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A New SV Media publication
Friday, December 28, 2018
gilroydispatch.com • Vol. 151, No. 52 • $1
Happy New Year ! Police lawsuit heads to court CITY SEEKS TO DISMISS REMAINING CLAIMS OF DISPATCHER Michael Moore Reporter
➝ Police, 11
Barry Holtzclaw
Former Gilroy Public Safety Dispatcher Patricia Harrell’s wrongful termination lawsuit against the city and its police department still survives, despite a federal judge’s ruling this summer that dismissed most of her original allegations. A Feb. 7, 2019 hearing on the case is scheduled at the U.S. District Court in San Jose, where Judge Lucy Koh will hear the city’s motion to dismiss the rest of Harrell’s claims that she was discriminated against, treated unfairly and wrongfully terminated from the position she held at Gilroy Police Department for 25-plus years. Specifically, the City of Gilroy and its police department, among other listed defendants, filed a motion Oct. 17 to dismiss Harrell’s allegations of age discrimination, gender discrimination, failure to take steps to prevent discrimination and harassment, failure to investigate or take corrective action, retaliation, supervisory liability and violation of federal civil rights. In a lengthy court filing listing the rationale for the city’s request to dismiss
BIRDIE FINDS A HOME Nine-year-old Koa Stoll and 11-year-old brother Kyle of Gilroy greet an early Christmas present
last week at the Santa Clara County Animal Shelter in San Martin: Birdie, a 110-pound Great Dane.
Home for the holidays SAN MARTIN PET SHELTER INCREASES ADOPTIONS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Debra Eskinazi
Magazine and Features Editor
Forty-five wet noses have found new homes in recent weeks, thanks to the efforts of San Martin Animal Shelter. Shelter supervisor and animal control officer Jeremy Selbach said that of the 95 dogs they’ve taken in as strays since Nov. 26,
40 had been successfully reconnected with owners as of Dec. 19. “We do what we can on this end to find the original home,” said Selbach. Separate from their regular campaigns, the shelter offered earlier this month to lower adoption fees to $20 for all animals through Dec. 31—an effort the Selbach hopes will make it easier for people to invite a new pet into its forever home during the holidays. The adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, microchip ID implantation and registration, vaccinations, de-fleaing and deworming, and FIV/FeLV testing for cats.
The shelter receives pets on a daily basis, said Selbach. He said since some of the dogs are scared about being at the shelter, they started a program in the spring to help. “They need more time outside of the shelter, so we implemented a program to foster dogs that need a little extra socialization,” said Selbach. “We ask people to come to the shelter, pick a dog, and take them on their outing for a day.” Selbach calls this a foster field trip. “I like to treat the animal shelter as if it’s summer camp for
the dogs,” he said. “We’re setting them up for activities here at the shelter as well as off site. We ask volunteers our summer camp ‘counselors’ that are interested to take them out for an outing.” People interested in bringing home Fido for the holidays should visit the shelter before year-end. Not ready yet? Consider a foster field trip. The animal shelter is located at 12370 Murphy Ave. in San Martin and can be reached at (408) 686-3900 or sccountypets. org. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, noon-6pm and
Gilroy City Council matches demographics CITY GROWTH CONTINUES, AS INCOME GAPS LINGER, WEST SIDE DOMINATES Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
Gilroy is becoming increasingly Latino, according to new census reports, and its elected officials match the city’s shifting demographics. The re-election of Peter Leroe-Muñoz as the Gilroy City Council’s fourth Latino 6
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member may enable the city to avoid the kind of dramatic shift to district elections that is roiling local politics in cities and special districts throughout the state. A change in the state’s Voting Rights Act in 2017 made it easier for a single individual to force district representation if the composition of elected councils and boards doesn’t represent a community’s ethnic diversity. Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco, Gilroy’s first Latino mayor, is both
proud of and relieved by the strong Latino presence on the council. “The city is well represented by individuals who bring a diverse background, education and qualifications,” the mayor said in an interview this week. “Gilroy has four Latino representatives on the council plus a Latino city administrator.” The American Community Survey released this fall by the U.S. Census Bureau pegged GIlroy’s annual population growth at
more than 4 percent in 2017, the highest rate in years, and the percentage of Latino Gilroyans passed 60 percent for the first time. The city’s 2018 estimated population is 57,644, with 60.6 percent identifying as Hispanic/ Latino, according to the census survey. The city council’s four Latino members—Velasco, Leroe-Muñoz, Fred Tovar and Cat Tucker—represent 57 percent of the council, whose members are elected on a citywide vote. “The state Legislature
has created a presumption that cities should elect their councils by district,” said Don Larkin, city attorney for Morgan Hill. His city, which is onethird Latino, elected it first Latina city council member in years in November, when it switched to district elections. When one citizen threatened a lawsuit in Morgan Hill in 2017, the council, on Larkin’s advice, made the switch. He said contesting the ➝ Council, 4