Opinion

There are certain events that become part of your life without you ever realizing it. They mark the seasons, become family traditions and, over time, become part of your own story. For me, that event is the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Like so many people, I’ve been...

“Abolish Ice”, a sign captured in the Free Lance photo featured in the coverage of the protest at the Gilroy construction site for an ICE detention center. Of course we don’t want our spinach, carrots, onions and garlic spoiled by a police state. I...

With the California High Speed Rail Authority’s Supermassive Black Hole Bullet Train insolvent, and getting more so every day, as motorists and taxpayers are gouged for the tax subsidies the builders demand, a bankruptcy solution, so common in the economy (see examples off the...

If you ask police officers, school administrators or parents in Hollister about e-bikes, you’ll likely hear the same response: They’re becoming one of the biggest public safety challenges facing our community. Not because e-bikes are inherently dangerous. It’s because too many riders are treating them...

Re: Another Recall, Free Lance, July 17. Democracy is under attack because some do not like to lose an election. These few initiate recalls. These “Poor Losers” prefer to be winners so they proceed on the attack. They disregard the common good. What concerns me...

Some stories are difficult to write because there are simply no words that can make sense of them. The tragic loss of 17-year-old Mason Gomes in an accident on July 3 is one of those stories.  Last Thursday, his family gathered with friends, neighbors and...

Re: Joe Heller cartoon, Free Lance, July 10. The smile on the beak of the stork transmits the purpose of the fly-over of the Capitol by the stork while depositing the standard “bird droppings” smiling about his delivery. The point of his beak bringing a...

A Gilroy free-ride-and drive event could be renamed to “What’s Under Your Hood” because popping the hood of an electric vehicle reveals absolutely nothing. This hood is empty: no cylinders, no pistons, no filters, no parts with no need for an oil change.  Thank you...

This Saturday, America will mark a milestone: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a moment worthy of celebration, reflection and, perhaps more importantly, conversation. Reaching 250 years is not a small achievement. Our nation’s history is filled with...

When people think about economic development, they often picture business recruitment, job creation and new industries. But one of the most important foundations of a healthy economy is housing. Without attainable homes that workers, families and seniors can afford, businesses struggle to attract talent, hospitals...