GILROY
MORGAN HILL
are now finding things aren’ t what they appeared to be originally. Alignments that existed for so many years, will be gone. This is going to require a multi-year construction effort, and business owners are concerned about being able to weather the impact of that. I think some are feeling buyers’ remorse. The Council has to decide.“
Mayors Advocate at the Regional Level
“ Mayor Velasco and I and our two City Councils work closely together,” Tate said,“ and we’ ve advocated together to get South County’ s share of Measure B funds for transportation. As a Mayor, I sit on the board of the Cities Association of Santa Clara, which produces an annual set of priorities based on regional and sub-regional ideas. Along with clean energy, the list includes equitable communities, countywide trails and parks, Age-Friendly Cities( Morgan Hill is one), and marijuana regulation. The Cities Association assigns representatives to other entities like the Association of Bay Area Governments( ABAG), and the Local Agency Formation Commission( LAFCO). Lack of South County representation on LAFCO has been very discouraging, but we’ re making progress.”
According to Velasco,“ Many feel that South County should have more elected representation on LAFCO. Other cities aren’ t experiencing the same growth pressures that we are here in South County. Without full representation, all we can do is to set the record straight.”
Both cities are also members of the League of California Cities( LCC), represented by its Peninsula Division, which includes the counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco.
Velasco noted that“ a lot of lobbying goes on in Sacramento, through the League, when state bills come up that try to take away local control. We have to be on guard against statemandated legislation if it doesn’ t make sense for our cities. We can’ t allow Sacramento to take away resources to redistribute them to agencies.”
Tate added,“ We show up and prevail upon our representatives to protect our interests. It’ s tough when the state mandates that we do things locally that they don’ t pay for, that we have to take care of, that take one or more fulltime employees to get the work done.”
Gilroy and Morgan Hill now have the same representatives in the State Assembly, with Anna Caballero, 30th Assembly District; and in the Senate, with Bill Monning, 17th Senate District. In the U. S. House of Representatives, Morgan Hill and San Martin are part of California’ s 19th Congressional District, with Zoe Lofgren, who visited our community in April. Gilroy is split between the 19th Congressional District, and California’ s 20th Congressional District represented by Jimmy Panetta.
In order to promote our place in regional activities, council members in both cities sit on a variety of regional boards, commissions, and associations. Activities of these regional organizations are regularly reported back to our communities at council meetings and shared online via city government websites. Both cities have ramped up their community outreach in recent years via community workshops, the web, streaming media, and community publications.
Tourism
The South County is a tourism location on the verge of a major awakening. From Silicon Valley it is an ideal spot for“ staycations” and for sports tourism, agritourism, outlet shopping, local theater, festivals, and wine tasting. Traditional tourism locations such as Monterey, Carmel, and the Central Coast are father away and more expensive. Our neighbors are discovering that staying in Gilroy or Morgan Hill is a great alternative and that opens the door to new local experiences.
Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park entertains visitors from throughout California and around the world; and it’ s right in our own backyard. Just recently its Circus Trees were recognized by the Visit California organization as one of eight“ Hidden Gems” in California. The Circus Trees are a unique collection of sycamores, box elders, ash and Spanish cord trees that have beenshaped into whimsical designs.
Sports tourism is a big regional draw. Cycling, hiking, golf and boating are all here in South County. The cities are surrounded by amazing parks and open spaces, unlike the congested streets and crowded trails to the North.
Morgan Hill has invested in sports facilities with the capacity and amenities to host local and regional sports
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN MAY / JUNE 2017 gmhtoday. com