EXCLUSIVE EDITORIAL: Bad Crash in East Morgan Hill leaves 9 People Injured

It was Sunday night, June 25, 2023 in East Morgan Hill. Traffic at the time on East Dunne Avenue near the split intersection of Gallop Drive and Thomas Grade Road were quiet. But just after 8PM, a call to the dispatch center in Morgan Hill noted 3 cars were involved in a major crash at the intersection. The Ford Mustang involved flipped on it's roof while the other 2 cars also were involved; one of them involved a Toyota Sienna with kids inside. What exactly happened is unclear, but as soon as the call was made, CalFire Santa Clara unit crews from Dunne Hill fire station and from headquarters raced to the scene, including multiple Type 3 engines. Because of the urgent magnitude of the crash, a CalStar helicopter was requested from Gilroy's St. Louise Hospital. Meanwhile, CalFire SCU crews worked quickly to extricate two people out of the Mustang as the occupants were trapped in a high velocity impact crash.

NBC Bay Area News weekend personnel were shocked of what they saw following a dramatic scene involving a CalStar medical helicopter landing in the middle of East Dunne Ave just one block from the Dunne Hill Fire Station. During that late newscast, photos started to surface from a Facebook group of the crash involving a Mustang, Toyota Sienna, and another unknown vehicle that was unrecognizable to see; eventually, that was posted on Twitter. It now turns out that of the 9 people including children that were injured in the crash; one was taken via helicopter to St. Louise in critical condition.

Traffic was backed up on East Dunne Ave heading towards the direction of Jackson Oaks and Holiday Estates areas, which are two separate areas only accessible via East Dunne Ave and Thomas Grade Roads. However, because both of them were blocked due to the crash, it took several hours for traffic to finally clear. 

Neither CalFire Santa Clara Unit Chief George Huang nor FIS/PIO Chelsea Burkett were available for comment on Sunday night, but Morgan Hill residents living near the area are trying to get answers from either CalFire, Morgan Hill Police, and/or the city of Morgan Hill. So far, there were no answers at the moment. 

Chak's Editorial: Sushi Randy's Next Truck? Probably an F-150 Raptor R (Short)

For over 20 years, Randy Musterer, commonly known as "Sushi Randy", owned a classic Toyota Tacoma truck that he uses to get around his three Sushi Confidential locations in Campbell, Morgan Hill, and San Jose. Originally from San Diego, Musterer founded Sushi Confidential after serving secret parties around Santa Clara County, with the first outlet being in Campbell, eventually expanding to both San Jose and Morgan Hill. All three of them are in the downtown areas. But Musterer's truck is getting too old to operate and he will need a replacement truck soon. So what might be in his mind? That's up to Musterer himself. 

Out of the trucks that Randy Musterer might be looking at, I personally recommend him to get himself the Ford F-150 Raptor R model instead, with blue on the exterior and black on the interior along with the graphics delete and adding the wheel locks. Soon after his ownership of a new vehicle, I suggest looking for another layer of protection to prevent catalytic converter thefts. Since he and his finance named Moni Sebestyen will be tying the knot soon, perhaps I also recommend Randy to get Moni a Raptor R as well, though hers will likely be either silver, black, or white on the exterior. In all cases, the duo will maintain their warranties until expiration date as noted in the contract for all parts and service, as well as practicing safe driving and not going over the speed limit when possible. Making extensive use of the cruise control feature will definitely help, especially when going along I-15 between Southern California and Las Vegas. 

When the warranties do eventually expire, both of them can elect to either keep or let go of one of the trucks. I'd be very surprised if Randy eventually wants to thank me for the suggestions and eventually wants to transfer it under my ownership (although not directly). Who knows - I might one day be driving one of the Raptor R trucks. And I will be surprised if they spot me on Facebook (and Moni also spotting me on Instagram as well). 

Until the time comes, please don't drink any alcohol when driving.

Kyle Chak

chak595301@gmail.com

@KyleSChak

EXCLUSIVE: Traffic Tickets in Santa Clara County to relocate temporarily to Morgan Hill (UPDATED FEB 2023)

Has anyone recently been given a traffic ticket for a violation anywhere in Santa Clara County? If so, listen up because there's something major going on that I've been following since a tweet by the San Jose Police Department came up. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies announced on social media that the Santa Clara County courthouse in the city of Santa Clara that was used to process traffic tickets will make a temporary but major move to the South County courthouse in the city of Morgan Hill. Santa Clara County Superior Court's Santa Clara location will be closed temporarily for traffic courts. The court didn't answer my request for more information (at the time of this blog) regarding whether the court's Santa Clara location is under construction or not, but the courthouse is certainly in need of a major renovations. 

THE EXPECTATIONS

Most drivers should have very little problem getting to the South County courthouse location at 301 Diana Ave in Morgan Hill, but drivers are advised to use the Cochrane Road exit off of U.S. Highway 101 due to the commute hours that usually goes north and that Butterfield Blvd is subject to congestion during commute hours. In fact, the courthouse is located on the corner of Diana Ave and Butterfield Blvd. 

For those getting to the South County Courthouse, VTA line 568 should not be a problem for those going to the courthouse. The weekday-only route runs all day that made it's debut back in 2021 replacing Express line 168 to improve services in the southern portion of Santa Clara County. But depending on your location in Santa Clara County, you may need to plan ahead using apps like Transit, Google Maps, and so on (more on this in the FAQ section) and double check if the bus is line 568. With the exception of Butterfield Blvd for most of Morgan Hill between East Dunne and Cochrane, much of the line runs along Monterey Highway. However, line 568 only has less than 15 stops in San Jose; two of which are not served by line 68 at all within San Jose, so please double check the bus stop and bus line served by that particular bus stop.

Expect long lines throughout the day and get there early as there will be security checks. Avoid bringing in "arms" of any kind (weapons, knives, needles, and other sharp objects) and put your cell phone on SILENT or AIRPLANE MODE. All items, including your belts, cell phones, and stuff must be removed for security inspection and clearance. Just like the local police department or CHP, the clerk of the courts and law enforcement wants your full attention when approaching them. 

In a news release by the Santa Clara County Court's website, the courts took note of the existing parking space available at both the court and the nearby Morgan Hill Caltrain station, which serves VTA line 568. Alicia Vojnik, the court's chief officer of operations for Santa Clara County Court, added that parking in downtown San Jose has been more difficult recently as opposed to the no-cost parking at the South County Courthouse. The city of San Jose maintains parking garages near the courthouses plus parking meters along nearby streets.

SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I get to the South County Courthouse if I'm travelling by car?

In case the main parking lot at the courthouse is full, the Morgan Hill Caltrain station is your alternate parking lot. Unlike the Caltrain stations between San Jose Dirdon and San Francisco stations, the Morgan Hill Caltrain station is free of charge (as is Gilroy, San Martin, Blossom Hill, Capitol, and Tamien stations).

For those coming from San Jose and northwards: Due to potential commute traffic on U.S. Highway 101 in the northbound direction, it is strongly advised to take Cochrane Road and head west, then turning south onto Butterfield Blvd and then west on Diana Ave, where there is parking available. This is to avoid potential accidents that may occur. 

For those coming from San Martin, Gilroy, and southwards: Use East Dunne Avenue exit from Highway 101 and head west, then turn north onto Butterfield Blvd and west on Diana Ave. Due to potential commute traffic, if you do exit at Tennant Ave and turn west, turn north on Butterfield Blvd. If exiting at Leavesley Rd, Masten Ave, or San Martin Ave (heading westbound in all cases), you must turn north onto Monterey Highway then north (right) on Butterfield Blvd. 

How do I get to the South County Courthouse via transit?

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!!!

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is the bus provider in Santa Clara County and the easiest way to get to the South County Courthouse is by using VTA line 568. When the next stop is the Morgan Hill Caltrain Station, please trigger a "STOP REQUEST" by pulling the yellow cord. Clipper card use is STRONGLY ADVISED for faster boarding. From the Morgan Hill Caltrain station, walk 4 minutes to get to the courthouse's front entrance. 

For those on VTA line 68, please use Monterey/3rd bus stop in downtown Morgan Hill. However, please keep in mind that you must walk about 10 minutes from the bus stop to get to the courthouse's front entrance. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please plan your trips and transfer points carefully! To minimize the chances of a severe health effect, please ensure that if your starting point is NOT on line 568, please check to ensure that line 568 is among the routes that MUST be used for South County Courthouse trips. For those north of Monterey/Chynoweth bus stop in San Jose (Monterey/Roeder in the NB direction), if your bus stop does NOT include VTA line 568, please ride VTA line 68 and transfer to another stop that utilizes line 568.

What bus stops serve VTA line 568 to the South County Courthouse near the Morgan Hill Caltrain Station?

IMPORTANT - SAN JOSE RIDERS: IF ANY OF THE BUS STOPS ARE NOT LISTED BELOW, PLEASE ENSURE THAT THE TRANSFER POINT INCLUDES VTA LINE 568 BEFORE CONTINUING. 

The following bus stops serve VTA line 568... 

Gilroy: Gilroy Transit Center, Monterey/Farwell, Monterey/Cohansey

San Martin: Monterey/San Martin

Morgan Hill: Monterey/Tennant, Dunne/Monterey, Cochrane Rd/Cochrane Circle

San Jose: Monterey/Flintwell, Monterey/Ford, Monterey/Chynoweth (Monterey/Roeder for NB), Monterey/Senter, Monterey/Curtner (Monterey/Tully for NB), Monterey/Cottage Grove, 1st/Goodyear (1st/Keyes for NB), 2nd/Paseo de San Antonio (1st/Paseo de San Antonio for NB), 2nd/Santa Clara (1st/Santa Clara for NB), Santa Clara/Almaden, San Jose Dirdon Station

I’m coming from Caltrain to the Morgan Hill courthouse. How do I get there?

Caltrain does not operate south of Tamien station during the South County Courthouse hours in Morgan Hill, as Caltrain only operates commute-only trips south of Tamien station. Even at Tamien station, there are no direct connections to VTA line 568 from Tamien. Those who board Caltrain between Palo Alto and Santa Clara MUST off-board at San Jose Dirdon station and transfer to VTA line 568. VTA line 568 operates mostly parallel to Gilroy in a similar way that Caltrain operates during PM commute hours, but does not serve Tamien nor Capitol Caltrain stations. Fares for VTA Rapid buses (500 series) are the same as local bus lines. Please check VTA’s website for accurate fare information. Clipper cards are strongly advised. Those with a mobile device can use their phone to pay for fares on VTA and other Bay Area transit agencies.

I hope that this will give users important information regarding driving and transit options. Shall you need any inquiries, please don't hesitate to ask.

Editor's Note: Added with updated information and notes from the court's news release in February. 

Kyle Chak

chak595301@gmail.com

@KyleSChak