City of Gilroy Government News Digest

The Cougars’ Kingsley Okoronkwo (triple jump) and Melia Middleton (300-meter hurdles) earned berths to the CIF State Championships May 27-28, and they’ll be joined by para athletes Ashton Pluckhan, Ella Rodriguez, Isabella Browne and Sydney Saulo.

Pedro Avila comes from Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), where he serves as Vice President of Student Services.

The City of Gilroy has hired a firm to investigate whether or not Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz violated any rules or codes of conduct following a shooting on her property last month.

Amazon is slated to be a tenant in the new distribution center off of Highway 152, bringing approximately 200 jobs to the Gilroy area.

A developer seeks to annex 194 acres of agricultural land in southwest Gilroy and build up to 1,195 residential units. Though the project is still years away, the city is searching for consultants to prepare EIRs and other documents, with an Oct. 20 deadline for proposals.

In 2023, the crumbling Monterey Road between Highway 101 and Luchessa Avenue is expected to be reconstructed, as is the heavily truck-traveled Luchessa and adjacent Automall Parkway.

Gilroy City Hall looks a little different since it was last open to the public in early 2020. The multiple entrances have now been reduced to a single entryway. Once inside, visitors are greeted by an attendant inside protective plexiglass.

The Gilroy City Council has declared the mountainside behind Gilroy Gardens as surplus land—a move to satisfy a state requirement before it pursues a park expansion. Now, housing developers have 60 days to express interest in the roughly 340-acre hillside land.

The Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors voted to postpone its search for a developer on a housing project at the Gilroy Transit Center—a delay requested by the Gilroy City Council to allow time to better understand the process.

Fueled by a $333,635 grant from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the Miller Red Barn Association has been hard at work renovating the barn at Christmas Hill Park. But that's just the beginning. The association needs volunteers to help develop exhibits and other programs.

Gilroy is furthering a deal with the San Jose Sharks to create a 100,000-square-foot facility in Sports Park. Mayor Marie Blankley calls the proposed facility “a game changer.”

The public will once again be able to visit City Hall as of Aug. 30, and two weeks later the Gilroy City Council is expected to return to its chambers after months of virtual meetings.

California state law requires all cities to plan for housing units in eight-year cycles. According to draft allocations by the Association of Bay Area Governments, Gilroy should plan for 1,773 new units between 2023-2031, which is nearly 700 more units than the previous allocation.

The Gilroy City Council agreed July 1 to exempt the Garlic Farm RV Park from the city’s 60-day maximum stay requirement. Harmony Communities bought the 160-space park for $9 million and plans to convert it into 400-square-foot homes.

The Gilroy Museum was preparing to open its new exhibit celebrating Gilroy’s 150th anniversary when the pandemic hit. More than a year later, the museum is open to the public. “It’s a little bit of everything from 150 years of community,” said Museum Manager Susan Voss.

The Gilroy City Council has approved a $150,895 contract with Golden Bay Construction for a number of improvements at the intersection of West 10th Street and Orchard Drive.

For the first time in Gilroy’s history, a rainbow flag celebrating the LGBTQ community is flying over city hall. But the City Council’s approval of the flag was a split decision that set off a social media flurry.

City officials are pondering a new name and other changes at the Gilroy Senior Center—including the loss of a gift shop that has been part of the center for 40 years. Shop president Beverly Kirk said, “We senior ladies are heartbroken.”

The Sesquicentennial Time Capsule, featuring items that represent 2020 in Gilroy, has been sealed and will stay shut until 2070. Retired Gilroy High School art teacher Carol Peters painted the capsule.

Gilroy city officials’ plan to negotiate with a developer on the Hecker Pass property could be delayed due to a recent state law that requires jurisdictions to make all “surplus” properties available to affordable housing developers before they can be sold.

Amazon is expected to be the tenant of a proposed center at the intersection of Highway 152 and Camino Arroyo, adding to a sizable investment the online retail and web services giant is making in Gilroy and Hollister.

One councilmember thinks it costs too much and two feel that residents’ voices should be heard, but the Gilroy City Council still approved the design for a new downtown parking lot.

The Homeless Ad Hoc Committee, formed to support service providers and consider the needs of both unhoused and housed residents, has drafted a list of 12 recommendations for the Gilroy City Council to consider.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association is negotiating with Gavilan College to host a drive-thru Gourmet Alley experience in July.

The new store on Monterey Street serves collectors who seek the latest comics, sports cards, action figures, Funko Pops and more.

“I value the support and encouragement of each City Council I have worked for,” Freels wrote. “It has allowed me to be ambitious and visionary in serving the community.”

“Ultimately, the continued health and safety of our community and everyone associated with the Garlic City Car Show is our number one priority,” the organizers wrote. The event will return to Gilroy in 2022.

City officials say they will cooperate with the county and local nonprofits to relocate those ejected from a homeless camp along Highway 101, but “at this time Christmas Hill Park is not being considered.”

Gary Young was affectionately called the “Candy Cane Man” around Christmastime. But this past holiday his daughter handed out the treats instead, interacting with customers who knew her father. He died of COVID-19 on March 17, 2020—the day Santa Clara County shut down.

Richmond Appleton tells his life story in his recently published autobiography, “Finding Peace: A Refugee’s Story From Peril to Protection.”