During this difficult recession, it is a little surprising to think that during the depths of the Great Depression, 71 percent of the voters of Oakland and Berkeley chose to establish the first regional parks agency in the nation. Despite economic hardship, East Bay voters were willing to pay for the protection of the hills and open spaces around them. The East Bay Regional Parks District has grown to encompass all of Alameda and Contra Costa counties and is the largest regional parks district in the nation. It includes 65 parks, 100,000 acres of land and more than 1,100 miles of trails. Though I have lived most of my life in the Bay Area, my travels seem to take me through, but rarely to, the East Bay. Henry Coe State Park is nearby and so vast. The Santa Cruz Mountains that separate the peninsula and the South Bay from the coast have such variety and beauty on each side. These closer attractions always seem to trump the notion of getting out in the East Bay. I decided to venture outside my box and visit Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park. One midday last week, I headed north on Interstate 680, crossed Sunol Grade and left the bay basin behind. Several miles past the first Sunol exit, I took the Sunol Boulevard/Castlewood Drive exit and then turned left on Castlewood Drive. After another left at Foothill Road, I drove 1.6 miles to the well marked Oak Tree Staging area. The parking area is on the valley floor, and, as the name Pleasanton Ridge suggests, it requires some climbing to see the show. A few hundred yards up Oak Tree Trail a dirt road I opted to take the Woodland Trail, a footpath that climbs gently through the shade of valley oaks and coast live oaks. A half hour and about 700 vertical feet later, I reached the ridge crest. The widest view is to the south toward Mission Peak, San Antonio Reservoir and the Sunol/Ohlone Wilderness, all of which lie beyond the portion of Interstate 680 I traveled earlier. I had guessed there would be views of the bay on the ridge top, but Sunol Ridge parallels Pleasanton Ridge to the west and blocks a wider view. While I can wear out a soapbox singing the praises of getting out into nature, this day and this park reminded me why summer in our area can sometimes be a disappointment. The Chamber of Commerce says the hills are golden, but they're brown. The annual grasses and plants have gone to seed and months without rain leave the landscape lifeless and coated with windblown dust. Often, my steps sounded as though I was walking over corn flakes. But then a surprise. Higher up this bare windblown ridge is a large grove of very happy and healthy olive trees. The grove's presence here seems wildly out of place, and there is no record of its origin. I wandered further up the ridge where views opened toward Mount Diablo and points east of Interstate 680. I returned to my car by the same route for a four- to five-mile walk in all. I left this park disappointed but also feeling that I had not given it a fair look. The park is long and thin like a snake, and the only access point is the staging area at one end. One trail book I consulted suggested a 12-mile hike that only travels two-thirds of the way up the snake. On that walk, the trail drops down to Sinbad Creek, which divides Pleasanton Ridge from the higher Sunol Ridge to the west. Clearly, there is more variety here than I saw on my short ramble along the ridge crest. The brochure brags of "an abundant variety of wildflowers," and I'll bet Sinbad Creek rocks in spring, too. I'll be back for a longer hike then. ...more
When giving a lesson, there are several things I observe. One important detail I'm looking for is how the student makes contact with the turf. If I see the student is not hitting the ground at all, this tells me their trying to scoop the ball off the turf. Not good if you're trying to get it airborne. Hitting too much turf could be a problem also, so what should be the perfect divot? The ideal impact should be making contact with the ball and a thin layer of the turf. A tour professional's career would be short-lived if they were digging too much turf. Identifying what's happening at impact can help you determine whether you're making the correct swing. For instance, if you're taking too much turf or hitting behind the ball, chances are the angle the shaft or plane is coming into impact is too steep. Conversely, if you're not hitting the ground at all, you may be too shallow coming into impact. Next time you're on the practice tee, check the divot pattern. Notice the depth and direction of the divot relative to the target line. If it's deep and cutting across the target line, you need to shallow out the path of the swing until you're making a thin shallow divot. If you're not hitting the turf at all, swing the club on a more vertical path until you're making the correct contact with the turf. You'll find a thin divot after contact with the ball will produce a solid penetrating ball flight. ...more
Traditionally, the six months from August in an election year through the following February, it is the quiet time for the federal, state and local governments. August is already gone this year, the proposed budgets have gotten their once-over. Incumbent candidates are focused on reelection. Those relinquishing their seats by personal or voter choice are winding down. And the new legislators will soon be getting up to speed. Very little long-range planning is usually accomplished during this period. However, these are anything but traditional times and we cannot afford to waste these precious months. Now is the perfect time for our local governments to get to work on the plans necessary so we may prosper in the future. Of course, that's not the way Congress operates. They are currently on a six-week vacation to get ready for their next vacation. The House and the Senate will be in a "non-legislative period" - a vacation - from Aug. 9 to Sept. 12. Then, after returning for four weeks of grueling "work," Congress is scheduled to adjourn on Oct. 8 for the rest of the year, taking more than 12 additional weeks off. If they decide to stay in session longer this year, it is only because they are afraid to go home. Obviously, we have Congress to use as the perfect bad example. Now, what can we use as a good example? The public sector can learn a lot about the planning process from the best of the private sector. Although the government does not operate for profit, it should be operating for effectiveness and efficiency. I have heard many good ideas from both the public and our incumbent local politicians, but they never seem to get these ideas implemented because there is no plan. The problem is that ideas, no matter how good, do not implement themselves. Operational blueprints are necessary to make things happen. The real measure of any proposal is the correct objective and how it fills the huge gap between the idea and the implementation. In the best cases, there are objectives, milestones, schedules, reviews, and feedback. Successful enterprises use a classic continuous loop: plan-do-check-correct-plan and so on. A plan helps identify the right objectives - it is not an objective in itself. When you have a plan the serious work is not over, it's just starting. An example of the right objective would be to reduce the vacancy rate downtown by half in two years. The wrong objective would be to produce a downtown plan and put it aside. All too often plans are produced at great expense only to grow old and dusty because there is no implementation process. The excuse for not doing long-range planning during these periods often involves the fact that there are elections in the offing and new players with new ideas will be at the table in the future. What better way is there to leave a legacy than to do a good job of planning although others will implement them? The outgoing members will have done a service for the public and for the new office holders. Even if the new people have other ideas, they are more likely to modify and build on existing good ideas and implement them than start from scratch. This also allows those who are not standing for election to fulfill their responsibilities through the election cycle. Legislators often complain that they do not have adequate study and staff time to do long-range planning. I would disagree; the time is available right now, but only if they decide to use it. Marty Richman is a Hollister resident. ...more
Alia Wilson While last year's town halls centered on health care reform, the final meeting this summer for Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, focused on economic concerns. Nearly 80 people gathered at the First Congregational Church on High Street Thursday night to voice their concerns before Farr headed back to Washington for the fall. Many seemed supportive of Democratic efforts on the economy in the past year. Two of the main issues raised Thursday included funding for special education and pensions and benefits for in-home health care providers. "Our special ed budget costs $11 million; we have had to take $8 million from regular education funding and use it to pay what the feds and the states don't put into special ed," said Don Maxwell, a trustee with Santa Cruz city schools. Farr acknowledged that the federal government has not delivered as much money for special education as it has promised it would. "I will continue to be your voice on that issue," he said. Half of the residents at the meeting, from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, stood in line for up to 90 minutes to speak. Many praised Farr's work on securing federal money to help boost state assistance payments for some social and medical services. "With that money, my clients don't have to go back to homelessness. They can stay in Section 8 housing and live their adult lives," said Emily Summers of Santa Cruz. Several in-home health care providers, some wearing SEIU pins and T-shirts, said, however, that the financial support for providers themselves is inadequate. "Not only do we not have pension, we do not have sick leave or vacation time, we do not get paid for overtime also," said Cindy Valdez. "It's pretty difficult to accept those cuts." Farr responded that by 2014, the state will have to provide such coverage, but in the meantime encouraged people in Valdez's position to petition their state assembly member for help. Farr's opponent in the 17th District race in November, Republican candidate Jeff Taylor of Salinas, stepped up to the mic Thursday to voice opposition to raising taxes through the health care reform and concerns that such legislation would push jobs out of the state and the country. When Taylor asked whether Farr would support campaign reform limiting representatives to raising money from their own district, Farr replied: "I have; I authored that bill." By the end of the two-hour town hall meeting, Farr encouraged community members to stay involved, get in touch with city, county and district leaders. ...more
Solargen Energy sustained a setback Thursday in its efforts to build a 420-megawatt solar farm in Panoche Valley when a panel made a recommendation that - if confirmed by supervisors - would halt the proposal from moving ahead. The San Benito County Agricultural Preserve Advisory Committee voted 3-2 to deny a recommendation to cancel the Williamson Act contracts on property in Panoche Valley where Solargen plans to develop its large-scale solar project. The Panoche Valley proposal is a 420-megawatt solar farm that would cover more than 16,000 acres - 4,800 by photovoltaic solar panels. Solargen contends the land has scarce potential for agriculture. It also touts the economic possibilities of the $1.2 billion proposal. The 12 Williamson Act contracts must be canceled for the project to move forward, said Tom Slavich, San Benito County assessor. "If the contract cancellations are denied, it effectively halts the project," Slavich said. The recommendation to deny the request will be sent to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, which will make the final decision on whether to accept the cancellations. The decision is expected in the coming weeks. The Williamson Act is a conservation law passed in 1965 that allows counties to contract with private owners to restrict uses. The landowner receives a lower tax assessment. Since 1971, counties received subvention payments from the state until it was canceled because of the economy in 2009. The county placed a moratorium on Williamson Act contracts earlier in the year due to the loss of subvention payments, Slavich said. After nearly three hours of discussion, the decision came rather quickly for the committee after Co-chairmen Joe Morris said that the cancellation was not in the public's best interest. For the cancellation requests to be approved, they needed to be in the "public's interest," according to the law. The only other way to rid a piece of land of the Williamson Act is to apply for a non-renewable termination, which takes nine years. A cancellation has never gone forward in the county, Slavich said. After public comments, each member of the panel declined to talk until Morris spoke last. "The costs of the project are not worth the limited gains it could bring," Morris said. "It seems the Westlands are a better and more appropriate alternative." The Westlands is an alternative site that is listed in the draft environmental impact report in the Westlands Water District between Fresno and King counties. Those who opposed the project at the meeting called Westlands the better location. Solargen CEO Michael Peterson opposed the location because there was no available land to purchase and it is not "shovel ready." Landowner Kim Williams, who opposes the project, called the Westlands the best place for the project because it would cause the least amount of harm. Others who opposed it said the land in the Panoche Valley was Grade 1 soil that, if lost, would hurt the county. Construction would produce too much noise and create a dust storm that would harm neighbors, said one opponent. "You don't need to scrape the land to create a dust storm," Williams said. Peterson said the project would benefit the land because of planned sheep grazing and that the soil is not being used for a reason. "The farmers here are the best in the world, and this property is not being farmed for a reason," Peterson said. Morris said the land's farming potential is unknown because of future advances in technology and that the potential of the land outweighs the potential of the project. "This is important because this is the future of what is going to happen in this county," Morris said. "Whatever happens it is going to have an impact on this county." To cancel a Williamson Act contract, a landowner must show either that it is in the public's best interest or that the land would stay consistent with the purposes of the Williamson Act. To be considered within the public's best interest, the public concerns must outweigh the objectives of the Williamson Act and there is no "proximate noncontracted land which is available and suitable for the use proposed on the land." If approved, the landowner would pay 12.5 percent of the land's cancellation value, according to a Williamson Act document. No Williamson Act contract has ever been canceled in San Benito County, Slavich said. Only one piece of land filed for a cancellation in the 1980s but the owner couldn't pay the fee after the cancellation was approved. "It's unique and not done often because it's so expensive," Peterson said. Solargen will continue with the completion of its final environmental impact report to be presented to the board at the same time, Peterson said. "We will just move forward to the county board of supervisors and prepare the final EIR," Peterson said. "They will make a decision."
Solargen's Peterson e-mailed the following statement Friday: "I was surprised by today's decision but not really disappointed as their committee has a mandate to preserve farmland. However, the final approval for this project will be made by the County Supervisors who understand that this project creates jobs and will provide enormous economic benefit to the county. I believe that the Supervisors will agree with the opinion of the California Department of Conservation that canceling the Williamson Act designation on this "marginally productive grazing land" is in the public interest given the renewable energy the project will generate and the local jobs and stimulus it will provide. "This project will provide 150-200 direct jobs and create an additional 400+ jobs in the community. Third parties have estimated that those direct jobs alone will create almost $81 million of retail spending. When those dollars are spent and re-spent in this community it will make a huge impact. The county will also receive approximately $1 million per year in their general fund to use as they want to improve streets, staff libraries and fund other programs and services. Given the overwhelming community support of the project and its large economic benefits, at virtually no cost to the County, I am confident today's recommendation will be a small factor in the final decision the Supervisors will make." ...more
Baler running back Cody Hendricks ran for 86 yards and a touchdown Friday night in a 55-0 win over Andrew Hill. Look for more photos in the Free Lance on Tuesday.
SAN JOSE While first-week matchups tend to play out with a poker-game like feel game film is nonexistent, statistics are unavailable and even the win-loss record is blank San Benito may have a better hand than many were expecting. After graduating 35 players, or 48 percent, from last year's 10-2 team that was a Division I finalist in the Central Coast Section playoffs, San Benito was left with a group that lacked starting experience, as well as many of the names that grabbed headlines from one year ago. But after Friday night's 55-0 waxing of Andrew Hill in San Jose, in a game that featured 27 points by San Benito in the second quarter alone, the latest edition of the Balers began to make a name for themselves. "We lost a lot of seniors that were big players like Nick Acosta and Trevor Fabing, and on defense Michael Murphy and Taylor Coustette. We lost a lot of guys," said San Benito senior running back Cody Hendricks, who compiled 86 yards and a touchdown on just eight attempts Friday night. "We were definitely underestimated with all the players we lost last year. "But tonight proved that we're here and we can play." Quarterback Tyler Decker ran for a touchdown and threw for another, senior James Sanchez made his San Benito debut to the tune of 67 yards and a touchdown on just three attempts, and cornerback Matt Vallejo returned an interception 95 yards to paydirt. "It's a good start," San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. "We got to play a lot of kids tonight, although not as many as we'd like to with the running clock." The game, which was lopsided at halftime as San Benito opened up a 34-0 lead, switched to a running clock at one point in the third quarter. Nevertheless, San Benito compiled 220 yards of total offense and scored six touchdowns on just 30 plays from scrimmage. Moreover, the Balers' special teams, and Andrew Hill's frequent botched punt attempts, supplied San Benito with great field position all night, allowing the offense to score quickly and at will. "We played well tonight," Cameron said. "We played pretty physical tonight, too. I liked that part." While the Balers' defense held Hill to just 111 yards of total offense and just 29 yards in the second half the team's physical play on the field was evident on special teams, most notably on punt returns. In fact, three of the Balers' first four touchdowns in the game were set up by botched punt attempts. In the first quarter, after both teams went three-and-out, a bad snap to punter Miguel Ortiz resulted in Baler linebacker Ryan Di Salvo making the tackle 14 yards behind the line of scrimmage, setting up first-and-10 for San Benito at Hill's 17-yard line. Two plays later, Sanchez burst up the middle for a two-yard touchdown and an early San Benito lead. "I'm able to play this year and I'm gonna do the best I can," said Sanchez, a senior who sat out last season after he transferred to Hollister from Sumner, Wash. "It's different here from Washington, but you've got to settle in. Follow the rules, follow the coaches, and you'll be OK." San Benito was OK almost as soon as the second quarter started. On Hill's very next punt attempt, Conner Stevens blocked the kick from the right side and teammate Damon Perez recovered the loose football, giving San Benito the ball at the Falcon 11-yard line. On the very next play, Hendricks found the end zone from 11 yards out. The punt-attempt trend took a break on Hill's next possession, although San Benito still managed to find great field position starting at the Falcons' 35-yard line after the Falcons went three-and-out. And less than 90 seconds and four plays later, the Balers found the end zone once again when Decker hit a wide open Jake Hunter on an eight-yard play-action pass. San Benito added another score less than 60 seconds later when another bad snap off a punt attempt resulted in a loose football. Di Salvo recovered the ball in the end zone to supply the Balers with a 27-0 cushion. After the game, Cameron seemed most pleased with San Benito's final score before the break Matt Vallejo's 95-yard interception return. Ortiz's intended pass to Richard Meeks on the right side was well defended by San Benito; so well defended that when Vallejo picked it off at the Baler 5-yard line, he had an immediate wall of blockers down the left sideline that allowed the senior cornerback to run 95 yards untouched. "I just saw about four guys a couple linebackers and a big, 'ole lineman in Marcos Silva who laid some guy out for me," Vallejo said after the game. "That's what opened up the 50-yard run at the end." Despite a 34-0 lead at the break, the Baler offense only saw 13 plays from scrimmage in the first half, and were back out in the third quarter as a result. But, again, the team wasted little time to find the end zone San Benito went 64 yards on just four plays. Following a 52-yard sprint down the left sideline by Sanchez, the Balers eclipsed the 40-point mark when James Flook ran from two yards out. San Benito's longest drive of the game followed on its ensuing possession when it marched 75 yards on nine plays, culminating with a one-yard touchdown run by the signal-caller Decker. Another three-and-out by Hill on its following possession resulted in another failed punt attempt as San Benito took over at the Falcon 7-yard line. One play later, backup quarterback Michael Bocksnick found the end zone on a keeper play, and on his very first varsity play, no less. "I thought our non-starters and rookies did really good," Vallejo said. "I thought we did pretty great. But we still have to learn up on run force and reading the pass and reading the run." Things will likely ramp up next Friday night when the Balers will be back on the road against Oak Grove, which lost its 2010 opener by a 24-0 margin against St. Francis. Kickoff is 7 p.m. More to come TEAM 1 2 3 4 F SANB 7 27 21 0 55 HILL 0 0 0 0 0 SCORING SUMMARY First Quarter RUSH (2:35) SB, James Sanchez, 2-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 7-0, SB. Second Quarter RUSH (11:43) SB, Cody Hendricks, 11-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 14-0, SB. PASS (9:04) SB, Tyler Decker to Jake Hunter, 8-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 21-0, SB. FUMBLE RECOVERY (8:06) SB, Ryan Di Salvo, PAT (Tino Granados) is no good; 27-0, SB. INTERCEPTION RETURN (3:54) SB, Matt Vallejo, 95-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 34-0, SB. Third Quarter RUSH (10:36) SB, James Flook, 2-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 41-0, SB. RUSH (3:59) SB, Tyler Decker, 1-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 48-0, SB. RUSH (:15) SB, Michael Bocksnick, 7-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 55-0, SB. SAN BENITO STATISTICS Passing: Tyler Decker 2 of 5, 9 yards, 1 touchdown. Rushing: Tyler Decker 4 attempts, 12 yards, 1 touchdown; Cody Hendricks 8 attempts, 86 yards, 1 touchdown; Anthony Cervantes 3 attempts, 11 yards; James Sanchez 3 attempts, 67 yards, 1 touchdown; James Flook 2 attempts, 13 yards, 1 touchdown; Justine Raine 1 attempt, 8 yards; Michael Bocksnick 1 attempts, 5 yards, 1 touchdown; Nate Valencia 1 attempts, 0 yards; Anthony Kaye 1 attempt, 5 yards. Jacob De Leon 1 attempt, 4 yards. Receiving: Jake Hunter 2 receptions, 9 yards, 1 touchdown. ANDREW HILL STATISTICS Passing: Miguel Ortiz 1 of 11, 3 yards, 1 interception; Greg Law 0 of 1, 0 yards. Rushing: Greg Law 22 attempts, 63 yards; Miguel Ortiz 7 attempts, 22 yards; Irie Riveria 3 attempts, 1 yard; Gilbert Herrara 2 attempts, 6 yards; Cedric Graves 9 attempts, 16 yards. Receiving: Richard Meeks 1 reception, 3 yards. TURNOVERS San Benito 0 Andrew Hill 3 SACKS San Benito 3 (Enrique Ramos and Aaron Silva) for -12 yards. Andrew Hill 0. TOTAL OFFENSE San Benito 220 yards Andrew Hill 111 yards JV Note: Cody Cameron rushed for two touchdowns one from 50 yards and another from 37 yards and the San Benito junior varsity football team routed host Andrew Hill 47-0 in the season opener Friday night in San Jose. Cameron's two scores put the Haybalers ahead early in the game, and the initial lead only got greater as the game wore on. San Benito (1-0) led 27-0 at halftime. "Our kids came to play," San Benito head coach Matt Andrade said simply. Dylan Ito added a touchdown with an 8-yard sweep to the right side, while quarterback Joey Marfia ran for a 50-yard touchdown on a keeper play. Miguel Gonzalez also added a 6-yard touchdown on a dive play, Marcus Darnell scored a rushing touchdown from eight yards out, and Marcus Angulo pocketed a 20-yard score on a toss to the right side. Placekicker Rigo Mariscal, meanwhile, was 5 of 7 on point-after attempts. "But we still have a lot to work on," added Andrade, noting the four fumbles the Balers had in the game. "That's something we really need to work on." The competition will expectedly ramp up next Friday when San Benito travels to Oak Grove. Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. "Oak Grove is gonna be a great team," Andrade said. "They have a lot of athletes and we need to play a lot better." Frosh Note: The San Benito freshmen football team did not play on Friday night, but will square off against North Salinas in a non-league contest on Saturday in Salinas. Kickoff is 10 a.m. ...more
HOLLISTER In a match that was scheduled at the last minute, San Benito head coach Ed Cecena said, the Haybaler girls tennis team dropped its 2010 opener by a 4-3 margin to visiting Sobrato on Thursday at Hollister's Ridgemark Golf and Country Club. San Benito picked up two of its wins in the doubles category. The team's top pairing in Erin Glasspool and Alex Triolo won their match against Bulldogs Allison Stoner and Amanda Alipaz 6-2, 6-1, while San Benito's No. 2 team of Alex Garcia and Olivia Diaz defeated Allison Betancourt and Mika Schellenberger 7-6, 6-3. The Balers' only other win came at No. 3 singles, however, where Audrey Marshall won her match by forfeit. Otherwise, Sobrato was able to take the remaining four matches and earn the one-point victory. At No. 1 singles, Bulldog Alexis Whitaker defeated Hayley Barker 6-0, 7-6, while Alexa Watanabe downed Kristina Slavich at the No. 2 position as well. Sister Kelsey Slavich, meanwhile, dropped a 6-3, 6-1 decision to Sobrato's Emerald Nguyen at the No. 4 singles spot. In the only other match, the Bulldogs' No. 3 doubles pair of Amy Morimoto and Maggie Luu defeated Stephanie Slavin and Katherine Starks-Jones 5-7, 6-2, 10-5. San Benito will have a chance to bounce back from its early-season loss on Friday when it will travel to Aptos for a 4 p.m. match. ...more
A Kia sedan flipped onto its roof after colliding with a tractor in south Morgan Hill about 12:45 p.m. today. The driver and front passenger of the car - both adult males - were taken to Saint Louise Regional Hospital by ambulance, with minor injuries following the accident on Llagas Avenue, north of the intersection of San Martin Avenue, according to California Highway Patrol Officer David Lloyd. The Kia was traveling south on Llagas Avenue at a "high rate of speed," and collided with the left side of a Cat front-loading tractor that was traveling slowly in the same direction, Lloyd said. The tractor was partially in the roadway as it was moving. When the car hit the tractor it flipped onto its roof, police said. It appeared the driver of the Kia slammed on the vehicle's brakes quickly in an attempt to avoid the collision, as skid marks were visible for about 130 feet north of the impact. The driver, a Gilroy resident, and passenger, a San Martin resident, were able to crawl out of the upside-down car before paramedics arrived, Calfire engineer Ernie Solis said. Paramedics tied them to back brace boards to be transported to the hospital, as a precaution in case they suffered back or neck injuries that were not immediately noticeable, Solis said. The driver of the tractor, also an adult male, was uninjured. He remained at the scene as police investigated and tow trucks moved the damaged car, but declined to comment. Police did not release the names of any of the three people involved in the accident. Alcohol or drugs did not appear to be a factor in the crash, Lloyd said. ...more
If pigs could talk, two that fell off the back of a truck traveling through Gilroy would have quite the story to tell. California Highway Patrol officers may be old hands at dealing with unruly drivers, but a couple of delinquent pigs scampering across three lanes of 70 mph traffic on U.S. 101 really put them to the test Friday morning. "It's been like this all week," said CHP Officer Jaime Rios referring to an unusually busy week of accidents. Still, nothing came close to what officers encountered when responding to this incident, he said. The CHP office was inundated with calls from passing motorists who had to dodge two pigs police believe fell off the back of a truck that morning. "They were running around 101," Rios said. "We had to go out there and wrestle them down." To avoid accidents, CHP closed down a portion of southbound U.S. 101 near 10th Street Friday morning for a few minutes while they worked to corral the disobedient animals. "We just had to get the pigs off to the shoulder," Rios said. The CHP contacted the owner, who planned to pick up the porcine miscreants from animal control. ...more
In light of Morgan Hill's initiative to post an accessible spreadsheet on its website displaying public employees' names, salaries and compensations, Gilroy may be geared to follow suit. Gilroy Councilman Perry Woodward, who chairs the city's open government commission, said he's already intending to address the idea at Thursday's commission meeting. "Someone just mentioned that, and I thought it was a very good idea," said Woodward. "The agenda is already fixed, but I will bring it up at the meeting and ask that we move that forward to the council." Morgan Hill's spreadsheet allows for a more comprehensive look at where tax dollars are going and for what purpose by providing information on regular and overtime wages, expense allowances, leave payouts and benefits compensation. When inquired if Gilroy had talks of disclosing similar information, Mayor Al Pinheiro said the council should have no problem in providing whatever is needed. "I will check with our staff," he said. "And unless there's an issue with the kind of software we have, or our legal council has concerns, we will certainly provide all (information) possible." In addition to the new focus among taxpayers on salaries for public employees since the current recession began, the outreach efforts of Morgan Hill follow recent revelations that the city of Bell had paid its city manager about $787,000 annually for a town with a population of a little more than 36,000 as of July 2009. Woodward said people have a right to know, and sees no reason why more specific information shouldn't be available on the city's website. "It would dispel the notion that city councilmembers are making five-figure salaries," he said, good-humoredly. The City of Gilroy's website does have PDF files exhibiting job classes and salary ranges, but it doesn't include names, updated chronology or figure breakdown. Gilroy councilmen Dion Bracco and Bob Dillon said they had not been informed of talk pertaining to a reformatted list. "I have no objection," said Dillon. "It feels kind of dicey to me, but if it comes up at the council, I'd probably be in favor." Council candidate Paul Kloecker said he was interested to see if Gilroy will consider employee's input and feeling before making any decisions. "I wouldn't be supportive of doing it unilaterally," he said. In Morgan Hill, Mayor Steve Tate praised the City Manager Ed Tewes' decision to post the compensation information. "The whole thing with Bell makes everybody suspicious of every public entity in the state," Tate said. "Getting the information out there so everybody can see it as a giant step toward saying, 'Not us.' " Council candidates Art Barron and Pasquale Greco reiterated providing more information as a priority. "Not everybody wants transparency," said Barron. "But I think transparency is important." Pasquale's comments echoed Barron's. "The city should be transparent in everything it does," he said. Staff writer Michael Moore contributed to this report.
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