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Jerry and Judy Ross never planned to own their own Morgan Hill winery.

The same day Gov. Jerry Brown issued the first-ever statewide mandatory water reductions, the Morgan Hill City Council approved new local restrictions in response to the historic ongoing drought.The council declared a “level 2” water shortage at the April 1 meeting. Along with this declaration comes new watering restrictions including a prohibition on filling and refilling swimming pools and washing vehicles with potable water.The entire state of California is in the fourth year of an “unprecedented drought,” resulting in steadily increasing restrictions in communities throughout the state since early 2014, according to a city staff report.In April 2014, the council declared a “level 1” water shortage, which limits outdoor landscape watering to three days per week (or one day in the winter); requires property owners to repair leaks and water system malfunctions within 72 hours; and prohibits watering pavement or hard surfaces in most cases.These are in addition to permanent city watering restrictions, including limits on watering durations, no excessive water flow or runoff and limits on washing vehicles.The level 2 restrictions include these permanent rules and the level 1 limits, plus the following:—Watering of lawns, landscaping or other vegetation with potable water is limited to two days per week from April to October, and one day per week from November to March;—Obligations to repair leaks, breaks and malfunctions within 48 hours;—Washing cars is prohibited except at commercial facilities that recycle water (all commercial car washes in Morgan Hill use recycled water);—Filling and refilling (more than one foot) of residential pools is prohibited; filling of ornamental lakes or ponds is prohibited except as needed to maintain aquatic life.The level 2 restrictions will effectively eliminate new swimming pool construction in Morgan Hill while the restrictions are in place, according to Morgan Hill Program Administrator Anthony Eulo.A staff report presented to the council showed that available local water supplies—including city wells fed by the groundwater basin—have shrunk significantly due to the drought. This supply is typically supplemented by sources outside the Bay Area, which are also diminishing.The city’s new restrictions were implemented the same day that Brown, standing on a dry, grassy hill top on the edge of the Sierra Mountain range that is normally covered with snow in April, issued mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California.Water providers are now required to figure out how to reduce consumption by 25 percent from 2013 levels, or else face fines, according to the governor’s office.The governor’s plan also calls on local water suppliers, such as the Santa Clara Valley Water District, to adjust their rate schedules with “conservation pricing” to discourage water waste, according to the governor’s office.The new conservation plan announced by Brown also includes:—Replacing 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with drought tolerant landscaping, in partnership with local governments;—Creating a temporary, statewide rebate program to replace old appliances with more efficient devices;—Requiring campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large-scale landscaping to cut their water use;—Prohibiting new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless they use drip irrigations systems.Agricultural water users will also be required to report more information about their water use to state authorities, and could be fined if they fail to do so, according to Brown’s office.Since the city implemented level 1 drought restrictions a year ago, local customers have cut water consumption by 20 percent, according to city staff. That’s in line with the state and water district’s previous call for a 20 percent voluntary reduction, and a higher percentage cut than any other city in Santa Clara County.Check back for updates to this developing story. 

Numerous police officers responded to a report of a possible robbery, and ended up arresting a wanted felon at Vineyard Town Center Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

The city of Morgan Hill is getting closer to developing the former Simple Beverages site in the downtown, as local businesses are working together to devise a temporary recreational use for the property in the meantime.Two developers met the city’s March 20 deadline to submit proposals for the .63-acre property at the corner of Monterey Road and Third Street, according to Assistant City Manager Leslie Little. The two developers— Environmental Planning and Development Company (partnering with Imwalle Properties) and Weston Miles Architects (partnering with Leal Vineyards)—have already qualified through a previous selection process to build on former Redevelopment Agency “opportunity sites” in accordance with the city’s plans.Charles Weston of Weston Miles Architects, which is located downtown, said his company and Leal Vineyards have proposed building a four-story structure with a restaurant on the ground floor with “lots of outdoor seating.” Upper floors would consist of a 36-room hotel and spa, and banquet facilities.The Morgan Hill Downtown Specific Plan, established before the RDA purchased the liquor store and a number of other properties in 2008 and 2009, call for “construction of a high quality project utilizing a long-term ground lease or any other acceptable financing/business structure,” according to a city staff report.The city hopes to forge a “public/private partnership” with the winning developer to build and maintain a mixed-use project with retail or dining on the ground floor, perhaps with residential and office use upstairs.The city intends to remain the owner of the property, once it completes a purchase of the site that currently houses a vacant building and parking lots. In February, the city council voted to purchase the property at a cost of $525,000, to be funded by a loan from city housing funds. City officials plan to repay the housing funds with revenues from whatever ends up being built on the liquor store site, including lease payments and event revenues.The city’s purchase price for the liquor store site was determined by a bid from another qualified developer—Lone Star Development—that was submitted earlier this year. That developer only wanted to hold onto the property until the market improved. But city officials see the property as being too crucial to the overall improvement of the downtown to let it sit there for an undetermined number of years.Lone Star’s purchase bid was thus rejected by the council, and the developer did not submit a proposal to build on the site and enter into a partnership with the city.‘Pop-up’ recreationThe liquor store property won’t remain just a “dreary” parking lot and empty building until it is developed if downtown businesses have their way, according to Morgan Hill Downtown Association Manager Raquel Crowell.The city and MHDA plan to build a temporary “pop-up” park on the site, incorporating public art projects funded by the city’s “mini-grant” program and other recreation elements, Crowell said.Amenities proposed for this project include a bicycle “fix-it” station, a vintage map of California bicycle routes, fitness stations, benches made out of recycled propane tanks, a hydration station, shade structures and artificial grass.“The goal is to create a more pedestrian friendly downtown,” Crowell said. “One thing we’ve been hearing is people would like to see more events geared toward families in the downtown. Families could come down on their bikes and make a pit stop” at the pop-up park.A specific timeline for construction of the park is not yet established, but planners will continue working on the details in the coming weeks, Crowell said.The liquor store property—along with other downtown sites and assets owned by the RDA before the state closed the agency in 2012—is currently held in a trust controlled by local public agencies and the state.The purchase remains in the process of post-RDA approvals that must ultimately pass the muster of the state Department of Finance, Little said.City staff is currently studying the proposals from EPD/Imwalle and Weston Miles/Leal, Little said. They hope to present a recommended proposal to the council for approval in May.The city is also still in the process of working out deals with two developers interested in improving two other downtown properties crucial to the city’s long-term revitalization plans, Little said. One of these is with City Ventures to build 50-plus condominiums and up to 40,000 square feet of new retail space on the Downtown Mall/Granada Theater property. The other is a sale of the Royal Clothier/Tryst site at Second Street and Monterey Road to Lone Star, who plans to make “modest” improvements to the commercial space.The city is also negotiating with City Ventures on a more complicated transaction of the BookSmart Shopping Center property, located on Depot Street between Second and Third streets, Little added. City Ventures has proposed purchasing that property and building 24 townhomes with ground-floor retail facing Depot and Third streets.These three concepts were also approved by the council in February. The parties were given 60 days to negotiate deals with the city, which could include subsidies to City Ventures for their likely requirement to pay “prevailing wages” on the Downtown Mall project.

Pedestrian hit by vehicle

Police arrested three convicted felons Feb. 26 after one of them allegedly brandished a firearm on the side of U.S. 101 in Morgan Hill.About 12:50 p.m., Morgan Hill police received a call reporting a man brandished a handgun from inside a recreational vehicle, according to a press release from MHPD.When officers arrived, they found the RV along with two additional vehicles stopped on the east shoulder of U.S. 101 northbound, in the area of East Dunne Avenue, police said.Officers conducted a high-risk stop and detained three suspects—Hector Maldonado, 31; Devina Ojeda, 22; and Gilbert Maldonado, 50, according to police.A search of the vehicles found a loaded .22-caliber handgun, ammunition and drug paraphernalia, police said. All three suspects were San Jose residents and convicted felons, which prohibits them from owning a firearm or ammunition.Furthermore, Hector Maldonado was a wanted felon due to a violation of his post-release probation terms, police said. Ojeda was on active felony probation out of Santa Clara County.All three suspects were booked at the County Jail on suspicion of being felons in possession of a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm in a vehicle, felons in possession of ammunition, providing false information to an officer, being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence of a controlled substance and probation violation.Anyone with information about the incident can contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.