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A public opinion poll recently commissioned by the City of Morgan Hill found that most residents who responded are “highly satisfied” with the quality of life here, according to a press release from city staff.Much slimmer majorities said they would support potential ballot measures for a local sales tax and growth control ordinance update in the November election, but the research firm that conducted the survey said such initiatives are “viable.”More than 90 percent of respondents rated the city’s quality of life as “excellent” or “good,” according to the survey results. The survey also showed that residents see maintaining public safety, streets and roads, fiscal stability and keeping a safe, clean, reliable local water supply as important city priorities."We are happy residents have given us a good quality of life rating," said Morgan Hill City Manager Steve Rymer. "These results show our community wants us to continue our efforts to keep our neighborhoods healthy and safe. Doing so maintains our quality of life and helps to protect local property values.”The survey was conducted by Godbe Research from Nov. 20 through Dec. 9, 2015. The City Council voted to commission the survey July 8, for a cost of about $33,000.The council’s objectives in ordering the survey include to assess overall perceptions of life in Morgan Hill; gauge support for potential future ballot measures; determine residents’ satisfaction with the delivery of city services; assess awareness of the city’s financial situation; and determine the most pressing problems facing Morgan Hill.The scientific survey selected a random sample of 501 residents, and consisted of both telephone and internet interviews, explained Morgan Hill Communications Manager Maureen Tobin.The sample is representative of the “universe” of 16,528 Morgan Hill residents likely to vote in November 2016, according to Godbe’s report.No representatives of City Hall were involved in the interviews or compilation of data, which was left entirely to Godbe Research, Tobin added.Among other findings, the survey found respondents prioritized maintenance and repairs to the city's water system, city staff said. About 86 percent of respondents agreed that work on this citywide infrastructure is necessary.On the question of whether voters would support a local sales tax to fund basic city services—police, fire, street maintenance and traffic relief, parks and public buildings and other “general city services”—almost 58 percent said “definitely yes” or “probably yes.”Specifically, this question posed a hypothetical three-quarter cent ongoing sales tax that would raise $5.35 million per year “that cannot be taken by the state.”For the last two years, city council members have discussed the need for such a local sales tax, which the city currently does not have. A possible ballot measure has been discussed in the context of City Hall’s ongoing shortage of funds from current sources to improve streets and related infrastructure, and keep them maintained.The survey also showed respondents value Morgan Hill as a great place to raise a family, with 92.2 percent saying Morgan Hill was an "excellent" or "good" community for doing so, the city’s press release said.But some more pointed questions in the survey did not yield such overwhelmingly enthusiastic responses. When asked what direction Morgan Hill is going, about 51 percent responded “right direction,” while about 34 percent said “wrong direction.”When asked how well Morgan Hill is providing services, about 10 percent said “excellent,” 48 percent said “good” and about 36 percent responded “only fair” or “poor.”About 62 percent of survey respondents said they would support an ordinance to update the city’s Residential Development Control System, extending it to 2035 with a population ceiling of 64,600 for that year. The current RDCS or growth control ordinance sets a population cap in Morgan Hill of 48,000 for the year 2020.Such an update is another ballot measure the city council is considering sending to the voters in November.Respondents were also more evenly split on the question of how dense future residential development should be in Morgan Hill. About 32 percent said new housing should be “higher density to preserve open space,” while about 27 percent said future homes should be “as low a density as possible even if it does not preserve open space.”The margin of error for the survey results is plus or minus 4.31 percent, according to Godbe’s report.Survey takers from Godbe Research relied on files for all of Morgan Hill’s registered voters to find contact information for respondents, according to Bryan Godbe, President of Godbe Research.“We would call of those,” but also make sure different socioeconomic demographic groups are equally represented, Godbe explained. If a voter didn’t answer the phone, the firm would call them again until they reach a live person.“We usually have about a 100-to-1 or 150-to-1 ability to actually talk to someone,” Godbe said of the scientific survey process in general.He added that a challenge in conducting any such survey is that many of the phone numbers in the voter files are land lines that have been “abandoned” as residents rely more on cellular and digital communications, he added. Survey takers for the Morgan Hill project called about 3,500 cell phone numbers, which were also listed on some of the voter files.To view more results of the survey, visit the city’s website at morganhill.ca.gov.

Jose S. Mendoza, 33, 6:40 p.m. Jan. 17, at Monterey and

A Morgan Hill man who was convicted of the brutal murder of Bertha Paulson in 2013 was sentenced to life in prison last week.Michael Sheppard, 64, must serve a minimum of 15 years for the crime of second-degree murder, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Chuck Gillingham.At the Jan. 19 sentencing hearing at the South County Courthouse, Paulson’s older sister and an advocate for the family read statements to the judge.Paulson’s sister, Margaret Waskey, traveled from the family home in rural Mountain Village, Alaska, to attend the sentencing hearing.The advocacy group Mothers Against Murder helped Waskey with travel expenses to Morgan Hill. MAM Executive Director Margaret Petros said a portion of Sheppard’s court-ordered restitution will go toward reimbursement of those expenses, if he ever pays.“We don’t expect that much money to come from the criminal—he’s in prison,” Petros said.Petros added that Paulson’s family members are pleased with the judge’s sentence.“We believe he will not walk out of prison, which was very rewarding for the family,” Petros said after the sentencing hearing. With justice served, Paulson’s family is now in the process of planning a memorial service and burial in Alaska, Petros added.Sheppard’s jury trial took place in October 2017 at the Morgan Hill Courthouse. The jury found that Sheppard killed Paulson, 45, the night of June 15, 2013 at his home at Morgan Hill Apartments, a small mobile home park just north of downtown. It was the only murder in Morgan Hill in 2013.Court files and testimony during the trial showed that Paulson died of a broken neck and suffered fractured ribs, collapsed lungs and numerous cuts. Her body was covered in bruises. These injuries resulted from a “brutal” attack by Sheppard inside his home, Petros described at the time.Paulson had moved to the West Coast—first to Seattle and then to the Bay Area—from Alaska about four years before her death, according to Petros and Waskey. When she arrived in Morgan Hill, Paulson was homeless, living in an encampment behind Morgan Hill Apartments, where Sheppard lived.Sheppard and Paulson had been in an “off and on” dating relationship at the time of Paulson’s death, according to Morgan Hill Police. Witnesses testified during the trial that they had seen Sheppard assault Paulson before the night of her death.During the October trial, Sheppard testified that he had been drinking heavily when he and Paulson began verbally arguing. This escalated to a physical altercation that ended in Paulson’s death.Initially, Sheppard admitted to police that he beat Paulson until she was unconscious. He tried to revive her but, unable to do so, he moved her to the railroad tracks behind his residence. Witnesses found her there, dead, the next morning.At the trial, Sheppard added that he used a shopping cart to move Paulson’s body. Sheppard also testified that when he laid her body near the railroad tracks, he tried to make it look like she had been raped. Police said she was found with her pants down and a jacket over her upper body.

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