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THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN

A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times

AUGUST 17, 2018

Tiny Towns on Tour

Garden Railroad Tour right on track

MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Small railroad replicas open for visitors P4 WINE WINNER P12 | FIRE-SAFE LANDSCAPING P13

ESTABLISHED 1868

A New SV Media publication

Friday, August 17, 2018

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

AUGUST 17, 2018

gilroydispatch.com • Vol. 151, No. 33 • $1

Flying Colors Dance and Fitness moves shop

Setting barre the

2 counties looking at new train routes for south of Gilroy

SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

Amy Waran is destined for dance P4

WINE WINNER P12 | FIRE-SAFE LANDSCAPING P13

SALINAS-TO-SJ RAIL ROUTE THROUGH GILROY IS PLAN IN MONTEREY By Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor

➝ Caltrain, 14

Robert Eliason

The 40-year dream of restoring passenger rail service—stoked by increasing population and traffic congestion—from Gilroy south to Salinas and/or Hollister has found new life in two counties. Monterey County officials this week began construction of an $81 million project to build a new train station and other railroad upgrades, which they claim could bring daily railroad service to Gilroy and the Bay Area by 2020. Meanwhile, San Benito county transportation officials this spring received a $150,000 grant for an “indepth feasibility assessment of public transit projects, including passenger rail, to help reduce congestion along Highway 25.” One problem: No

ROPING RIDER Gilroy’s Stoney Joseph sets his sights on a calf during the tie-down competition at the Gilroy Rodeo.

Rodeo rocks weekend CROWDS WELCOME THE RETURN OF WRANGLERS, BULLS AND BRONCOS AFTER 60 YEARS Bryce Stoepfel Reporter

The Gilroy Rodeo is back, and judging by the attendance on the first weekend, there may be more rodeos to come. The nearly 6,000-seat arena on Dunlap Road was almost full on both Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11-12,

no rider suffered any serious injuries, and other than a few minor bumps in the road, the day went off without a hitch. The two-day event was resurrected after a 60-year hiatus, and rodeo organizer Erik Martin was happy and relieved as the first day came to a close. “It’s good to have that one out of the chute,” Martin said. “It was definitely a success. Look at the stands. People were coming up to me thanking me for doing this. I had their total support; I was getting hugs. It was an awesome day.” As late as 3pm on Friday,

Martin had not been sure how tickets were selling. “We were still building the arena on Friday when we got the last load of sand,” Martin said. “For the first year, the first rodeo, it was off the charts.” Rodeo judges consider both the people and animals athletes at the rodeo. Gilroyan Alyssa Ferguson’s 10-year-old horse Bay Mare was all business. Bay Mare swung her head to the right and seemed offended at the notion that she needed prodding to run any faster. “I feel pretty good; it’s great to

compete at a hometown rodeo,” said Ferguson, who was still riding an adrenaline rush after she had a go in the barrel race. “There’s isn’t anything else like it.” The mood of the bulls was way easier to see. They were mad, and they wanted to rid themselves of their riders. Joe Cousins, 60, from San Juan Bautista, had long ago hung up his spurs. On Saturday, the cowboy was back, but he didn’t last long on the bull. It shook him off seconds after the chute opened. ➝ Rodeo, 12

Report seeks new efforts to help homeless

Jaqueline McCool Reporter

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Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee presented a “Homelessness and Quality of Life Plan” to the City Council on Aug. 6 that recommended a coordinated approach by police, the community and city or county programs.

Smithee said the situation urgently needs more communitywide attention. He said his officers were, on average, arresting one homeless person every hour for various crimes and offenses. Gilroy’s homeless population is estimated at 722 by the Santa Clara County Homeless Census and Survey. The quality of life plan presented by Smithee aims to help with community relations, reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness and manage the growing number of people living on the streets.

Smithee told the council that along with the plan, his department has a task force of officers who focus on the homeless community and quality of life calls. The short-term goals of the plan looking into what the cost would be to have “full-time case management services counselors through the Office of Supportive Housing.” Other short-term plans address banning or regulating the parking of oversized/ recreational vehicles. Smithee told the council that the cost to remove RVs has risen

from $500 to $950. Smithee said the police department had previously funded the $500 removal of the vehicles, but financing is becoming increasingly difficult. The chief also said the department was hoping to partner with several organizations within Santa Clara County and Gilroy. An intermediate goal proposed was to create a homeless task force that would be called when police presence is not necessary. Other intermediate solutions ➝ Homeless, 5

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