Housing For All in Gilroy (Part 5)

Since my last housing post in July 2023, Gilroy has made strides to plan and promote housing opportunities for our workforce that are typically more affordable. This is needed more now than ever before. The State recently released new income guidelines, a household of one whose income is $102,300 is considered low income. The same is true for a household of four who earns $146,100. This is many of us. We’ve reached a boiling point where we need to be taking advantage of the many tools before us. We are in a housing crisis and the dream of owning a home is not a realistic opportunity for everyone. We need to continue to promote all housing options and solutions that benefit everyone. 

Gilroy must continue to promote the development of more housing for all income levels while looking at creative policies and funding through our local control to make them more livable, access to transit, bikeable, and walkable. I support Gilroy's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) program in single-family and multi-family residential lots, while having the additional option for junior accessory dwelling units. As more residents want to age in place, having the option to move into a smaller unit on your property while being able to rent out the larger home, allows income and stability for you to stay in your neighborhood. The building of ADU’s in multi-family developments like in single-family lots provides additional needed housing by infill. Our housing crisis is not going away soon, while our unhoused population continues to rise. Around the Downtown area there are many examples of 2-5-unit complexes and these types of units are needed for the “missing middle" income earners. I am proud of the housing plan that Gilroy City Council, Planning Commission, Staff, and the Public approved in 2023. It will create programs to build rental/owner opportunities like duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexs. 

Now is where the true work and evaluation will take place. Empowered through our local control, we will implement these programs and follow through with what we have promised to our residents. Approved in 2021 through our local control, we have an objective design standards policy that provides applicants and developers with a clear understanding of the City’s expectations for mixed-use and multi-family residential project design. We have 40 opportunity sites identified in our Housing Element where we will build multi-family units, Downtown Expansion District and First Street Mixed-Use Corridor flexibility program, 429 corner lots for the middle income housing program, housing for farmworkers program, inclusionary housing ordinance, and each program listed here. Through incentives, funding, local control, and programs we offer with our partners, this will allow us to further a Gilroy that’s livable for all. Improving our infrastructure is always on my mind, and that’s why year-to-date my office has worked with our state and federal legislators to secure $5.2 million for project funding that directly benefits our residents, from a bike/ped trail extension on the westside, San Ysidro Park on the eastside, and an enhanced crosswalk for senior housing on the southside.

We have identified programs where the city will go farther with incentives to develop residential units in our Downtown Expansion District and First Street Mixed-Use Corridor. In exchange for this flexibility, the city may require that a certain percentage of units are dedicated to extremely low-income households, farmworkers, persons with disabilities, or other identified groups. We have the current capacity to build over the next eight years and align with our State and region's long-range plan for housing, transportation, economy and the environment, known as the Plan Bay Area 2050. It calls for creating compact walkable communities by promoting high-density housing and mixed-use development near transit stations and in existing urban areas. 

We can't grow or consider ourselves equitable and diversified in housing type when 75% of our land is zoned for single family homes. This may have worked in the past, but now that these homes are out of reach for most families, we need to continue our course correct. We can continue to create a diversified housing stock to meet the needs of our residents. Our Housing Element 2023-2032 contains programs to build missing middle housing (this translates to rental opportunities, duplexes, triplexes, and four-plexes, a technical way for saying smaller homes that are more naturally affordable). 

Gilroy's Planning Commission and City Council approved 40 Opportunity Sites that we are planning to build housing on. (See above and on Page 320 of the 6th and Final Draft) 

The Opportunity Site selection process examined zoned capacity, existing uses, and recent development trends to determine which parcels to include to meet the remaining RHNA after considering pipeline projects and ADUs. Both vacant and non-vacant sites are included in the Opportunity Sites Inventory. The opportunity site selection process took site characteristics, surrounding uses, and development constraints into consideration when evaluating each site’s development potential. 

The City of Gilroy's Housing and Community Services Division focuses on housing efforts, public service grants, unhoused efforts, below market rate home ownership programs, and is a resource to connect Gilroy residents to homebuyer assistance programs, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) programs, emergency housing, unhoused services, rental assistance, tenant/landlord services, and mortgage relief assistance. The Division implements the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and the City's Housing Trust Fund (HTF). These funds assist Gilroy's vulnerable communities and create safe and healthy neighborhoods for all.  

The Housing and Community Services Division collaborates with Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing (OSH) and other partners to develop affordable housing such as the one at 8th/Alexander St, including partnering on community outreach, communication, and development processes from beginning to completion. The Division works with OSH on Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funding process, allocation, and implementation of grant funding for nonprofit service providers to assist Gilroy's vulnerable communities, unhoused individuals, and families who are experiencing, or at risk, homelessness. Through conducting monthly meetings with Gilroy's Unhoused Service Providers Network, the Division works to increase collaboration and partnership among service providers and the City of Gilroy to connect the unhoused with services. To expand community outreach and education on housing resources, the Division partners with Community Based Organizations (CBO) to host workshops to inform residents of assistance programs and funding opportunities, on a monthly basis on average.  

The City places a high priority on providing quality housing opportunities for all residents. The creation of this focused Division within the Community Development Department, and establishing the Housing and Community Services Manager position, will enable the City to make more concentrated efforts on affordable housing production, preservation, and protection of residents. The Housing and Community Services Manager will provide a higher level of expertise and lead a Division focusing on housing functions. With the Division consisting of the Manager and Technician position, the Division will implement projects and programs to address housing needs for a diverse community and provide assistance to families and individuals that are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. 

Several plans and policies including a Transportation Demand Management (TDM), Vehicle Mile Traveled (VMT), and Climate Action Plan are currently being drafted. These will help enhance all of our developments to shift modes of transportation and connect them to transit in line with our General Plan 2040. Gilroy’s multi-modal transportation infrastructure consists of buses, trains, bikes, scooters, and walking. While there might be portions of our city that are isolated from transit, there are many ways to continue to draw residents towards transit. Gilroy has a fully connected bike network and transit options. Many residents are employed outside of Gilroy, but we have a large population that work, play, attend school, and are retired in Gilroy. They benefit from local transit and rideshare. Gilroy has the vision that the glass is half full, and we have the ability to innovate and adapt to programs that will further reduce our VMT. We are providing year-round education and encouragement through County Measure B funds. We have programs and policies that promote our community leaving their car at home and choosing to walk/bike/roll/ and take transit. This helps teach our residents safe walking and biking skills, reduces traffic and air pollution, and helps you get more physical activity.  

In 2024, the Area Median Income (AMI) for a four-person household in Santa Clara County, as defined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is $184,300. Based on this, the following are the income limits for the 5 affordable housing categories (family of four):

                                         • Extremely Low Income (ELI) 0–30% AMI $0– $55,300 

                                         • Very Low Income (VLI) 31–50% AMI $53,301–$92,150

                                         • Low Income (LI) 51–80% AMI $92,151– $146,100

                                         • Moderate Income 81–120% AMI $146,101- $221,150

                                         • Above Moderate- Above 120% AMI $221,150 +

Above is an updated chart that shows our progress in meeting our RHNA numbers. This is year 1 of our 8 year housing plan. While 38 ADU's is a good start, our production of much needed housing for all, is already behind schedule. Data comes from our March 18, 2024 City Council Agenda. 

The annual SB 423 (formerly SB 35) list based on past housing performance was published June 2024 and contains cities and counties subject to SB 423 streamlining provisions when proposed developments include ≥ 50% affordability. Gilroy is one of the jurisdictions that has insufficient progress toward their lower income RHNA (Very Low and Low income) and are therefore subject to the streamlined ministerial approval process (SB 423 Streamlining Chapter 778, Statutes of 2023) for proposed developments with at least 50% affordability.  

The State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reinforced the fact that they no longer consider the Housing Element Update to be a paper exercise, but instead a contract between jurisdictions and the state on housing commitments for eight-and-a-half years. To this end, HCD’s Housing Accountability Unit will be monitoring implementation and will hold jurisdictions to the commitments laid out in the Housing Element’s plan. HCD detailed how they will not accept the rationale that the lack of subsidies for affordable housing development is an insurmountable impediment to fulfilling housing commitments. Instead, they advised jurisdictions to find ways to spur development through land use reforms and additional financing mechanisms. These might include adopting a strong local density bonus program, an inclusionary housing ordinance with a robust in-lieu fee structure, or other impact fees as a mechanism to support affordable housing development. HCD also recommended looking into ways of lowering costs by deferring or waiving fees and taxes, which we have done.

The City of Gilroy and Gilroy City Council have made huge steps towards housing for all residents since I took office in December 2020. Data from our Housing Element shows 21% of households are considered extremely low-income, making less than 30% of AMI. Thirty-eight percent of our population is 24 years old or younger and they live, play, go to school, and work in Gilroy. The consequences of failing to effectively and aggressively confront this crisis is hurting thousands of our residents, robbing future generations of the chance to call Gilroy home, stifling economic opportunities for workers and businesses, worsening poverty and homelessness, and undermining our environmental and climate objectives.

Big Tobacco’s Hold on LGBTQ+ Youth Continues

Written by Richard Do and Zach Hilton- Although in recent years tobacco product usage has declined overall, its prevalence remains constant within the LGBTQ+ community– so much so, that it has been woven into queer culture– driving further negative health consequences for this subpopulation. Why is this still happening? Is this just a fluke? For decades, Tobacco companies have preyed on sensitive queer youth who disproportionately experience stress and anxiety; promoting a “fix-all” through using tobacco. 

In 2020 for example, a particular cigarette brand sponsored dozens of events at San Francisco’s Pride Parade, which was a blatant attempt to reach and perpetrate LGBTQ+ forums and markets– unfortunately succeeding. For these exact reasons, as we continue to advocate and form policies against Big Tobacco, I believe it is imperative we are being conscientious in addressing sexual and gender minorities concurrently. 

The surge in queer substance seeking behavior has been critical for students like me, as we have been misled into thinking tobacco may relieve our negative thoughts and ideologies. With our rising mental health epidemic in light of COVID-19, these implications become more important as teens are constantly looking for an escape. Current studies have set the foundation time and time again that queer mental health has been on a decline, leaving us highly impressionable, but widespread initiatives against this have been either slow or stagnant. Big Tobacco's exploitation of LGBTQ+ communities extend beyond a mere public health concern; it's a matter of social justice. It's time to recognize and confront the intersectionality of these issues, ensuring that our efforts to combat tobacco use are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all marginalized communities

To me, the subject of mental health and tobacco has become highly relevant, as an LGBTQ student. In 7th grade during quarantine, my sexual orientation had been exposed to my conservative Asian parents who did not accept my identity. I was left in a disoriented state, unsure if I would still live under the same roof or be placed within the foster care system. The instability of my future amplified with the additional isolation from friends or any support system left me devastated. I couldn't care less about my health, as everything in that moment felt futile. The one viable option I thought would offer me an ounce of relief was vaping/ smoking tobacco. I had thought it would relieve the burdens surrounding my identity, but it only intensified the feeling of losing control in my life. 

Though I am fortunate I was able to stop smoking and not become addicted, many are not so lucky. Queer, POC, and low-income individuals who similarly face disparities in their lives may believe tobacco is an accessible and plausible way to deal with their issues; leaving them hooked. Through advocacy, we can push for our respective elected officials to take action. Youth need to use their voices to enable change and educate their peers that using tobacco is not the solution– so we’re no longer a victim of these harmful marketing tactics. By promoting proper mental health coping strategies, I believe we can fight these inequalities, especially for our queer youth.

We know that frequent and recurring exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) can cause health problems such as asthma, heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke. Smoke travels through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical outlets, ventilation systems, and plumbing. Opening windows, using fans, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems cannot eliminate exposure to SHS. 

We support programs like Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE). TUPE is a comprehensive evidence-based tobacco use prevention, youth development, intervention, and cessation program. The purpose of the TUPE program is to reduce youth tobacco use by helping students make healthy decisions through tobacco-specific educational instruction and activities that build knowledge as well as social skills and youth development assets.

Zach Hilton is a Gilroy City Council Member. Richard Do is a junior at Evergreen Valley High School, President of Santa Clara County’s Community Advocate Teens of Today, a research and policy intern at Stanford’s Research and Education to Empower Adolescents and Young Adults to Choose Health (REACH) Lab, and a Youth Advisory Board member at Santa Clara County’s HIV Getting to Zero Program

Electricity Provider SVCE Benefits The Community

Gilroy has a lot to offer. What makes Gilroy so special are the people that make up each of my interactions here, from stopping by Camino Coffee for a morning pick-me-up to engaging with our local organizations working hard for causes that improve this community – the people of Gilroy are powerful. It’s through this local activity that we hold the power to have an impact on our neighbors, coworkers and the rest of the Silicon Valley region. This Earth Month, I’m proud of the work our local community is doing to better the environment to improve the lives of all our neighbors.

I sit on the Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Board of Directors, and I have felt the power of having local control of our energy supply. SVCE is a not-for-profit community choice energy provider that serves 275,000 residents and businesses in thirteen Santa Clara County communities. The Gilroy City Council voted to join this joint powers agency in 2016, and while I was not on the council at that time, I am grateful to my predecessors for seeing the value that SVCE would provide to the residents of Gilroy for many years to come.

Through this local agency, Gilroy has not only had a voice in where our power comes from (clean, renewable resources) but has benefitted from the community reinvestments that SVCE provides. Since our community began receiving electricity from SVCE in 2017, Gilroy residents and businesses have saved over six million dollars on their electricity bills. Currently, SVCE generation rates are 4% less than PG&E. But the value of community power goes beyond the bill savings. 

Burning fossil fuels to power our homes and vehicles in Gilroy poses short term and long term risks to individual and community health. The emissions from technology we use everyday, like water heaters and stoves, increase the risk of Asthma, stroke, susceptibility to respiratory infections, and other extreme conditions. Residents and businesses choosing to transition to electric technologies when their existing, old appliances fail are improving air quality for their home, workspace, and community. While these equipment upgrades are feasible for many, a just transition requires that all community members have access to make these improvements affordably, if they choose. SVCE is supporting Gilroy residents in taking their health into their own hands by providing rebates to customers that upgrade from gas to electric for many major appliances and offers additional funding for customers that meet income-qualifications. In 2023, Gilroy residents claimed $43,500 in rebates from SVCE to make electric upgrades to increase their homes’ health and safety. 

The work does not end there; as a board member, I have been vocal about the need to reduce barriers to these home improvements and voted to approve a multi-family direct install program to address these concerns. The Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy, and Services (C.A.R.A.S.), a Gilroy community-based organization that provides rental and deposit assistance to income-qualified residents, engaged with SVCE to provide feedback and insight for the design of the multi-family install program. Voices from Gilroy are embedded in the programs that SVCE builds for its customers, thus having a say on how we reinvest in our community. 

Going beyond the customers that have received financial or informational support to make healthy home upgrades, SVCE reinvests in all of Gilroy by sponsoring and attending community events like signing up as the first sponsor of the inaugural La Ofrenda Festival. SVCE has also supported family and youth education event series like the Gilroy Gardens Natural Science Days and Silicon Valley Reads. 

This Earth Month, I am grateful that in Gilroy, we have clean energy and local resources to help reduce pollution from fossil fuels to help make our region cleaner, safer and healthier for everyone, and especially for future generations. 

Moving Gilroy Forward 2024

To my council colleagues, city staff, and the public I am very excited to be a part of the many changes coming to Gilroy this year. Legislating policy in house often doesn't require budget allocations, and many of the best practices are already open sourced. We have many policies and practices that will continue to be updated to 2024 standards. The entire community was a part of the Gilroy General Plan 2040 process in late 2020. It was approved by the General Plan Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council, along with a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR). We planned for growth and have detailed plans to address everything inside the General Plan 2040. The General Plan 2040 represents the City of Gilroy’s view of its future, expresses the community’s vision, local control, and guiding principles for development. The Zoning Code Ordinance is the script of how those visions will unfold.

With the 2024-2025 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into many items that need to be completed in 2024. Once the new city council is seated after the November 2024 election, a new legislative work plan will be established. I am in full support of laying the groundwork for a Civic Center Master Plan and building a community center that is for all ages. The focus on a free safe place for our youth to have after school and on the weekends is a top priority for me. The City of Gilroy and Gilroy Unified School District have many facilities that can be used by the community for free. We have the opportunity to develop programming and provide spaces for youth with no barriers now.

Year-to-date my office has worked with our state and federal legislators to secure $5.2 million for project funding that directly benefits our residents from the westside, eastside, and a senior housing project on the southside. I am proud to have worked with State Senator John Laird, SD-17 and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, CA-18 on identifying the Gateway Senior Apartments Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvements project. Combined the City of Gilroy will be receiving $700,000 to install a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK), high visibility crosswalk improvements, and curb ramps to provide a safe pedestrian crossing of Monterey Road in front of the Gateway Senior Apartments, and build off the recent successes of community based programs that are a benefit to our residents.

In 2024, we have many public and private partnership opportunities coming before the council. The opportunities for furthering our economic development continues with a hillside adventure and water surf park proposal around Gilroy Gardens, Sharks Ice Arena at the Sports Park, and Gourmet Alley in Downtown. These proposals form the recreation triangle and further our recreation community designation by city resolution. Redevelopment and new construction will create additional hotels, housing, jobs, restaurants, industrial opportunities, and shopping experiences. The City of Gilroy was awarded a $3.9 million grant through the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Clean California Local Grant Program for improvements within Gilroy’s Historic Downtown that will break ground soon. Gilroy’s project includes the renovation and beautification of Gourmet Alley between 4th-6th St, renovating these spaces into pedestrian and bicycle-friendly pathways through infrastructure and aesthetic improvements. Santa Clara County Public Health staff funded by a $2.5 million Caltrans Active Transportation grant for East Gilroy has a goal of promoting safe routes to community hubs. I’m very confident that staff will continue to find grant funding opportunities that directly benefit all of our residents. 

I’d like to find some common ground when it comes to homelessness, housing, climate action, technology implementation, and most important our human capital or our employees. Many of these issues we can’t solve alone, and we need to leverage partnerships that currently exist as well as be flexible when it comes to new ones. Thank you to all of our current city staff who have persevered through some of the most challenging times in your careers coming out of the pandemic and staffing shortages. You are a key part to the success of our city.  

The consequences of failing to effectively and aggressively confront our housing crisis is hurting thousands of our residents, robbing future generations of the chance to call Gilroy home, stifling economic opportunities for workers and businesses, worsening poverty and homelessness, and undermining our environmental and climate objectives. Thankfully millions of dollars in funding have continued to pour into Gilroy to help our most vulnerable address their rent burden. I am proud of the future housing plan that Gilroy City Council, Planning Commission, Staff, and the Public have approved. We commit to advancing the 40 opportunity sites for multi-family homes, downtown expansion district and first street mixed-use corridor flexibility program, 429 corner lots for the middle income housing program, housing for farmworkers program, and our inclusionary housing ordinance. Through incentives, funding, local control, and programs we can offer with other partners, this will further a Gilroy that’s livable for all. 

Gilroy places a high priority on providing quality housing opportunities for all residents. The creation of a focused Division within the Community Development Department and establishing the Housing and Community Services Manager position, will enable the city to make more concentrated efforts on affordable housing production, preservation, and protection of residents. The Housing and Community Services Manager will provide a higher level of expertise and lead a division focusing on housing functions. With the division consisting of the Manager and Technician position, the division will implement projects and programs to address housing needs for a diverse community and provide assistance to families and individuals that are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

We reached the end of the third year of my Student Internship Program, and I am incredibly proud of what they have accomplished. The work they do is essential to my platform, and I could not do it without them. From the OP-Ed’s they write to defend the defenseless, hold the powerful accountable, and attend meetings on behalf of my office. They are all maturing to make this community a better place. Young people are essential to our civic discourse, and I am proud to have my students lead the charge.

My work making the City Council accountable continues with a publicly available voting record, so that we can all see how your council member voted on issues that matter to you. You can find this on my website at www.zachhilton.com located under the legislative section. In addition, you can try and change the law as you see fit. For the first time in Gilroy history my office created a program called “Their Ought to Be a Law”, where residents have the opportunity to get involved with the legislative process. The local control actions to banning all smoking in Multi-Family Residential (2+ Units) and Public Events came from this program. The Gilroy City Council should not be cloaked in an aura of secrecy, it should be a matter of public participation. Residents don’t feel a sense of community and belonging if they perceive members of the City Council as an exclusive club. We commit to offering transparent paths to leadership positions, along with inviting and seeking different perspectives. 

The progress and accomplishments of my office are available on my website under the about section and I will continue to engage with you in English/Spanish. My office sponsored, tabled, hosted a booth, and attended over 100 community events in 2023. Provided free resources, bike lights, bike helmets, and listened to constituents, at events including Chalk Fest, La Ofrenda Festival, Registrar of Voters High School Education Events, Free Bike Repair and Bike Days, Nueva Vida Community Posadas, and School Family Resource Fairs. There were numerous press releases and Op-Eds issued and published to keep the public in the loop. There was endless support and testimonies on many important state legislative bills that decreased the cost and time of much needed affordable housing (SB423, AB821, AB1469). 

Locally, we introduced legislation that updated the Gilroy City Purchasing Policy to include wage theft. We worked with Gavilan College Board of Trustees and President in providing a letter of support for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program to provide student housing, wrote a letter of support to the Santa Clara County Board of Education in support for the Gilroy Gateway School to remain open for grades 6-12, wrote dozens of letters of support for community based organizations who are seeking grant funding to help our residents, and successfully got state compliance on our Gilroy Housing Element 2023-2031. Secondhand Smoking Prevention continues to be implemented through the city’s website, forms, handouts, signage, and utility bill insert. Code enforcement is working with 552 properties and as of February 279 properties have come into compliance and the remaining properties are being worked on. 

We must continue to push forward policies and programs that address climate change. Combating climate change is a part of my values and platform. We used our local control in 2022 and moved forward with EV Charging and Bicycle Parking REACH codes that require one long-term bike parking space per housing unit in multi-family developments. Electrifying and making our buildings more energy efficient with the use of technologies like heat pumps, smart-thermostats and EV chargers is another important step towards lowering our overall GHG footprint. In the future, we need to move towards installing a mix of solar plus battery storage to take advantage of the energy resilience and financial benefits this technology can provide for our city.

Gilroy City Council committee assignments have a regional participation, and my position as Director for Silicon Valley Clean Energy allowed me to be a part of developing programs that will benefit all in Gilroy. Safe communities are climate resilient communities. Since 2017, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, or SV Clean Energy, has served our residents and businesses with clean energy while saving them money. In total, more than 93% of Gilroy residents and businesses served by SV Clean Energy have collectively saved more than $5.9 million on their electricity bills over the past five years. And this number will continue to grow as SV Clean Energy is a not-for-profit public agency that reinvests net revenues to the community through competitive rates, unique offers and services, rebates, community grants and scholarships. The Board of Directors is made up of electeds from each community, and I have been our appointed Gilroy representative since 2021. 

SV Clean Energy recently launched $12 million of program funding for our Multi-Family Direct Install Program and built into the program are tenant protections referred to as "renovictions". Gilroy has the largest number of 100% deed restricted low-income units at 1,770 in SV Clean Energy’s affordable housing stock. There are many smaller projects 5+ units that could benefit by converting their old gas wall heaters for a heat pump unit that can provide air conditioning in extreme heat. I look forward to working with SV Clean Energy, consultants, and local community based organizations in getting some of this funding for our residents. 

I have been serving on the Valley Transportation Authority Policy Advisory Committee since 2023. I have brought funding or collaboration opportunities back to Gilroy through their Transit-Oriented Communities Program and Transit Signal Priority/Transit First Policy. This new program seeks to maximize mixed-use and mixed-income equitable Transit-Oriented Development projects on both public and private sites around VTA transit stations and high capacity transit corridors. VTA secured $4.1million in SMART grant funds for planning, engineering, and equipment upgrades. In 2024, VTA plans to pursue $15 million of Stage 2 SMART funds for further implementation of Transit Signal Priority. Local jurisdictions have the power to improve travel speed, reliability, and overall appeal of public transit by adopting transit signal priority policies that prioritize transit at intersections along VTA’s Frequent Network routes or Gilroy's VTA Frequent 68 route along the Monterey corridor. 

We attended many more regional and local meetings representing an elected office from Gilroy, and in my absence, my student interns would take my place in these meetings. I attended every opportunity I got in order to gain professional development and training through both webinars, and in-person training. 

The Arts are alive in Gilroy. In 2021, I was contacted by SV Creates (Santa Clara County Arts Council) to build a relationship that wasn’t here prior in Gilroy. From those first initial meetings blossomed into an Arts Círculo held at 6th St Art Studios and around the corner at the Neon Exchange. Today we have a monthly Arts Roundtable, Third Friday Art Walk, Chalk Fest, La Ofrenda Festival, and doors continue to open. The City of Gilroy celebrates the role that the arts and creativity play in helping us navigate a pandemic, amplify the need for racial equity, and highlight the power of the arts to change our lives for the better. The Gilroy Arts & Culture Commission and SV Creates work in partnership to support the arts and creativity in Gilroy as an essential part of our thriving community. 

SV Creates partners locally with the Gilroy Arts & Culture Commission and Gilroy Arts Roundtable to include the City of Gilroy with a network of leaders who care about the resilience of our arts ecosystem and its impact to our community. They are conveners, promoters, incubators, and funders of the arts with a mission to elevate Silicon Valley’s creative culture. The City of Gilroy recognizes that the arts and creativity support student success and life-long learning, provide key job skills, and bring joy to our community while strengthening our connections; and values partnering with SV Creates and State-level organizations to promote unified support for the arts.

The annual Downtown Gilroy La Ofrenda Festival brings together a cross section of sponsorships and partnerships from government, education, health, private sector, arts, transportation, culture, non-profits, labor workforce and more. I would like to personally invite you to join us in Downtown Gilroy, and travel to the festival by bike, bus, walk, or drive. This is the best team that I’ve been on and built up by my friend Ruben Dario Villa. We are all unique creatives, festival leads, and high level leaders in our own spaces. The success of this team is that we all gave something into the La Ofrenda Festival | Gilroy’s Inaugural Dia de Muertos Festival & Wellness Fair and expected nothing in return but success of each other and the festival. My dreams for a bike/ped/walk/transit oriented festival have come true with the creation of Cycle, Health, and Transit Plaza. Thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors, and organizations that made it come true. 

I continued my professional membership with CivicWell, which was able to provide technical assistance and resources for my legislation. They have an annual conference which I attended  as a Gilroy representative. The 32nd Annual Yosemite Policymakers Conference brings together over 100 mayors, city council members, county supervisors, city managers, and other high-level department heads in the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite National Park. This innovative three-day gathering is designed to support local elected officials with tools and partnership opportunities to implement innovative solutions to our most pressing community challenges. 

On behalf of my office, my student interns, and my family, I am excited for the challenges that 2024 has to offer and I look forward to launching my re-election campaign later this year. There are still many things to be addressed, and I am taking them head on. Through the power of public participation, I am confident that 2024 can be one of the best years that Gilroy has ever had.

Environmental Justice in Gilroy

As we make progress on implementing our General Plan 2040, we are going to need help from our Community Based Organizations (CBO). The past two years we have reported back to the State regarding our Environmental Justice section that we have been implementing Spanish translation for newsletter, meetings, and more. There's so much more happening in the community that we can report back on and implement as a community. 

Gilroy General Plan 2040 Environmental Justice- Today, and throughout much of California and United States history, communities with lower incomes, lower levels of education, and higher proportions of minority residents often bear a disproportionately large burden of exposure to environmental hazards. These environmental inequities are largely a result of land use policy and zoning regulations.

Environmental justice objectives and policies should seek to reduce the unique or compounded health risks in disadvantaged communities through strategies such as reducing pollution exposure, improving air quality, and promoting public facilities, food access, safe and sanitary homes, and physical activity; promote civil engagement in the public decision-making process; and prioritize improvements and programs that address the needs of disadvantaged communities.

I hope that our new Housing and Community Services Division can begin to attend and actively participate in these events, so that next year’s General Plan update can be more robust. 

When I attended the State of the Valley this year the Second Harvest CEO was there, and she stated that 1 out of 6 residents in Silicon Valley needs their services for free food. Second Harvest has been providing free groceries on Tuesdays at San Ysidro Park for years. Santa Clara County Public Health is about to launch their $2.5 million Caltrans ATP grant in East Gilroy called Gilroy Moves and it is focused around physical activity and promoting public facilities. 

Currently Berkeley Food Institute, in partnership with Nueva Vida Community is working on a Food Justice Vision which had a kickoff event March 21 at Gilroy Unified School District 5:30-7pm and local residents from the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley are researching our implementation of our General Plan 2040 Environmental Justice section too.

When visiting neighborhood groups, the topic of safety always comes up. While sometimes the request is for more police patrols, their perception of safe communities is clean streets, smooth streets, and the absence of empty lots. The physical environment is the biggest factor in perceived and real safety of the community. 

Our residents deserve to feel safe walking on any sidewalk in Gilroy. I support repairing sidewalks, adding more trees for shade, and enhanced lighting. The burden of replacing sidewalks should not be with the homeowners who were not a part of the decisions to place trees that would do so much damage to the public sidewalks. Year-to-date my office has worked with our State and Federal legislators to secure $5.2 million for project funding that directly benefits our residents, from a bike/ped trail extension on the westside, San Ysidro Park on the eastside, and an enhanced crosswalk for senior housing on the southside. 

As a Silicon Valley Clean Energy Director, we recently approved $12 million of program funding for our Multi-Family Direct Install Program and built into the program are tenant protections referred to as "renovictions". Gilroy has the largest number of 100% deed restricted low-income units (1,770) in SVCE's affordable housing stock. There are many smaller projects 5+ units that could benefit by converting their old gas wall heaters for a heat pump unit that can provide air conditioning in extreme heat, and improve indoor air quality. I look forward to working with SVCE, consultants, and local community-based organizations in getting some of this funding for our residents. 

Safe communities are climate resilient communities. Gilroy faces significant climate risks including fire, flooding, and extreme heat. Severe flooding and wildfires have historically and recently caused serious property damage and economic challenges for local residents—a community that is also grappling with health issues caused by rising temperatures. Gilroy’s location at the edge of Santa Clara County along the Highway 101 corridor and in between two large landscape blocks has resulted in high sprawl development that threatens vital farmland and lands that are critical for conservation goals. 

Cities Selection Committee Interview for LAFCO

Thank you to the Cities Selection Committee (Mayors of Santa Clara County) and I am grateful for the opportunity to apply for the Cities Association's Alternate Commissioner to Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). LAFCO is where cities go to expand their boundaries. Gilroy continues to be pressured into expanding their city boundaries by developers and local electeds who want to build expensive single family homes. Those of us that want to prevent sprawl, value smart growth, know sprawl would be costly for our city which can't afford to provide urban services to these new developments, will continue to apply to be in these positions. Video of Interview • Gilroy Dispatch OpEd 

I have been watching and participating in LAFCO meetings since I was Chair of the Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission from 2017-2020 and elected as an At-Large Gilroy City Council Member in 2020. I value LAFCO’s mission of minimizing sprawl, preserving open space, encouraging efficiency of services, fiscal sustainability, and accountability and transparency. I have been deeply involved with Gilroy’s General Plan 2040 implementation and getting our Housing Element certified with State HCD. I promote the values of smart growth in Santa Clara County, and we will need to continue to examine the ways in which land use patterns can be the limiting factor as we work towards affordability and equity. 

As a Firefighter/Paramedic, I bring a unique and valuable perspective to the Service Review process that LAFCO conducts for each of our cities. I have hands-on experience with what it takes to provide these services efficiently and effectively, as required by LAFCO. I believe my independent 3rd party perspective would be of great benefit for all the cities of Santa Clara County, and I’m excited to be able to serve you all in this way. 

I am also a firm believer in LAFCO’s policies of protecting agricultural lands and open space from premature conversion to development. While many cities in our County are built out, I see Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy as areas that we need to protect from further urban sprawl. As a Council Member for the City of Gilroy, I represent those in Gilroy and the rest of South County who support sustainable land use planning in line with LAFCO policies. 

I was proud to publicly support LAFCO staff’s recommendation in 2023 for the City of Gilroy to focus its future housing growth in our Downtown and transit corridors, rather than through the City’s application to expand the Urban Service Area to allow single-family home sprawl on adjacent unincorporated farmland. I supported the staff recommendation not only because Gilroy has eight years of capacity for building in infill areas and thus has no need to expand our city boundaries for housing, but also because more sprawl would be costly for our city, which cannot afford to provide urban services to this new development. 

At least once a year the Cities Selection Committee (Mayors of Santa Clara County) appoints local electeds to many other regional bodies, including the Association of Bay Area (ABAG) Executive Board and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Regional Planning Committee. 

ABAG is the official comprehensive planning agency for the San Francisco Bay Area region and Plan Bay Area 2050 which connects the elements of housing, the economy, transportation, and the environment. ABAG's mission is to strengthen cooperation and coordination among local governments. In doing so, ABAG addresses social, environmental, and economic issues that transcend local borders. Gilroy has a seat at the table through General Assembly (GA) meetings which are held in the spring and fall each year as part of the GA Conference, where they determine policy, adopt the annual budget and work program. In addition, the GA reviews policy recommendations from the ABAG Executive Board (made up of local electeds) and reviews the bylaws of the ABAG Association. 

Every year a General Assembly and Business Meeting conference is held. Their annual conference explores vital issues that impact our region and any official delegate or alternate may propose a subject of consideration. Business and civic leaders, elected officials, academic scholars, city planners and private citizens attend this popular conference as well. It’s never too late to get involved and please vote March 5th. 

Happy New Year

2023 is in the rear-view mirror and with the 2023-2024 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into many items that need to be completed in 2024. Once the new City Council is seated after the November 5, 2024 election, a new legislative work plan will be established. Year-to-date my office has worked with our state and federal legislators to secure $4.85 million for project funding that directly benefits our residents from the westside, eastside, and a senior housing project on the southside. See our 2023 accomplishments here. 

I am proud of the future housing plan that Gilroy City Council, Planning Commission, Staff, and the Public have approved. We commit to advancing the 40 opportunity sites for multi-family homes, downtown expansion district and first street mixed-use corridor flexibility program, 429 corner lots for the middle income housing program, housing for farmworkers program, and our inclusionary housing ordinance. Through incentives, funding, local control, and programs we can offer with other partners, this will further a Gilroy that’s livable for all. 

Gilroy places a high priority on providing quality housing opportunities for all residents. The creation of a focused Division within the Community Development Department and establishing the Housing and Community Services Manager position, will enable the city to make more concentrated efforts on affordable housing production, preservation, and protection of residents. The Housing and Community Services Manager will provide a higher level of expertise and lead a division focusing on housing functions. With the division consisting of the Manager and Technician position, the division will implement projects and programs to address housing needs for a diverse community and provide assistance to families and individuals that are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. 

Empowered through our local control, we will implement these programs and follow through with what we have promised to our residents. By doing this we will become eligible for funding towards implementing our programs and provide housing for all. We are now pulling in the same direction as the region's long-range plan for housing, transportation, economy and the environment, known as the Plan Bay Area 2050. It calls for creating compact walkable communities by promoting high-density housing and mixed-use development near transit stations and in existing urban areas. 

We advocate for building and planning that considers future generations as well as current residents who don’t own cars. Advancing mobility options reflects what we are teaching the youth in our community through Safe Routes to School and why we are nationally recognized as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, as well as recognized by the World Health Organization as an Age-Friendly Community. The City of Gilroy is a Complete Streets and Recreation Destination community by resolution.

My office sponsored, tabled, hosted a booth, and attended over 100 community events in 2023. Provided free resources, bike lights, bike helmets, and listened to constituents, at events including Chalk Fest, La Ofrenda Festival, Registrar of Voters High School Education Events, Free Bike Repair and Bike Days, Community Posadas, and School Family Resource Fairs.

Each year the Mayor assigns Council Members to represent the City Council on regional and local committees. For 2024 I will continue to serve on the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority JPA Board, Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), and CalTrain Local Policy Maker Group (LPMG) (Alternate).

This year I will continue to move Gilroy into the 21st century. Building upon relationships I’ve made, legislative items in our work plan, and introduction of new items. We will focus on our Zoning Ordinance (Bike Parking, Noise Impacting Residentially Zoned Properties), Safe Storage of Firearms, Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, Opportunity Sites/Programs in our Housing Element, Community Plan to End Homelessness, Climate Action Plan/Vehicle Miles Traveled, Transit First Policy, Plan for a Community Center/Youth Center, and State Legislative Bills.

All of these legislative changes will make Gilroy more livable for all and the path forward is clear to me. It will require everyone’s voices to be heard during public comment, focused work from my student interns, and I’ll be here to guide you through it. From my office and family, I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.