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THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

BROTHERS OF THE VINE A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times

Solis Winery wins big in largest American wine competition

Solis Winery takes home wins

SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

COYOTE CREEK P10 | THEATER THRILLS P12

NURSES ENTER THE FRAY P2 | HOUSE PRESERVES PIECE OF THE PAST P8 | TU’UA SHINES FOR SOBRATO P17

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

Mansmith’s BBQ has a new storefront

SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

DIVINE PAIRING Mansmith’s BBQ and Aroma Cellars are better together

COYOTE CREEK P10 | THEATER THRILLS P12

$1 • Friday, February 15, 2019 • Vol. 126, No. 7 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894

Hoteliers fight back against Madrone rezoning PETITION IS UNDERWAY TO REVERSE COUNCIL DECISION Jaqueline McCool Reporter

➝ Madrone, 11

Jaqueline McCool

Morgan Hill hotel owners are fighting the City Council’s decision to approve the zoning for two hotels to be built in Madrone Village. The council first approved a zoning amendment for the properties at a Jan. 23 council meeting with a 5-0 vote. After the second reading of the ordinance on Feb. 6, a petition to challenge the council’s decision to allow two four-story hotels—a Marriott and a Hilton—to be built in the business park began to gain signatures. Madrone Village is the shopping center/business park off of Cochrane Road and Madrone Parkway. It had originally been zoned for a larger commercial space, such as a grocery store. An email sent the night of Feb.11 by Maureen Tobin, communication and engagement manager for the City of Morgan Hill, said the petition urged council members to reverse their unanimous decision or the petitioners “will force an election on the matter no sooner than 88 days from certification of the signatures, but most

PLAY TIME Jeff pushes Santos on the swings, his favorite ride in the park. The two are part of the Abilities United group that frequents Magical Bridge Palo Alto.

A park for all MAGICAL BRIDGE BRINGS INCLUSIVE FUN TO TOWN Jaqueline McCool Reporter

Twelve years ago, Olenka Villarreal was working a tech job in Palo Alto. She was driving to San Jose once a week to take her daughter with special needs to a physical therapy center, and she was

longing for a place where she could take both of her children to play worryand money-free. The parks in her area were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but were enclosed, small and, frankly, boring. If Villarreal was seeking a place to play with her whole family, she knew others would be, too. Villarreal recruited her friend, Jill Asher, from

her Silicon Valley public relations job to help her create a revolutionary kind of park—one where every type of body is welcome and a place where everyone can play—and Magical Bridge was born. In 2015, Magical Bridge Palo Alto opened to the public. Now there are four parks in the works around the Bay Area, including one in Morgan Hill. The Morgan Hill park is set to

break ground in June and open in 2020 to serve the South Valley. Before Magical Bridge stepped in and Santa Clara County matched the city’s $2 million donation, the need for an inclusive park in Morgan Hill was already apparent. Anna Gervacio frequently takes her son, who is autistic, to Morgan Hill’s parks, but knows that the older he gets, the more difficult it will be for him to

play on the small structures. And then there was the time she took her son to Nordstrom Park in Morgan Hill. Because the structure doesn’t have a gate surrounding it, Gervacio’s son was able to run across busy East Dunne Avenue in search of a bathroom. In a moment of terror, Grevacio sprinted after him, with both of their lives in danger. ➝ Magical Bridge, 12

San Martin rape suspect arrested SHARWIAN BOBIAN TO APPEAR AT HEARING IN MH FEB. 14 Jennifer Wadsworth New SV Media

believe it,” he said in a phone call minutes after the arrest. “I was just saying this morning, every time my phone rings I’m just waiting to get this call.” The Sheriff ’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the case because the alleged crime took place in unincorporated South County, began canvassing local homeless encampments on Monday as soon as the DA filed a rape charge. A San Jose police officer spotted Bobian at U.S. 101 and Yerba Buena Road. Recognizing his face ➝ Suspect, 14

Sheriff’s Department photo

Sharwian Bobian—who went missing for more than a month after the Santa Clara County district attorney declined to file rape charges against him—was arrested Friday morning after a five-day manhunt. The 43-year-old mentally ill homeless man was last seen Jan. 4 at his

makeshift shelter in San Martin, just a half-mile from the victim’s home and just two days after the Sheriff ’s Office had to release him because the DA deemed the case too difficult to prosecute. The victim, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, started crying when she found out about the suspect’s capture. “Oh my God,” she said, pausing to catch her breath between sobs. “Oh my God, what a relief.” Her husband, hearing the news for the first time, said he’s glad the suspect is off the streets. “I can’t

SHARWIAN BOBIAN Suspect was arrested

Feb. 8 in San Jose.


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