| South Valley Spotlight Morgan Hill · San Martin · Gilroy |
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| Read Wednesdays by South Valley homeowners · Sponsor a slot → | Wednesday, May 13, 2026 Measure D cost examples, Saturday road closures, a free Gilroy movie night, Mushroom Festival dates, and one night-under-the-stars wine pick. Measure DOpen StreetsWeekend Plans |  | Measure D cost math in 60 seconds (no politics) Measure D is on the June 2 ballot and it’s different than the flat parcel taxes we’re used to. It would add a new parcel tax for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (OSA) based on your building square footage. The rate is $0.02 per square foot, capped at $7,500 per parcel. SPUR’s voter guide estimates the average single-family home (about 1,475 sq ft) would pay about $29.52 per year. Quick examples (rounded) | 1,500 sq ft | $30 / year | | 2,500 sq ft | $50 / year | | 4,000 sq ft | $80 / year |
This would be in addition to the existing OSA charges on your tax bill (Measure T + District 1 assessment). |
OSA’s official initiative page frames the money around wildfire risk reduction, clean water and habitat protection, open space conservation, and public access (trails and parks). Whether you’re a yes, a no, or still deciding, the useful part is knowing the math on your own place. Quick estimate. (building square footage) × $0.02. If you don’t know your number, your property tax/assessor paperwork usually lists it. |
| Real Estate Pulse · March March market pulse. Morgan Hill vs Gilroy Morgan Hill $1.225M Down 9.6% YoY median |
Gilroy $1.115M Up 2.3% YoY median |
Days to sell 11 / 29 Offers 1 / 1 |
Morgan Hill is softer on price year over year, but homes are still moving fast. Gilroy prices ticked up, but the pace slowed. Two different moods, two different negotiation windows. | Three homes to compare this week  | Morgan Hill 16260 San Ramon Dr$879,888 · 3 bd · 2.5 ba · 1,347 sqft View listing → |
 | Gilroy 7135 Yorktown Dr$1,049,000 · 4 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,085 sqft View listing → |
 | San Martin 14200 Sycamore Ave$1,500,000 · 2 bd · 1.5 ba · 3.87 acres View listing → |
| | 🏛️ Morgan Hill Budget | Morgan Hill’s budget town hall is May 16 (10am) The city is projecting a roughly $4M annual deficit and says reserves will keep sliding without either new revenue or service cuts. If you want the cleanest overview, start with the city’s Budget Snapshot and then show up for one of the two public dates below. Town Hall Sat, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. (Community & Cultural Center, Poppy Jasper Room).
Budget Workshop Wed, May 20 at 6:00 p.m. (Council Chamber). Budget page (dates + Balancing Act) → |
| 🚲 Open Streets | Open Streets Morgan Hill is May 16 (road closures listed) This is the family-friendly street-festival style day at the Community & Cultural Center (Sat, May 16, 9am–1pm). The city says Depot Street (between 5th and Dunne) plus the Community & Cultural Center parking lots will be closed from 7am to 2:30pm. If you plan to pop in for an hour, parking and closures are the only thing you really need to know in advance. Open Streets page → Road closure list → |
| 🛏️ Useful Info | Gilroy now has a free weekday mattress drop-off site If you’ve got an old mattress sitting in a garage (or you’re doing a move-out clean), there’s now a permanent Bye Bye Mattress drop-off at 8585 Forest St. Hours Mon–Fri, 9am–3pm. They’ll take mattresses, box springs, and futon mattresses. The program also offers $3 per mattress (limit five per vehicle per day). Gilroy Dispatch details → Find-a-facility tool → |
| 🥾 Parks & Open Space | Coyote Valley’s easiest hike is getting more accessible The Open Space Authority says it’s making accessibility improvements to the Heart’s Delight Trail and day-use area at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. If you’ve got strollers, grandparents, or anybody who hates uneven footing, this is the kind of upgrade you’ll actually feel. OSA preserve page → |
| | Save for this week Measure D math Estimate your yearly cost before the ballot hits the kitchen counter. | Saturday in Morgan Hill Budget town hall at 10am. Open Streets runs 9am to 1pm. Parking will be the pain point. | Family plan Gilroy movie night is May 22. Mushroom Festival lands May 23 and 24. Put tickets, parking, and lunch plans in the same text thread. | Garage cleanout The new Gilroy mattress drop-off is free weekdays, and appointments are smart. |
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|  | 🥾 Trails to Try Three easy summer warm-up walks Go early, bring water, and save the big hill days for before the valley turns into an oven. Morgan Hill Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve. Big views, wide-open valley feel, and a good reminder that the valley still has room to breathe. Map → | Gilroy / San Martin Martin Murphy Trail at Harvey Bear. Two flat paved miles, easy with bikes, strollers, and kids who need to run. Map → | Gilroy side trip Sprig Lake Loop at Mt. Madonna. Four-plus miles, more climb, better picnic reward. Map → |
Visit Morgan Hill trail guide → Visit Gilroy trails → |
| |  | Wine under the stars at L&M Vineyard this Saturday L&M Vineyard has a stargazing night on Saturday, May 16. The winery opens at noon, music runs 5 to 8pm, and telescopes come out at 8:30pm with Lick Observatory volunteers there to guide the sky-watching. Reservations are free. Wine and food are for purchase, and donations support Lick Observatory recovery. Bring chairs or blankets unless you enjoy pretending vineyard ground is soft. |  | Operation Freedom Paws (San Martin) A local nonprofit that helps veterans and first responders train their own service dogs. They’ve been doing it for almost 15 years, and they rely on donations to keep the program accessible. Learn more, donate, or volunteer. Website operationfreedompaws.org |
| 📒 South Valley Small Business Directory Three Local Businesses To Keep In Mind Rotated from the South Valley Small Business Directory. | | Craft Roots Taphouse Featured | Morgan Hill |
|  | California comfort food, rotating taps, and a downtown Morgan Hill patio that fills up fast on weekends. craftrootstaphouse.com → |
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| | Taqueria y Mariscos Chapala Featured | Gilroy |
|  | Birria tacos, seafood plates, big portions, and a Gilroy lunch plan that does not need a reservation. View on Yelp → |
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| | Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical & Solar Featured | Morgan Hill / Gilroy |
|  | HVAC, electrical, and solar help for South Valley homes before the first real heat wave shows up. valleyheating.com → |
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| This one turned into a May planner. Save the Saturday road notes, pick one trail before the hills go summer-gold, and maybe claim a picnic table before everyone else remembers outside exists. Also, we want your easy wins. Patio dinner, short trail, kid-friendly thing, roadside stand, whatever makes a South Valley weekend feel like it was worth staying close to home. Quick question. Reply to this email with some events or places we should highlight for this summer. Sheena & Ryan, South Valley Spotlight | ⭐ For South Valley Realtors If you're a realtor in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, or San Martin, this is for you. We have exactly one Founding Agent slot per city. Claim your city → |
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