with the expertise to transform the future of Morgan Hill’s economy and culture. Our residents are more educated than both the California and national averages. Our schools continue to succeed above state and national graduation rates. In fact, our schools are now even expanding comprehensive opportunities for our students to explore (Paradise Valley Elementary transformed into Paradise Valley Engineering Academy last year).Our infrastructure is constantly improving and the investment that’s been put into our downtown will radically improve our community and its attractiveness as a great place to live and work. We have a chance to come together and actively work to make Morgan Hill all it can be.So let’s connect our local Silicon Valley veterans with new startups. Lets help incubate local businesses and support a culture of innovation. To do this we have to think big; we have to #ThinkMorganHill.Christian AntunesMorgan HillRail is a FailWe can glimpse what's in store for South County with the arrival of the Bullet Train by looking at those Monterey Salinas Transit ("MST") luxury yachts that sail past your old office every day going to the local Transit Hub. Why don't you tell your readers the truth about the losses taxpayers sustain with those ultra extravagant examples of government transport gone amok? Of course, you'll have to look at legal accounting for their losses, and not the losses reported by the transit agency.Why? The legislature has exempted the transit agencies from using legal accounting (aka Generally Accepted Accounting Principles = GAAP), which federal and state tax regs require that everyone use. This has the effect of hiding the true extent of their losses. They all do it: VTA, TAMC, SCCRTC, etc. So, when you read Mr. Roadshow's articles about the "fare box recovery rate" on transit, bus or rail, you are seeing what the transit agencies report—far from truth in transportation.Since fares are not remunerative, meaning that they don't cover their costs (all of their costs), they can never run in the black; only in the red. So, to keep going, they need heavy infusions of OPM—motorists, truckers and motorcyclists. If they wanted to be transparent and accountable, then they would use legal accounting, and tell us just how badly they are screwing us. But they use Enron-style, Bernie Madoff-style, "off book" accounting.Take a look at Amtrak's reported losses; Caltrain's losses. Then adjust for GAAP accounting, if you want to let your readers know the truth about the waste, fraud and abuse at the joint power authorities ("JPAs"), MST, VTA, TAMC, SCCRTC, etc. Then, if you want your readers to get informed about what the Bullet Train is going to do to us, extrapolate the MST's losses by factors of 100s, 1000s, etc.Please give us truth in transportation; it would be a refreshing change.Joe ThompsonGilroy

Despite shooting, resident enjoys community

Spring’s growth position not ‘sensible’South Valley Magazine’s otherwise excellent article about Councilmember Rene Spring contained one glaring error. Then-candidate Spring opposed measure S, a sensible growth control measure, and supported more restrictive measures that would not have allowed enough new housing for the natural growth of Morgan Hill and also immigrants working in Silicon Valley.  Had those measures been in place since the 1970s, it is unlikely Spring or others would be living in Morgan Hill. Councilmember Spring may change his tune when his grandchildren grow up and need a place of their own.   Tom ScottMorgan Hill List of thanks for Passport WeekendThis past weekend, the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley hosted our Annual Spring Passport, beginning with Friday evening at the Morgan Hill Community Center where 17 of our member wineries poured their fabulous wines alongside 12 of our local restaurants offering a taste from their delectable menus.The weekend continued with more than 25 participating member wineries hosting guests from throughout the Bay Area and offering an array of food, music and a variety of entertainment.  The pictures tell the stories of folks new to the area realizing that there is a selection of remarkable wines right here in their backyards, and our recurrent visitors enjoying the beauty of the area, the diversity of the wineries and the wines they pour—not to mention the friendships they have made by becoming frequent guests.We realize how fortunate we are to have strong partners who give their time, energy and support to the wineries. We extend a very sincere “thank you” to John McKay, President of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association for arranging these restaurants for Friday evening:  Bubbles Wine Bar, GVA Café, Ladera Grill, Mama Mia's, Milias, Noah's Bar & Bistro, Odeum, Old City Hall, Prova, Rosy's at the Beach, La Nina Perdida and Trail Dust. It goes to show that we are really one community—Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy—working together.Of course, it’s impossible to name everyone who helps with our success, but I would like to mention a couple of special partners.We extend our thanks to Jane Howard, Executive Director of the Gilroy Welcome Center and her staff. They support us in reaching out to the public on a daily basis, and we appreciate their hard work and continuing efforts.And finally, wine journalist Bev Stenehjem, who leads the way in promoting our wineries through her excellent articles and her own knowledge of the wine industry. A huge “thank you,” Bev!We know it’s hard to visit all of our great wineries in the valley in a short weekend.  Take one look at our new map (santaclarawines.com/images/WSCV-map-2017.pdf) and you will see the expansive area we occupy.We will host our Annual Fall Passport Oct. 13-15 later this year. So even if you missed out this past weekend or if you simply want more fun, food and wine, you will have the opportunity to join in the festivities at that time!Thank you again to all who helped and visited. I look forward to a year of connecting.Karen SeekerCo-Owner Seeker VineyardPresident, Wineries of Santa Clara Valley Flight paths kill peace and quietOne of the great things about Morgan Hill was the peacefulness and tranquility of a small town, while it’s close enough to the larger metropolitan areas to the north.Indeed, I moved to Morgan Hill five years ago to escape the chaotic lifestyle of the Bay Area while still being able to commute to Santa Clara. But for those of us who live on the western or northern parts of the city, things have been changing rapidly.Over the last couple years, there has been an increasing volume of air traffic at very low altitudes routed over our city. This has had a dramatic negative impact on the noise levels and environment.A little research uncovers that a whole new system of flight plans has been put in place that has focused all flights into San Jose through a low altitude, pencil thin corridor right over Morgan Hill. It’s as if the San Jose airport suddenly moved to the northern part of Morgan Hill. The constant drone from the air traffic is intolerable at many times during the day, and getting worse.This is also not a problem unique to us. The new flight paths have created similar issues in places like Palo Alto, where residents expressed enough concern that the City of Palo Alto has issued a lawsuit against the airport authorities.As residents of a beautiful and once peaceful city, we need to let the airport authorities know that this is not acceptable. I would urge everyone who is affected by the noise to respond by registering your dissatisfaction.There are many ways to do this, such as, voice your concern to our congresswoman (lofgren.house.gov), send an email complaint to [email protected], or use the flight webtracker (webtrak5.bksv.com/sjc3) to enter specific complaints.Robin PeatfieldMorgan Hill

Columnist exaggerates civility crisis

Demand answers to flood questions

Meetup to build community spirit

A holiday rescue story

Stop HSR in South County

I appreciated your Jan. 20 story on the Anderson Dam Retrofit, in which you summarized the report that the Santa Clara Valley Water District staff presented to their board Dec. 9, 2016.  Because I live less than a mile from this huge structure and have a good view of it from my bedroom windows, I have developed a keen interest in this project.  The prospect of a massive tidal wave coming from the direction of the dam has a way of getting your attention.I must admit that I was disappointed by the lack of any mention in your recent story of the catastrophic consequences of a failure of this structure, which has now been found to be so seriously compromised that the SCVWD has decided to tear it down and virtually replace it with a new dam.Since you have viewed the Dec. 9 staff presentation, I assume you know it has been determined that a large earthquake would cause the alluvial material that forms the base of the dam to undergo liquefaction, and this could cause the dam to “slump” by as much as 25 feet. The assumption here is that, if the dam is only two-thirds full, it would still have enough structural integrity to retain the contents of its reservoir. This seems to me to be a stretch.  I have since confirmed with the chair of the SCVWD Board, John Valera, that a failure of this massive structure when it is completely full would create a 35 foot “wall of water” in downtown Morgan Hill, in 14 minutes. I have yet to determine how high the wall of water would be if the dam were to fail when it is only two-thirds full (between 60,000 and 70,000 acre feet of water), but I think it is fair to assume the water that would descend on Morgan Hill in such a scenario would be catastrophic.I think the people of Morgan Hill deserve to be informed of these potential dangers. But for reasons about which I can only speculate, there seems to be an unofficial wall of silence among city leaders. I have a meeting with Mayor Steve Tate coming up, and I plan to ask him why we have not heard more about these possible dangers.  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is a 26 percent chance of a 6.7 earthquake on the Calaveras Fault (which passes just 2 kilometers east of the Jackson Oaks neighborhood), and a 37 percent chance of a quake of the same magnitude on the Hayward fault by 2044. What is more, a group of geophysicists at U.C. Berkeley recently demonstrated that there is a deep connection between the Hayward and Calaveras Faults which could result in an interaction that would create an earthquake as large as the one on the San Andreas Fault in 1906.The most obvious way to dissipate the dangers this dam and these seismic findings provide would be to have the SCVWD commence the “dewatering” of Anderson Reservoir now, rather than three years from now, as is envisioned in the latest plans.I would like your help in getting the word out regarding the dangers this compromised dam presents, along with the obvious solution for making them go away.Dave Elliott, Ph.D.Morgan Hill

I am honored and pleased to serve our communities and region as President of the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley in 2017. With the new year comes an enhanced commitment to serving you, our guests. We want to hear from you: your suggestions, feedback, and other thoughts you may have to help us continue to improve your experience at our wineries.One of my personal goals is to reach out to you, our local communities on a more regular basis. We kicked off the year with a strategic planning session and began a journey toward defining our brand along with our strategic priorities.  An important priority is to extend our visibility throughout the Bay Area, resulting in increased foot traffic and tourism to our communities and businesses.But we need your help.Please tell your friends and co-workers about the natural countryside, fields of grapevines and views of the mountain ranges that are so spectacular from many of our winery backyards. Let them know that very likely they will meet many of the winery owners, winemakers, and others wine lovers during a visit. And that they will leave with shared stories and a sense of belonging.  Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they will enjoy superb wines. While the winemaking process varies from winery to winery, excellent results extend across the region, guaranteeing that there’s a wine for every palette.Thank you and I look forward to a year of connecting.Karen Seeker, Co-Owner Seeker VineyardPresident, Wineries of Santa Clara ValleyVisit Wineries of Santa Clara Valley’s website at santaclarawines.com