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GILROY—Quarterback Jonathan Singleton threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Jaime Martinez caught 11 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.

The next time Morgan Hill residents vote in a municipal election, they will only select a single choice for city council among candidates who reside within the newly established voting district where they live.As of Sept. 6, there are now four city council districts in Morgan Hill—equal in population—each to be represented by a single councilmember who lives inside that district. At the Sept. 6 meeting—after a series of public meetings and workshops and perusing more than a dozen draft maps created by a professional demographer and Morgan Hill citizens—the council approved a four-district map that will apply until the 2020 U.S. Census.This is a stark change from the way local voters have elected council members since the city was incorporated in 1906. Until now, councilmembers have always served the city on an at-large basis, and voters have typically voted for two councilmembers in each regular election (roughly every two years).Earlier this summer, the council begrudgingly approved the new by-district election system in response to a demand letter threatening a lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act.Although councilmembers dislike the new system, they approved a district map that considers traditional specific neighborhood interests and protects the voting rights of all minority groups.“We tried to keep communities of interest and neighborhoods together. It’s not perfect, and it’s going to be really hard now to get good qualified candidates to run for city council,” Mayor Pro Tem Larry Carr said.The map approved by the council keeps current councilmembers (not including the mayor) in separate districts. Demographer Doug Johnson, who the city hired to help guide the council and the public through the districting process, said this is a common practice among agencies required to draw new districts because it respects the electorate’s desire to be able to choose the incumbents.The by-district system will start with the November 2018 election, when the seats occupied by Councilmembers Rich Constantine and Caitlin Jachimowicz will be on the ballot.Constantine’s district, labeled “District B” on the map, cuts a swath down the middle of Morgan Hill from the northern to the southern city limits. Jachimowicz’ district, known as “District D,” occupies the eastern side of Morgan Hill.The seats occupied by Councilmembers Larry Carr and Rene Spring will be elected within the new districts starting with the November 2020 election.“District A,” where Carr resides, goes from a corner of downtown Morgan Hill southwest past West Middle Avenue. “District C,” where Spring lives, occupies northwest Morgan Hill.The mayor’s seat will continue to be elected at large under the new system.Three of the districts contain at least a small geographic portion of downtown Morgan Hill, a neighborhood where councilmembers say many different interests for residents from all over the city coincide.In May, the council received a demand letter from Oakland law firm Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho, alleging that the city’s traditional at-large system violates the CVRA because it limits the influence of minority groups.The firm was hired by local Latino residents Armando Benavides, Sally Casas and Brenda Cayme. Benavides has previously run for Morgan Hill City Council and the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Trustees. In 2012, he was also involved in the effort to force MHUSD to switch from an at-large to a by-district system.Cayme has previously run for MHUSD trustee as well.By approving the change, the council aimed to protect the city from a potentially costly civil rights lawsuit. But it also forced the city to fast track the process of notifying the public and creating four new districts equal in population, without gerrymandering.Residents were encouraged to use online mapmaking tools provided by Johnson’s company, National Demographics Corporation, to draw districts for the council’s consideration. Six residents submitted such maps. The map ultimately approved by the council was proposed by NDC.“I continue to be disappointed that a couple of disgruntled people who have not been able to win an election in Morgan Hill have forced this on us,” Carr added. “I don’t think district elections will improve representation for anyone in Morgan Hill, and it will bring some unintended consequences we will have to work through.”

The Morgan Hill City Council’s choice for the next city manager brings a wealth of financial expertise and knowledge of the city’s culture and operations to her prospective new post as City Hall’s top staff person, according to a majority of the elected officials.

The City of Morgan Hill will spend up to $200,000 for a protective combination of fencing, mesh or other kind of enclosure to prevent people from climbing too close to the ledge on the top floor of the downtown garage.Exact details of the design and material to be used for the project will be determined in the coming week, according to Morgan Hill Community Services Director Chris Ghione. The exact cost of the safety measures will also be determined in the same timeframe.The council unanimously approved the expenditure at the Sept. 6 meeting. City staff recommended the protective measures due to what they have identified as the growing occurrence of unsafe, unauthorized activities atop the three-story structure, which sits between East Third and Fourth streets.While such activities also include children skateboarding through the garage, the expenditure approved by the council will only address the issue of people—also mostly youth—climbing on the roof and ledges of the top of the structure, according to city staff.Specifically, Ghione said the southern edge of the garage’s top floor and some of the “gaps” between the top two floors are points of concern where some of the unsafe uses have been observed.“Our parking structure is safe—we built this to every code and every standard that is required for a parking structure,” Ghione clarified. “(But) the fact it’s not at capacity drives some of the improper uses of the top floor.”The top floor of the 270-space garage is rarely fully occupied by vehicles, but city planners anticipate its intended use by motorists will increase, eventually discouraging loitering, skating or other unsafe behaviors.Until the new fencing or enclosures are installed, 46 parking spaces occupying the top of the structure will be closed off to all public access. A temporary construction fence currently blocks off vehicle and pedestrian access to that area.Ghione added that the project will aim to “maintain the aesthetics” of the structure.The council’s Sept. 6 vote also directed city staff to draft a city ordinance allowing Morgan Hill Police to enforce municipal codes within the structure. This will include signs throughout the building notifying users that illegal activities will be prosecuted.City Councilman Rene Spring said Sept. 6 that he is eager to see additional efforts to prevent skateboarding in the downtown garage. Ghione indicated this could eventually include physical additions to the driving surface throughout the garage designed to “slow people down.”“I hate to be a party pooper, but it’s just the wrong location for skateboarding, and I want something in place to prevent something from happening,” Spring said.MHPD Capt. Shane Palsgrove said last week that police have responded to “a couple near misses” involving vehicles and skaters. He added that officers have increased their patrols throughout the garage to crack down on some of the unauthorized uses.The top-floor closure that started Sept. 1 is part of a “three-pronged approach” to addressing the city’s concerns. In addition to the physical enhancements, that approach also includes enforcement and education, according to city staff.“City staff are proposing an approach that other communities have utilized and that incorporates engineering, education, and enforcement with the goal of enhanced community safety,” reads the city staff report for the Sept. 6 meeting. “It is believed this combination will be the most appropriate to reduce the risk of accidents due to inappropriate use of the structure.”The downtown garage opened in March 2016. It cost about $9 million, and was funded mostly by leftover Redevelopment Agency proceeds.

Firefighters responded to a “fully involved” mobile home on fire in north Morgan Hill the morning of Sept. 13, according to authorities.About 10:10 a.m., firefighters were called to the structure fire at 200 Burnett Ave., according to CalFire Fire Prevention Specialist Pam Temmermand. When crews arrived, a doublewide mobile home was engulfed in flames.The initial call came in as a “laundry room fire,” but authorities do not yet know the cause of the fire, Temmermand said.Firefighters had the blaze “almost contained” as of about 10:55 a.m. No injuries were reported.

Sobrato finally got to breathe a sigh of relief after picking up a 35-10 win over Monterey on Saturday ending a seven-game losing streak dating back to last September.

Christina Turner, who has served as Morgan Hill’s Assistant City Manager for Administrative Services since the beginning of 2016, was selected Sept. 6 as the city council’s top choice for the position of city manager.The council voted in closed session to authorize the mayor and city attorney to begin negotiating a contract with Turner for City Hall’s top staff position, according to Mayor Steve Tate.Turner’s salary, benefits and other compensation as city manager will be determined at the end of the negotiations, which city officials hope to complete before the end of the month. After the contract is settled, the council plans to appoint Turner to the city manager post at the Sept. 27 meeting, Tate said.Turner, who the city hired from the City of Gilroy in January 2016, said she is excited to begin working as Morgan Hill’s city manager as soon as the negotiations are complete.She cited her previous work in South County—which brings a depth of knowledge of the region where Morgan Hill officials are continually in pursuit of ongoing partnerships—as one aspect of her qualifications for city manager. She also thinks her “strong financial background” in both the public and private sector influenced the council’s decision to point to her as the top candidate for the job.As city manager, Turner said she wants to “continue to cultivate the good morale we enjoy at the city, and find ways to keep the team energized and doing great things for Morgan Hill.”She added, “We have an amazing group of talented professionals.”Turner will replace outgoing City Manager Steve Rymer, who accepted a position last month as the city administrator of Rochester, Minn. Rymer, who has been Morgan Hill’s city manager since 2013, has said previously will remain in Morgan Hill through the end of September.The city hired Turner at an annual salary of about $189,000 in 2016, not including benefits. Rymer’s salary for 2016 was about $248,000, according to the city’s website.The council spent their day Sept. 6 in closed session interviewing Turner and three other city staff members for the city manager’s position. The other applicants who made it to the council interview were Police Chief David Swing, Community Services Director Chris Ghione and Economic Development Director Edith Ramirez.The interviews included a series of questions from the council members, as well as a self evaluation, Tate said.“They all did a fantastic job,” Tate said. “Any one of them could have done the job (of city manager). Christina came out a little bit better than anyone else. She’ll be an outstanding team leader, and keep the same spirit going that Steve (Rymer) has created. We’re very excited to have her.”Shortly after learning of Rymer’s planned departure from Morgan Hill, the council decided they wanted to appoint an employee who is already working at City Hall, rather than conduct a nationwide search for the best candidate.Turner previously served as the City of Gilroy’s Finance Director and Treasurer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from Santa Clara University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

In response to ongoing reports of unsafe and “inappropriate” activity atop the downtown Morgan Hill parking garage, the city will partially close the structure’s top floor until some permanent safety measures can be installed, according to city staff.