Over the last few years—and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic—Santa Clara County's Coyote Creek watershed has become an inflection point for how the South Bay must address issues surrounding its homelessness crisis and the environmental impact of creekside encampments.

A recruitment effort is underway to bring thousands of litter picker-uppers to South Bay creeks for Coastal Cleanup Day this weekend.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to volunteer leaders and a few hundred citizens who have been cleaning our creeks, clearing our trails and preserving our parks while the City Council debates how to allocate its limited resources.

Steve Holmes represents the kind of citizen leader that we need in the years ahead, as the new paradigm of limited government requires more involvement from private sector volunteers, donors and visionaries. Mr. Holmes is all three and the group he launched, Friends of Los Gatos Creek, has already had a significant and positive impact on one of San Jose’s key environmental challenges.