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Petty theftSomeone stole a 50-pound bag of dog food, worth about $40, from Wal-mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza. The thief left in a white Mercedes with a black driver’s side door. The crime was reported 8:23pm July 31.A thief or thieves stole a treadmill worth about $300 from the front porch of a residence on La Mancha Lane. The crime was reported 4:10pm July 24.Someone walked out of Safeway, 235 Tennant Station, with two quarts of vodka and bread, without paying for the items. The crime was reported 8:23am July 25.Suspicious personPolice arrested a man on suspicion of auto theft after an employee of Rite Aid, 16000 Monterey Road, reported a suspicious vehicle in the store’s parking lot. The employee called police to report the man was sitting in a black Acura after the store closed, and the employee was afraid to go outside. Officers arrived and contacted the Acura driver, who was arrested on suspicion of stealing the vehicle he was sitting in. The crime was reported 10:35pm July 31.Auto burglarySomeone broke into a Toyota Tacoma truck on East Dunne Avenue and stole tools. The crime was reported 5:59am Aug. 1.A thief or thieves stole tools from a locked toolbox on a Dodge pickup on the 2200 block of Brega Lane. The crime was reported 6:24am Aug. 1.Someone broke into a Ford F150 pickup on Cosmo Avenue and stole tools. The crime was reported 7:13am Aug. 1.A burglar or burglars smashed the window of a Chrysler 300 on Burnett Avenue and stole a computer. The burglary was reported 7:26am July 29.A thief or thieves broke into a Chevrolet Silverado pickup on Del Monte Avenue and stole tools. The crime was reported 3:38pm Aug. 1.Someone broke into a white Dodge Ram parked on Condit Road and stole power tools. The crime was reported 7:12am July 31.A burglar or burglars broke into a Chevrolet 3500 pickup parked on Condit Road and stole a pressure washer and blower from the vehicle. The burglary was reported 11:19am July 26.A thief or thieves broke into three vehicles parked on the 18400 block of Shadowbrook Way. The vehicles were identified as a Dodge Ram pickup, a Toyota Camry and a Kia. The crime was reported 9:50am July 22. Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a gold 1995 Honda Accord parked on Burnett Avenue. The crime was reported 10:39pm July 27.Someone stole a white Toyota pickup with a camper shell from the parking lot of Josephine’s Bakery Cafe, 19500 Monterey Road. The theft was reported 5:48am July 29.A vehicle that was previously reported stolen out of Alameda County was recovered in the parking lot of California Inn, 16525 Condit Road in Morgan Hill. The vehicle was recovered 9:22am July 23.Someone stole a dark green Dodge van from the area of Wright and Del Monte avenues. The crime was reported 4:55pm July 26.A thief or thieves stole a green BMW from a spot on East Edmundson Avenue. The owner of the vehicle left the key in the center console. The crime was reported 10:41pm July 26.Someone stole a brown 2016 Mazda CX5 from a spot on El Pajaro Court. The crime was reported 8:19am July 27.AccidentA bicyclist suffered minor injuries—including pain to his leg and road rash—when a motorist collided with the bicycle in the area of Hale and Tilton avenues. The accident was reported 6:28pm Aug. 2.TheftSomeone broke into a storage container at a construction site on Golden Eagle Drive, and stole speakers, a jackhammer and other items. The total loss was about $650. The crime was reported 3:23pm July 30.A suspect stole about 20 cartons of cigarettes from Safeway, 235 Tennant Station. The crime was reported 1:52am July 20. VandalismSomeone tried to break into a vehicle in Paradise Park, 449 La Crosse Drive, and broke off a piece of metal in the door lock. The crime was reported 2:18pm July 20.BurglarySomeone broke into a home on Gitana Court and stole a large safe. The crime was reported 11:46pm July 21.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

Since Willard Hicks opened July 10, business has been brisk. The restaurant, located on Monterey Road just south of Third Street, fills up quickly. Right before the restaurant opens at 4pm, servers, bartenders and managers busy themselves with their preparatory duties. Shortly after 4pm, almost all the tables and bar stools are full.

The California Water Commission July 24 approved $484.55 million to dramatically expand the Pacheco Reservoir in southeast Santa Clara County for drinking water reserves and improved protections for steelhead salmon.The money comes from the state’s Proposition 1 approved by California voters, and represents the full amount sought by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.“We are elated that our proposal to expand Pacheco Reservoir was viewed so favorably by the commission,” said water district board chairman Richard P. Santos. “We are also pleased that the commission has approved our request for early funding of $24.2 million. Given these approvals, we can proceed with the next steps in completing environmental documents and permit applications without delay.”Completion of the new reservoir project is more than a decade away, according to the water district’s timetable.The Prop. 1 monies will provide half of the estimated $969 million cost of the project, which could be completed in 2029, with construction beginning in 2024 following public hearings on an environmental impact report and a feasibility study.Prop. 1 was approved by nearly three-quarters of San Benito and Santa Clara county voters in 2014. The funding would come from the $2.7 billion Water Storage Investment Program, part of California’s Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, a $7.5 billion bond passed by voters.The Pacheco Reservoir project received the highest ranking among eight projects submitted to the commission for consideration this week. Another $1.12 billion was approved for four other projects.The project would establish a new dam and expanded reservoir on the North Fork of Pacheco Creek that could hold 141,000 acre-feet of water, a substantial increase from the 6,000-acre-foot capacity of the existing reservoir. Constructed in 1939 and used for groundwater recharge, the reservoir is located about 13 miles southwest of San Luis Reservoir, off Highway 152, near Casa de Fruta.The Santa Clara Valley Water District would also have to find the remaining 50 percent of the project cost, from federal sources and from the district’s own resources and ratepayers.“Santa Clara Valley Water District and our project partners, San Benito County Water District and Pacheco Pass Water District, will pursue federal funds,” Santos said in a statement.The remainder would be paid through local water rates “over several decades,” he said.The water district said the project would expand Pacheco Reservoir's storage capacity to provide for increased emergency water supplies, improved water quality and ecosystem benefits throughout the region and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.“This reservoir would serve as an insurance investment to support a secure water supply for our future,” said Santos in the statement. “Today’s good news portends well for Pacheco’s delivery of investment value to the public and environment.”The water district describes the project’s potential benefits as “vast,” including the following:Increase suitable habitat in Pacheco Creek for the federally threatened South Central California Coast steelheadDevelop water supplies for the environmental needs of wildlife refuges to support habitat management in the delta watershedReduce flood risks for communities along Pacheco Creek and the Pajaro River as it flows through WatsonvilleImprove water quality, reducing taste and odor problems that result from seasonal algae blooms in San Luis Reservoir and cause Santa Clara Valley Water District operators to curtail deliveries from this sourceProvide an emergency water supply to Santa Clara and San Benito countiesIncrease reliability of imported water supplies to Santa Clara and San Benito countiesProvide additional water for groundwater recharge, benefiting agricultural water users downstream of the new damIncrease operational flexibility of water supplies at San Luis Reservoir and throughout Santa Clara CountyImprove opportunities for water transfers through San Luis ReservoirThe Santa Clara Valley Water District manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa Clara County's more than 1.9 million residents.The district manages 10 dams and surface water reservoirs, three water treatment plants, an advanced recycled water purification center, a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, nearly 400 acres of groundwater recharge ponds and more than 275 miles of streams.It provides wholesale water and groundwater management services to local municipalities and private water retailers that deliver drinking water directly to homes and businesses in Santa Clara County.For more information, visit https://www.valleywater.org/project-updates/dam-reservoir-projects/pacheco-reservoir-expansion-project-proposed.

When busy weeknights leave little opportunity for extravagant meals, bring the family together with a simpler recipe that provides just as much tasty flavor, such as these Turkey Potato Dinner Wraps. Requiring just 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cook time, a half-hour is all you need to create an enjoyable meal for all. Find more quick dinner recipes at eatwisconsinpotatoes.com.

*This story and candidate list was updated Aug. 6.

When it's summertime, you crave for something cold and fruity.  Combine frozen strawberries with frozen pink lemonade concentrate and you have a recipe for deliciousness.  This fizzy summertime strawberry treat will delight your tastebuds and keep you quenched while basking in the sun.  

The Morgan Hill City Council has amended a resolution placing a measure on the November ballot to appoint, rather than elect the city treasurer and city clerk. The Nov. 6 ballot measure will now only include a change in the the clerk position.

A fire that ripped through southeast San Martin burned 20 acres of vegetation and multiple homes, displacing 21 residents of the rural unincorporated community.The blaze started about 4:15pm July 25 as a vegetation fire in the area of the 12100 block of Church Avenue. The fire spread and destroyed a mobile home and three outbuildings, and damaged two houses, according to CalFire Fire Prevention Specialist Pam Temmermand.One of the destroyed buildings was “an extremely large barn,” Temmermand said. It appeared at least one greenhouse was overrun by the flames.Sixteen vehicles were also destroyed before crews were able to contain most of the fire. Southbound lanes on U.S. 101 were closed due to the thick smoke drifting across the freeway.The blaze was about 85 percent contained as of the morning of July 26, Temmermand said.Temmermand added that a total of 21 residents of the destroyed and damaged homes are temporarily displaced. Santa Clara County Office of Emergency Services is working with American Red Cross and the county’s Social Services Administration to assist the displaced residents.Units from CalFire, Gilroy Fire Department and San Jose Fire Department responded to the fire.As CalFire tankers dropped water from a reservoir to the east, firefighters desperately tried to save a two-story house on Lena Avenue where huge flames lapped at the back door step. An elderly woman in the house made it to safety. Other residents of the house had left earlier in the day for vacation.Although Temmermand said no livestock or other animals were reportedly caught in the fire, at least one resident said some chickens perished. About 30 horses were saved from the fire, firefighters on the scene said.Mike Sibley, 71, who rents a trailer on the Lena Avenue property, said he received a call from the owner of the house warning him of the fire. Sibley rushed back from a bar in Morgan Hill, where he had been hanging out with friends. He said he at times drove on the wrong side of the road to get to the fire several miles south.Sibley said he arrived in time to rush into the mobile home he has been renting for about eight years and save his 20-year-old dog, Oddie, and some valuables.He left his vehicle in front and headed to the scene of chaos."There was three or four cars on fire and I probably would have lost mine if I went back there," Sibley said.He also managed to lead out a kid goat."There were about 30 goats in there and that was the only one who wanted to follow me out," he said. "The firefighters out here are doing an amazing job."Sibley did however lose several personal items when another of the buildings on the property burned.About 7pm, Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies cleared onlooking pedestrians away from in front of the house on Lena Avenue and moved them back to Manna Way after an electric pole caught on fire and threatened their safety.A gray pit bull was picked up by animal control in the area, firefighters said.No injuries among people were reported, according to Temmermand.Plumes of black smoke were blown south by 10-miles-per-hour wind gusts toward Gilroy and Christmas Hill Park six miles away, where the Garlic Festival will be held this weekend. The wildfire never posed a danger for north Gilroy neighborhoods, or the park.The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

Morgan Hill voters will see three local measures appear on their ballots this November—an increase in the tax on hotel room stays, a tax on cannabis sales in Morgan Hill and a measure that would change city clerk and city treasurer roles to appointed positions.The City Council voted unanimously July 18 to move forward with the measures.In April, the City of Morgan Hill commissioned a survey by Godbe Research to gauge public opinion on increasing the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax—often referred to as a hotel tax—as well as a sales tax on marijuana. Respondents generally favored both taxes.The Transient Occupancy Tax in the city is would increase from 10 to 11 percent, if voters approve. The money will go into Morgan Hill’s coffers at the discretion of the city council. The decision by the council to place the measure on the ballot was paired with another to take steps toward creating a new Tourism Business Inclusion District.The inclusion district is not on the ballot, and the specifics of its creation hinge on voter approval of the occupancy tax increase. The inclusion district is planned to have a tax of 1.5 percent which the hotels will collect from patrons to boost marketing and promotion for the City of Morgan Hill.A council staff report defines the occupancy tax as “an additional charge added to hotel/motel room night stays (that) is collected by the hotels and transferred to the city.”Harjot Sangha, accounting manager for the city, estimated Morgan Hill’s original occupancy tax began around the 1970s at a rate of 5 percent. Hotel patrons pay the occupancy tax when renting a room, and it is the responsibility of the owner to then turn the tax collected over to the city.The Godbe study found that support for the occupancy tax was somewhere between 63 and 67 percent of those surveyed, with constituents willing to increase the tax by up to 4 percent.The proposed inclusion district to be formed in conjunction with the potential occupancy tax increase will likely be made up of property owners, hotel representatives, city staff and a council- or mayor-appointed member.The city council report defines the inclusion district as “a business district formed by the hotels where through a majority vote they self-tax to generate revenues that would be used for tourism promotions.”Several business owners in Morgan Hill spoke at the July 18 meeting in support of the occupancy tax increase and inclusion district formation. Andrew Firestone, principal for StonePark Capital, spoke passionately in favor of the inclusion district at the meeting, citing similar districts in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara.Firestone said in an interview that the council’s decision to place the measure on the ballot and move forward with the inclusion district “was a great example of collaborations between the hotels and the city.”Councilman Rich Constantine said at the meeting that he’s “always impressed when a business volunteers to tax themselves.”Cannabis TaxThe Godbe study also found that 63 to 64 percent of those surveyed were in favor of taxing marijuana when or if any cannabis-oriented businesses are allowed in Morgan Hill.The city council moved to impose a 30 percent tax on both medicinal and recreational marijuana businesses if either is opened in the city. The measure for a cannabis tax follows a strategy adopted by other cities and counties, first approving marijuana taxes and continuing the debate over what, if any, cannabis businesses would be allowed in the municipality.Councilman Larry Carr echoed this sentiment and said the approval to move forward with the cannabis tax measure on the November ballot was just the beginning of more discussions. He added that the discussion about cannabis businesses in Morgan Hill is “far from over.”While there was some concern within the council over how much revenue would realistically be brought to the city with a cannabis tax, all council members agreed to let voters decide whether the tax should be approved.David McPherson, cannabis compliance director at Hinderliter, de Llamas and Associates, helped draft the presentation to the council and spoke on the proposed cannabis tax at the July 18 meeting along with Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing.McPherson said at the meeting that he has assisted in the drafting of several other cities’ cannabis tax ordinances. The council decided to amend the ballot measures’ language on the  projected revenue from cannabis taxes to a range of $340,000 to $750,000.Mayor Steve Tate said he was still not in favor of cannabis businesses opening in Morgan Hill, but voted in favor of putting the measure on the ballot.Tate stated, “I don’t want cannabis things going on in this community, but if they are we damn well better tax them.”City Treasurer and City ClerkEight years ago the Morgan Hill City Council moved forward with a ballot measure that would have changed the positions of city clerk and city treasurer to appointed positions as opposed to elected. The measure did not pass because of what City Attorney Donald Larkin described as “active opposition.”Larkin said he did not think the same opposition would be present this time if the measure was put on the ballot. He said most cities in California have made the positions appointed posts. According to the city council staff report, Morgan Hill is one of two cities in Santa Clara County where the positions are elected, the other being Santa Clara. Larkin said shifting the roles to appointed positions could save the city about $40,000 annually.“The lesson we learned from last time is we need to do a better job educating the voters about what it is the city clerk and city treasurer do,” said Larkin.If the measure passes, current City Treasurer David Clink would serve the remainder of his term through 2020.

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