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A Morgan Hill motorcycle officer is recovering from minor injuries after he was involved in a traffic accident south of town Jan. 10, according to police.The accident occurred just after 4pm in the southbound lane of Monterey Road just after Watsonville Road, while MHPD was assisting other departments in closing the road in response to an unrelated gas leak farther south, according to authorities. PG&E asked police to close the road in the area of the gas leak, near California Avenue, to facilitate repairs.MHPD Sgt. Carlos Guerrero said employees from the city’s department of public works had just finished placing cones in the far right southbound lane on Monterey Road from Watsonville Road to Middle Avenue. The purpose of the lane closure was to divert Monterey Road vehicle traffic onto Middle Avenue, around the site of the gas leak.MHPD Traffic Officer John Kuhlen began driving his department motorcycle in the closed lane from Watsonville Road to John Wilson Way. At the 15300 block of Monterey Road, an SUV “made a quick right turn” from the open southbound lane, across the closed lane toward the driveway of a residence on the west side of Monterey Road, Guerrero said.As the SUV crossed the closed lane, in which Kuhlen was riding, the vehicle struck Kuhlen and his motorcycle, Guerrero said. The collision knocked Kuhlen onto the roadway.Kuhlen suffered a pain to his hip as a result of the collision, and he was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital, Guerrero said. He was later released from the hospital with minor injuries.Guerrero expects Kuhlen to be back on duty within a week.The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

Gilroy’s Christopher Ranch, America’s biggest garlic producer, disputes accusations that it conspired to fix garlic prices and sells garlic peeled by Chinese prisoners, allegations raised by competitors in a new Netflix documentary series investigating food scandals called “Rotten.”

The May 16 time trial stage of the Amgen Tour—set to take place in the city’s downtown and through the rolling hills west of town—will turn Morgan Hill into a cycling fanatic’s paradise for the day.City officials and tourism proponents hope the event and its worldwide broadcast will have a much longer lasting impact here.The Amgen Tour of California is one of the more prestigious races in the cycling world. About 120 elite professional cyclists will compete in the seven-day, seven-stage (three stages for women) race that goes from Long Beach to Sacramento, with stops at various communities in between.“It has national and international attention,” Morgan Hill Economic Development Director Edith Ramirez told the city council at the Dec. 20 meeting. “The race (was) broadcast in over 200 countries, with 60 million viewers” in 2017.Thus the question of whether the City of Morgan Hill should shoulder up to $55,000 for local costs associated with the May 16 time trial and related activities seemed like a no-brainer for the council, which voted 5-0 to approve the expense Dec. 20.The Amgen Tour, which is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group, has not officially announced its final list of 2018 host cities, but is expected to do so in the coming weeks.Specifically, the city will spend up to $40,000 from the general fund on costs associated with road closures and traffic control along the 22-mile time trial course that starts and ends in downtown Morgan Hill. Amgen Tour host cities are all responsible for such costs, according to a city staff report.The city’s expenses will also include up to $15,000 for “marketing and branding” for the City of Morgan Hill, including the production of a 30-second commercial to be during television coverage of the May 16 time trial stage, according to city staff.Ramirez said while city staff and event promoters can’t estimate an amount of sales and hotel tax revenues—and other residual income—that could result from the Amgen Tour, it is possible that this economic benefit will more than offset the city’s costs. A large portion of this benefit will result from hundreds of hotel room stays—for which the city collects a 10 percent per night per room tax—for the time trial racers, their teams and spectators.The inconvenience to local residents is not lost on city officials, as the Amgen Tour “Stage 4” men’s time trial will require the full closure of the race route, which is expected to loop from downtown Morgan Hill westward into the unincorporated hills along Oak Glen Avenue and north to Bailey Avenue before returning along Hale Avenue. The time trial will start on the west side of Monterey Road at East Dunne Avenue, with the finish line at Monterey Road and Fourth Street.Councilmember Rene Spring noted that May 16 is a Wednesday, which is a normal workday for local residents who commute. The event will likely pose some inconvenience to those residents, Spring said.Ramirez noted that some roads along the route outside downtown won’t be closed during the day’s heavy commute hours, as the time trial is scheduled for 11am to 4pm.Road closures downtown will begin May 15 as Amgen Tour organizers set up for a Lifestyle Festival that will take place during the May 16 time trial. This festival will be hosted by Amgen Tour of California, and will feature several tents for sponsor products, hospitality and other cycling industry promotions. The festival will take place on Monterey Road between Main Avenue and Third Street.Although Spring is “not as confident” as Ramirez and others about the possible economic windfall from the Amgen Tour in Morgan Hill, he joined his council colleagues in supporting the May 16 host city designation. He also agreed with a suggestion from an audience member to organize a less formal bicycle ride along the time trial route in the days before the Amgen Tour, which could serve as a fundraiser for local organizations and a promotion for the May 16 race.The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Association offered their enthusiastic support for bringing the Amgen Tour to town, citing the revenues coming directly from the presence of hundreds of professional athletes and their road crews, as well as potentially thousands of spectators during the event. These organizations are also excited about the worldwide exposure that Morgan Hill will gain as the Amgen Tour is broadcast on live international television.The city is also hoping to implement a Tourism Based Improvement District among the local hotels as another effort to fund the Amgen Tour costs, Ramirez said. This program would levy an additional tax on guests at Morgan Hill hotels, all revenue from which would be directed toward to efforts for “promoting and branding the community” and attracting events that bring visitors from out of town.Past experienceProponents note that time trials are vastly more spectator-friendly than other stages of a race such as the Amgen Tour, as the event lasts all afternoon in one location rather than quickly passing through the area. During a time trial, individual cyclists start out one at a time, staggered throughout the late morning and afternoon about two minutes apart.  The City of Solvang, in Santa Barbara County, hosted an Amgen Tour time trial from 2008 to 2011. Solvang City Manager Brad Vidro said the overall impact on the community was positive, especially over the long term.Solvang gained repeated media exposure as well as the presence of teams training along the route in the weeks leading up to the Amgen Tour, Vidro said. He cited hotel taxes and food sales among the big money makers for Solvang.“In the longer term, you get that exposure,” Vidro said. “The spectators…want to come see the area. We think that went on for years later.”Solvang also organized a “ride the route” promotion before the official event each year, for which individual riders paid $800 or more to participate. These efforts went to directly offset the City of Solvang’s costs for being an Amgen Tour host city.Vidro said he couldn’t place a specific dollar value on the Amgen Tour’s impact on Solvang. The city, which has a population of about 5,400, stopped hosting the Amgen Tour in 2011 because the immediate costs for road closure and traffic control grew prohibitive.He also acknowledged, “A lot of the locals didn’t like it so much because we were blocking roads, impeding access. With a time trial, you’ve got to completely close the loop” to vehicle traffic.Cities in California along the Amgen Tour route typically compete to host a stage or time trial during the event, Ramirez said. In Morgan Hill, however, the City of San Jose and the San Jose Sports Authority offered to co-host the May 16 time trial with Morgan Hill.City staff said they have already notified the school district about potential traffic disruptions associated with the Amgen Tour, and will begin getting the word out to local residents and businesses.

School district and local law enforcement officials are calling for public assistance in identifying a suspect who allegedly spray painted over a security camera and tagged the back of a food service delivery truck at Live Oak High School over the weekend of Jan. 6-7.

Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a Mercedes from a spot on Warren Avenue. The theft was reported 10:22pm Dec. 30.A 2000 Honda Civic was stolen from a location on Casino Real. The theft was reported 11:07am Dec. 31.Someone stole a 2009 Dodge Nitro from a spot on Cochrane Road. The vehicle owner told police the vehicle was stolen Dec. 26, 2017, but he could not report it at that time because he was in jail. The crime was reported 4:03pm Jan. 1.A thief or thieves stole a gray 2009 Toyota Camry from a spot on Jerome Street. The crime was reported 7:19am Jan. 3.Someone stole a green 1998 Honda Civic from a spot on Monterey Road. The theft was reported 8:59am Jan. 3.Auto burglarySomeone broke into a Chevrolet Suburban on West Edmundson Avenue and stole several items, including credit cards. The crime was reported 6:25pm Jan. 7.Grand theftA suspect stole three new cell phones and a watch from a store on Cochrane Road. The crime was reported 4pm Jan. 7.FraudA victim left her debit card in a machine at the Safeway gas station at Tennant Station Way, and when she returned to retrieve it she saw that someone had made a $60 purchase using the card. The crime was reported 4:11pm Jan. 7.VandalismA vandal or vandals cut the fuel line on a Budget rental truck and siphoned gas from the vehicle, which was parked at Executive Inn & Suites, 16505 Condit Road. The crime was reported 4:19pm Jan. 5.Petty theftSomeone stole a green men’s mountain bike worth about $350 from a residence on Calle Hermosa. The theft was reported 11:36am Dec. 31.A thief or thieves stole the front license plate off a Chrysler 400 parked on Berkshire Court. The crime was reported 1:13pm Dec. 31.A woman stole jewelry and other items from Hobby Lobby, 990 Cochrane Road. The theft was reported 6:06pm Jan. 2.A resident visited the Morgan Hill Police station to report her cell phone was stolen. The theft was reported 12:57pm Jan. 7.BurglarySomeone broke into a home on La Alameda Drive and stole a table, watch, bracelet and jacket from the residence. The burglary was reported 11:16am Jan. 3.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

Morgan Hill Police arrested a San Jose man this morning who is accused of scamming hundreds of dollars—or more—from employees of local businesses by telling a sad story about recent personal unfortunate circumstances that can be solved with a loan of a few dollars.After the suspect conned more than half a dozen unsuspecting strangers in this manner in recent months, Bay Area television station KSBW last week ran a series of news reports about the alleged scammer and his methods.Following the media coverage, MHPD identified the suspect as Jayson Wayne Goodrich. MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling said officers arrested Goodrich on a $40,000 felony warrant out of San Jose the morning of Jan. 8, as Goodrich was leaving a motel in San Jose. MHPD also booked him on suspicion of four misdemeanor counts of theft by false pretenses.Goodrich allegedly approached employees at four Morgan Hill businesses, at different times, and told his targeted victims that he had lost his wallet and his car had broken down, according to police and victims. To top it off, Goodrich would even tell the victim that his father-in-law had recently become sick. He would then ask the victims if he could borrow some cash so he could tow his vehicle, promising to return shortly to pay them back.Except he never returned each time a victim handed him the cash, according to police. Goodrich allegedly succeeded in scamming employees of GVA Café, Le Pooch Grooming, Quilts and Things and Coffee Guys in Morgan Hill, from late 2017 to the first days of January.A follow-up report on KSBW last week noted that after their initial story on Goodrich, they heard from victims in Gilroy, San Jose, Santa Clara, Hollister and other communities who claimed he scammed them in a similar way.Hoefling added that Goodrich’s fraudulent scheme spans a much larger region, highlighting the need for other victims to come forward.“Over the last six months, he has gone everywhere from Sacramento to King City doing this on a daily basis, trying to get $1,000 a day to support a drug habit, and to live on,” Hoefling said.Christina Wong, a barista at Coffee Guys, said she was working when Goodrich perpetrated the scam at the shop on East Third Street. He entered the shop looking “frazzled and confused,” and relayed the tale about his lost wallet and broken-down vehicle. He also told the coffee crew that he worked at a construction site next door. Wong said her co-worker fell for the scam, and gave Goodrich $150 of her personal money, which she expected to be reimbursed later that day.After receiving the cash at Coffee Guys, Goodrich even wrote down a name (“John Thompson”) and a fake phone number if they needed to reach him, Wong said. After Goodrich didn’t return for a while, the baristas began calling the phone number, but the suspect never answered their calls.Wong said the suspect was “totally convincing” because he presented himself as a “nice, genuine, humble” man.“It sucks for people who are nice, and trying to be a Good Samaritan,” Wong said.She didn’t remember exactly when Goodrich played the scam at Coffee Guys, but she estimated it was in late summer or early fall 2017.Anyone with information about Goodrich’s alleged crimes can contact MHPD at (669) 253-4984.

With fresh ideas and unresolved issues leaking into 2018, The Times decided to ask some of our community leaders what their resolutions or goals—both professionally and personally—are for the New Year.

Christina Turner, 41, was appointed Morgan Hill’s newest city manager in October 2017. A native of Santa Clara and a Gilroy resident since 2001, Turner is in the process of moving to Morgan Hill with her husband, Lou Zulaica, and their 15-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son.Before the five-member city council appointed Turner to her current position, she worked as Morgan Hill’s Assistant City Manager for Administrative Services. She has a strong professional background in finance and public accounting, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce in Accounting from Santa Clara University, and subsequent work with a large accounting firm and credentials as a Certified Public Accountant.“During this time, I grew familiar with the accounting, finances, and operations of Fortune 500 and high-tech companies, startups, nonprofits and the medical industry,” Turner said. “I then went into the private sector and worked for a large independent power producer in Securities Exchange Commission reporting and Financial Planning and Analysis.”Her career in public service began with the City of Gilroy in 2006, where she worked as Assistant Finance Director, and then Finance Director/Treasurer for a decade before the City of Morgan Hill hired her.Turner and her family enjoy the outdoors, and watching their teenagers play baseball, basketball, soccer and sing.Below, Turner answered a few questions from the Times about her work in Morgan Hill, and the future of the community and local public services as the city continues to grow.  What are your ultimate personal and career goals as a public servant?My goal as a public servant is for the Morgan Hill teammates and me to deliver the best possible customer service. I want residents, business owners and visitors to feel welcome when in Morgan Hill. I strive for Morgan Hill to always be a special place that provides a safe, fun and diverse community environment. I want to be approachable as a leader. I will collaborate with the council, community and teammates to carry out Morgan Hill’s vision.What do you think will be the biggest challenge for the City of Morgan Hill in the coming years?As with all cities, Morgan Hill has several fiscal challenges in the coming years. This includes replacing/maintaining critical infrastructure (primarily streets and roads), the rising costs of pensions and the escalation of other costs. To meet these demands, we need city revenues (sales tax, property tax, grants, etc.) to keep pace with the increasing expenditures.Are there any ways you plan to use your knowledge of the City of Gilroy to promote more regional cooperation on issues that impact both cities equally?Morgan Hill and Gilroy have unique opportunities to work together to achieve efficiencies. For many years, Morgan Hill has provided environmental services to Gilroy. In addition, the two cities have a joint sewer treatment plant. The cities partnered for the receipt of grant funding from the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Program (CalGRIP), which successfully reduced gang and youth violence.I will continue to foster the relationship between Morgan Hill and Gilroy and consider other areas where synergy can result from partnership. Discussions have commenced in other areas, including homelessness, High Speed Rail and public safety. Most recently, both cities are working together on transportation issues to ensure that South County benefits as much as possible from Measure B transportation funds. This includes expanded CalTrain service, as well as having the electrification of Caltrain to Gilroy, rather than stopping in San Jose.       Any thoughts on how to attract more jobs to Morgan Hill, where there are about 70 percent as many jobs as there are working residents (as of 2014)?Morgan Hill adopted our Economic Blueprint that aims to target specific industries for the economic vitality of our City and to create jobs for our residents. These four industry areas are innovation and advanced manufacturing, retail, tourism and healthcare. We are establishing a work plan to target companies in each of these areas. The Economic Blueprint will allow us to focus our efforts in promoting Morgan Hill as the ideal place for companies to locate. Do you think Morgan Hill will ever be able to attract a major high-tech company to set up shop in town? What are the barriers/challenges standing in the way of something like that happening?Morgan Hill is special in so many ways, including our location in Santa Clara County, with a good mix of agriculture, business and residential developments. We have a very active Economic Development team that works with and solicits commercial and industrial development in our community to add to our existing rich portfolio of businesses.We have the space and resources for a major high-tech company. Recently, we responded to the request for proposals from (online retail giant) Amazon for its second headquarters. The marketing and economic development research and preparation completed for our response will be helpful for other potential developments. Our success will depend on our ability to improve our telecommunications (and) transportation system, and provide adequate housing.There are a number of restaurant/retail spaces, a hotel and more than 100 new housing units under construction in downtown Morgan Hill. How do you see the city being able to handle the associated impacts on streets infrastructure, traffic flow and downtown public safety when all these projects are complete?Part of the fee structure for development projects includes development impact fees, which are intended to cover the projects’ incremental impact on the city’s infrastructure. These fees cover infrastructure such as sewer, water, traffic and public facilities. New development leads to additional sales tax and property tax that is used for providing operational services to the city, including public safety. The city receives gas tax based on population, that is used for the maintenance of streets.  In addition, the passage of Measure B (Santa Clara County transportation sales tax), as well as Senate Bill 1 will assist the city in road repairs. The city’s operational and capital expenditures are reviewed during the budget process and throughout the year to prioritize each of these needs.After last winter's heavy and, in some cases, devastating rains throughout the region, what has the City of Morgan Hill done to prepare for potential flooding and other rain-related impacts?Morgan Hill has an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) team with individuals from all city disciplines. We meet regularly to prepare for emergencies, from earthquakes to flooding. EOC members are trained in all aspects of emergency response and recovery.All city workers are designated as City Disaster Workers and could be called upon during the event of an emergency. We have developed exit routes for citizens and periodically send out emergency reminders.We are working closely with the Santa Clara Valley Water District regarding its plans for controlling the level of Anderson Dam. Officials from the district presented plans at a recent meeting and we will continue to jointly meet.