THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
DECEMBER 14, 2018
A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Casa de Fruta offers fun holiday outing
SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Gourmet Gifts Casa de Fruta delights for more than 70 years
TEXTILE ARTS P8 | SWEET PEA ANTIQUES P12 | HOLIDAY WINES P15
ELECTION RESULTS CERTIFIED P11 | DAM PROJECT DELAYED AGAIN P14 | SOBRATO GIRLS SHOOT FOR THE STARS P16
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
DECEMBER 14, 2018
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
Casa de Fruta offers fun holiday outing
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Gourmet Gifts Casa de Fruta delights for more than 70 years
TEXTILE ARTS P8 | SWEET PEA ANTIQUES P12 | HOLIDAY WINES P15
$1 • Friday, December 14, 2018 • Vol. 124, No. 50 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
LAFCO rejects Catholic school again COMMISSION VOTES 5-2 TO DENY CITY’S REQUEST
COUNTY PLANS ST. LOUISE TAKEOVER SOUTH COUNTY HOSPITAL TO BECOME PUBLIC IN MARCH Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
Santa Clara County emerged this month as the sole bidder for O’Connor and Saint Louise hospitals, clearing the way for the county to buy the two private hospitals for $235 million, County
Executive Jeff Smith disclosed Monday. “We are really excited,” Smith told the Morgan Hill Times. “And, we’re ready to go.” “There is nothing that can derail it,” he said. In an interview with the Times, Smith said the county, anticipating this month’s news, has been laying the groundwork for its expanded health care system for weeks, and now will be on a fast track, which Smith hopes
will ensure a smooth transition to a three-hospital system in less than three months. Once the deal closes, the 129-year-old O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and the 29-year-old Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy will join the 142-year-old Valley Medical Center in a significantly expanded publicly owned and managed health care system. Smith said the DePaul Urgent Care Center in
north Morgan Hill—site of the original Saint Louise hospital—is part of the purchase and will continue as an urgent care center and medical offices. He expects the county to tear down the old hospital building, which has been vacant, and anticipates expanding skilled nursing care facilities in Morgan Hill. The new hospital system will increase the number of hospital beds by nearly 80 percent, increase
medical staff by 70 percent and boost total employees by nearly 40 percent, according to the county. Smith said the county has already created more than 2,000 new positions, ready to be filled initially by existing O’Connor and Saint Louise employees, who will be hired as “provisional employees in permanent positions.” He is gearing up the county’s human resources ➝ St. Louise, 8
Jaqueline McCool Reporter
A Catholic high school has been talked about in the Morgan Hill for nearly a decade, but the Diocese of San Jose has run into a series of setbacks getting its 40 acres of land—their preferred site of the future school—annexed into the city. The latest of these hurdles is the denial of an annexation proposal Dec. 5 by the county commission charged with authorizing city boundary line extensions. The school site sits outside of the city’s Urban Services Area, so it must be annexed in order to receive city services like water, sewer and public safety. The area the city attempted to annex sits north of Tennant Avenue and east of Condit Road. Plans to annex the high school site were submitted by the City of Morgan Hill to the Local Agency Formation Committee (LAFCO) for a second time, resulting in a Dec. 5 ruling at the committee meeting. Committee staff had recommended in their report that LAFCO commissioners deny the city’s request, because staff believed the plans did not comply with committee standards. The annexation proposal failed ➝ LAFCO, 4
Robert EliasonT
AIRPORT MUSEUM The San Martin Airport is home to an aviation history museum, which features a full-scale replica
of the Wright Brothers historic plane (with dummy pilot), shown here with museum docent Ed Ferner.
County votes to expand airport SUPERVISORS SET IN MOTION PLAN TO CLOSE REID-HILLVIEW AND EXPAND SAN MARTIN Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
Over the next decade, the skies above San Martin are likely to see steady and dramatic increases in light-plane traffic. A 3-2 decision by the Santa Clara County Board
of Supervisors Dec. 4 authorized a long-term plan to close the Reid-Hillview Airport in east San Jose and make substantial investments in upgrading and expanding the San Martin Airport, 24 miles south. Mike Wasserman, the supervisor who represents San Martin and the South County, including Morgan Hill and Gilroy, joined Board President Joe Simitian, who represents northwest Santa Clara County, in voting against the proposal. Supervisors Dave Cortese,
Cindy Chavez and Ken Yeager all voted for the airport consolidation plan. The supervisors’ decision begins a long process “to determine the futures of both airports, the health and safety of residents in the surrounding areas and the use of federal and local funds,” according to the county statement. The Reid-Hillview Airport would continue to operate until at least 2031, when federal grants expire, freeing up the 180
acres of land for non-aviation uses. The plan also would begin exploring a shift of San Jose State University’s aviation program from Reid-Hillview to San Martin. The board directed county staff to develop detailed plans for improving and expanding the San Martin Airport while negotiating leases at ReidHillview Airport to make land available for future commercial development. “The potential revenue
for the county in considering alternative uses for Reid-Hillview is too significant to ignore,” said Supervisor Dave Cortese. “But with this option, operations can continue at Reid-Hillview as we look at ways to improve the San Martin Airport.” One impact of the airport consolidation plan, in addition to upgrades to physical facilities and runways, would be a significant increase in air ➝ Airport, 12