Opinion

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.