Existing late fines will also be forgiven, so patrons can start the year with a clean slate.

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

Here’s some happy news for Morgan Hill library patrons to kick off the new year. The Santa Clara County Library District has eliminated late fines for all SCCLD materials, including books, magazines, music, and movies. While SCCLD has not charged late fines for children’s materials for years, the new change covers materials for all ages and is effective Jan. 1.

“One of the core values of the Santa Clara County Library District is ensuring equal and open access to library services. Fines do not affect everyone equally. They pose a greater barrier for those who may have a greater need for library services,” said Mike Wasserman, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and chair of the Library Joint Powers Authority board. “Especially in tough economic times, access to public libraries is more critical than ever and eliminating late fines will certainly benefit our residents.”

 Existing late fines will also be forgiven, so patrons can start the year with a clean slate. Patrons may not see existing fines removed from their accounts until later in the month. Fees for lost items will remain, and the processing fees have been reduced for most items. 

Also, SCCLD recently launched a new auto-renewal feature. This automatically extends due dates on eligible physical materials from SCCLD. 

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Majid Bahriny

We saw tremendous generosity in the South Valley during the holiday season. Much of it was because of the higher number of people struggling after losing their jobs or businesses from the COVID-19 crisis. There are so many in the Morgan Hill community we would like  to praise, but it would take an entire issue of this newspaper to list them all.

We would like to especially spotlight Majid Bahriny, the owner of Mama Mia’s Mediterranean Restaurants in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. He played Santa Claus on Christmas Eve by providing plenty of food for those in need through Casa de Ponzini and the Edward Boss Prado Foundation. The Heart to Heart Dinner was scrumptious, according to Cecelia Ponzini, the founder of the foundation.

“Majid provided chicken alfredo, salad, rolls and a delicious carrot ginger cake for a total of 22 families,” she said. “The Edward boss Prado foundation provided Christmas cookies, a big can of popcorn and a gift card. Big thanks to Majid for always jumping in at the right time.”

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Photo by Mark Fenichel/fenifoto
From left, Claudia Sandoval and Carlos Pineda with Rebekah Children’s Services, G.M. Nissan of Gilroy Brian Verdin, Chamber CEO Mark Turner, and owner Nissan of Gilroy Don Groppetti.

The G for Kids Foundation partnered with Nissan of Gilroy in making its inaugural contribution to Rebekah Children’s Services, a local nonprofit that was selected to receive a 2020 grant of $20,000 from the foundation.

A check presentation ceremony to officials from this organization was held Dec. 11 at the Nissan location at 6807 Automall Parkway.

RCS focuses their efforts on providing family support  for a wide variety of needs including mental health services, foster care, and adoption support, providing food security for local families in need.

“Due to these especially difficult times that so many non-profits and families are facing, we decided to  expand our efforts to organizations in the greater Gilroy area,” said Don Groppetti, who oversees his  family’s foundation and is the president of Nissan of Gilroy. “We are also making a concerted effort to  urge everyone to give back to the non-profit of their choice if they can.”

Thanks, Nissan of Gilroy, for your support of our local families in need.

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Sandra McNeal

Leadership Morgan Hill will be doing something different in 2021, said the board president Sandra McNeal. The nonprofit educational group will be partnering with the city of Morgan Hill and their town hall meetings, presenting a series of 90-minute webinars that focus on current topics within our community, including local and state sectors. 

“Our first session will be regarding growth within Morgan Hill,” she said. “It will be free and held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday Jan. 21. Tune in to learn a little history, and how you can influence future development in our community.”

Registration will be at leadershipmorganhill.org. The nonprofit hopes to resume its regular 9-month program in 2022.

Contact Robert Airoldi at [email protected].