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With a goal of spurring additional commercial and industrial growth in Morgan Hill, the city council approved a Development Impact Fee Freeze Program, which will peg impact fees at the 2016-17 rate for the next three years.

The weather was perfectly wet Saturday, March 3 for local children attending the “Raincoats and Rubber Boots” event put on by the Pine Ridge Association of Morgan Hill. The event, which took place at Henry W. Coe State Park drew little and big kids alike to its annual creek walk and scavenger hunt.

A statewide initiative to ask voters to change portions of three crime-related laws is picking up steam in Santa Clara County.Over the last week and a half, both the Morgan Hill City Council and Gilroy City Council passed support resolutions for a Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018, which would change portions of voter-approved Proposition 47 and 57, as well as Assembly Bill 109, to reclassify current “nonviolent” crimes as “violent” to prevent the early release of inmates convicted of various sex and assault crimes.The initiative also aims to reform the parole system to stop early release of violent felons, expand parolee oversight, strengthen penalties for parole violations, reform theft laws, and expand DNA collection for drug, theft, domestic violence, and other crimes. It is supported by the California Police Chiefs Association, The California District Attorney’s Association, and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.Morgan Hill’s city council is supporting the initiative because they think it supports their top ongoing annual priority for the city: enhancing public safety, according to Morgan Hill Public Information Officer Maureen Tobin.Certain types of crime are on the rise in Morgan Hill, where overall property and violent crime is up 13 percent, in recent years. While city staff and MHPD can’t directly connect the local crime uptick to Props 47 and 57, and AB109, they are convinced that the long-term impact of these laws will be to reduce safety in the community.The Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act will “add more crime types to the list of violent crimes,” Tobin said. These include rape of an unconscious or intoxicated person, shooting into an inhabited dwelling, assault with a firearm or other deadly weapon, solicitation to commit murder and abducting a minor for prostitution.“The crimes listed above are not on the rise; however, the early release of those who have committed heinous acts as (those reclassified by the earlier laws) foretell a future with increasing crime,” Tobin said. “The initiative seeks to prevent future residents from becoming victims of violent crime.”The proposed ballot measure will also “provide some of the necessary sanctions to help hold offenders accountable in custody and post-release, and restore some of the necessary tools that officers to ensure safety,” Tobin said. These tools include conditions of probation that can be imposed years after a defendant is released from prison or jail.  South Valley supportCity and police officials in Gilroy have been hitting the pavement in support of the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act.“The bottom line is I think that if we can find ways to rehabilitate people, that is fantastic. I completely support that,” Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said Tuesday. “The idea of this (initiative) is not aimed at those people. It is aimed at those who do not choose to avail themselves of those opportunities and continue to choose a life of crime. There needs to be consequences to deal with those people.”Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco spent a few hours Saturday morning at First Street Coffee helping residents collect signatures for the new initiative, which needs 365,880 signatures by August to qualify for the November election. Over 100 signatures were gathered in two hours, he said.Velasco said he supports the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018 because of the ill effects of Prop 47, 57, and AB 109.“It is creating havoc in cities up and down the state,” Velasco said Tuesday. “It is impacting the quality of life of our residents. It is becoming a strain on public safety services.”AB 109, which Governor Jerry Brown signed in 2011, transferred responsibility of supervising certain felony offenders and state prison parolees from state prisons and state parole agents to county jails and probation officers.California voters approved Proposition 47 in November 2014, which reduced certain drug possession felonies to misdemeanors and also required misdemeanor sentencing for petty theft, receiving stolen property, and forging or writing bad checks all to the amount of $950 or less. Prior to Prop 47, the dollar threshold for theft to be considered a felony was $450.“If someone comes into your house and steals something from you, as long as the value is less than $950, if we caught and arrested them we would give them a citation ticket and let them go,” Smithee said. “They could come back and do the same thing and still get the same ticket. It does not matter how many times. The result is never going to be more than getting a ticket and let go again because there is no sanction for how many times something has been done. It is each a separate case.”Morgan Hill city staff reported that the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act would allow local officers to book “serial property thieves” into the county jail, rather than be forced to release them back onto the streets with a citation. The act would also ensure these offenders have the “appropriate restrictions” after their release from custody to help them return to being productive members of society.Former Gilroy Police Officer and current Hollister City Councilman Jim Gillio is another supporter of the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018.“Over the past several years we have had Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 that have essentially, in an administrative way, decriminalized certain crimes,” Gillio said by phone Monday. “Certain violent crimes have been lowered, so you are eligible for early release.”California voters approved Proposition 57 in November 2016, which allowed parole consideration for nonviolent felons, authorized credit-earning opportunities for good behavior, and changed some juvenile prosecution policies.According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Proposition 57 moved up parole consideration for nonviolent offenders who served the full term of a primary offense sentence and demonstrated their release to the community would not pose an unreasonable risk of violence.“The overall intent of both Prop 47 and 57 was to increase the opportunities for rehabilitation and try to minimize mass incarceration, but there were unintended consequences,” Gillio said.The Hollister councilman is currently working with Acting Chief of Police Carlos Reynoso to have a support resolution for the new initiative placed on the next city council meeting on March 5.“I will present it to the city council for their consideration,” Reynoso said. “If passed, all we are asking for is their support in getting this initiative on the ballot and letting the citizens of our community and the state vote on it.”San Benito County Sheriff Darren Thompson, who supports the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018, said he hopes to approach the San Benito County Board of Supervisors in the near future to see if they would support the initiative.“The previous measures, Proposition 47, 57, and AB 109, are designed to reduce state prison population, they are not designed to increase public safety,” Thompson said. “Certainly some adjustments are in order to those original measures.”Velasco said he hopes the initiative will be able to collect enough signatures to go before voters statewide in November.“Hopefully California voters will support this proposition,” he said. “I think it will go a long way in making sure that people who should be locked up, are locked up.”For more information on the Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act of 2018, visit www.keepCALsafe.org.

A suspected burglar broke the front door window of GVA Café early Sunday morning and entered the downtown coffee shop before Morgan Hill Police arrived to the scene.The suspect smashed the window of the café located at 17400 Monterey Road about 3am March 4, according to police reports. Police who responded when the break-in tripped an alarm found the suspect inside and arrested him on suspicion of burglary.GVA Café owner Renee Carrillo also responded to the shop early Sunday morning after police contacted her. She said it appeared the male suspect was intoxicated, and he didn’t seem interested in trying to steal anything as he sat calmly at a café table when officers responded to the alarm.Carrillo added the man returned to the café the following morning, in a more sober state, and apologized for the damage to the GVA front door. He even offered to pay for the damages, Carrillo said.

It's no secret to anyone who rents an apartment in Morgan Hill—it's costly. Among the reasons why is a basic tenant of economics—supply and demand. And in the Bay Area, demand far exceeds supply. That may change in Morgan Hill over the next several years as nearly 500 market-rate units are expected to be built.

High-speed chaseThe driver of a black Dodge Charger led police on a high-speed chase from San Martin north to Morgan Hill, ending when the suspect crashed the vehicle on Barrett Avenue near San Pedro Avenue. The chase reached speeds faster than 100mph, and officers placed spikes in the roadway at one intersection in an attempt to stop him. The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The chase started about midnight Feb. 24 on Llagas Avenue in San Martin.Auto burglarySomeone broke into a white Cadillac parked on the 18500 block of Butterfield Boulevard. Stolen from the vehicle were an FM transmitter and a CD case that contained a number of DVDs. The crime was reported 3:03pm Feb. 27.A thief or thieves broke into a white Chevrolet van overnight on Hale Avenue. The break-in was reported 7:46am Feb. 28.Someone smashed the window of a white 2017 Honda Pilot, and stole a baby carrier from the vehicle. The vehicle was parked on Oak View Circle. The crime was reported 8:21am Feb. 28.A thief or thieves smashed a window on a rented Chevrolet Tahoe parked at Holiday Inn Express, 17035 Condit Road, and rummaged through the vehicle. Two backpacks were sitting on the ground outside the damaged vehicle when the crime was reported 2:31pm Feb. 23.Grand theftSomeone stole an Apple computer and the victim, a San Jose resident, tracked the device to a home on Sword Dancer Court. The homeowner returned the computer to the owner after police contacted him. The homeowner told police his son, a drug addict, stole the computer. The theft was reported 9:04pm Feb. 27.A thief or thieves stole two bicycles worth about $2,000 from the back of the victim’s vehicle, which was parked at The Residence Inn, 18620 Madrone Parkway. The crime was reported 9:29am Feb. 24. Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a white 1990 Acura Integra from a parking spot on Larkspur Place. The theft was reported 10:12am Feb. 28.Someone stole a white 2005 Chevrolet Astro van from the 200 block of Burnett Avenue. The vehicle was recovered in San Jose, missing its front license plate. The theft was reported 1:25pm Feb. 23. BurglarySomeone tried to steal a hydraulic construction lift from a commercial construction site at East Third Street and Monterey Road in downtown Morgan Hill. An officer saw the suspect trying to steal the equipment, but the suspect fled the area on foot. The burglar was able to partially remove the lift from the construction site before police began to pursue him. The crime was reported 2:19am Feb. 24.A burglar or burglars broke into a home on Ponderosa Court while the residents were not present. Police reports did not specify if anything was stolen from the home. The crime was reported 6:19pm Feb. 28.Petty theftSomeone attempted to steal health and beauty supplies from Wal-mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza. The subject was admonished by police for trespassing. The crime was reported 11:38pm Feb. 28.A thief stole two DeWalt power tool products, together worth about $600, from The Home Depot, 860 E. Dunne Ave. The crime was reported 11:22am March 1.  VandalismA vandal or vandals used a crowbar to damage a city water valve on the 16500 block of Railroad Avenue. The valve was also spray-painted with graffiti. The crime was reported 12:50pm Feb. 23. TheftSomeone stole donated items from outside the Goodwill trailer in the Safeway parking lot, 840 E. Dunne Ave. The male suspect was cited and released. The crime was reported 5:55pm Feb. 22.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

Two Morgan Hill teens are in custody after a Feb. 21 shooting in a busy shopping center that left a young San Jose man injured, according to police. It was the first shooting reported in Morgan Hill in 2018.One of the suspects was charged Tuesday with assault with a deadly weapon at a hearing at the Hall of Justice in San Jose, according to authorities.Investigators are trying to determine how one of the 17-year-old suspects acquired a handgun, which is illegal for California residents younger than 18 to own. Authorities have declined to release the suspects’ names because they are juveniles.Police responded to multiple 911 calls from witnesses who reported the shooting about 8pm at Tennant Station, according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling. Officers responded and located an 18-year-old male from San Jose suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg. Standing nearby was a large group of witnesses.Officers determined the man was shot in front of Commonwealth Credit Union, which is located next to Tennant Avenue in the shopping center, across the street from the intersection with Church Street. One of the suspects had fired two rounds, only one of which hit the victim.Witnesses at the scene told police that two subjects were involved in the shooting, according to Hoefling. Officers located one of the suspects who was still in the area, and ordered him to stop. That suspect—later identified as a 17-year-old male—fled on foot, but police caught up to him and arrested him after a short pursuit. In addition to being involved in the shooting, police booked him on suspicion of possession of an illegal weapon, as he had a miniature bat on him.Witnesses also told police that the second suspect was seen running northbound on Church Street before officers arrived.Police were able to identify the outstanding suspect as a 17-year-old male, according to police. MHPD officers were joined by Santa Clara County deputies—plus K9 dogs and a police helicopter—in searching the surrounding neighborhood the evening of Feb. 21.A police helicopter hovered above the neighborhood, using an infrared camera to search for “hot spots” on the ground where someone might be hiding.Authorities also searched the suspect’s residence, but were unable to immediately locate him or the weapon used in the shooting.The second suspect later turned himself in at Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall, according to police. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Police have not recovered the handgun used in the shooting, Hoefling said.The shooting victim was transported to San Jose Regional Medical Center shortly after paramedics arrived at the scene, and he was released the following day.AltercationThe police investigation revealed that the two suspects approached the victim at the intersection of Tennant and Church, and a verbal argument “immediately began,” police said. One of the suspects pulled out a black semiautomatic handgun and fired two rounds, one of which struck the victim in the leg.Hoefling later said the incident does not appear to be gang-related, but the suspects and victim knew each other. He added the altercation escalated quickly, from a loud verbal argument to two shots fired by one of the suspects.A Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman said one of the suspects was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm at a Feb. 27 hearing, with an enhancement for causing great bodily harm. The other suspect is scheduled to appear March 5. Both hearings were set to take place at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.Statistically, Tennant Station has been a safe shopping center. Since Jan. 1, 2017, police have responded to only two violent incidents at Tennant Station—the Feb. 21 shooting and a robbery of a cell phone from a Safeway customer on May 29, 2017, according to police.Other types of calls are more frequent at the shopping center, which houses the grocery store as well as a movie theater, restaurants and other shops. Since Jan. 1, 2017, these calls include 36 reports of theft, 29 reported disturbances and 25 “suspicious person” calls, according to MHPD Police Analyst Margarita Balagso.The shooting is the first in Morgan Hill in 2018. The last shooting here was in December 2017, when three young men entered a home on Calle Mazatan and shot the 62-year-old resident. Police said the suspects, who were arrested down the road after they fled the residence in a vehicle, knew the victim and robbed him before they shot him.The victim survived the gunshot wound.In October 2017, police also responded to a shooting in the area of Denali and Scotts Bluff Drive. The suspect, who has not been identified or arrested, shot at a residence during a dispute about unsafe driving, according to police. No injuries were reported in that incident.  On April 1, 2017, Morgan Hill police arrested a suspect from Soledad who shot a man in Morgan Hill during a road-rage incident. The victim survived that shooting.

Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate last Thursday gave the annual “State of the City” address to a modest crowd in the council chambers, where he touched on accomplishments from last year and upcoming challenges in the year ahead.