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A new candidate has joined the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s Trustee Area 4 race, after being qualified by the election officers upon filing on the very last day of the candidate extension period.

To Mike Jones, training a dog can be easy, but the owners can be a different story.Jones is the owner of Primal Canine in Morgan Hill, and he has built an expanding dog training business that trains police, military and personal dogs.His love of dogs which goes back to his childhood in East San Jose, and a focused work ethic has propelled him to Morgan Hill. It hasn't been without challenges. Recently, Jones has worked to release a documentary, “Pack Life,” on Netflix, he’s had to defend his company against accusations of animal abuse, and he’s doing it all despite a recent diagnosis of stomach cancer.“Dogs are easy; people are hard,” Jones said.One of the first things that stands out when you meet Jones, 34, are his tattoos. A cursive 'Ivy' tattoo, his daughter’s name, is above his left brow. Among a sea of tattoos on both of his arms and hands is a picture of his dog Bear, a pit bull mix Jones adopted from a shelter. Beneath his left ear, there's a red letter P for “Primal,” the same design he uses for the company's logo.There's a bit of resemblance between Jones and Primal's mascot ,Bear. Both Jones and Bear can be misunderstood at first glance. Whatever kind of tough guy persona one may assume is shed quickly as he interacts with a 15-pound Shih-Tzu, Nova. There's an instant connection between Jones and Nova. Nova doesn't judge a person based on appearance, and that's one of the reason's Jones loves dogs.Jones worked through that misconception in May when his training was under scrutiny.Late in May, a passing driver on Hwy 101 saw dogs undergoing police dog training at Primal Canine's fenced-in outdoor training facility near the highway. The witness called the Morgan Hill Police Department to report animal abuse and posted her allegations of abuse online. Local police investigated the report and found no evidence of any wrongdoing.“She just wasn't used to the work we do,” Jones said. “It was actually a good thing. It was an opportunity to let the community know us."For Jones, each dog has its own personality, and each dog responds to training differently. His flexible style of training also helps him to work with the dog's owners, because training can be wasted by owners who choose not to be consistent with their dogs.Jones demonstrates the power of his training with one of his dogs, Malice, a Belgian Malamute. It's as if Jones presses a button in Malice's brain. With every command, "Sitz," for sit, "Platz" lay down, Malice obeys immediately. Jones walks Malice around the room, commanding the dog's motion with every step as Malice weaves between his legs, around in a circle, back and forth.With every second of instruction, Malice appears to be in heaven. His eyes are bright, tongue hanging out of his grinning mouth. Obedience is fun for the dog, who works best when it's working.Jones also trains police dogs for about $20,000 a canine. The proof is in action, and folks who don’t know what was happening might get the wrong impression. To demonstrate a police dog in action, Jones gets some help from one of his apprentice trainers, Matt Jaramillo. For the demonstration, Jaramillo puts on a full-body padded bite suit that makes him look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. He needs it because even with the suit, it can still hurt."It's not so bad," Jaramillo said as he showed off some bruises and teeth marks.Malice attacks on command. The Belgian Malamute locks its teeth around Jaramillo's arm like a bear trap. On Jones' command, Malice lets go and returns to his side, wagging his tail as he sits. There are no hard feelings between Malice and Jaramillo; it's just a day on the job.Since his childhood in East San Jose, Jones said he has  often felt closer to dogs than he does humans. Dogs are predictable. They are genuine, with no guile or hidden agendas. They're loyal, loving, and they know when something is wrong.His life will soon be an open book after “Pack Life” is released on Netflix."It should be out in September after it passes legal," Jones said. “It’s kind of scary. I get bit for a living, and when I was wearing a suit at the premiere at the Grenada, it was worse than being in the bite suit.“It's five years of your life; then you watch it on screen."Jones now owns three Primal Canine locations in Morgan Hill, San Diego and Minneapolis. He manages 10 employees between the three sites. This has become especially taxing since his diagnosis of stomach cancer.Jones’ illness has not kept him from work. He has eschewed traditional treatments to instead focus on holistic methods so he can continue with his work.

The cannabis business may come to Morgan Hill soon, but before it does, the voters of Morgan Hill will have their say, even if it’s indirect.In July the Morgan Hill City Council voted to place Measure I on the Nov. 6 ballot, giving the city's voters the choice to put a tax on the cannabis industry—if and when the city decides to allow the cannabis industry to operate with the city.“(Morgan Hill's city council has) not yet decided if they want cannabis-related activities in Morgan Hill,” Morgan Hill Communications and Engagement Manager Maureen Tobin said. “They first want to see if the community would want to tax cannabis.”The city council will use Measure I to gauge whether the citizens of Morgan Hill are willing to bring cannabis to town. As of now, no cannabis business—recreational, medical or otherwise—is legal in Morgan Hill. However, even if Measure I passed, the city council may still decide to keep cannabis activities out of Morgan Hill.Proposition 64, a state law passed in 2016, made recreational and commercial marijuana legal for individuals, but it also left the decision whether or not to allow the sale or production of cannabis up to local municipalities. The November vote will determine a maximum tax rate on cannabis operations. While the city still works to decide what that rate will be, Measure I will determine the maximum rates of the potential tax: $15 per square foot for cultivation, and 10 percent on gross sales.  Voters in nearby unincorporated San Benito County recently passed a similar ballot measure, Measure C, with 58 percent of the vote. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors used Measure C as a litmus test to gauge whether residents wanted commercial cannabis. Now the San Benito supervisors are working with Hdl Companies to draft plans for a commercial cannabis rollout in the county, including creating a separate county department to manage cannabis business.The Morgan Hill City Council has also hired Hdl Companies to assist with its potential cannabis future. Hdl, a consulting company, based in Southern California, specializes in helping local governments craft cannabis laws and administrative bodies.  On Feb. 7 the Morgan Hill City Council approved a community survey to gauge support for recreational and commercial cannabis. The results were split. For retail sales, 48.3 percent of respondents were in favor while 48.1 percent were opposed. Medical cannabis was more popular, with 61.3 percent supportive and 36.7 percent opposed. San Mateo-based Godbe Research conducted the survey. Morgan Hill voters supported Proposition 64 by about 58 percent. “If our voters would not support such a special cannabis business tax, I won’t be in support of cannabis-related business in our city either, as it only would lead to additional costs with no additional tax money coming in from those businesses to offset those costs and add additional tax income for the city on top of that,” Morgan Hill Councilmember Rene Spring said in February.

Eighteen candidates are in the mix for eight local races on the Morgan Hill Unified School District, Santa Clara County Office of Education and Gavilan College Joint District Board of Trustees in the Nov. 6 election.

Sweeten up your morning with this recipe for Orange Crescent Swirls.  Orange glaze drizzled over crescent roll dough then baked to perfection is exactly what your tastebuds are craving.  

The state’s highest court Aug. 23 reached a decision in a Morgan Hill case that questions a 30-plus-year-old interpretation of zoning law in California.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has added a Morgan Hill school trustee candidate to the November ballot, upholding an appeal by the candidate, Vanessa Sutter, who argued she had been given wrong information about the filing deadline by a county elections clerk.

AccidentA vehicle crashed into a light pole across the street from the Morgan Hill Police Department, 16200 Vineyard Boulevard. The vehicle damaged the pole and continued traveling past the collision scene. Police caught up with the damaged vehicle on Tennant Avenue and located a passenger who suffered non-life threatening injuries including a cut to his head. The passenger was treated at a nearby hospital. The driver allegedly fled the scene and was not immediately located, according to police reports. The accident was reported 10:44pm Aug. 16.A Dodge truck hit a palm tree at the intersection of Half and Condit Road. Three subjects in the vehicle appeared to be uninjured. The accident was reported at 4:01pm Aug. 15.Petty theftSomeone stole about $30 worth of markers from Hobby Lobby, 990 Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 5:39pm Aug. 21.A suspect stole a pair of running shoes and clothing from Big 5 Sporting Goods, 150 Cochrane Plaza. The theft was reported 12:20pm Aug. 22. The suspect grabbed the merchandise and ran outside, into a U-Haul truck in the parking lot.Someone stole a wallet from an unlocked Ford Explorer on Torrey Court. The crime was reported 8:19am Aug. 19.A thief or thieves stole tools from the front porch of a residence on Gallop Drive. The value of the stolen items was about $3,300. The crime was reported 5:21pm Aug. 16.Someone stole a gray Schwinn bicycle with a small white rack on the rear tire from outside Nob Hill Foods, 451 Vineyard Town Center. The theft was reported 7:15pm Aug. 16.A suspect or suspects stole a patio chair from a residence on Piazza Way. The theft was reported 5:38pm Aug. 10.Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a white 2001 GMC Yukon from a spot on East First Street. The theft was reported 7:35am Aug. 22. The victim also told police his credit cards were used at a gas station in Gilroy, shortly after the vehicle was stolen. A black Honda Accord, previously reported stolen to Morgan Hill Police, was recovered on Monterey Road. The vehicle’s battery and radio were missing, but the car was not “stripped or burned,” according to police reports. The vehicle was reported recovered at 5:09pm Aug. 16.DisturbanceMultiple witnesses reported a silver Mercedes S-Class was spinning donuts in the area of Llagas Road and Hale Avenue. The disturbance was reported 10:48pm Aug. 18.Auto burglaryA thief or thieves broke into a Toyota Highlander and a Toyota Landcruiser on Farallon Drive. The crimes were reported 2:11pm Aug. 19.Someone broke into a black Mercedes on Serra Avenida and ransacked the vehicle. The crime was reported 7:53am Aug. 16.A thief or thieves broke the rear window of a Chevrolet Silverado on Condit Road. The crime was reported 9:32am Aug. 16.Someone broke into a white Audi on Padua Court and stole a garage door opener. A donut and chocolate milk container were left in a bag next the vehicle. The crime was reported 7:34am Aug. 15.Animal controlA woman reported a kitten was stuck in the engine compartment of an abandoned vehicle on Barrett Avenue, and she asked for assistance to remove the kitten. The animal was removed and reunited with its mother. The incident was reported 7:58pm Aug. 19. TheftTwo suspects stole two boxes of tools from Home Depot, 860 E. Dunne Ave. The crime was reported 12:50pm Aug. 20.RobberyTwo suspects, described as black men in their late teens or early 20s, stole a number of watches and phones from the T-Mobile store, 1041 Cochrane Road. The suspects stole the merchandise and fled the store on foot, and might have been associated with a maroon Nissan sedan. The crime was reported 7:34pm Aug. 15. A witness who called police said the same suspects stole items from the store in a previous incident, according to police reports. FightThree men were seen beating up another man in the area of CineLux theater, 750 Tennant Station. Police arrived and located a victim lying on the ground. No suspects were arrested. The crime was reported 1:08am Aug. 11.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

California voters may have approved the legalization of cannabis, but the Board of Supervisors in Santa Clara County, the state’s sixth-most populous county, has dropped plans to extend a moratorium on growing or selling cannabis, and instead is set to vote to ban pot growth altogether.

The 40-year dream of restoring passenger rail service—stoked by increasing population and traffic congestion—from Gilroy south to Salinas and/or Hollister has found new life in two counties.Monterey County officials this week began construction of an $81 million project to build a new train station and other railroad upgrades, which they claim could bring daily railroad service to Gilroy and the Bay Area by 2020.Meanwhile, San Benito county transportation officials this spring received a $150,000 grant for an “in-depth feasibility assessment of public transit projects, including passenger rail, to help reduce congestion along Highway 25.”One problem: No railway company has committed to, or even expressed an interest in, providing the rail service.The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which contracts with BART to operate rail service between Sacramento and San Jose, is the latest favorite of the Transportation Agency of Monterey County for the San Jose-Gilroy passenger rail.Caltrain, the initial choice, told this newspaper, “There has been no commitment made that Caltrain would be responsible for operating the service” from San Jose to Salinas through GIlroy.Six Caltrain trains—three northbound in the early morning commute and three southbound in the evening commute—currently connect the Bay Area to and from the Gilroy station, with stops in San Martin and Morgan Hill.Some folks may still remember the last passenger train to stop in Hollister at the Fifth Street depot, on Oct. 30, 1955. The Gilroy-to-Hollister rail route opened in 1871. The old train station since 2007 has been the home of El Epazote Restaurant.WIth much fanfare, Monterey officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 9 at the Salinas Train Station to celebrate “the Monterey County Rail Extension–Kick Start Project” to extend passenger rail service from Santa Clara County to the City of Salinas.“The project will provide an alternative to traffic congestion, thereby reducing commuter stress and increasing productivity. The extension will provide access to jobs, health care, education and shopping, and expand transportation options for the young, elderly and disabled,” touted the Monterey agency in a press release. The event was cited as “an unprecedented collaboration of state and regional transportation agencies, along with local jurisdictions.”The proposed route would follow Union Pacific tracks that roughly parallel state Highway 129. The lone Amtrak train, the Coast Starlight linking San Diego and Vancouver, follows this route—northbound in the early evening and southbound mid-mornings. This is the closest passenger train to Hollister, but the San Benito Council of Governments will be studying its own possible Caltrain extension. A Tres Pinos branch line of this rail route extends east past San Juan Bautista to Hollister.The Union Pacific is the main rail freight system in the region. One Salinas city councilmember last week said that Monterey officials would also be reaching out to Union Pacific as a possible provider of the new passenger service, but the railway stopped all of its passenger trains in the U.S. in 1971.Plans to link either the Capitol Corridor, which now ends in San Jose, or Caltrain, which now ends service at Gilroy, could be in place “optimistically by 2020,” said Christina Watson of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County.Originally, the project was to extend Caltrain to Salinas, according to Monterey County officials.Then the plan changed to extending the Capitol Corridor train, which connects Sacramento with San Jose.Another project in the mix is the California High Speed Rail, which would reach from Gilroy to Merced, then to Los Angeles.Caltrain, along with many other regional rail operators and the state, has been involved with planning efforts to establish rail service between Monterey County and the Bay Area. However,  there has been no commitment from Caltrain to be responsible for operating the service.“The Transportation Authority of Monterey County has been working on this effort for many years, but the effort is still in its infancy and no operator has been identified,” Caltrain said in a statement this week in response to inquiries from the Dispatch.“Significant planning, capital improvements, actions and agreements involving many parties would be required before any service could be considered for operation. As a key part of the region’s rail network, Caltrain staff will continue to participate in these discussions.”The Council of San Benito County Governments and San Benito County Local Transportation Authority, which oversees San Benito County Express, received a $150,000 competitive SB1 transportation planning grant award from Caltrans. The funds will be dedicated to an in-depth feasibility assessment of public transit projects, including passenger rail, to help reduce congestion along Highway 25.Highway 25 is highly congested during weekday commute hours due to the large number of residents commuting to Santa Clara County. The average daily traffic at the San Benito/Santa Clara county line has more than doubled since the mid-1990s due to rapid population growth and commute trips, and is expected to double again by 2040.The study will include public engagement, stakeholder participation, the evaluation of public transit projects, high-level implementation strategies, project cost estimates and the identification of funding strategies, COG said in a press release.Work with a consultant began this summer with community outreach starting later this year.Project updates and information on how to get involved will be provided on the San Benito County Express website at www.SanBenitoCountyExpress.org.    Senate Bill 1 provides approximately $5.4 billion in annual funding to fix roads, freeways and bridges and puts more dollars toward transit and safety. For complete details on SB 1, visit the state’s website at http://www.rebuildingca.ca.gov.Census information indicates that 48.9 percent of employed San Benito County residents commute outside of the county for employment. As the population of the county continues to increase at a rate higher than the employment opportunities, current congestion issues for personal automobiles will continue to increase, including along Highway 25.