Uncategorized

Tomorrow, Nov. 8, is election day, and more than 20,000 registered voters in the city limits and within the Morgan Hill Unified School District boundaries will join millions of their fellow Americans in deciding who will represent them from the local to the federal level.Polls throughout Santa Clara County will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Returns will begin to be posted on the Registrar of Voters’ website shortly after the polls close, though a complete counting of the ballots could last well into the morning of Nov. 9.Sample ballots sent by mail to registered voters in October list each individual voter’s designated polling place. Voters can also determine where they should go to vote by visiting the Registrar of Voters website at sccvote.org, or by calling (800) 345-8683, or by texting “Vote” to 468683 (GOVOTE) on a mobile device.Local races on the Nov. 8 ballot in Morgan Hill include the mayor’s seat, two city council positions, three seats on the Morgan Hill Unified School District board of trustees and a director’s seat at the Santa Clara Valley Water District, as well as three measures on growth and public services, and 17 state propositions.Running for mayor are incumbent Steve Tate, Kirk Bertolet and Joseph Carrillo. The winner will serve a two-year term.Five candidates running for council are incumbents Larry Carr and Marilyn Librers, as well as Mario Banuelos, Armando Benavides and Rene Spring. The top two vote recipients in this race will win the two available seats, to serve a four-year term.In MHUSD Trustee Area 5, running for the single seat are incumbent Tom Arnett and Angelica Diaz.Candidates running for the trustee’s seat in MHUSD Trustee Area 6 are incumbent Rick Badillo, Albert Beltran Jr. and Mary Patterson.For the SCVWD director’s seat, appointed incumbent John Varela faces off with challenger Tom Cruz.The ballot text for the following three measures will also appear on the ballots for Morgan Hill voters:• Measure A (requires a two-thirds majority): To provide affordable local housing for vulnerable populations including veterans, seniors, the disabled, low and moderate income individuals or families, foster youth, victims of abuse, the homeless and individuals suffering from mental health or substance abuse illnesses, which housing may include supportive mental health and substance abuse services, shall the County of Santa Clara issue up to $950 million in general obligation bonds to acquire or improve real property subject to independent citizen oversight and regular audits?• Measure B (requires a two-thirds majority): To relieve traffic, repair potholes; shall VTA enact a 30-year half-cent sales tax to:Repair streets, fix potholes in all 15 cities;Finish BART extension to downtown San Jose, Santa Clara;Improve bicycle/pedestrian safety, especially near schools;Increase Caltrain capacity, easing highway congestion, improving safety at crossings;Relieve traffic on all 9 expressways, key highway interchanges;Enhance transit for seniors, students, disabled;Mandating annual audits by independent citizens watchdog committee to ensure accountability.• Measure S (requires a simple majority): Shall a measure be adopted to amend the Morgan Hill General Plan and Municipal Code to update the City’s voter-approved Residential Development Control System (RDCS) to extend it to 2035, establish a population ceiling of 58,200, with a slower rate of growth than currently exists, and improve policies to maintain neighborhood character, encourage more efficient land use, conserve water, and preserve open space?Not to be overlooked on the Nov. 8 ballot is the choice for president, U.S. senate and congressional seats and state and regional offices.For more information, visit the registrar’s website at sccvote.org.

With less than a week to go until the Nov. 8 election, two candidates for Morgan Hill offices disclosed more campaign contributions in accordance with the California Fair Political Practices guidelines.The FPPC rules require candidates to disclose all individual campaign contributions of $1,000 or more that they receive within 90 days of an election, according to Morgan Hill City Clerk Irma Torrez.Mayor Steve Tate and Councilman Larry Carr reported such contributions at the end of October. Both are running to retain their respective seats on the five-member city governing body.Scott Murray, a Realtor with Intero Realty in Morgan Hill, contributed $1,000 to both Tate and Carr’s campaigns before the end of October, according to both candidates’ latest disclosures.South Valley Internet, based in San Martin, gave $1,000 to Tate’s campaign Oct. 29.Tate is running against Kirk Bertolet and Joseph Carrillo in the Nov. 8 election.Carr is running against Mario Banuelos, Armando Benavides, incumbent Marilyn Librers and Rene Spring.

Morgan Hill City Hall stepped into the ongoing public debate over Measure S by distributing a “fact sheet” on the growth control system update, which voters will consider for approval in the Nov. 8 election.“This fact sheet is intended to provide factual information from the city about extending and amending the city’s development control ordinance, which would otherwise expire in 2020, to 2035,” reads the introduction to the fact sheet, which city staff disseminated by email and social media Nov. 3. “In general, (Measure S) restricts development through a competitive bidding system, requires water conservation, requires preservation of open space and includes provisions designed to preserve city character.”If approved, Measure S would update the city’s Residential Development Control System. This ordinance, which limits the city’s population and the number of homes built in the city limits each year, was last approved by the voters in 2004 as Measure C.Opponents of Measure S—including mayoral candidate Kirk Bertolet and council candidates Rene Spring and Armando Benavides—think the measure doesn’t do enough to limit growth in Morgan Hill.Morgan Hill Community Services Coordinator Nichole Martin said the city posted the fact sheet “as a continuation of its communication about Measure S.” The document provides a comparison with the existing growth control ordinance “to show how Measure S addresses some of the key issues important to the community.”One of the key changes in Measure S is it will slow down the city’s annual growth, according to the city’s fact sheet. Measure S would set an annual maximum growth rate of 215 homes per year, and the council could opt to reduce that number any year during the life of the measure (until 2035). But the 215-home maximum could never be increased, according to the Measure S legalese.Measure S also “includes provisions for City Council to reduce number of allotments if it determines that the community’s public infrastructure (including schools) will be inadequate to accommodate new development,” the city’s fact sheet reads.Under Measure C, the number of homes built annually over the last decade has varied from 173 (2011) to 344 (2009), with an average of 247, according to city staff.Another key feature of Measure S is it creates a population “cap” of 58,200 in 2035, while Measure C strives toward a population “target” of 48,000 in 2020, the fact sheet continues. Under the current system, the annual number of allotments—set by the council with input from the planning commission, residents and developers—is determined by a “formula to achieve (the) target population.”Measure S would also restrict developers’ ability to gain extensions to their granted allotments if they are unable to start construction on time. The Nov. 8 measure would allow “no more than one extension for a maximum of one year with limited eligibility (City or other public agency delay or severe act of nature),” reads the city’s fact sheet.Measure C, on the other hand, allows allotment extensions for a number of reasons. Since the 2009 recession, the council has granted dozens of extensions for allotments to developers who did not have enough money to build their allotments, or had purchased projects from owners who couldn’t afford to follow through with their construction plans.One of the more controversial—and nuanced—changes in Measure S is the new guidelines under which the city council may apply to annex land for more residential development.Under Measure S, the city council must make six findings in any annexation proposal before submitting an application to the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), according to the city’s fact sheet. These findings are:• Expansion is necessary to accommodate the growth specified in the General Plan;• Expansion is consistent with the city’s own policies or rules “specifying preferred sequence of future annexations;”• Public services and infrastructure “are or will be sufficient to accommodate development resulting from expansion” of the Urban Service Area (USA) boundary, and “additional development will not adversely impact” services and infrastructure;• Expansion supports “orderly development” and “prioritizes infill” construction in areas already served by city services;• Expansion is necessary to accommodate housing and/or employment needs of Morgan Hill;• Expansion promotes “fiscal responsibility, cost-effective service delivery” and the city’s ability to plan for and maintain urban services over time.Under Measure C, which expires in 2020, the council has to make one of two findings in order to request annexation from LAFCO: there is insufficient land within existing USA to accommodate five years worth of residential growth, or the proposal meets the city’s policy for a “desirable infill” project, the Nov. 3 fact sheet states.Proponents of Measure S have said the existing annexation application threshold is inadequate because the council and LAFCO frequently disagree on how much “developable land” there is in current city boundaries.In March, LAFCO denied two requests by the city to expand the USA around 229 acres in the Southeast Quadrant and about 70 acres on the southwest side of town. The majority of LAFCO commissioners said the annexations would fail to limit urban sprawl and preserve open space.All five members of the council—including incumbents Mayor Steve Tate, Councilman Larry Carr and Councilwoman Marilyn Librers—support Measure S. Even Councilman Rich Constantine, who voted against placing the measure on the ballot in August because it wasn’t sufficiently supported by three years worth of factual analysis commissioned by the council, has said he hopes the voters approve Measure S.Other candidates supporting Measure S are council candidate Mario Banuelos and mayoral candidate Joseph Carrillo.Opposing Measure S on the Nov. 8 ballot are mayoral candidate Bertolet, as well as council candidates Benavides and Spring.Opponents have said if Measure S fails, they would encourage the council to draw up a more restrictive RDCS update to place on the ballot at the next election before 2020. Those who support Measure S have said its failure Nov. 8 wouldn’t leave the city enough time to draft another ballot measure because developers compete for housing allotments two years before they can begin construction.

Morgan Hill police caught up to a suspect driving a stolen vehicle after he got stuck in a field and tried to hide, according to authorities.At 3:30 p.m. Nov. 2, MHPD officers located a stolen vehicle driving east on Tennant Avenue, reads a Nov. 3 press release from MHPD. The officer tried to stop the vehicle by activating his lights and siren, but the driver disregarded the order and fled.The driver led the officer through Morgan Hill and into San Martin, police said. The officer terminated the pursuit when the suspect drove into oncoming traffic, creating a potential collision hazard.Shortly after police terminated the pursuit, an officer found the stolen vehicle stuck in a field on the 13000 block of Columbet Avenue, according to authorities.MHPD’s K-9 officer and his handler were called to the scene to assist in the search for the suspect. Police canvassed the area and followed the suspect’s footprints in the muddy field to a property on the 13000 block of Mammini Court in San Martin, police said.The suspect, later identified as Daniel Cruz, 31 of San Jose, was found hiding on the property and was arrested without further incident, police said.Officers determined that Cruz was wanted for stealing a vehicle out of Santa Cruz, the press release states. He was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on a felony warrant, and suspicion of being in possession of a stolen vehicle, evading police, possession of burglary tools, being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics.Anyone with information about this incident can call MHPD Detective Fernando Del Moral at (669) 253-4964, or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-STOP.

Nestled between The Claddagh and Little Caesars Pizza in the Hecker Pass Plaza off of First Street, Little India is Gilroy’s only Indian restaurant. In a shopping center filled with an array of international cuisine options, Little India provides a warm atmosphere and an attentive customer service experience.Owned by Rani Bains and Gurmit Singh, and managed by Nikki Bains, the restaurant, open since September 2015, offers local Indian food lovers a reprieve from trekking the distance to San Jose in search of a good quality South Asian meal.

Police arrested a woman who stabbed a man during a domestic dispute in north Morgan Hill, according to authorities.Morgan Hill Police officers responded to the Madrone Mobile Estates at 200 Burnett Ave. about 9:30 p.m. Nov. 1 to investigate a report of a domestic dispute, according to a Nov. 2 press release.When officers arrived, they learned a male victim was bleeding and walking around the residence, police said. Officers located the 65-year-old victim and provided medical attention to lacerations on his upper torso.The victim told the officers that he was stabbed by suspect Lexi McClain with a box cutter, according to police. He also told police McClain was still in their residence.Based on this information, officers entered the residence and arrested McClain without incident, police said. The victim was transported to Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, with non-life threatening injuries.McClain was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and felony domestic violence, police said.Anyone with information about this incident can call MHPD at (669) 253-4965 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.

Statewide political action committees and unions are a growing presence on the campaign trail for local elected offices for the City of Morgan Hill, as the latest funding disclosure forms filed by those running for mayor and two council seats show.Candidates for the mayor’s seat and two city council positions filed their latest campaign finance disclosure forms in accordance with the California Fair Political Practices Commission guidelines, just before the Oct. 27 deadline.Two political action committees representing real estate interests in California have contributed a total of $3,000 to three candidates.The California Real Estate Political Action Committee (CREPAC) contributed $1,000 each to incumbent Mayor Steve Tate and incumbent Councilman Larry Carr, as well as $500 to council candidate Mario Banuelos.The California Apartment Association (CAA) has contributed $250 each to Carr and Tate’s campaigns, according to their latest FPPC forms, which are on file at the Morgan Hill City Clerk’s office.CREPAC, based in Los Angeles, represents the legislative aims of the California Association of Realtors by “managing and administering funds to support candidates for local, state and federal offices,” according to the association’s website, car.org.The CAA is “the largest statewide rental housing trade association in the country committed to protecting the interests of rental housing owners and managers,” reads the association’s website, caapac.org. The CAA’s political action committee makes contributions to candidates for public office “who are receptive to the concerns of rental property owners and managers statewide.”Unions representing firefighters, electrical workers, construction employees and other industries have chimed in as well, contributing thousands of dollars to various local candidates.The election is Nov.8. Running against Tate for mayor are Kirk Bertolet and Joseph Carrillo. Running for two seats on the council are Carr, incumbent Marilyn Librers, Banuelos, Armando Benavides and Rene Spring. The top two vote recipients in the council race will gain the two available seats.Carr has raised $3,000 since the September FPPC deadline, bringing the total fundraising for his 2016 candidacy to $8,844. Contributions to Carr’s campaign in the last month include $250 from the South County Democratic Club, $500 from the San Jose-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 332 labor union and $500 from the Santa Clara County Construction Trades Council labor union.Carr also received $300 from developer Gordon Jacoby, who sold about 20 acres of property to the city in July 2015 for about $5.3 million. The agricultural property is located on the corner of Tennant Avenue and U.S. 101, and the city purchased it as a future site of baseball and softball fields.Librers’ late October campaign funding disclosures show that she has raised $6,523 in the last month, bringing her total for the year to about $13,867. Her contributors include the Sacramento-based Lincoln Club of Northern California PAC ($500), the CalFire Local 2881 union ($1,000), developer Monterey Dynasty LLC ($3,000), Firato Services ($500) and the E&H Family LP ($500).Monterey Dynasty is the developer of the Diamond Creek residential project on Monterey Road south of Vineyard Boulevard. Firato Services is a janitorial contractor that currently has a contract to clean city-owned facilities.The Lincoln Club PAC “recruits, mentors and supports local, state and federal candidates that strengthen fiscal and personal responsibility and free enterprise,” according to their website thelincolnclub.com.Banuelos reported another $945 in contributions since the Sept. 24 filing, bringing his total campaign funds collected this year to $4,199. Recent contributors include CREPAC ($500) and Morgan Hill Planning Commissioner John McKay.Spring, a city planning commissioner, remains in the fundraising lead among all city candidates, though most of the $36,281 funding his campaign since last year was contributed by him and his husband.Since the late September filing, Spring has raised $2,745 in campaign funds. Top contributors include the IBEW 332 Education Fund ($500), Laborers LO 279 PAC ($500), Santa Clara/Benito Building Trades union ($500) and the South County Democratic Club ($250).Bertolet reported three contributions to his campaign for mayor since September. These include a $300 contribution from Larry Breniman. Bertolet’s total campaign contributions come out to $5,925, mostly provided by himself, according to the FPPC filings.Tate’s latest campaign disclosures show he has raised just over $2,000 since the September filing, and a total of $12,320 for the year so far. Among his top contributors are CREPAC, Morgan Hill resident and longtime farmer George Chiala ($250), the CAA PAC and PG&E ($250).The mayor’s campaign expenditures indicate his support for candidates in other races, including John Varela for the Santa Clara Valley Water District director’s seat, and Mary Patterson for Morgan Hill Unified School District board of trustees. Tate’s campaign contributed $100 to each of those candidates.Candidates are required to file a “Form 497” whenever they receive a contribution totaling $1,000 or more within 90 days prior to the election, according to City Clerk Irma Torrez.Carrillo and Benavides are not required to file campaign finance disclosures or form a campaign committee because they do not expect to raise or spend more than $2,000 on their respective election efforts, Torrez said.

JoAnne Perez Robinson worked for five days in the heat painting the traffic box outside the Gilroy Center for the Arts. While she toiled away at the rich agricultural scene honoring local field workers, her dad, Raymond Perez, came each day carting along a picnic lunch and an umbrella to shield her from the Gilroy sun—sitting with her the entire time she painted.

More victims have come forward after police arrested a Morgan Hill man on suspicion of sexual assault this summer, according to authorities.On July 19, San Jose Police officers responded to a report of a sexual assault that had occurred in San Jose, according to an MHPD Facebook post. The woman had been victimized by the suspect, Damou Evans, 46, multiple times in one evening.San Jose Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit investigated the incident and arrested Evans in August, according to police.After SJPD released Evans’ arrest information, seven more female victims came forward to report the same suspect had assaulted them, authorities said.“By these additional victims coming forward, the original complaint was amended to include a ‘multi-victim’ enhancement, potentially exposing the suspect to a ‘life’ sentence,” the MHPD Facebook post, dated Oct. 27, said.