$1 • Friday, January 5, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 1 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
Council to weigh Prop 64 options OFFICIALS WILL DISCUSS PROS, CONS AT JAN. 17 MEETING Michael Moore Editor
➝ Marijuana, 13
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
JANUARY 5, 2018
A section of the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
OU T & AB OU T OF NDAR CA LE EN TS EV
Gilroy’s Blue Lotus provides a healing path
Return to peace SENIOR PERSPECTIVE P12 | TOXIC GARDEN P13
Inside this issue: Finding peace within
Scott Hinrichs
With marijuana legal for recreational use in California as of Jan. 1, Morgan Hill police are expecting to see more of the controlled substance on local streets in the coming months. That’s despite the fact that the commercial sale, cultivation, manufacturing and transport of cannabis products remain prohibited in the city limits, at least until after the city council discusses their options at an upcoming meeting. The voter-approved state law, known as Proposition 64, allows adults age 21 and older to legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana, with or GOOD WORKOUT Ben Norton, right, a personal trainer at the Centennial Recreation Center, works with local resident
Blair Zerr in the fitness center of the 54,000 square foot facility, which was bustling with activity Jan. 2.
Getting fit in the new year CRC OFFERS A PATH TO ACHIEVING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION Scott Forstner Reporter
It’s the second day of the New Year and the Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center is bustling with activity as residents begin to put their “Get fit in 2018”
resolutions into action. The front desk receptionists are busy registering their newest members and checking in current ones. It’s a mix of adults, seniors, teenagers and even youngsters filling the bustling 54,000-squarefoot facility, which offers just about everything in the world of fitness. “We’re getting a lot of members we haven’t seen in a while and a lot of new members joining the facility,” said Kolby Rousseu,
the CRC’s Health and Wellness Director. “We’re getting more appointment times (for our personal trainers), and more staff just out providing assistance to our members.” Always at or near the top of any New Year’s Resolutions List is a selfpromise to get in shape. The CRC is one of a number of facilities in Morgan Hill (most of the others are owned by private companies rather than the city or any other
public entity) that provides different avenues for members to reach their health goals, including a fitness center with 25,000 square feet of cardio and fitness machines, a FitLinnx automated workout tracker and onsite personal trainers; a group exercise studio for free member classes such as Zumba, boot camp, yoga and TRX; a gymnasium with two full-length basketball courts (which were just resurfaced at
the end of 2017) for a variety of scheduled activities like basketball, volleyball, soccer and badminton; and a heated indoor pool for lap swim, lessons and Aqua classes. “It’s definitely lively here,” said Ben Norton, a personal trainer at the CRC. “The clients I work with are very nice, personable, good people. Everyone is working out, feeling great, so there’s a ➝ Getting Fit, 14
Local leaders wish well for 2018 RESOLUTIONS OFFERED FOR COMMUNITY, PERSONAL LIVES
what their resolutions or goals—both professionally and personally—are for the New Year. Here are some of their responses, in their own words:
Michael Moore & Scott Forstner
Steve Tate
Editor & Reporter
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With fresh ideas and unresolved issues leaking into 2018, The Times decided to ask some of our community leaders
Mayor of Morgan Hill For the city, we’ll set goals at our annual “Advance” later this month (Jan. 26-27), and many of our current priorities will be carrying over. The council
LEARN AT TOP COMPANIES WHILE EARNING YOUR DEGREE.
remember what it means to educate our children. It means we provide them every opportunity to learn about themselves, others and the world. My resolution is that every MHFT member is empowered to make Gemma Abels the educational dePresident of the Gemma Abels cisions that is best Morgan Hill for their students, Federation of Teachers that they have the resourcIn 2018, my resolution is to es necessary to support all of their students, and that has an ongoing resolution that will carry forward: simply to make Morgan Hill even better. For me, I resolve to have an answer to the often-asked question, “What will you do when you are no longer mayor?”
they are truly respected for improving the lives of students in Morgan Hill.
David Swing Morgan Hill Chief of Police
The Morgan Hill Police Department resolves in 2018 and beyond to be the Department of Choice for our residents, guests and members of our team. This means that the organizational culture ➝ Resolutions, 17
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