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Holiday SPECIAL MAGAZINE
NOVEMBER 23, 2018
GIFT GUIDE 2018
QUILT SHOPS P8 BOOK FINDS P14
LOCAL GOODS P17
Buy local this holiday season
SPECIAL MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
MORE ROOM FOR SPORTS PARK P2 | NEW NURSING PROGRAMS P11 | BAD DRIVERS, BEWARE P 14
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
ESTABLISHED 1868
NOVEMBER 16, 2018
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE P8
Navy Veteran Trish Graves
GEORGE TROQUATO P17
Psychedelic treatments for trauma
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
A New SV Media publication Clinical trial offers a way out of pain
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE• THIS gilroydispatch.com Vol. ISSUE 151, No. 47 • $1
Friday, November 23, 2018
Breakthrough Treatment
Panetta looks to farm bill in 2018 THE SENATE AND HOUSE VERSIONS DIFFER ON SNAP PLAN By Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
Congressman Jimmy Panetta, headed to an 80-20 victory in his first re-election bid, isn’t going to be putting his feet up in the next few weeks while waiting for his Democratic Party to take control of the 116th U.S. House of Representatives. One of Congress’ most fervent bi-partisan optimists, Panetta is raring to go back into the fray with many of his lame duck colleagues to get the 2018 Farm Bill renewed before the new Congress is sworn in in January 2019. “I have confidence that a compromise bill will get passed this year,” he predicted on Nov. 15. “Final passage this Congress is the priority.” That could be a tall order, which may be more dependent than anything on the mood of his friends across the aisle, who have been holding out for adding a work requirement to federal food stamps. The work requirement for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients was pushed by President Trump and added to the House farm bill this summer, but was not included in the Senate version of the bill. The resulting farm bill deadlock has increased anxiety levels among tariff-fearing farmers, agribusinesses and food stamp recipients in Panetta’s ➝ Panetta, 12
FAMILY CELEBRATION Robert Rivas celebrates his victory with his wife Christen and two-year-old daughter Melina.
Family fuels Rivas SAN BENITO NATIVE SON HEADS TO SACRAMENTO By Jaqueline McCool Reporter
Bold. That’s how Robert Rivas, newly elected assembly member to California’s 30th district describes himself, his leadership style and his campaign. “I’m not afraid to make a decision, so long as it’s the right decision to make,” said Rivas said in his first interview after locking in a solid victory Nov. 6 in his first bid for the state Assembly. Rivas’ story is the embodiment of the “California dream,” as he calls it. As the grandson of a migrant farm worker, Rivas grew up in Paicines, in southern San Benito County. After several years of living in farmworker housing, the family moved to Hollister in 1989, where Rivas attended San Benito High School and got involved early in politics and leadership. The children of a single
mother, Rivas and his brother began working in their community at the urging of their grandfather, who had been a guiding voice in Rivas’ life. Despite passing away from cancer in 2011, Rivas’ grandfather got to see Robert Rivas elected to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors in 2010. Eight years later, Rivas is headed to Sacramento, representing the 30th Assembly District. Sitting in his office nestled next to Hollister City Hall, he was surrounded by stacks of campaign signs in every corner. A piece of white printer paper was still taped to the door leading into the smaller office in the back— “the war room.” The war might be over, but the work is just beginning. For Rivas the new mountain of work isn’t just okay, but welcomed. Throughout his political career hard work has become a celebrated part of his legacy. After his election as supervisor, Rivas took two more jobs to
provide for his newly formed family. He’s worked as a grant coordinator and later a student support manager at San Benito High School, while teaching political science at Gavilan College. The experiences, he said, have all led him to this point, informing how he helped make policy and whom it served. Shawn Tennenbaum, superintendent for the San Benito High School district, hired Rivas to work at his alma mater. He said having Rivas work at the school has given San Benito High students the opportunity to model themselves after a leader. “Having that ability to see themselves in Robert,” said Tennenbaum. “That’s invaluable.” Despite an instinctive interest in politics, Rivas said he never envisioned himself as the candidate, rather the man behind the curtain. Early in his career he worked on local campaigns with his brother, Rick Rivas, making connections to leaders within the community, and staying largely out of the spotlight.
Having overcome a childhood stutter, Rivas said he had apprehensions about being in the public eye. Ultimately he decided that he was the person to get the work done. Friends and mentors warned Rivas that he was unlikely to win his first campaign, but he said that only motivated him more. In the first political campaign of his own, Rivas unseated twotime incumbent Patricia Loe for the District 3 seat, winning over 70 percent of the vote. There are no hard feelings now, Rivas said The two have even become friends in recent years. Loe would come to endorse Rivas’ Assembly campaign. “He’s a very truthful, dedicated young man,” said Loe. “I hope to see him go far in the political arena.” The same internal drive that pushed Rivas to run for supervisor returned when the opportunity arose for him to run for the 30th ➝ Rivas, 8
One man sought in three robberies INCIDENTS OCCURRED OVER THREE DAYS AT 3 CONVENIENCE STORES Staff Reports
Over a three day period Nov. 8-10, the Gilroy 6
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Police Department investigated a series of armed robberies. On Nov. 8, at approximately 12pm, police said a white male adult entered the 7-11 at 162 West Tenth Street and contacted the store clerk, displayed a handgun and demanded money from the register. The suspect was able to flee the store with an
undisclosed amount of cash, according to police. The next day, at approximately 7:45pm, the same white male adult entered the Travel Park convenience store at 5920 Travel Park Circle, displayed a handgun and again demanded money from the register. The suspect fled the store with
an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. On Nov. 10, at approximately 1:30am, the same white male from the previous two robberies entered another 7-11 at 691 First Street, and demanded money from the register. The clerk told police he refused to meet the suspect’s demands and moments later the suspect
left the store without any money. The suspect in all three cases is described as 20-25 years of age with brown hair and a youthful appearance. Anyone with information about these cases or who can identify the suspect depicted in police photos is asked to contact Det. Cryar at 408-846-0335.