Opinion

Rally The Valley launched its debut event with live inspirational music performed by Benji Cortez and his impressive band, setting the atmosphere for a joyous and powerful event.The azure skies and mild weather were ideal for the convocation of leaders from local government, military and spiritual sectors at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center’s Amphitheater June 10.Acts Revival Center, located at 17555 Peak Ave., hosted the event with the purpose of bringing unity to the community. For two and a half months, Debra Osikominu, Diahann Soleno, Victoria Salcido and Pastor Michael-John of Acts Revival Center, along with a team of dedicated volunteers, worked tirelessly on Rally The Valley.Michael-John opened the event with a powerful prayer, then introduced Morgan Hill City Council members Rene Spring and Caitlin Jachimowicz who both offered their vision and passion for the city. Dr. Ed Silvoso of Harvest Evangelism decreed a dynamic, inclusive prayer over government officials, police, firefighters, first responders, entrepreneurs and the inhabitants of Silicon Valley.Army Sgt. First Class William Carter, who is stationed in Gilroy, officially represented the military and veterans. Pastor Adam Bernal from Jubilee Christian Center prayerfully shared his heartfelt appreciation for Morgan Hill and his excitement of being a new resident of the city.Father Randy Valenton of St. Catherine Church ministered a stirring message on God’s love. David Thompson with Harvest Evangelism prayed for the families in the South Valley. Rosie Guerro of Cathedral of Faith and Carmen Martinez of Acts Revival Center both poured out their hearts, expressing Christ’s love for the poor, disenfranchised and the broken hearted.Several leaders approached Michael-John after the event, sharing how impressed they were with the spirit of unity present. They offered to be a part of future Rally The Valley events.Michael-John echoed the same sentiment: “There was freshness in the atmosphere as God’s love permeated the grounds, and as if on cue, the fountains in the courtyard sprang to life, propelling jets of water high into the air . . . signifying new things to come.”The vision for Rally The Valley spawned from God because of His love for the community. The church meets 10 a.m. Sunday mornings in the Morgan Hill City Council Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. The newly remodeled chamber is an ideal locale for the innovative church and its pastor, who isn't confined to stuffy religious methods. His pastoral ability goes beyond the realm of the traditional function of a minister because of his love for people, combined with his entrepreneurial and entertainment background.Some of the expanded benefits of the ministry include life coaching, business consulting, mentorship, counseling for married couples and deep teaching of God’s word, which draws the congregation closer to their creator. Acts Revival Center ministers to a wide range of people with various backgrounds and careers. It’s a creative church, designed for Silicon Valley. Attendees include doctors, high-tech security personnel, authors, engineers, game designers, artists, secretaries, retail managers, police, students, entrepreneurs, realtors and the homeless. The pastor helps guide each person to achieve their prophetic destiny with wisdom from the Word of God, touching their relationships and careers. Acts Revival Center has four locations: San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Los Angeles.For more information, please visit actsrevivalcenter.com.Angela YoungMorgan Hill

This guest view is part of a periodic series of opinion pieces on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which started May 1 in Santa Clara County.As our children enjoy the end of the school year and our open spaces transition into their seasonal amber waves, we encourage you to teach your children about fire safety. Curiosity is a vital part of a healthy childhood and children are naturally curious about fire. Last year, thousands of children “played” with matches. Only, they didn’t learn anything…Fire is the leading cause of death in the home for young children in the U.S. Tragically, one third of the children who died in home fires last year set the fires that killed them. Burns are also a major cause of accidental death for young children in our country, many of whom are burned when playing with matches or lighters.What’s most tragic about these deaths is that almost all of them could have been prevented. Teach your children about fire so that they, and you, don’t get burned.Teaching Your Child About Fire: ‘What is fire?’Fire is a strong natural force, like wind, water or electrical power, which produces heat. Like all energy sources, fire is a tool we use in our everyday lives: cooking food, heating homes, powering cars, and lighting candles are just a few examples of ways we use fire as a tool.Fire can be extremely dangerous, because the heat it produces can quickly get out of control if not handled properly. Because of this danger to people and property, only adults should use fire.Fire is useful, but it is not magic. It is powerful, but it is practical when used wisely. It is a fascinating process, but it’s also a part of everyday life. Fire is not a toy, and young children should never be allowed to use it like one.How do I know that my child is curious about fire?He may ask you questions, or he may stare at the fire, or point to or try to touch matches and lighters, or he may run to the window when fire trucks race by. But why wait for signs? Whenever you use fire, teach your child about it.What if my child has already begun experimenting with fire?Calmly, but firmly, explain that this is not an acceptable way to learn about fire. Explain—but do not overemphasize—the seriousness and danger of playing with fire and immediately begin teaching your child about the safe way to learn about fire. Someone said that if I burn his fingertips he’d learn the dangers…This is simply incorrect. It’s also child abuse. Burning your child will only injure him or her. It will not teach him or her anything positive about fire. It may even give him the dangerous idea to use fire in anger.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

On May 17, the City Council voted 3-2 (Caitlin Jachimowicz, Rene Spring against) to approve a time extension request for a construction project proposed for the corner of East Dunne and Murphy avenues. At face value, that may not seem like a big deal. But, since last December two significant actions occurred—one questionable, and one that shouldn't be legal.Last December, the developer requested an extension for this project. Even though it only fulfilled one of eight requirements to qualify for an extension, the Council (4-1, Spring against) determined there was enough potential impact to the neighboring residents and church that granting an unqualified extension was in the best interest of the city. At the urging of Councilmember Larry Carr, a stipulation was added to the amended agreement, Section #11 of Ordinance #2228, that "No further extension will be provided."On May 17, Mayor Steve Tate and Councilmembers Carr and Rich Constantine broke their word and approved another six-month extension for the project, violating the restriction they voted into the ordinance. I have a problem with that. I think the residents of Morgan Hill should have a problem with that, too. Not because a bunch of houses will be built where a bunch of houses will eventually be built, but because three members of the city council violated an ordinance to resolve their problem.The council says they have the authority to amend development agreements. That's true, but what makes this agreement different from other agreements is the council added a specific restriction in Section #11 prohibiting an extension. Ordinance language is legally binding, and the council had sufficient time to amend Section #11.The developer's request was in the city's hands at the end of March. There were two council meetings and one planning commission meeting prior to the May 17 vote, with included staff reports noting the extension request. I sent at least three emails questioning this extension. Tate, Carr and Constantine chose to put all that and Section #11 aside, and simply changed the agreement to approve the extension. Their only justification was a very convenient "what's best for the city" excuse.It's hard for me to trust members of our city council who feel comfortable violating ordinances, except in an emergency, by simply saying they're doing "what's best for the city."  What’s best for the city is having leaders who stand behind the integrity they say they have, who demonstrate that the rules apply to them and developers as much as the rules apply to everyone else in Morgan Hill.  I've heard no legal explanation allowing Mayor Tate, Mr. Carr or Mr. Constantine to circumvent the restriction in Section #11. In their "what's best for the city" excuse, I only heard them attempting to absolve themselves of guilty feelings for going back on their word.The council can still fix this. I hope they do. I think it's more important to build trust through integrity and credibility than to build a few houses.Chris MonackMorgan Hill

Morgan Hill City Councilman Rene Spring delivered the following comments at a June 1 rainbow flag raising ceremony at City Hall Plaza on Peak Avenue. “As I prepared for what I wanted to say at our local ceremony, I googled around and came across an amazingly well written speech by Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman Tom Guest. His words speak for themselves. I found them so fitting for our ceremony. He's one of my heroes!,” Spring said, including portions of Guest’s speech in his comments at the local ceremony. The flag will continue to fly over City Hall throughout June, commemorating the month as LGBTQ Pride Month in Morgan Hill.Good morning. My name is Rene Spring. I am Morgan Hill’s first openly gay councilmember.Thank you all for coming. We are here today to celebrate the beginning of LGBTQ Pride Month, as it’s being celebrated in many communities across our region, throughout the country and even in many countries all over the world.It is great to see so many of you joining this event today and to show your solidarity and respect for the LGBTQ community! I did not expect this great turnout! Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia still exist. Events like today are a signal that we need to change that and need to embrace each other even more.In my short speech today, I will use the generic term “gay” instead of the acronym “LGBTQ.”Partly because it is the word I am most comfortable with, it is the word I feel is most universal and it is the word I am least likely to get tongue tied over.PRIDE. What exactly do we mean by GAY PRIDE? Does that mean we are proud to be gay? Isn’t that sort of like being proud to be short, or proud to have blue eyes? We really have nothing to do with the fact that we are gay.I started to realize I was different at about the age of 12 or 13. By the age of 16 or 17, I was certain I was gay. I was never PROUD of it. I was ashamed; I was embarrassed; I was afraid. I came out to my family and friends at the age of 17, and to my surprise, their response was: “Well, finally, we knew!” I was lucky to be embraced by a loving family and wonderful friends, but I also realize not all are that lucky yet.We are born gay. And if you are gay, you can deny it, you can pretend, you can act. But you cannot change that fact.Gay pride is not about being proud of the fact that we happen to be gay. It’s about NOT allowing others to make us feel shame because we are gay. It’s about NOT allowing others to define our worth based on our sexuality,It’s about NOT allowing others to define the love we share as less pure, less real, less deserving of recognition.Gay pride is about owning who we are. Gay pride is about valuing the diversity that is humanity in all its varied presentations.According to the Flags of the World Project, which unravels the history behind many of the world's flags, the original Pride Rainbow Flag was designed by a San Francisco individual named Gilbert Baker who just recently passed away. The rainbow flag is also symbolic because of its diversity.As you know, Morgan Hill is a very diverse community, in many ways. I believe that strength and solidarity can be found in diversity. Through this strength and solidarity, we can build communities which are based on the foundations of acceptance and inclusivity. Diversity is not just about recognizing our differences; rather it is about acknowledging our uniqueness and individuality.In acknowledging this uniqueness, it's evident that we're actually very much the same. We are people with different identities and layers—but people nonetheless.Welcome to LGBTQ Pride month in Morgan Hill—the first one ever in Morgan Hill!

Right now I’m nursing a memory with a poor substitute: dinner leftovers from the past weekend. But I’m comforted knowing that next week I’ll get what I’m missing right now—tasty morsels delivered hot and fresh from a mobile kitchen parked on Third Street.Yes, it will be Wednesday, June 7, and I’ll be sitting on an upturned red 5-gallon bucket with about 1,000 other foodies in front of the Third Street Plaza. The Moveable Feast is back!It doesn’t get much easier to join in the fun. Park in the Downtown Parking Garage and walk out into the Third Street Plaza. Just beyond will be a string of food trucks surrounded by fans of the diverse range of cuisines being offered. Maybe we can start to get some of the feasters used to parking in the VTA Parking lot across the railroad tracks too…The feedback I’ve heard from the community about the gourmet food trucks has been overwhelmingly positive, usually followed quickly by the universal question, “When will they return?”Short answer is next week.It seems that most of the residents I’ve heard from like the Moveable Feast trucks on Wednesdays, but how about the downtown businesses and the residents?That’s a mixed bag, but still mostly positive.A few businesses do not support the Moveable Feast events at all, but that’s a small number. Some don’t feel they benefit, but still support it in light of the exposure brought to the downtown. Others experience a benefit and are happy these events take place. This last group is a small number that we hope will continue to grow this year. By the way, this is from a business survey undertaken by the committee that brought you the Moveable Feast trial last year.I am obviously a huge supporter of Moveable Feast on Wednesdays but I’m just hoping you end up downtown eating and hanging out.I hope you, your family and friends come downtown on Wednesdays and find that something special at one of the gourmet food trucks. But maybe you won’t. Maybe the lines are too long, you’re not in the mood for what’s being offered that week, or you run into some friends and decide it would be nice to sit down and be served. Maybe you just walked past a restaurant and saw the most incredible plate of barbeque and your stomach just changed your mind for you.So I want to tell everyone that the Moveable Feast is coming but I also want to say that the rest of your favorite restaurants are here too. Maybe make Wednesday night the night where you commit to trying something new, whether it be a different food truck or a different restaurant. Can you say you’ve been to all of our downtown restaurants?Consider that a challenge.Give the kitchen a break on Wednesdays and get out and eat. It doesn’t have to be downtown (that would be nice though)—just get out and enjoy yourself on hump day. The rest of the week will feel a lot shorter. I promise.   Please dine out and shop often.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance and a city commissioner. He can be reached at [email protected].

When it comes to big infrastructure projects, the Santa Clara Valley Water District believes it’s important to look at the plans for improvements holistically, and from a long-term perspective. That’s the purpose of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), heard May 9 and approved by the Board of Directors.The water district’s 5-year CIP is a rolling plan that describes capital investments planned for the next five fiscal years.The FY 2018-2022 CIP includes 66 projects with proposed funding of $197 million in FY 2018. These projects include 30 water supply projects, from water treatment plant upgrades to seismic retrofitting of dams to pipeline rehabilitation and investments in the Recycled and Purified Water program. They also include 17 flood protection projects along Upper Guadalupe River, Coyote Watershed, San Francisquito Creek, Upper and Lower Llagas Creek and Sunnyvale East/West Channels.Water resources stewardship makes up nine projects from environmental enhancement to mitigation to feasibility studies. There is also money set aside for three building and grounds projects and seven information technology projects. Over the next five years, the planned construction work is estimated to create or sustain 8,000 to 16,000 jobs.The money for the projects included in the CIP comes from a variety of sources, including a special parcel tax, a portion of 1 percent ad valorem property taxes, benefit assessments, groundwater rates, as well as through grants and partnerships with local, state and federal agencies. The CIP is developed in parallel with the fiscal year’s water rates, and to fully fund the water supply projects in the FY 2018-2022 CIP, water rates need to increase by 9.6 percent in North County, which extends to just south of San Jose, and 6.4 percent in South County.Projects included in the CIP are carefully selected to meet the needs of the community and the water district. Projects must meet three criteria: they must conform to the board’s priorities and contribute to the water district’s objectives; have identified funding for the duration of the projects; and be coordinated with the local jurisdiction’s General Plan. The water district solicits community input through the public hearing process. The public hearing opened April 26 and closed May 9.The water district board also weighs in before the draft is assembled to ensure projects fit with the board’s priorities.Once that process is complete, the draft is assembled and made available for review.The public hearing on the CIP concluded at the regular meeting of the water district board of directors. For more information, visitvalleywater.org.Submitted on behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. John Varela represents the district that includes South County on the SCVWD board of directors. He can be contacted at (408) 265-2600 or [email protected].

This guest view is part of a periodic series of upcoming op-eds on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which started May 1 in Santa Clara County.Most people believe that wildfires ignite homes through direct contact with flames, but it is rare to have a home ignite this way. Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire, and up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers.Your home could be at risk. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home. Clean out debris from under your deck, and move woodpiles away from your house.Our “Ember Aware” campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping. You can learn more at emberaware.comTip #3: Chuck that woodHow much wood could a woodchuck chuck? If he lived in one of California’s high fire hazard areas, he should chuck all of it at least 30 feet from his home.One of the most common ember hazards homeowners create is the placement of firewood stacks next to their home. During a wildfire, hundreds of burning embers could become lodged within the stack. The dry, high winds that often accompany wildfire can fan the embers and cause ignition. Once burning, the firewood stack can jeopardize just about any home, regardless of construction material, because of its ability to ignite combustible siding, provide a flaming exposure to windows and break the glass, or climb to the eave and possibly enter into the attic.Firewood should be stored at least 30 feet from the house, deck and other structures during fire season. If the firewood stack is located uphill, make sure burning logs won’t roll downhill and ignite the home. Don’t place the stack under tree branches or adjacent to wood fences that are connected to the house. Don’t let your firewood stack be the kindling for your house fire.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].

I recently had the opportunity to take a walk to the top of the future downtown “Hilltop Trail/Park” location. This walk, by the way, is not just a mere stroll; it takes some effort and will break a sweat on most. It certainly did for me.We took the walk to see the location of two new planned slides at the top of the prominent downtown hill where we were also rewarded with an incredible view across Morgan Hill. The “slides with a view” are bound to be a huge hit and I think will become a signature feature of the downtown.Earlier the group had walked through the future “Creek Park” along the West Little Llagas Creek. There should be plaques at the pedestrian bridge over West Little Llagas Creek and at the “slides with a view” honoring the support of the parks by the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill—support in the tune of $100,000 to be exact.That support by the Rotary Club mirrors the support of these parks by the entire community.We have not built a new park in many, many years, and in one year we are about to have three new parks. These new parks are going to serve the downtown area that, with proper planning, will add many new residents over the years that will live in higher density developments typical of the most urban environment in a community like ours, the downtown. These developments typically don’t have a lot of open space, so I feel the entire downtown, and these parks, will become the open space for these residents.We will also have the “Depot Park,” which is designed to focus on children’s play where the yells and screams of children playing will be just down the road from our downtown businesses—close but not too close. It will be a park with safe places for children to run, jump and fall like children do, and play features to climb on and feed young imaginations. It will also have a restroom!The “Creek Park,” just behind Ladera Grill restaurant, will be a more passive park where you can enjoy a rural feel right in the downtown, with some nice play features for children but also some adult amenities. There will be trails to entice you to walk around and learn more about riparian habitat and see local art, possibly while digesting a recent meal. Of course there will be picnic benches, where some takeout food would taste particularly good in a park setting. During the winter and spring we might see children return to see the pollywogs and newts around the creek.From the Creek Park you can head right up Third Street (now one way) to the Hilltop Trail/Park. This park will encourage a higher level of activity and it will be just perfect—a place to hike, jog and work out at a series of fitness stations. This park will feature trails, views, and picnic areas in addition to the aforementioned slides.We will have something for everyone in our new parks and I hope everyone spends some time in these wonderfully planned additions to our community.Editor's note: The Morgan Hill City Council at the May 17 meeting officially named the parks Nob Hill Trail Park, Railroad Park and Third Street Creek Park. John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be reached at [email protected].

The California State Senate has recognized May as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month with the passage of Senate Resolution 34, which I was proud to have authored. This designation will help bring attention to this life debilitating disease.  Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease in the United States, with 30,000 people currently afflicted and 1,000 new cases diagnosed every year. One out of every 3,500 babies born in America has cystic fibrosis, and more than 75 percent of people with the disease are diagnosed before the age of two.  Prompt diagnosis of the disease can lead to better treatment of the symptoms and control over the disease, which is defined by a thick buildup of mucus in the lungs, pancreas and other organs, causing persistent infections, lung damage and respiratory failure. And while there is no known cure for this chronic and progressive systemic disease, there have been advancements in research that have produced promising leads in gene, protein and drug therapies that have led to longer life expectancy and better life quality.In the 1950s, cystic fibrosis was almost exclusively found only in children, few of whom lived long enough to even attend elementary school. Through early diagnosis, advancements in medicine and a better understanding of the disease, now over half of those with cystic fibrosis are 18 years of age or older and have a life expectancy into their early 40s.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12 million Americans are symptomless carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene, and if both you and your partner have the gene, it greatly increases your child’s chance of having the disease.I applaud the work of the researchers and advocates who work for a cure every day and create innovative ways of treating the disease. Through their efforts, those afflicted with cystic fibrosis can pursue their life goals, whether it is a particular career path, marriage, children or all of the above. Please take a moment to learn more about cystic fibrosis.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.

This guest view is the first in a periodic series of upcoming op-eds on tips to prepare for wildfire season, which started May 1 in Santa Clara County.No matter where you live, the most common reason homes burn during a wildfire is because embers land on something easily ignitable around the home. Remove leaves and pine needles from your rain gutters. Make changes now to reduce the ember threat to your home.Flaming brands and embers can travel a mile or more ahead of the active front of a wildfire and up to 60 percent of wildland/urban interface home ignitions result from embers.Most of the activity that makes a home less vulnerable to ignition focuses on the home and its immediate surroundings. Our Ember Aware campaign is intended to educate people on the risks of ember cast and the actions they can take to reduce those risks, to encourage residents to harden their homes against embers and/or to maintain those ember-resistant features, and to practice ember-safe housekeeping and landscaping. You can learn more at emberaware.comTip number two: Unclutter the gutter.Rain gutters attached to the edge of your roof are perfect for catching embers during wildfire. Burning embers can land in the gutters, and if they are filled with dried leaves, pine needles and twigs, a fire can start and possibly ignite the roof, roof sheathing and fascia. Even houses with fire-rated roofs are vulnerable to this type of ember attack. Rain gutters made of vinyl will melt and drop into flower beds, igniting plants next to the house and maybe even combustible siding. To keep your home safe, we suggest that you:• Remove all dried leaves, pine needles or other materials from your rain gutters before fire season.• Keep a ladder handy and check your rain gutters throughout the fire season, cleaning them out as necessary.• If a wildfire is approaching and there is no time to clean out the debris, plug the rain gutter downspout with a tennis ball, or something similar so that the downspout will be plugged, and fill the rain gutter with water.Fire Marshal Dwight Good serves the Morgan Hill Fire Department and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District and the CalFire Santa Clara Unit. He has 24 years of fire service experience. He can be contacted at [email protected].