Former Patch Staff
Hometown: Van Nuys, California
Birthday: July 1, 1963
Sheila Sanchez was born in Van Nuys and moved to Guayaquil, Ecuador, as a child. When she was 18, she returned to the U.S. to finish high school and enroll at Brigham Young University. That's where she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism in 1990.
Sanchez has worked for more than 25 years as a reporter and editor at mid-size daily and weekly newspapers. She's won several awards from the Associated Press for her spot news and investigative reporting, and in 2007, the Morgan Hill Times won the coveted General Excellence Award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, while Sanchez was editor. She also won numerous awards while working as editor for Patch, including "Best of the West" for her coverage of slain the slain Santa Cruz police officers. She's married to Mario, a software engineer in Santa Clara, and has three children—two daughters, ages 21 and 19, and a son, who is 12. She's completed eight marathons. My Beliefs: At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.
Politics: I'm not affiliated to any political party, but tend to vote Republican. I'm conservative on issues related to family, but I'm liberal on social issues.
Religion: I'm a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a.k.a. Mormons. I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools in Alausi, Ecuador, living in a boarding school run by Sisters of the Oblate Order. It was there that my love for spirituality and faith was born. I converted to Mormonism in Guayaquil, Ecuador, after searching and studying religion for many years.
I respect all denominations and faiths and believe all of them can help us draw closer to a higher power to live happy lives full of purpose and hope.
Local hot-button issues: Everyone in town is talking about the need for more recreational opportunities for youth. The planning of the proposed youth sports park is being closely followed by youth advocates, parents and young people. Capital improvement projects are also a big concern. The town is building a new library and last year built a police operations center to give more room to the police department. Other government buildings, however, are old and too small for a growing community. And due to dwindling funds from Sacramento, the town's general fund next fiscal year could be $2.5 million less, which could impact services.
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Bill, left, and George Cilker are pictured here at the Saratoga Foothill Club circa 1970.
Residents San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties have begun to trade time for services as part of TimeBank, a new Palo Alto Medical Foundation program.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 61 injuries associated with the jumper.
Company concedes that ‘sensitive’ information may have been compromised.
The historic engine has been in operation for more than 100 years in town.
The rankings are for the month of July 2013.
Family attorney amends April 15 wrongful death civil complaint to include a female accused of lying and attempting to cover up what happened during Sept. 2 party alleged to have triggered her demise.
R'Mani Minard and his associates are suspected of stealing more than $100,000 in goods from area stores.
New upscale convenience store in Saratoga Village will have soft opening at the end of the month at 14413 Big Basin Way.
An afternoon of trash pick-up reveals the joy of giving something back to express appreciation and love of community.
Law enforcement warns of Bay Area traffic delays due to concerts and ball games this Friday.
Felines are ready to find their forever homes inside M.E. Benson Estate Sales.
The following arrest information was provided by the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.
The young buck was found tangled in utility netting earlier this week.
A look at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's arrests for Cupertino for the period of June 26-29, 2013. The following arrest information does not indicate a conviction.
No injuries are reported in the Thursday morning accident at Top Cut Plus salon on Winchester Boulevard.
There's been an uptick in vandalism incidents in town and in Santa Clara County.
Mosquitoes in East San Jose found infected, spraying begins Friday; previous sprays extended to west Saratoga, Cupertino.
