Supervisor Mike Wasserman was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2010 , and re-elected in 2014 and 2018 . He represents District 1 , which includes Gilroy , San Martin , Morgan Hill , Los Gatos , Monte Sereno and portions of San Jose ( supervisorwasserman . org ).

A big kudos to Debbi and Mike Sanchez for continuing to publish gmhTODAY ! J Chris and Larry Mickartz created this beautiful and informative publication , and we all benefit from its continued presence in South County .

2020 Was A Rough Year For Everyone

— lost loved ones , lost jobs and earnings , lost connections , lost learning . We owe a debt of gratitude to our first responders , medical professionals , and other unsung heroes who work around the clock to help others through this crisis . My hope is that 2021 will be a year of gains : more connections , more compassion , more opportunities , more medicines , and more positive news . No matter how long COVID-19 persists , I believe that by staying strong , our community has the ability to survive and thrive .

The Completion of the Communication Tower Connectivity throughout the County

As the 2020 Chair of the Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority ( SVRIA ), I am excited to announce the completion of the communication tower connectivity throughout Santa Clara County . Led by the incredible efforts of SVRIA , this system enables our first responders to quickly receive and share critical information across all municipalities and jurisdictions . SVRIA represents the interests of all public safety agencies in Santa Clara County . The project required 31 individual sites , involved 22 public agencies and took 10 years to build . I am so grateful to all the individuals — including former Gilroy Police Chief Denise ( Turner ) Sellers — who have spent the last decade making this vision a reality . Our County , our community and our neighborhoods are safer thanks to their dedication . SVRIA was used widely during Super Bowl 50 , which drew more than 1 million people to the area . On the 4th of July — one of the busiest call days for fire and police — the system worked flawlessly . San Jose had only come on board July 1st — just three days before — and everything worked as expected . During the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting , SVRIA enabled a seamless coordinated response . Our next goal is for the system is to share data through secure networks . Thanks to the recently launched “ Text to 911 ” service , residents can now text public safety dispatchers . The next step will be to text information real time to officers in the field through the same secure network . Find out more about the project at www . svria . org .

Something new happening in Coyote Valley is the recent purchase of 1,861 acres of Tilton Ranch , which will increase permanently protected land to more than 2,900 acres . The $ 18 million purchase includes $ 1 million from the County Parks Department . The County , the Habitat Agency , and the Open Space Authority have a long-standing history of partnership in acquiring , linking , and managing parks and open space preserves . I was happy to support the purchase of these lands and work with our partners to protect our wildlife habitats , while ensuring that all of our residents can enjoy more trail connectivity for activities such as hiking , biking and running .

Stay tuned for my next article , where I will share some exciting news about the upcoming opening of our new County Animal Services Center in San Martin !

GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN WINTER 2021 gmhtoday . com

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