Opinion

Times of crisis, distress and violence too often expose our deeply held fears. People of faith share much in common: a desire for a peaceful world, respect for one another and a commitment to strive collaboratively to advance social justice and the common good. Current attempts to isolate and demonize our Muslim sisters and brothers violate the foundation of our shared beliefs.

Clear plants from creekMy property—as well as many more, including the Woodland Estates Senior MobilE Home Park—backs up to the Llagas Creek between Santa Teresa Boulevard, and Olive Avenue, which is all part of the city.In 2010, I brought up the issue about the overgrown vegetation to both the Santa Clara Valley Water District, as well as the City of Morgan Hill. This vegetation could create possible fire danger in the summer, and also the impairment of the water flow in the creek.I was impressed with the immediate response from both the city and the Water District. The city was out there the next day to cut down the tall grass up to or about 30 feet from the property lines for weed abatement, and the Water District set up a plan to cut down the overgrown berry plants and remove some of the dead vegetation—which they did a couple months later.In March 2011, we had a lot of rain in a short amount of time, and with Chesbro Reservoir already filled, the water was not only going over the spillway but some water had to be released from the dam. In doing so, Llagas Creek was totally filled with fast running water, within two feet from flooding my property, and had encroached onto other properties along the creek. Water was also bubbling out of the storm drain at the end of our cul-de-sac, putting the end of our street two feet under water.In the last couple of years, the berry plants have come back. Even though they are not nearly as tall as before, they are tall enough to impair the natural water flow in the creek.I have meet with both the Water District and a representative from the city of Morgan Hill, and have had no luck because of the bureaucracy getting in the way. I have even sent an email to Mayor Steve Tate of Morgan Hill, over a month ago with no reply!With El Nino in the forecast this winter, we are expecting more rain than we have had in the past. If the creek isn't cleaned out once again there is a definite potential of flooding of the properties along the creek as well as some mobile homes lifting off their foundations and floating away.Because of this urgency, the bureaucracy needs to be put aside, and matters to take care of the creek area is a must before this negligence causes thousands of dollars of damages. If this were to happen, someone will be and should be liable!Roger MartaranoMorgan HillSpaceX landing an historic eventI want to congratulate Elon Musk and SpaceX for making history by landing the first stage of a rocket back on Earth (in one piece this time) after deploying a payload into space. This is an historic event because the cost of getting stuff into space just got at least three times cheaper.In a world where news is dominated by ISIS, mass shootings and Donald Trump, it's time the smart people get the spotlight and we have good news to report. This event is another milestone representing the progress of humanity on a road that will eventually lead to the human colonization of the planet Mars. All of humanity rejoices tonight at this great accomplishment.Thank you Elon and the team at SpaceX.Marc PerkelGilroy

This is the time of the year when most of us are looking forward to spending time with family and friends, putting on our holiday cheer and generally letting the past year wind down.I am looking forward to all of the above too but this year seems to be including un-holiday-like conflicting sentiments and torn emotions. The season is delivering the satisfaction that one of our community’s most unfair episodes seems to be coming to a close, yet also with the concern that all of this might be giving our community a black eye.I am referring to the recent attempt to recall MHUSD Board President Bob Benevento which has deservedly fizzled while emotions in the community are reaching the boiling point towards another trustee—David Gerard, whose district emails are now in the public realm for all to see.The trustee’s public emails recently released by the district offices in response to a Public Records Act request by the Morgan Hill Times have opened a Pandora’s box for Trustee Gerard in particular but seems to implicate trustees Borgioli and Badillo in recent goings on too. Do we have a trinity here?From alleged harassment that ultimately led to trustee Porter-Jensen’s retirement to the recall effort against Benevento, there seems to be a thread that connects Gerard and the other two trustees. This leads a small group of the like-minded to do things that remind me of one of those movies where someone is unjustly accused of something heinous until a hero steps up and metes out justice with the support of the local townsfolk.Most of those movies come to a fitting end, which includes all of the bad guys getting theirs while the wrongly accused is exonerated and life can finally move on.So far the ending of our story is shaping up nicely with the exoneration of one of the good guys and the realization that the “large numbers of disgruntled parents” supporting the unjust recall is actually a small number of very vocal parents.Just how completely involved were the trinity in the alleged harassment of Trustee Porter-Jensen? I hope we can get a clearer understanding of this soon so we can gain some certainty that we will no longer have silly behavior on the board again.I see the local media and even a columnist out of San Jose and the Metro as being the heros here. They shined a light on a dark place where the unsavory behavior took place. Now we can make up our own minds about how we feel toward these events.During all of this, the fact that the school district is in a much better place than it was just five years ago has been missed. Let’s pay some attention to how well things are going for our students. Some insist on comparing our schools to others and can dig up statistics that say we are not at the top. How about we take a look at how much we have improved and start looking forward to the day when we will be at the top? We are headed that way.So this holiday I’ll be spending time with family and friends, being cheerful, and putting this whole school board mess in the rear view mirror.John McKay is a Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

THERE is more to a natural landscape than meets the eye. We stand in awed reverence beneath Yosemite Falls or on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Who wouldn't? The grandeur is overwhelming. But what about those ho-hum areas that we pass without notice? Are those places empty wasteland, or do they hold some importance beyond our ken?

Like all of Santa Clara County, Morgan Hill has a rich agricultural history. Most of today's remaining actively grown agriculture (ag) is in South County. To preserve our region's proud history, residents throughout the county want to see active ag preserved to the maximum extent possible.   Our community has invested significant time and resources in evaluating alternatives to preserve viable ag. Morgan Hill's forward thinking, citywide Agricultural Preservation Program was developed with guidance from respected ag preservation and economic consultants. It includes a "stay ahead" provision requiring preservation to occur before development.Morgan Hill has pledged to invest millions of dollars in ag preservation from a fund that continues to grow as the city develops. We have a plan that effectively saves the most ag while providing other benefits to our community and region.It is unrealistic to think that if we don't change anything, South County ag land will remain ag. We have ample evidence to the contrary. Every parcel in unincorporated South County has development rights, including active ag parcels.San Martin is a visual example of ag land turned into housing on large acreage parcels. If you go to the south end of Trail Drive, you'll see five homes under construction. It is literally happening now! House by house, our ag lands will disappear unless we do something different.Morgan Hill is doing something different and innovative. One way to guarantee that these lands remain ag is to remove their development rights by recording a permanent ag easement on the deeds. Land owners will do this—for a price.The city will assure that any ag land developed in or around Morgan Hill preserves an equal amount of designated ag land in the area southeast of the city. It can do this by supplementing payments from an open space account funded by developers who compete for housing allocations in the city. Housing development in the city assists in preserving ag lands in the surrounding county.We are also working with landowners on other innovative approaches to compensating them for ag easements.Morgan Hill has a great reputation for providing high quality recreation facilities. Another creative way to fund ag preservation is to annex a small portion of the area (less than 180 acres) near the Tenant-101 interchange to enhance its family and youth-oriented recreation, sports and leisure offerings. Morgan Hill can leverage its reputation by expanding its active recreation facilities.This envisioned development will pay ag preservation fees, so it will assist in preserving ag in the surrounding county.Another planned use for the southeast area is a new Catholic high school on land owned by the church near the Tenant-101 interchange. It will be a tremendous South County asset, and its development will also help fund ag preservation.Morgan Hill's plans do not add any housing to these areas. None.Consistent with the widely accepted Santa Clara Food and Farmlands Resolution, Morgan Hill is working diligently to insure that small-scale ag remains viable in our sphere of influence. We are seeking the services of a third-party administrator to oversee easements and explore creative ways to provide ag infrastructure to small-scale farmers.To make ag preservation a reality, Morgan Hill is working closely with our Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to gain approval to annex the land for recreation and the Catholic high school. A hearing is scheduled Feb. 3. It is imperative for LAFCo to approve our application, as it proactively and responsibly preserves viable ag while also providing quality community-serving facilities.Steve Tate is the mayor of Morgan Hill. The Feb. 3 LAFCO meeting will take place at the county’s board meeting chambers, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose.

City should repair road hazard

To get a warm and fuzzy feeling this holiday season, consider donating to a local animal care organization such as wildlife rehabilitation, pet shelter, and animal rescue group, who are always in need of that extra helping of generosity.Giving to a local organization enhances your community and produces immediate and visible results. Many of these organizations, including the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, are supported solely by donations from individuals and companies. A donation to your favorite animal charity can make a heart warming, deeply appreciated gift and gives the giver a feeling of goodwill (and a tax deduction, too).A word of warning:  Beware of fly-by-night “charities.”  Check out an organization before sending off a check. If you’re not familiar with the organization, ask for the phone number and address. Call to see if they’re reputable or have them send you more information. The organization should have a 501(c)(3) tax exemption number. It’s your hard earned money—don’t hesitate to ask questions regarding where that money goes.W.E.R.C. wishes to thank all in our community who have generously donated throughout the year to help us help the helpless, injured and orphaned native wildlife that would not have survived on their own.Sue Howell is the Executive Director of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill.