Opinion

Fifty Years Ago this spring will mark the beginning of an astounding march towards Live Oak’s very first Football Championship clinched in a dramatic last game of the season mud bowl 13-0 victory over San Lorenzo High School on November, 14th, 1965.  While I was hiking last year with my good buddy and old teammate of that team Kim Moreno, we noted the 50 year anniversary would be upon us soon and that our ancient march towards that football championship in 1965 had actually begun 3 years earlier when Dr. Howard Nicholson, Superintendent of our huge rural school district, hired Darrell Guthrie as an English, Math, PE teacher and Head Football Coach. When Coach Guthrie assumed the football helm in 1963, Live Oak played in the Mission Trail Athletic league (MTAL) where the terms used to describe Live Oak Football was “the Live Oak Acorns were the perennial league doormats” winning only one league game for the entire decade of fielding a football team. Morgan Hill, then with a growing population of almost 4000, was the smallest town in the league with the football power houses of the day usually being Carmel, King City, San Lorenzo and Pacific Grove. Even our neighboring town of Gilroy, with our arch rival the Mustangs, was twice the size of Morgan Hill in those days.

When word of the Morgan Hill/Gilroy neglected horse herd launched on Facebook in response to the mistreatment of more than three dozen horses on two South County ranches (in the summer of 2014), we knew that they needed the help of the equine community, so we stepped in.Since Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control was doing nothing to assist in the seizure, rescue, and placement of these horses, we worked side by side with the Center Horse advocates and San Martin Animal Shelter to ensure each horse found a safe rescue, sanctuary, foster or forever home. The whole thing was a huge debacle because of ACC’s negligence in addressing this case. Horses were taken off of the property, new horses appeared on the property, and most horses did not end up in rescues in Santa Clara County.We decided that with the help of a few friends, we could take on one of the pregnant mares.  That’s when Cinder came into our lives.Cinder and several other horses from this herd used to belong to a local breeder in the performance horse industry. Most of these horses were registered Quarter Horses with outstanding pedigree and careers in the cutting industry. Cinder had a successful career as a cutting horse, but eventually this sport wore her down. They turned her into a broodmare for years, producing foal after foal, year after year.Eventually, they discarded her and that’s how she wound up with the South County herd.  Cinder’s story began the day she was born to a 23-year-old mare, who died after her birth.  Like so many of the horses from this herd, Cin came to us pregnant, her conception date unknown due to the fact that this herd was living with numerous stallions and mares together on a small lot on Center Avenue in Gilroy.Cin got the best care she could get in the months following her departure from Center Avenue. Her board was $315 per month for her to stay at Lakeview Stables in San Jose. The first thing we did was have a vet out to assess her. She was not only pregnant, but had a significant limp that was found to be caused by Navicular, a debilitating syndrome in horses, and fused hocks—most likely the result of the physical demands of being a cutting horse. The extra weight of her foal made her very uncomfortable so we purchased special boots for her to ease some of the pain. Cin adjusted to her new life at Lakeview. The owners agreed to let us build her a stall and a paddock on the hill where she and her new foal would live safely.  All along, we knew Cinder was at risk.Our daily routine included taking her for walks, letting her graze, and feeding and grooming her. She loved to roll in sand arena, but even this was becoming too difficult for her. I still cherish the times I spent braiding her hair as she grazed on the hillside. She loved her life at Lakeview, and we loved her.On April 1, just before midnight, Cinder finally delivered a very large, very healthy filly. The delivery was quick and all seemed well. We were relieved, but this relief did not last long.  Within hours CinCin started showing signs of distress. We rushed her to Steinbeck where she received several transfusions due to a ruptured uterine artery. She was bleeding internally. She fought all day to stay alive, getting up time and time again, calling to her foal. But they couldn’t save her. I can still see the pain and longing in her eyes…she’d fought so hard to deliver her foal despite the neglect and abuse she’d suffered. We decided to name the foal Belle because after all, she was Cinder’s belly.Belle required round the clock care with feedings every two hours. We managed to recruit our Lakeview family to help with the feedings and care of Belle that will go on for several months.  We were able to find an older mare at the ranch to look after her in her stall and teach her how to be a horse. But Belle is still an orphan...no person or horse can replace her mom.Belle is a very healthy young filly who reminds us of her beautiful mother. She will grow up in our care and she will never go hungry. But raising an orphan foal is never easy; she will require a lot of extra time and effort. Her formula alone is averaging over $500 per month.This is the story of just one of the horses from the South County herd. We have spent countless hours rehabilitating and caring for this mare and her foal because we have a broken system that refused to recognize the need for tougher laws and enforcement.  We cannot continue to expect the horse community to pick up the pieces. It has to be controlled at a state and county level.We MUST change the way we manage our horses in this county. We need to have our own county rescue and partnership so that we can take in horses in need sooner. It is time to reform Santa Clara County ACC.Loera will give a presentation on the aftermath of the 2014 South County abused horses case at the May 14 Santa Clara County Animal Advisory Committee meeting, which takes place 6:30 p.m. at the County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding Street, San Jose. Rivas, the owner of the nearly 40 malnourished horses, was convicted of felony animal abuse in January.

I wrote the following letter to the Times 26 years ago. It was about my dear sweet and very gentle Mom, written for Mother’s Day. Today with Mother’s Day fast approaching, I want to write one last letter.My dear Mom turned 98 years old last November. I am now 72. A lot has happened in both our lives over the years, some bad, but most of the time good. Yet the thing that was always the same since the day I was born was our love for each other. So today as I write this, there are no words to describe the deep sorrow I have felt the past month, since on March 21 my gentle, beautiful Mom quietly passed away while I held her tiny hand for the last time.While at the grocery store yesterday, I passed by all the gifts and cards and potted plants lining the shelves for Mother’s Day. I bought nothing because for the first time in my life I had no one to buy for. Mom is with God and I can’t bring her back. But her love and gentle spirit will remain with me forever. I will think about our years together and relive our special moments as beautiful memories. And as I picture her in my mind I will always see her sweet smile.I love you, Mom!Carole JonesMorgan HillThe following letter, also written by Jones, was published in the Morgan Hill Times May 23, 1989:Mother’s Day has just passed, and of all the holidays the year presents it is the most important to me.When I think about my dear Mom, the sweet memories go back to when I was a child and we lived in Los Gatos on Blossom Hill Road, when it truly was hills of blossoms.My Mom and I would walk up the hill behind our house. She would bring our lunch and after our picnic I would pick handfuls of the tiny blue flowers that grew there to give to her. Thinking back, I’m sure that those flowers that looked so beautiful to me were probably nothing more than weeds. But my Mom would take the tiny blossoms and fuss over them as though they were bouquets of roses.I remember watching her make clothes for my dolls, and the beautiful gowns of silk she would sew for my favorite doll with the long blond hair.Sometimes we would play tea party together. We even had our pretend names. She was Mrs. Flannagan and I was Mrs. Gogenhiemer.Another special memory of childhood is once, upon my return from Girl Scout camp, how surprised and happy I was to walk into my bedroom and find that she had completely redone it. There was fresh paint, lace curtains and lace covers on my dressers. It was all done in white. There was even a blue and white parakeet that I later named Fluff.Those are just a few of my many memories that are so special because of my special Mom.I’m 46 now, and realize more with each passing year how precious she is to me.I guess the most unique thing about her is that I never remember her raising her voice or being unkind to anyone.What Mother’s Day gift would a store carry that could possibly express the love and gratitude I feel toward my beautiful Mother for those 46 years of her devotion? I wound up with my usual. A potted plant.But that was just a token. Our real gift to each other is simply our time. I see her once a week and this keeps us close so that we can continue to share our lives with one another. We talk on the phone more often. Sometimes our calls are brief, but they always end in “I love you.”As I write this it occurs to me that it’s time to start getting ready for next Mother’s Day. I will start tonight with a phone call just to let her know I’m thinking of her.For my Mom and I, every day is Mother’s Day because the one gift we have in abundance and can afford to give every day of the year is lots and lots of LOVE.Carole JonesMorgan Hill

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice released an album in 1976 in London of a show-to-be called “Evita.” By early 1977, the album took the world by storm and by the time “Evita” premiered in London in June of '78, everyone was humming "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

Having received, like everyone else in Morgan Hill, the official notice for drought water restrictions I was somewhat perturbed to hear the continued construction of a neighbor’s new pool. Yes we had signed off on it per home owner’s requirements but that was before the dire notice sent out by the city.When speaking to an official from the city I was told that they did know of the pool which was under construction but because a permit had been pulled prior to April 1 it was deemed a “hardship” if the pool would not be completed.Don’t get me wrong but water needed to grow food, to drink, and generally survive constitutes a hardship if we do not have it—not being unable to fill a pool and continually top it up throughout the summer.I think classifying a pool not being filled during a drought as a hardship is an affront to those of us who try and save water!Ashley DuncombeMorgan Hill

Santa Clara County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and is projected to add more than 500,000 new residents in the next 25 years.What is the best way to accommodate this growth and build communities in ways that allow local governments to provide cost effective services while ensuring that valuable natural resources such as open space and agricultural lands are preserved?This is a major challenge for local government—and a core concern for the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County, more commonly known as LAFCO.LAFCO is a state-mandated, independent local agency whose purpose is to discourage urban sprawl, preserve open space and agricultural lands and encourage efficient delivery of services.LAFCO fulfills these goals by regulating the boundaries of cities and special districts and by conducting studies to inform its regulatory duties.Santa Clara County’s LAFCO has seven members, including two county supervisors, one San Jose City Council member, one council member from any of the other 14 cities in the county, two special district board members and one public member selected by the other six. As LAFCO members, they must act on behalf of the countywide public interest, consistent with locally adopted LAFCO policies and the state mandate.In the 1950s, California experienced dramatic population growth and economic development. Demand for housing, jobs and services triggered rampant, unplanned, sprawling development that resulted in inefficient public service delivery systems and massive conversion of agricultural and open space to urban use. In response, the State Legislature created LAFCOs in 1963 and gave them responsibility for encouraging orderly growth and development in each county.Early in the 1970s, Santa Clara LAFCO, the 15 cities and the county jointly adopted policies that call for urban development to occur only within cities. Cities proposed urban service area boundaries that identified lands each intended to annex for future development. Those boundaries were adopted by LAFCO and future expansions became subject to its approval.Since urban service areas are key to where and when future growth will occur and services will be provided, LAFCO reviews each expansion request very carefully.One of LAFCO’s first considerations in reviewing an expansion proposal is whether there are infill development opportunities and whether the city has used or underused its existing supply of vacant land before seeking expansion.Among many other factors, LAFCO also will consider whether the expansion would result in conversion of agricultural or open space lands, whether the services and infrastructure needed to support the proposed growth can be financed and provided without negatively impacting current city services, and whether there is an adequate water supply available.  The creation of LAFCO and implementation of its policies has slowed the outward spread of urban development in Santa Clara County. This has, in turn, allowed for the preservation of an informal “greenbelt” around the urbanized area that consists of protected open space lands, farmlands and scenic hillsides. Consequently, despite experiencing significant growth over the years, our county remains a very desirable place to live and work.Today, LAFCO continues to play a vital role in promoting sustainable growth and good governance in Santa Clara County. Through its actions to curb sprawl and preserve open space and agricultural lands, LAFCO can play a key role in addressing emerging issues such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.Neelima Palacherla is Executive Officer of the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County. For more information about LAFCO, visit,www.santaclaralafco.org.

Bicycling will be the big activity in Morgan Hill this weekend and you can follow up with a cool down ride on Monday too.This weekend will see the second annual “Bicycling” Spring Classic. This event is organized by “Bicycling” magazine, which just happens to be the world’s largest bicycling magazine. it is sponsored by our own Specialized Bicycle Components, one of the world’s largest premium bicycle manufacturers.The Spring Classic will be held Sunday, May 3. Make no mistake, the event isn’t a big bicycle industry show. Rather, it focuses on three rides around our beautiful countryside that Specialized employees use to test bikes and equipment and even as backdrops for their ads. They are now sharing this with you.The three rides promise to offer something for everyone: a 25-mile ride for new riders and families, a 60-mile route that will be faster paced but remain social, and a 90-mile loop where there can be an element of formal and informal competition. All rides end right where they began at the Specialized headquarters on Concord Circle in Morgan Hill.The returning riders will be greeted by a bike industry exposition and family friendly activities. A lunch will also be provided along with free massages and, get this, beer. Food trucks will be brought in and anyone can grab a quick bite and stroll the expo even if you didn’t participate in a ride. Hopefully the Specialized museum will also be open to the public as well as the wind tunnel like last year.This event serves to highlight that Morgan Hill is a bicycling destination. Last year one blogger called Morgan Hill a bicycling mecca. Speaking with those returning from last year’s rides I had the opportunity to chat it up with riders from Texas and Southern California. There must be something about Morgan Hill and the surrounding area to draw this kind of interest, and there is. We have a nice combination of hilly terrain and flat roads, and the natural beauty of the area as well as resources like Concept Cyclery and Sunshine Bicycles to service needs and of course, Starbucks and Peet’s which have become regular meeting places (keep an eye out, I hear you might see some world class cyclists at these locations).Whether or not you participate in a ride at the Spring Classic you should treat yourself to what is likely a well-deserved break at lunch on Monday.The first Monday of the month is the day that Specialized and the City of Morgan Hill (with a big dose of support from Concept Cyclery) put on the Lunch Time Bike rides. This event is growing as more and more riders decide that getting out and riding at lunch this one day a month is great for their health, spirit and outlook for the rest of the day. It doesn’t hurt that you’ll probably make a few new friends like I did.Like the Spring Classic rides there is a riding level for everyone. Typically there will be an easy ride (that’s me, folks), an intermediate, and one that is pretty much moving as fast as I can ever pedal the whole distance (I’ll pass).These rides are a lot of fun and you get to ride with Specialized staff who are always willing to talk about their work and passion—bikes and bicycling.Please get out this weekend and ride a bike or attend an event and pack a bag lunch and ride this coming Monday.We have what others will travel to enjoy so I hope you can enjoy what we have too.Bicycling Spring Classic:bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/2015-bicycling-spring-classicLunch Time Rides:morgan-hill.ca.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=3699&month=5&year=2015&day=4&calType=0 andfacebook.com/events/1587060811537632/John McKay is a longtime Morgan Hill resident, city planning commissioner and member of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance.

The City of Morgan Hill is set on selling an option they own, “Depot Center/BookSmart,” to City Ventures, a developer from Southern California. The company has developed many great projects but this one will not be good for Morgan Hill. This project will be a net loss for the community. A small group has offered to match the offer from City Ventures for the option and keep Depot Center as it is. If this happens the owners of Depot Center have agreed to do major repairs to the property and do everything they can to keep the present tenants intact.Several years ago the city bought this option for about $1.7 million. Today they are offering that same option to a developer for $100,000 dollars. So the price is set at $100,000. What will the community get for $100,000? You will get some townhomes and a small amount of retail space. Here is how I see it:Morgan Hill will only get 8 to 10 percent more property tax from the new project than they are receiving now on the property.Sales tax will be far less than what the city is getting now because they are only building 3,000 square feet of retail space. The property currently holds about 25,000 square feet of retail space.Existing tenants draw many more people downtown than the proposed project.Occupants of the residential component of the project will be gone all day at work, so that is a loss to downtown.Very few retail businesses will be able to afford the rents that need to be charged for new construction.There are more employees working at the current site than what is being proposed.Seven or 8 long-time businesses, which have supported the downtown for more than 100 years collectively, will be displaced. The City of Morgan Hill will spend up to $1 million in relocation funds (already earmarked by the city council).The city has developed a relocation plan that may help some of the tenants but will be onerous for others.They have no plan to keep these businesses downtown during redevelopment or to bring them back after. The downtown needs businesses just as much as it needs housing (maybe more!).The City Ventures plan for the Depot Center property is very nearly the same type of project (townhouses and a little retail) that was denied last year for the property adjacent to Depot Center and the new parking garage. If this type of development is not right for one, why is it OK for the other?I appreciate that the city has a lot to do and in a short matter of time but they shouldn’t cave in and put a bad plan into action just because time is short.Contact your elected officials directly, not through social media. Directly speaking them to them pulls more weight than sniping on Facebook.Cities need to keep older buildings for the reason Jane Jacobs said in her book, “The Life and Death of Great American Cities.”The following is an excerpt from Jane Jacobs on old cities:“If a city area has only new buildings, the enterprises that can exist there are automatically limited to those that can support the high costs of new construction...Enterprises that support the cost of new construction must be capable of paying a relatively high overhead—high in comparison to that necessarily required by old buildings.”Brad Jones is co-owner of BookSmart, 80 East Second Street in downtown Morgan Hill.