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ESTABLISHED 1868
A New SV Media publication
Friday, August 25, 2017
gilroydispatch.com • Vol. 150, No. 34 • $1
Former chief disputes sex harassment allegations
First day of classes is packed to record level
ATTORNEY SAYS MINORS WERE INVOLVED
11,485 STUDENTS AT CITY’S 15 SCHOOLS
By Jack Foley and Brad Kava
By Jack Foley Senior Editor
➝ Schools, 10
“We didn’t have money this year to buy clothes, so they are helping us a lot,” said Guadalupe Mendez, a mother of four. Added mother of two, Regina Castro: “It helps you get the extra things you couldn’t get. I’m very blessed,” said Castro. Each family is paired up with
Former Gilroy Police Chief Denise Sellers said allegations of scandalous sex charges against officers in her department are false, the result of “a disgruntled employee making accusations that aren’t true.” In an interview this week, she said the charges made by fired dispatcher Patricia Harrell were thoroughly investigated by Gilroy Police and an outside investigator and had no validity. In a 60-page lawsuit filed Aug. 7 (available here: bit.ly/gpdsuit), Harrell alleged that Gilroy officers had inappropriate sexual relations with members of the Police Explorers, a young volunteer group with members aged 14-21, exposed themselves at drunken parties in the presence of minors and hosted sex parties that included wife swapping. After first discussing Harrell’s lawsuit last week, her attorney, Andrea Josta, Tuesday clarified one of her client’s allegations, that officers were sexually intimate with youth in the Gilroy Explorers Post. Josta said that in interviewing witnesses, “Our understanding is that there were a couple of minors involved” and that the alleged activity took place several years ago. More information might be developed as a result of the discovery process, she said, referring to the legal term for both sides in a suit gathering additional information. According to the lawsuit, one officer left the department as a result and the other was demoted but later reinstated to his previous rank. Josta also said Harrell is “devastated that this all has to come out, but she has received some words of support, so that is good.” She added that while the public might get caught up in the sexual allegations, which she said are “very much an important piece” of the case, it is
➝ Shop with Cop, 10
➝ Former Chief, 12
Brad Kava
Gilroy’s new school year got off to a record-breaking start, with more students, teachers and expenses than ever before. “It was our best opening day of school with very few problems,” Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Debbie Flores said Tuesday. Classroom instruction for the 2017-18 year kicked off on Aug. 17. “Within an hour of the opening, teachers were teaching and students were learning about all the great things that will be happening this school year,” Flores said, adding, “There was such a positive feel to this year’s start with lots of excitement and enthusiasm.” In all, 11,485 students took to their desks at the district’s 15 school sites. They include eight grammar schools, three middle schools, two comprehensive high schools, a continuation high school and an early-college academy located at Gavilan Community College. If past years are any indication, the student population by October could be up another 2 percent, according the GUSD’s Public Information Officer, Laura Correa-Hernandez. The number of teachers also grew, from 542 last year to 558 this year, as did the number of GUSD employees, from 1,050 at
NEW UNION Gilroy’s newest bar, with TV, pool and a view, opened Monday night.
Bartenders Union is a classy joint that owner Dustin Evanger designed himself.
A toast to downtown By Bev Stenehjem
There’s a new buzz and excitement going around downtown Gilroy these days. Several new businesses have either recently opened or will open in the very near future alongside businesses who are expanding their offerings. New this past spring, Greenhouse Coworking opened on 7500 Monterey St. providing office space, desks, video equipment and meeting rooms for freelancers, individual contractors, students or start-ups looking for a work space with strong Wi-Fi access. Raul Ceja, community coordinator for
the company, stated, “Business has been good. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and members can access their reserved spaces on a 24/7 basis.” Bartenders Union, offering a full-bar, 20 beers and four wines on draft, is the latest project of Dustin Evanger, who formerly owned The Hill Bar & Grill in Morgan Hill. Evanger runs the business with four silent partners explained. “As former bartenders, we wanted to create a place that we would like to go to and hang out,” Evanger said. It’s a place
for everybody; older, younger and everything in between.” The new bar has pool tables, dart boards and a juke box. Although food is not available for sale, patrons can bring in their own food or have it delivered. Not to miss is the wall filled with “Union Rules,” a humorous list of do’s and don’ts for guests. By mid-September, Golden State Brewery, owned by Seth Hendrickson and Kirill Egorov, will open at 7560 Monterey St. For the first phase of the project, a parklet patio, extending ➝ Bartenders, 2
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
AUGUST 25, 2017
A section of the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Shop till you drop with a cop SCHOOL SHOPPING PROGRAM GARNERS SMILES, HUGS
The Biggest Game John Nava’s film is showing at Morgan Hill’s Granada Theatre
Inside this issue:
CASINO NIGHT P8 | AROMAS DAY P15 | JAZZ IN SPAIN P16
John Nava’s hometown premiere
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58015 02001
By Debra Eskinazi Magazine Editor
Police know about protecting and serving, but for the past two weeks, they have added a new duty— shopping.
As part of “Shop with a Cop,” police officers take 100 needy kids and their families back-to-school shopping for school supplies at Kohl’s in Gilroy. Local families said they didn’t know what they would do without the program organized by the Gilroy Exchange Club, the California Highway Patrol and the Gilroy Police Department
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MAKE THIS SCHOOL YEAR
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