Letters

Ernie Reyes passed away recently in San Diego. He lived most of his life in this community and contributed a quality of leadership we all benefit from to this day.

In August of 2013, I attended a city council meeting where I suggested to the council that they consider lowering sewer rates to help offset the increase in water rates.

Water is, by far, the biggest issue facing California today as we endure the driest year in our state's history. With our archaic water system not designed to sustain a rapidly growing California, it is imperative we act now and not later.

Although I don’t have any school-age kids – my two sons are in college now –  I do care very much about the quality of the public schools in Morgan Hill. I have had the pleasure of visiting several of our local Morgan Hill schools and have always come away impressed by both teachers and students. On top of that, the many alumni who chose to live in Morgan Hill after completing their schooling are justly proud of their alma mater. I get that, because I attended public schools in a small town in Connecticut, and the twelve years of education I received there proved to be a solid foundation for my entire life. I want our kids in Morgan Hill to have that, too. They are our future, and the kind of education they get today will determine their future. The job we do during their twelve years in our school system will probably determine more than anything else what type of Morgan Hill we will have in 2035. After all, many of these kids will become our future teachers, cops, builders, nurses, doctors, lawyers, business owners, and parents.

I write this as a concerned citizen of Hollister. My concerns are centered on the deterioration of Dunne Park. Dunne Park is part of the historical homes community of downtown Hollister. The city of Hollister should recognize that this jewel of a place needs to be an example of the revitalization of the downtown community. The residents of the surrounding neighborhood, Sacred Heart Parish and the downtown businesses all deserve an improvement to Dunne Park, truly a “diamond in the rough.”

We would like to sincerely thank all of our friends and family for the kind expressions of sympathy on the loss of our beloved dad, Ken Duran. We deeply appreciate each and every one of you such as Jaime De La Cruz, Ignacio Velazquez and Mickie Luna for the heartwarming speech, and also to the Free Lance for the stories of my dad. Thank you all.

My name is Keith Snow, In 2012 there was an arson at a building off of Sunny slope. I knew it was arson, they told me no and that I didn't know what I was talking about. It took time for them to admit that it was arson. Then 2014 On the 23rd I talked with the fire chief and that day I knew for a fact that Dollar Tree and Larry's Liquors was arson, just on how they said the fire was started and being experienced in blueprints. It was in the center of Dollar Tree. On the news they also said it looks like it started in the middle of the Dollar Tree. I wrote to the police chief that it was suspicious, then all of a sudden it was in the paper that it was suspicious and came out to be arson. I gave him several of my ideas on how to find out and I am good at hazard waste. Because the multiple companies that I worked for use to remove hazard waste.

In 2012, the California Parks and Recreation Department hid $20 million in funds and issued improper payouts to employees resulting in major state budget deficits. This lack of transparency threatened the closure of several state parks and severely damaged the public’s trust.

To say that Penny Wise Drugs is just another drugstore is like saying the San Juan Mission is just another church.

From our heart to your ears and eyes, we would like to thank all those who came out in support of the R.U.N for Christ, R.U.N to God 5k 10k Event Series. We would like to especially thank Chief David Westrick of the Hollister Police Department, Chief Michael O'Connor from the Hollister Fire Department, Mars Hill, Safeway Marketplace/Management for their support, Premiere Cinemas, our faithful friends Scott McPhail for his generous sponsorship of 30 youth, Ray and Peggy Pierce for their generous financial support, Erica Renteria for your unwavering support and also all churches in attendance. Thank you for your faithful support. Christy Turner of Cold Storage Crossfit, Diane Diaz Hopkins Insurance Services, Hollister Super Mercado, Staples management team Joe Gallegos, Renae, and Brianna – thank you so very much. To our faithful staff and organizing committee, Stacey Chavez, Shiyah Harrison, Britney Homan, Alex Flores, Lisa and Gabby Nino, Maxine Cunningham and family, Celeste and Adrianna Duran, Tamara Chavez and family, Maggy Garcia, Angela Kitchens, Phyllis Vasquez, Gregory LaForge, Monica Flores-Okerson, Ray Rojas, Kevin and Stephanie Castro and the entire First Presbyterian Church of Hollister for the Largest Church Group in attendance and the brilliant Dr. Carlton Oler. An extra special thank you to all the beautiful and wonderful participants and every last one of our volunteers. Thank you all and may every single one of you and your families be blessed seven fold. We look forward to seeing you all next year. Thank you!