I’ve seen the Caltrain South County ridership numbers (Monday-Friday 4 Trains North in morning and 4 Trains South in evening) Gilroy 100 riders/day, San Martin 22 riders/day, Morgan Hill 120 riders/day, Blossom Hill 54 riders/day, Capitol 42 riders/day. These five stations south of Tamien are not electrified and Caltrain doesn’t own the tracks, Union Pacific Railroad does.
I’ve been trying for 9 years to get the City of Gilroy and Caltrain to advertise, educate, and encourage ridership. It’s not built into our culture and it’s a heavy lift for me to continue promoting Caltrain to South County and future to Salinas. We recently talked about this at our May South County VTA agenda preparation meeting with VTA staff and Caltrain staff. VTA plays a role in our development review process, Caltrain doesn’t.
As of February 2025 the VTA’s Frequent 68 (San Jose to Gilroy every day) runs every 15 minutes averages 4,219 daily boardings and the Rapid 568 (San Jose to Gilroy Monday-Friday) runs every 30 minutes averages 932 daily boardings. I’ve been keeping track for a few years and reporting out the numbers at Gilroy City Council meetings and my newsletters. Those are numbers to support the cost to operate, while we continue to shift residents to transit.
I attended the May VTA Joint Committees Workshop where we reviewed the budget and asked questions. Caltrain is putting the full burden of the South County Caltrain (Capitol, Blossom Hill, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy) cost onto VTA and it’s been estimated to reach $15 million. That's not worth it for this budget cycle. Per the 1996 Restated Joint Powers Agreement (JPA Sections A and B) make VTA “responsible for all net operating costs of the Gilroy service” and “obtaining all Gilroy Service capital projects”. It does not obligate Caltrain or VTA to operate service to Gilroy, though it assumed there would always be a market.
VTA, Caltrain, and South County communities do minimal to increase South County Caltrain ridership, so the expectation that suddenly ridership on Caltrain will increase is not a reality today. It's not fiscally responsible to fund $15 million for 338 riders/day M-F. Enhancing the current South County ridership of the Frequent 68 and Rapid 568 lines is the more fiscally responsible path for these next two years.
I encourage the VTA Board and Caltrain Board to pause South County Caltrain service for the next two years while we work collaboratively with all partners on ways to double track or purchase the existing tracks with a goal to have the same service levels as Tamien to San Francisco. Use the savings to enhance the successful current services on the VTA Frequent 68 and Rapid 568 bus lines that currently serve thousands of daily riders from South County.
I was appointed as an alternate to the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) by the Cities Selection Committee for 2025-2028, representing all cities in Santa Clara County. I supported the action taken in January by the Board of Supervisors to dissolve the South Santa Clara County Fire District (SCFD) and annex its territories into the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District (CCFD), and I supported the same LAFCO Staff and Commission action on April 2. As detailed below, in the full April 2 LAFCO packet, and through public testimony at the LAFCO hearing, County Fire stated that this annexation will not affect current service levels or funding of the northern cities they serve and those northern cities are not losing any service to South County. https://www.sccfd.org/southcounty/
South County residents will not see any changes to their property taxes because of the fire district reorganization. The creation of Service Zone 4 is required for County Fire to maintain an existing development fee that helps pay for fire services in South County and to create a structure to make sure revenue from the fee is dedicated to South County.
CCFD known as County Fire, is governed by the County Board of Supervisors, a California Fire Protection District serving North Santa Clara County and the communities of Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga.
SCFD is governed by the County Board of Supervisors and participates actively in automatic aid agreements, (the closest engine responding regardless of jurisdiction) with the Morgan Hill Fire Department, Gilroy Fire Department, Pajaro Valley, Hollister, and San Jose Fire Departments while covering the unincorporated southern parts of South Santa Clara County and San Martin.
LAFCO is a state mandated independent local agency established to oversee the boundaries of cities and special districts in Santa Clara County. By order of the State, LAFCOs are charged with stewarding the future of their counties. In Santa Clara County, LAFCO has curbed the loss of agricultural lands, encouraged the densification and walkability of our cities, increased regional climate resilience, and promoted the cost-effective delivery of services that are funded by taxpayers. https://santaclaralafco.org
The City of Gilroy has been impacted by operational decisions over the years by the South Santa Clara County Fire District. E69 or Treehaven Station at Gilroy Gardens through the drop borders agreement, provides 1st due responses to areas within the City of Gilroy like Eagle Ridge and Heartland neighborhoods. On any given day that station could be downgraded from providing Advanced Life Saving (ALS) to Basic Life Saving (BLS) services, staffing two on the Fire Engine as opposed to three, moved up into the City of Morgan Hill to provide coverage while leaving our district empty, or not staffing E69 for the day and close it.
Any percentage of times these occur, adds to the structural failure and impending insolvency of the South County Fire District, and those impacted residents. South Santa Clara County Fire District has been underfunded and underserved in terms of fire protection services. The County Fire Chief and County Executive reaffirmed their commitment to working with the City of Gilroy on any drop border agreements. Santa Clara County Fire Department will continue hosting office hours through May 16 at the Sig Sanchez Government Center in San Martin, as the department looks forward to building relationships within the community, including city staff and electeds, and have their staff available to address questions regarding the upcoming transition.
County Fire will take over service beginning July 1, 2025 and assume the lease for the Treehaven Gilroy Gardens Fire Station with the City of Gilroy. The City of Gilroy Fire Administration and City Administrator have met with the County Fire Chief, County Fire Administration, and are working together on boundary drop agreements and staffing for the Treehaven Fire Station E69.
Santa Clara County LAFCO Updates by CM Zach Hilton- 00:32:32 • City Administrator Report Back on Santa Teresa Fire Station to Include County Fire at Treehaven Fire Station and Agrements 02:32:13 • City Administrator Updates on Meeting with County Fire Chief 00:30:58 • City Administrator Updates on County Fire 04:23:50
Now is the best time to continue that exploration of consolidation of the Gilroy Fire Department (as mentioned in our current MOU with Gilroy Firefighters Local 2805) with our County partners who have continued to provide the much needed safety net in services, including expansion of the County owned St Louise Hospital, Santa Clara Family Health Plan Community Resource Center, South County Youth Task Force, Re-Entry Services, millions of dollars in grant funds from Public Health, 8th/Alexander Affordable Housing project, and much more.
Review of City's Pension Costs, Alternative Repayment, and Cost Management Strategies 00:00:00 and Gilroy Fire Santa Teresa Station 4 Staffing 00:00:00 having been ongoing discussion for years. Videos linked above.
I’ll never forget the partnership between Gilroy Fire and County Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic when our firefighters went door-to-door in our rescue ambulance and set up clinics at the senior center providing vaccinations for the most vulnerable and isolated. It was such a successful model that nearby cities in South County were asking for our services. When we needed to provide services during the pandemic, the County was our partner, and remains our partner. Consolidation not only increases service levels but will also create a more balanced and sustainable budget, allowing our dedicated Gilroy firefighters to switch into retirement that matches the region, while ensuring that our community is better protected in the future.
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 2025 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.
Our 2026-2027 Legislative Work Plan and City Council goals have been formed over several meetings and will be formalized in June when we adopt the two-year budget. Along with several new housing laws that make it quicker and easier to build all types of housing, I will be focusing on our Zoning Ordinance (Bike Parking, Noise Impacting Residentially Zoned Properties), Tobacco Prevention, Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, Accessory Dwelling Units, Opportunity Sites/Programs in our Housing Element 2023-2031, Parking Management/Enforcement, Transportation Demand Management/Vehicle Miles Traveled Policy/Climate Action Plan, Safe Storage of Firearms, Community Plan to End Homelessness, Transit Priority Policy, Plan for the Multi-Generational Center and Civic Center Master Plan, and State Legislative Bills.
I am in full support of laying the groundwork for a Civic Center Master Plan and building a civic center park and multi-generational 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, and that’s why I have convened a Joint Use Agreement Working Group. We have the opportunity to develop programming and provide spaces for the public with no barriers now.
Gilroy has a once in a generation opportunity to shape what they want to experience in their Civic Center. Gilroy deserves this opportunity to transform the Civic Center outdoor space, build a state of the art Community Center for all ages, build a state of the art City Hall, and we need input from all ages. Gilroy is in need of a central location for youth services; gathering spaces for large groups or events; and a year-round space to offer recreation and community events. We need a City Hall where our city staff can thrive in their workspace and a place where our elected officials and city commissions can host their meetings and public events in a state of the art Council Chambers. Our residents and customers deserve a state of the art experience when they come into City Hall for permits, plans, pay a bill, or interact with staff and elected officials. I encourage residents to think big in your input for future Civic Center recreation and a Civic Center Park and outdoor spaces.
In 2025, we have many public and private partnership opportunities coming before the council. 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 housing for all, climate action, planning our multi-generational community center/civic center, updating master plans, further streamlining of the permit process, 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 and be flexible when it comes to new partnerships. Thank you to our County partners at Public Health who are wrapping up their successful $2.5 million Caltrans ATP grant in East Gilroy called Gilroy Moves which focused around physical activity and promoting public facilities.
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. We continue to use our local control in streamlining the development process, implement our General Plan 2040, and streamline a process making it predictable to those that want to develop and invest in Gilroy.
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.
Newly-Launched Pre-Approved ADU Plans: To streamline the building process, the City of Gilroy offers standardized ADU construction plans that have been pre-approved, facilitating a faster and more cost-effective permit process. These plans come in various sizes and architectural finishes. If the site-specific plan and required documents are accurate and complete, permits may be issued within 15 working days.
The City of Gilroy is participating in a multi-city initiative to explore updates and/or enact new affordable housing policies to be applied to new development projects. These policy studies include some combination of residential affordable housing impact fees, inclusionary requirements and in-lieu fees, and commercial linkage fees.
We reached the end of the fourth 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 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 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 2024. 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).
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 $7.3 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 launched $12 million dollars 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 continuing this work with SV Clean Energy, consultants, and local community based organizations in completing their project in Gilroy.
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. 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. 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. The FTA and VTA funded a combined $1.125 million dollars that will fuel a community-centered Station Area Plan, focused on planning out the downtown area where the Gilroy Transit Center is located. The plan will prioritize multi-modal transportation, pedestrian and bicycle access, and mixed-use development.
The $750,000 Transit-Oriented Communities Grant program is focused on partnerships to support local public agencies and other stakeholders involved in the creation of Transit-Oriented Communities. The grant provided a key funding opportunity to support local public agencies, property owners, community organizations, and other diverse Transit-Oriented Communities stakeholders working to further Transit-Oriented Communities along high-capacity transit corridors and stations in Santa Clara County. I’m happy to announce that our very own Carry the Vision was funded for Community Resiliency, strengthening small business resiliency or increasing the ability to advance preservation or production of affordable housing and the Gilroy Arts Alliance was funded for Placemaking, Arts, and Activation Placemaking to create accessible and welcoming public spaces that reflect and enhance vibrancy of the local community’s history, culture, and identity.
VTA has an active Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) program, which partners with developers to build TOD projects on VTA-owned properties at transit stations. These TOD sites serve as gateways to the VTA transit system, offering significant potential to attract new transit riders. To ensure the future developments preserve and enhance station access from the surrounding community, VTA conducts access studies for station sites identified in the TOD
pipeline.
Gilroy Station Access Study is nearing completion. Gilroy Transit Center is the southern stop for Caltrain service and serves as a key hub for multiple transit options, including VTA bus routes, San Benito County Express, Monterey- Salinas Transit (MST), Greyhound, and commuter shuttles. It is also planned to become a future California High Speed Rail (CHSRA) station. The VTA-owned 7.8-acre site on the west side of the tracks is identified for future mixed-used, mixed-income TOD, will be a critical component of transforming the future station site along with High-Speed Rail, and contribute to Gilroy’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (or RHNA) of 1,773 units by 2031.
Proposed access recommendations include bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements such as high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian refuge islands, curb extensions, and upgraded bicycle facilities on key streets such as 7th Street, Eigleberry Street, and Chestnut Street.
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. 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. 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 on November 1, and travel to the festival by bike, bus, walk, or drive. 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.
On behalf of my office, my student interns, and my family, I am excited for the challenges that 2025 has to offer. 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 2025 can be one of the best years that Gilroy has ever had.
On February 24, 2025 the Gilroy City Council held a public hearing in which we adopted a resolution declaring an intent to transition from an At-Large Election System to a District-Based Election System pursuant to California Elections Code Section 10010, with the transition taking effect in time for the November 2026 and 2028 Elections. I plan on requesting through the current stategic planning/budget process that we establish a policy and annual budget that provides basic constituent services and engagement in these new districts in order play an active role in civic engagement.
The City of Gilroy had employed an at-large elections system in which voters of the entire City elect six City Council Members and one Mayor. A district-based election is one in which the City is divided into separate districts, each with one City Council Member who resides in the district and is chosen by the voters in that particular district. For Gilroy, there are two district-based options to consider: the creation of six districts and the retention of the at-large mayor position; or, the creation of seven districts where one of the City Councilmembers serves as mayor on a rotating basis. The district-election system will be introduced for the 2026 election.
The transition to a district-based election system is an open, public process where public input is sought after and appreciated. California Elections Code Section 10010 mandates that five public hearings must be held throughout the transition process. The initial public hearings gather input from the community to better understand the distinct neighborhoods within Gilroy. This information is used to create the draft district maps that will be released in the near future.
The City of Gilroy established the following tentative timeline to complete the transition. These public hearings will take place as part of the Regular City Council Meetings scheduled for these dates. Get more info on communities of interest, public workshops, submit a district map, and FAQ's on the city webpage that's dedicated to this process. https://www.cityofgilroy.org/1069/Transition-to-District-Based-Elections
Monday, March 3, 2025 | First Public Hearing at 7 PM | Council Chambers
Monday, March 17, 2025 | Second Public Hearing at 7 PM | Council Chambers
Monday, April 7, 2025 | Third Public Hearing at 7 PM | Council Chambers
Monday, April 21, 2025 | Fourth Public Hearing at 7 PM | Council Chambers
Monday, May 5, 2025 | Fifth Public Hearing | Council Chambers
The public hearings on the above dates start at a time certain of 7 PM in Council Chambers at 7351 Rosanna Street. There are two Districting Community Workshops being provided below in addition to the public hearing schedule above.
Tuesday, March 25 Public Workshop at 7 PM (In Person) Presentation on districting and hands-on mapping activities. Location: South Valley Middle School Multi-Purpose Room
Saturday, March 29 Public Workshop at 9:30 AM (In Person) Presentation on districting and hands-on mapping activities. Location: Christopher High School Library
To my Council colleagues, staff, and the public I am very excited to be a part of this process today. I bring not just the views of myself but those of my constituents. We have policies and practices that need to be updated to 2025 standards and fortunately these are coming through the implementation of our General Plan, Housing Element, and State housing legislation.
Legislating policy in-house often doesn't require budget allocations, and many best practices are already open sourced. Our entire Zoning Ordinance continues to be amended to meet the standards of our General Plan 2040, and I look forward to continuing being a part of that process.
While this meeting is for high level goal settings, I’d like to find some common ground when it comes to housing for all, climate action, planning our multi-generational community center/civic center, updating master plans, further streamlining of the permit process, 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 and be flexible when it comes to new partnerships.
We can continue to further our housing options for all residents of Gilroy, and strengthen our Housing Trust Fund. In our Housing Element we have committed to programs that break down segregation of the past and affirmatively further fair housing through an Inclusionary Housing Policy, Facilitate Missing Middle/Middle Income Housing, Collaboration with Development Community, Permit Streamlining, update our ADU Ordinance and SB 9 Ordinance to comply with state law.
We must work toward housing equity. The consequences of failing to effectively and aggressively confront this crisis is hurting 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. Many of us hear from our constituents regarding rental price increases, whether market rate or below market rate, we can use our local control to place a cap on the annual rent increases through a rent control ordinance, or leave it be and allow property owners to increase their rent to the state max of 10% annually to our constituents.
Many of our opportunity sites in our Downtown Expansion District and First Street Mixed-Use Corridor are zoned for both commercial and residential. We used to have an active developers roundtable hosted by city staff.. I'd like to see staff host these monthly and draw in all developers as this could help with economic development and build a peer to peer relationship.
Housing Element Program G-1 states Collaboration with Development Community, the City shall continue to cultivate new and existing relationships, throughout the housing element planning period, with for-profit and non-profit development companies working in the area of affordable housing, facilitating collaborative approaches to affordable housing development. Invite affordable housing developers and developers of housing for special needs households to the annual developer roundtable meeting and the creation of developer interest list.
For climate action we can build off best practices in REACH building codes, join the other cities within Silicon Valley Clean Energy and adopt clean energy building codes that keeps the cost of construction low, prevents pollution, and utilizes the grid's clean energy. Continuing to install infrastructure on city assets like solar plus battery storage and EV charging capabilities, will move us in the right direction. Grant funding is available if we align our policies with those in our region. I am proud of the work we have done going farther than the State minimum and implementing REACH codes requiring EV capabilities in multi-family residential. We still have time for the upcoming building code adoptions to strengthen it, use our local control, and set a good example.
For local economic development we can streamline the business permit process, we need to cut out the parts that slow down the grand opening for a business. After completion of the building checklist, the business should be allowed to open, and not prevented from opening their doors based on subjective findings and a laundry list of requirements that don’t apply to Gilroy from our outsourced plan checkers. When we remove barriers to opening businesses quickly, local jobs of all incomes will be more readily available. Everyone should have access to jobs that pay a living wage, and the ability to expand their skills.
The Arts are alive in Gilroy. 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.
We need to continue to invest in human capital or our workforce. I remain concerned with the recruitment and retention of the fire department, and the mental health and stress that puts on them. The root cause of staffing still hasn’t been solved. We made significant improvements to recruitment and retention with Local 2805 but we can’t seem to maintain our staffing levels to what the standards of coverage calls for, and what we need to permanently staff the Santa Teresa Fire District Station 4. The 2%@57 CALPERS retirement offered to our fire department is the worst in the State and I think we need to continue to pursue consolidation with a larger entity. Members of this City Council get a better CALPERS retirement of 2.5%@55.
In a letter last year from City Admin in response to the Countywide LAFCO Fire Service Review, “The Gilroy Fire Department agrees with and appreciates the potential advantages of combining service for the South County region through participation with a single larger entity that would address increasing costs and needed efficiencies. Contracting out also brings the potential for one or more alternative service models to GFD. The City is currently in negotiations to finalize and receive funding to build a permanent fourth fire station, the completion of which was contemplated as part of and necessary for the response time goals adopted by the Gilroy City Council in 2019. With the completion of the fourth fire station and recent City Council approval to initiate the exploration of combined service for South County, we believe there are many opportunities underway for significant improvements to GFD services to the Community and our residents.”
With the action taken last month by the Board of Supervisors to dissolve the South Santa Clara County Fire District and annex its territories into the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District, now is the best time to continue that exploration of consolidation with our County partners who have continued to provide the much needed safety net in services, including expansion of the County owned St Louise Hospital, Santa Clara Family Health Plan Community Resource Center, South County Youth Task Force, Re-Entry Services, millions of dollars in grant funds from Public Health, 8th/Alexander Affordable Housing project, and much more.
I’ll never forget the partnership between Gilroy Fire and County Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic when our firefighters went door-to-door in our rescue ambulance and set up clinics at the senior center providing vaccinations for the most vulnerable and isolated. It was such a successful model that nearby cities in South County were asking for our services. When we needed to provide services during the pandemic, the County was our partner, and remains our partner. Consolidation not only increases service levels but will also create a more balanced and sustainable budget, allowing our dedicated firefighters to switch into retirement that matches the region, while ensuring that our community is better protected in the future.
Lastly, our Housing and Community Services Division has 6 mandated programs that need to be completed in 2025/2026 and 9 to still be completed for 2024. We can’t allow our housing element to become decertified and open ourselves up to more Builder’s Remedy projects. Our Public Works Department has many capital improvement projects that they are working on, from expanding or fixing our critical infrastructure, finding the solutions to hire a senior civil engineer to manage these projects in essention.
All of these legislative changes will make Gilroy more livable for all and the path forward is clear to me. I look forward to working with everyone over the next two years.
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. Around the city 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 ADUs, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexs.
The city just launched a program in our housing plan. The Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program includes pre-designed “model” plans for ADUs that meet zoning, building, and fire codes. If the site-specific plan and required documents are accurate and complete, permits may be issued within 15 working days. The program is modeled after successful programs implemented in other cities. The city worked with the Santa Clara County Planning Collaborative and joined the ADU Advisory Committee. The Collaborative and Advisory Committee worked to create a subregional program of pre-designed ADU plans and a variety of ADU tools and resources that can be available to all residents and cities in Santa Clara County to encourage ADU production.
The city will continue to track the number of building permits issued for ADUs annually and review geographic distributions of ADUs biennially. If the average ADU production is less than 25 units in years 2023 (38), 2024, and 2025, the City will update the ADU strategy by the end of 2026. In this case, the city will hold a focus group event with local stakeholders in Spring or Fall 2026. The purpose of the collaborative meeting will be to identify appropriate ADU programs to help increase production. If necessary, the city will identify additional Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) sites, since ADUs play a role in meeting our RHNA housing goals inside our housing plan. We promise to increase the number of new ADUs permitted in the city from an average of approximately 15.75 (2018-2021) to an average of approximately 25.
Here’s an example scenario. A senior couple owns a single-family home in a standard neighborhood. They raised their family in this home and they want to age in place, they just don’t need a home this large anymore, and they want to supplement their current income. They decide to build an ADU in the backyard. They then rent out the home and move into the ADU located in the backyard with a separate side entrance.
The City’s Housing and Community Services Division places a high priority on providing quality housing opportunities for all residents. This focused Division within the Community Development Department and the Housing and Community Services Manager, enable the city to make more concentrated efforts on affordable housing production, preservation, and protection of residents. The Housing and Community Services Manager provides a higher level of expertise and leads a division focusing on housing functions. With the division consisting of the Manager and Technician position, the division implements 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.
With 2024 in the rear-view mirror, on February 12 at 9am the new Gilroy City Council will meet for our bi-annual strategic planning session. This is where the 2026-2027 Legislative Work Plan and City Council goals will be established. This will be the foundation for the upcoming two-year budget process.
This year I will focus on continuing to move Gilroy into the 21st century, building upon the relationships I’ve made, legislative items in our work plan, and introducing new items. We will focus on our Zoning Ordinance (Bike Parking, Noise Impacting Residentially Zoned Properties), Tobacco Prevention, Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, Accessory Dwelling Units, Opportunity Sites/Programs in our Housing Element 2023-2031, Parking Management/Enforcement, Transportation Demand Management/Vehicle Miles Traveled Policy/Climate Action Plan, Safe Storage of Firearms, Community Plan to End Homelessness, Transit First Policy, Plan for the Community Center/Youth Center and Civic Center Master Plan, and State Legislative Bills.
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 will begin to break ground on these community projects in 2025.
I am proud of the future housing plan that the 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. 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 toward 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 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 more than 100 community events in 2024. We 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.
