Gilroy Dispatch

Many Gilroy residents have been protesting against the Amazon data center because it was approved under a 1981 ordinance that allowed only staff approval. The ordinance needs to be changed to require public hearings at both the Planning Commission and City Council level. This way we can let our representatives know our thoughts and feelings. It also gives them a chance to explain the pros and cons of the matter being considered and their vote.

With the nomination period closed for the Nov. 3 election, the races for three seats on the Gilroy City Council feature a crowded field of candidates. The local general election ballot will also feature four seats on the Gilroy Unified School District Board of Education. In two of those races, incumbents will not be contested, according to an unofficial list of candidates from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.

NOT JUST DINING The Grove's outdoor seating area boasts room for 400 guests to mingle, enjoy live music and partake in seasonal farm-to-table options. Credit: Courtesy of Frank Léal More than a decade after Frank Léal opened The Grove as a farm-to-table restaurant on his Léal Vineyards estate off Pacheco Pass Highway, the venue has reemerged under a new name and a new business model: MOHI at the Grove.

A San Benito County Probation Department employee has been charged with possession of sexually explicit images of a 13-year-old he was communicating with on social media, according to authorities. Damon Jon Luecke, 53, of Gilroy, was charged by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office with three felonies and a misdemeanor, the DA’s office said in an Aug. 11 press release. Luecke is scheduled for an arraignment on Aug. 12 at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill.

Guglielmo Winery. File photo/Calvin Nuttall Master Sommelier David Glancy will headline the fifth annual Vine to Wine celebration Sept. 19 at Santana Row Plaza, where the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley will showcase local wines, food and entertainment. The event will feature more than 20 Santa Clara Valley wineries, live music, interactive experiences and a fundraising auction supporting the region’s wine industry, says a press release from Wineries of Santa Clara Valley.

Gilroy has a new problem—electric bikes—and it needs to be fixed now! They are now everywhere. Skateboarders and everybody else are not safe. I say get rid of them altogether, or ban them from the city. You don’t see this in other cities. E-bikes should be regulated now and before someone gets hurt. Safety is a big issue here in Gilroy. The public is not safe at all. I see it all over town. I walk a lot, so I see the problem firsthand, and it needs to be addressed.

Jeff Wilson, of Hollister, is pictured with his service dog, Logan. Wilson was one of Operation Freedom Paws’ first clients and now works as the organization’s director of operations and training. Contributed photo. Operation Freedom Paws will host its 15th Annual Paws with Patriots Wine Gala on Aug. 29 at Guglielmo Winery.

JOINING FORCES Twice Tyger’s marketing director Mike Kohne, winemaker Bobby Graviano, and owner Billoo Rataul joined forces to make the regenerative winery a reality. Twice Tyger, a small regenerative-farming vineyard north of Gilroy, has opened a seasonal tasting room this summer while it works through county approval for a permanent tasting pavilion and production facility on its own estate five miles away.

A State Senate resolution aims to designate a portion of Highway 152 as the “Rusty Areias Highway,” a former assemblymember who represented the Central Coast and portions of the Central Valley. The resolution, known as SCR 129, was introduced by State Sen. Dave Cortese, serving as Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. SCR 129 is co-authored by 21 members of the legislature, according to Cortese’s office.

Sometimes the most meaningful stories begin with a simple conversation and a belief that something greater is possible. Seven months ago, I had a vision: to bring California’s community college presidents together at Santa Clara University with a shared purpose, to celebrate educational opportunity, strengthen partnerships, inspire leadership and create more pathways for students to achieve their dreams.