ESTABLISHED 1868
A New SV Media publication
Friday, August 18, 2017
gilroydispatch.com • Vol. 150, No. 33 • $1
SEX ALLEGATIONS ROCK GPD Drunk drivers beware
LAWSUIT CLAIMS PROMISCUITY, HARASSMENT, GROPING By Jack Foley Senior Editor
GPD SETS UP DUI CHECKPOINT By Bryce Stoepfel Reporter
PROTECTED SPECIES CHEER has conducted four steelhead rescues, netting—literally—more than 1,200 first-year fish.
Boots-in-the-water helpers GROUP RESCUES ENDANGERED STEELHEAD TROUT By Jack Foley Senior Editor
From potbellied pigs to parrots, from ferrets to felines, lots of pets seem to need rescuing these days— but one Gilroy group is rescuing a whole species of wildlife: steelhead trout. The non-profit Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration (CHEER) has a track record of getting the job done. For more than a decade CHEER has been the boots-in-the-water savior of steelhead in the four-county Pajaro River Watershed. CHEER has no paid staff and no office, but with a small army
AUGUST 18, 2017
Music Legends Perform
GILROY PREPS FOR ELUSIVE SOLAR PHENOMENON
Gilroy brings big talent to downtown
Inside this issue: American Classic Hit Makers
WINE FAUX PAS P8 | VEGGIE SURPLUS P16 | REALTOR TAMARA LUCACHIN P19
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of volunteers and help from state and federal agencies, it has worked since the late 1990s to protect the steelhead and its fragile riparian environment from pollution, predation, dumping, encroachment, illegal fishing and the seasonal whims of a climate that each year turns robust lush, waterways teeming with life into the killing creeks of summer. Fish rescues are a crucial part of the mission, according to Herman Garcia, CHEER’s charismatic founding president and CEO. As parts of creeks such as the Uvas and Little Arthur dry up, left behind are sometimes deep pools that slowly lose water to evaporation, Garcia says. And trapped in those waters are steelhead and every other creature that relies on the watery habitat
and its banks for survival. Others include crappie, chad, bass, crayfish and tadpoles. All die when the water vanishes—and it’s illegal to rescue any of those species, according to Garcia. But because of the steelhead’s status on the federal government’s protected list, Garcia can and does secure a permit for each rescue mission. And CHEER does not go out alone, either. Representatives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the regional office of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, accompany Garcia on each rescue mission. So far this season, CHEER has conducted four steelhead rescues, netting—literally—more than ➝ Fish, 12
Watching the solar eclipse
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
A section of the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Roger Castillo
If you’re planning to kick a few drinks back this weekend, you ought to keep the car at home. The Gilroy Police Department (GPD) will set up a DUI checkpoint in an undisclosed area for the weekend of August 18. According to a press release from the GPD, DUI checkpoints have been proven to reduce the number of fatalities. In 2015 and 2016, there were 18 total DUI injury accidents. “Research shows that crashes involving an impaired driver can be reduced by up to 20 percent when well-publicized DUI checkpoints and proactive DUI patrols are conducted routinely,” the GPD press release said. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety administration, in 2015, 9,967 people were killed in impaired driving accidents. In 2012, 802 people were killed by impaired drivers in California. “Officers will be looking for signs of alcohol and drug impairment with officers checking drivers for proper licensing delaying motorists only momentarily,” read the GPD release. “When possible, specially trained officers will be available to evaluate those suspected of drugimpaired driving.” The consequences of a DUI conviction are steep. Fines exceeding $10,000, jail time, DUI classes and suspensions of driving privileges accompany a conviction. The GPD funds the checkpoints through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
By Debra Eskinazi Magazine Editor
On Monday, Aug. 21, a remarkable solar eclipse will pass over the contiguous United States, where onlookers can try to capture the elusive solar phenomenon. Gilroy residents will experience a 60 percent darkening of the sun.
Gilroy Unified School District (GUSD) has taken precautions to ensure the safety of its students while allowing them to take part in the once-in-a-lifetime experience. GUSD states its top priority is its students, according to a recent press release, and it has sought out information from both NASA and the American Optometric Association, which cautions against viewing the eclipse without proper eye protection.
Without proper safety equipment for its entire student body, GUSD will provide a live stream from NASA of the celestial event, while keeping students safely protected in their classrooms. “The solar eclipse is an incredible astronomical event and a great opportunity for our students to learn many scientific concepts,” said Superintendent Deborah Flores in the press release. “We are ➝ Eclipse, 11
Members of the Gilroy Police Department are accused of hosting sex parties, exposing themselves at a Christmas party and having inappropriate relations with young Police Explorers in a suit filed by a police dispatcher who was fired in 2015. The 60-page NSFW suit names names— including high-ranking officers, police wives and girlfriends—and graphically describes alleged sexual misconduct and possibly criminal conduct. In addition, plaintiff Patricia Harrell says in the suit filed Aug. 7 in state Superior Court that she faced harassment for complaining about the activity. City officials had little to say about the suit. Though neither Police Chief Scot Smithee nor Public Information Officer Jason Smith were available for comment, Captain Kurt Svardal, who has been with the force since 1992, said he would not make any comments about pending litigation. “I have not seen it,” said Svardal. “I am sure the city has it. Obviously it’s pending litigation so we won’t make any comment. I’m sure the city will viigorously defend it and I’m not going to comment yet because I don’t know the contents.” Harrell, a veteran senior police communications supervisor, was fired three years short of full pension eligibility. She was sacked for alleged improper conduct with trainees when she attempted to warn them about the situation in the GPD. She had worked for the department since 1990. But Harrell, a wife of 29 years and mother of four, claims her termination was part of a coordinated and purposeful pattern of retaliation that began when she objected to the sexually charged environment and conduct that permeated the department, on and off-duty, warned coworkers to watch out for certain officers and attempted to improve the department’s procedures and professionalism. Higher ups in the department ordered others to “F…” with her, meaning make her life miserable, according to the suit. As a result, Harrell claims, she was harassed, threatened, investigated and reinvestigated, called names, subjected to unwanted sexual advances,
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➝ Sex Suit, 4