THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN
JULY 19, 2019
Beer Week arrives in South Valley
A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times
Calendar of events P8 Wildfire preparation P14 Real Estate P19
Beer Rising
SOUTH VALLEY MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Silicon Valley Beer Week extends to South Valley P6
APPLIED MOTION MOVING HERE P2 | PROTEST AT ICE OFFICE P12 | LIVE OAK FOOTBALL P15
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
JULY 19, 2019
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
WINE QUEST
San Benito wineries a worthy quest
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Calera, Eden Rift wineries worth the trip P6 CALENDAR OF EVENTS P8 | WILDFIRE PREPARATION P14 | REAL ESTATE P19
$1 • Friday, July 19, 2019 • Vol. 126, No. 29 • morganhilltimes.com • Serving Morgan Hill since 1894
City Hall salaries rank high in state HIGH NUMBER OF PART-TIME WORKERS DROPS AVERAGE PAY Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
➝ City salaries, 10
Robert Eliason
The City of Morgan Hill’s wages and benefits for its top administrators place it among the top 20 percent in the entire state, according to a new report. Salaries for the city’s full-time employees also are among the state’s best, according to the annual report of Government Compensation in California, 2018, by state Comptroller Betty Yee. But Yee’s report also showed city pay rates are far below those of Santa Clara County, which has the highest average pay in California. Details provided by Morgan Hill show that while the median annual salary of Morgan Hill’s fulltime, full-year employees is $137,319, the large number of part-time and seasonal employees—61 percent in 2018—results in an average annual pay for city workers of $47,946. The average pay for all
BOUNCING INTO THE WEEKEND The Wright family is pictured in various states of bounce-induced uprightness at
The Big Bounce America July 12 at the Outdoor Sports Center in Morgan Hill.
Bounce house party INFLATABLE, TRAVELING FUNHOUSE RETURNS TO SOCCER COMPLEX THIS WEEKEND Michael Moore Editor
Anybody who thinks there is nothing for kids to do in Morgan Hill should visit the Outdoor Sports Center this weekend, when the world’s largest inflatable bounce house invites children and grownups of all ages
for some outdoor exercise and excitement. The Big Bounce America— an 11,000-square-foot inflatable bounce house that rivals many local residences in size—made its debut at the Morgan Hill OSC last weekend, July 12-15. Kids, adults and families could purchase tickets to spend up to three hours in the Big Bounce, where they were challenged to navigate a variety of bouncy features. Big Bounce America holds
the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest bounce house, according to the event announcement. The funhouse features 40 unique obstacles, including “The Giant,” which is the longest inflatable obstacle course in the nation. It also includes ball pits, towering slides, a maze and the interactive, intergalactic attraction “airSPACE.” Live DJs, basketball hoops, confetti blasts, dancing competitions and bubbles ensure the fun never
stops as long as the Big Bounce is in Morgan Hill. The Big Bounce America will be open again this weekend, July 19-21, at the Outdoor Sports Center, 16500 Condit Road. Tickets can be purchased in advance online. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thebigbounceamerica.com or search for “Big Bounce America 2019” on Facebook. ➝ Bounce House, 11
Workplace safety at the forefront CHRISTOPHER RANCH EXPANDING ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING Erik Chalhoub Business Editor
Managers of Christopher Ranch, South County’s largest private employer, couldn’t help but notice the too-frequent mass shootings that occur almost on a weekly basis across the nation, many of which happen at a workplace.
But when a former employee shot and killed two managers and himself at the Ford Store Morgan Hill on June 25, the mass shootings hit home. Ken Christopher, executive vice president of Christopher Ranch, said that in response to the mass shootings, especially at the Ford Store, the largest garlic producer in the nation is bolstering its safety programs for its employees.
While workplace violence training has already been mandatory for all of Christopher Ranch’s employees, senior managers have recently undergone active shooter training. That will soon extend to all 1,000 employees as well. “We were developing the program, but we decided to accelerate the training in light of recent events,” Christopher said. Christopher said the company has established
a zero tolerance policy for workplace violence. Fortunately, he added, beyond an occasional verbal altercation between employees, the ranch has not experienced any major incidents. “Companies of all sizes need to make sure their HR departments are continually doing research and training,” he said. “It might seem tedious, but employee safety needs to be at the forefront of every company.”
For the City of Morgan Hill, which employs more than 500 part-time and full-time staff, the police department provides periodic training on active shooter response, according to city spokesperson Maureen Tobin. “Much like other businesses, the safety of our teammates and guests is always a primary concern,” she said. ➝ Workplace safety, 11