THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
AUGUST 31, 2018
A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Local company has edge on winery circuit P2
California Passport Tours drives the wine trail
SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Winning Wine Tours LIMELIGHT THEATER P6 | SEPTEMBER CYCLING P13
WATER DISTRICT FACES CAMPSITES P4 | SOLUTIONS EASE HOMELESSNESS P6 | CANNABIS VOTE WILL TEST SUPPORT P9
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance | August 31, 2018
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
Abundant Acreage
Terra Cultura builds community
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Aromas-based Terra Cultura grows community P2
LIMELIGHT THEATER P6 | SEPTEMBER CYCLING P13
$1 • Friday, August 31, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 35 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
Appeal returns Sutter to slate JUDGE RULES SC COUNTY ELECTIONS GAVE VANESSA SUTTER THE WRONG FILING DEADLINE Scott Forstner Reporter
➝ Sutter, 10
Bryce Stoepfel
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has added a Morgan Hill school trustee candidate to the November ballot, upholding an appeal by the candidate, Vanessa Sutter, who argued she had been given wrong information about the filing deadline by a county elections clerk. The Aug 23 ruling by Judge Theodore Zayner means voters in Trustee Area 5, in Morgan Hill, will have a choice on Nov. 6 between Sutter, a Morgan Hill parent and political newcomer, and Angelica Diaz, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in 2016.
ON COMMAND Mike Jones runs Malice, a Belgian Malamute, through exercises. Malice climbed two seven-foot brick walls then flew at a pull toy.
He trains all dogs OWNERS AND THEIR DOGS GET TRAINED TOGETHER Bryce Stoepfel Reporter
To Mike Jones, training a dog can be easy, but the owners can be a different story. Jones is the owner of Primal Canine in Morgan Hill, and he has built an expanding dog training
business that trains police, military, and personal dogs. His love of dogs which goes back to his childhood in East San Jose and a focused work ethic has propelled him to Morgan Hill. It hasn’t been without challenges. Recently, Jones has worked to release a documentary, ‘Pack Life.’ on Netflix, he’s had to defend his company against accusations of animal abuse, and
he’s doing it all despite a recent diagnosis of stomach cancer. “Dogs are easy; people are hard,” Jones said. One of the first things that stands out when you meet Jones, 34, are his tattoos. A cursive ‘Ivy’ tattoo, his daughter, is above his left brow. Among a sea of tattoos on both of his arm include a picture of one of his dogs, Bear, a pit bull mix Jones adopted from a shelter. Beneath
his left ear, there’s a red letter P tattoo, Primal, the same design he uses for the company’s logo. There’s a bit of resemblance between Jones and Primal’s mascot ,Bear. Both Jones and Bear can be misunderstood at first glance. Whatever kind of ‘tough guy’ persona one may assume is shed quickly as he interacts with a 15-pound Shih-Tzu, Nova. There’s an instant connection
between Jones and Nova. Nova doesn’t judge a person based on appearance, and that’s one of the reason’s Jones loves dogs. Jones worked through a misconception in May when his training was under scrutiny. Late in May, a passing driver on Hwy 101 saw dogs undergoing police dog training at Primal Canine’s fenced-in ➝ Primal Canine, 2
High court rules vote can upend zoning
Michael Moore Editor
The state’s highest court Aug. 23 reached a decision in a Morgan Hill case that questions a 30-plusyear-old interpretation of zoning law in California.
The California Supreme Court decision affirms the right of citizens to challenge government actions through ballot referendums—specifically, the actions of a city or a developer that tell property owners how they can use their land. The potential landmark decision in the City of Morgan Hill v. Bushey forces the city back to the drawing board on a 2015 effort to rezone a property
north of town where a developer wanted to build a hotel. The city may either hold a ballot referendum or rezone the site using some other classification that doesn’t allow a hotel. Remaining legal questions about the ultimate use for that property— a 3.39-acre site near the corner of Madrone Parkway and Lightpost Way— could get kicked back to the trial courts, Morgan
Hill City Attorney Don Larkin said. “What is clear is that the voters have the right to referend zoning ordinances, even where a successful referendum will result in zoning that is inconsistent with the General Plan,” Larkin said. “While this is a significant change in the law, we respect the Court’s thoughtful reasoning in reaching this result.” Attorneys for the city,
developer River Park Hospitality and the Morgan Hill Hotel Coalition argued their competing cases before the state’s six Supreme Court justices May 30. On Aug. 23, the judges unanimously decided in favor of arguments posed by the hotel coalition, that the people’s right to referendums outweighs the city’s legal requirement to keep its ➝ Supreme Court, 10
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