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A New SV Media publication
Friday, December 1, 2017
gilroydispatch.com • Vol. 150, No. 48 • $1
BUSINESS: Dive a little or a lot in new watersports store P4
City Council decides to continue cannabis restrictions
LOCAL SCENE One of Gilroy’s biggest days Gilroy’s Holiday Parade has stretched into an afternoon for the whole community to go downtown and catch great events and meetup with friends and family. There’s a doggie dress up contest at 2:30; vendors and booths along Fifth Street from 2:30 to 7 p.m.; live performances from 3-5 p.m.; the parade at 5 p.m. and the tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. There will be photo ops with Santa, for pets and people. It really is one of the greatest days in town and not to be missed. For more information, check out the downtown business association’s website.
BODY ALSO LIMITS SMALL SECONDARY HOUSING UNITS By Brad Kava Editor
This play’s the thing
Breakfast with Santa
DECEMBER 1, 2017
OU T & CA LE AB OU T ND EV EN AR OF TS
A section of the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Meal kits rise in popularity
Out of the box
Inside this issue: Food fresh from the box
BIKE ABOUT TOWN P17 | HOLIDAY SHOPPING P18 | REALTOR CHRIS WILLIAMS P21
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Holiday brings bling GILROY’S CHRISTMAS TREE IS A GIANT JIGSAW PUZZLE By Brad Kava
because the company that helps, Sierra Display, of Fresno, didn’t have the bucket truck it usually uses. It was broken down and they had to put it up with a ladder. “It’s a way to give something to
Since 1972, when he missed a Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting and got assigned an unwanted task, Phil Buchanan, 79, has worked on putting up Gilroy’s downtown Christmas Tree and banners. But what started as an unexpected chore, has become a real labor of love for the retired dentist and his wife, Joan, who was the city’s woman of the year in 2015 for her community service. They were out there again Monday night, helping a professional crew install the artificial tree that’s been part of the celebration for the past 17 years. It usually takes two hours but took five hours this year to put the pieces together
LOVE’S LABOR Phil and Joan Buchanan have been a part of the downtown Gilroy holiday decorations since 1972, putting in loads of labor over the years as volunteers.
Editor
the people,” said Joan. “This year was really difficult.” Her husband teaches dentistry at University of the Pacific in San ➝ Tree, 11
➝ Gilroy Ordinances, 2
Meet parade’s young grand marshal
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
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ASSEMBLY REQUIRED Locals supported a professional tree installing crew Monday night as they assembled Gilroy’s downtown Christmas Tree. Phil Buchanan and his wife Joan held flashlights and helped line the tree pieces up at Fifth and Monterey streets.
Brad Kava
Come hang with Santa on Dec. 10 at the Milias Restaurant. Bring an unwrapped gift for the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital and children under 10 eat free eggs, bacon and french toast. Call (408) 337-5100 for reservations for the noon to 3 p.m. Sunday breakfast.
Brad Kava
What could be more representative of Gilroy than a play in the two languages of most of its residents? Community Solutions presents Historias de Mi Madre XI: Un Mundo Raro (A Strange World) on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 6:30pm at Gavilan College Theatre, 5055 Santa Teresa Boulevard. This bilingual play focuses on how topics of domestic violence, sexual assault, gender roles, and LGBTQ were addressed from the 1950s to present day. “We are very excited to present Un Mundo Raro (a Strange World) to the South County community,” said Perla Flores, author and director of the Historias de Mi Madre series. “Through this play, we want to begin a multi-generational dialogue on healthy relationships, gender equality, and respect,” she concluded. The play follows the lives of Jorge, Lucha, and Manuel, three elderly individuals living in a nursing home and reflecting on how issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, gender roles, and LGBTQ were addressed during their youth. Several members of the elderly community residing throughout Santa Clara County were interviewed to ensure an adequate portrayal of their experiences as Latino men and women growing up during a time of deeply entrenched social norms and gender stereotypes. This play is intended for a mature audience. There is a suggested $10 donation, but no one will be turned away. Proceeds from the evening will support Community Solutions' programs for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. For information regarding Historias de Mi Madre Un Mundo Raro, call (408) 776-6294.
In an effort to take local control before new state laws go into effect in January, the Gilroy City Council passed two “emergency” ordinances last week, one to stop commercial cannabis sales and the other to limit the size of “grandmother” units to 600 square feet. When recreational cannabis is legalized statewide in January, Gilroy will not be profiting from it. It joins most of its neighbors in Santa Clara, including Morgan Hill, in banning dispensaries and commercial growing of marijuana. The council voted unanimously to keep the ban on medical marijuana dispensaries it had passed earlier in the year and strengthen it to include recreational dispensaries. “I think it’s pretty clear, at least from the people I’ve spoken with, that people don’t want these in their neighborhoods and I don’t think the city is in a position to enforce the laws around dispensaries,” said councilmember Dan Harney. “I think in a year we should revisit it, once the law goes through.” Other councilmembers said they were concerned by the fact that marijuana is still federally illegal and the dispensaries are forced to operate as cash businesses because banks are fearful of taking illegal funds. The city’s planning commission recommended that the council consider and not close the door on the possible tax revenues from having dispensaries, however, the final vote ignored that. In Colorado, where recreational marijuana has been legal since 2012, sales of cannabis were at more than $1.1 billion in 2016 and the state has collected more than $150 million in taxes, $50 million of
SIENA ARIOTO, WHO LIKES ART, THEATER, SCOUTING, IS 8 By Brad Kava Editor
Siena Arioto, 8, had just written a letter to Santa when she got the big news– she was selected to be the Grand Marshal at the Gilroy Holiday Parade Saturday. 0
Now, she will hand deliver the letter when she rides in his sleigh, surrounded by friends from the third grade at Gilroy Prep School. “I think it’s pretty amazing,” said her mother, Laura Arioto, a lifelong Gilroy resident whose grandparents, Kelvin and Peggy Ashford used to own Western Auto downtown. Her aunt and uncle own
Ashford’s Heirlooms in the same location. “It was so surprising. We found out about it at a school assembly. Melanie Corona (of the Downtown Business Association) presented Siena with a letter from Santa. All my friends knew and kept it a secret from me.” Laura said she hopes having Siena at the center of the parade will help bring awareness to the
rare disease her daughter suffers from, Friedreich’s Ataxia, a genetic disorder that saps her energy and makes it hard to keep her balance. It also causes heart disease and scoliosis. Some 6,000 people suffer from it. The family found out she had it last year. “We hope a cure is around the corner,” said Arioto. “They are working on it.”
Meanwhile, the family, which includes children 24 and 5, try to stay upbeat. Siena makes it easier. “She’s a very positive, happy little girl that can make anybody laugh,” said Arioto. “She’s handling it gracefully.” Siena will not only ride with Santa, but she’ll be on stage helping to light ➝ Grand Marshal, 12