Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Information provided by VFW Post 9242. Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Information provided by Gavilan College. Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Information provided by the California Department of Transportation. Lea este articulo en español aqui.
Lea este articulo en español aqui.
This commentary was contributed by Curt Fujii, Regional Engineer for Waste Connections. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink …
This article was written by BenitoLink intern Alexis Castro Juarez. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aquí.
This article was written by BenitoLink intern Camille Mattish. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Information provided by Mayra Zendejas, Hollister Dual Language Academy. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Information provided by the American Red Cross. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Information provided by Central Coast Community Energy. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
![Image for display with article titled San Benito County Activist Submits Slow-Growth Initiative](<figure><img alt="" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" height="531" src="https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-14-at-4.10.07 PM-1.png?fit=1024%2C531&ssl=1" width="1024" /></figure>
<p class="has-light-gray-background-color has-background">Lea este articulo en español <a href="https://benitolink.com/es/?p=98069">aqui.</a></p>
<p><strong>Local activist Andy Hsia-Coron</strong> announced March 12 that he had reintroduced an initiative to slow growth. </p>
<p>At the San Benito County Board of Supervisor meeting, Hsia-Coron said, “We reintroduced our initiative that gives the voters the power over these major land use decisions. We’ll soon be collecting signatures on this initiative. It’s with the county council right now.</p>
<p>“I spent a lot of time knocking on doors the last few weeks talking to people and it’s really clear there is a very very strong sentiment in San Benito to slow the growth and to make sure that the opinions of people in the county are honored rather than disrespected,” Hsia-Coron told the meeting. </p>
<p>He said proposed projects such as the John Smith Road Landfill expansion and Strada Verde vehicle testing facility have put the county at a crossroads.</p>
<p>“Are we going to be a county that is a great place to live, that protects its agriculture, protects its tourism?” Hsia-Coron asked. “Or are we just going to be like a third world nation, where they locate mega dumps, where they mine our rivers and our wildlife corridors, and where they cover all our farmlands with housing tracts that make it impossible for people to have any quality of life?”</p>
<p>BenitoLink requested a copy of the initiative from the San Benito County Elections Department but did not receive it in time for publication. </p>
<p>Hsia-Coron’s first attempt, with the Campaign to Protect San Benito, to change the process in which properties are rezoned and remove areas identified for commercial development in the county’s General Plan failed in 2022 with 56% of the voters opposing it. The initiative was called Let Voters Decide How San Benito County Grows and became Measure Q on the ballot. </p>
<p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14uuqIdEkF4aSjEXnxMa8UiA0CeZp2Bwt/view">Measure Q</a> proposed that any agricultural, rural, or rangeland zoning changes within the county’s unincorporated area be approved by the voters. It also proposed to remove nine commercial areas identified for revenue potential called “nodes” from the General Plan, which serves as the county’s blueprint for growth.</p>
<p>Proposed San Benito County Nodes:</p>
<p>Hwy 25 at:</p>
<ul>
<li>Shore Road</li>
<li>Tres Pinos</li>
</ul>
<p>Hwy 156 at:</p>
<ul>
<li>Fairview Road</li>
<li>Union Road</li>
<li>San Felipe Road</li>
<li>Highway 25</li>
<li>Hwy 156B (San Juan Hollister Road)</li>
</ul>
<p>Shore Road at:</p>
<ul>
<li>San Felipe Road</li>
</ul>
<p>Union Road at:</p>
<ul>
<li>San Benito Street</li>
</ul>
<p>Hsia-Coron was also involved in Preserve Our Rural Communities (PORC) which opposed commercial developments on Hwy 101 (Measure K, 2020) and in efforts to prohibit fracking in the county (Measure J, 2014).</p>
<p></p>
<p class="has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><strong><a href="https://benitolink.com/donate/">We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news!</a> </strong>BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider <a href="https://benitolink.com/donate/"><strong>supporting BenitoLink,</strong></a> San Benito County’s public service, nonprofit news.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://benitolink.com/san-benito-county-activist-submits-slow-growth-initiative/">San Benito County activist submits slow-growth initiative</a> appeared first on <a href="https://benitolink.com">BenitoLink</a>.</p> "Image for display with article titled San Benito County Activist Submits Slow-Growth Initiative")
![Image for display with article titled Central Coast Community Energy Releases Impact Report](<figure><img alt="CHISPA's Alfred Diaz-Infante apartment building in Marina. Photo courtesy of Central Coast Community Energy." class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" height="580" src="https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-11-at-11.44.22 AM.png?fit=934%2C580&ssl=1" width="934" /></figure>
<p class="has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><em>Information provided by Central Coast Community Energy. Lea este articulo en español <a href="http://benitolink.com/es/central-coast-community-energy-releases-impact-report">aquí</a>.</em></p>
<p><strong>Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) released</strong> its annual impact report, demonstrating how the public agency is delivering on its commitment to provide clean, renewable electricity and deliver community energy programs throughout the 5-county service area. The report shares how the agency has made a positive impact by lowering emissions, investing in local communities and keeping electricity prices stable and responsible.</p>
<p>“3CE is leading by example to make the grid cleaner and more reliable for all Californians,” said 3CE Policy Board Chair Das Williams. “Our procurement strategy is based on the idea of additionality; real progress toward clean and renewable energy means adding new resources to the grid. Cost savings for our customers is also top of mind and measures like our pre-payment bonds will keep rates responsible and competitive.”</p>
<p>Highlights from the report include:</p>
<ul>
<li>3CE secured its first prepay bond issuance to finance clean-energy supplies. The $647.8 million bond issuance is projected to save 3CE customers nearly 11.4% in energy costs, which translates to $32.9 million in the cost of energy over the initial seven-year period of the bonds.</li>
<li>3CE Energy Programs made $26 million available in customer rebates, which funded 1,000 new or used electric vehicles, 200 newly built all-electric affordable housing units, and 30 agricultural electrification projects.</li>
<li>The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to join 3CE, bringing the unincorporated area of the county into membership and completing the agency’s planned expansion following the City of Atascadero voting to join last year.</li>
<li>$2.8 billion invested in renewable energy and energy storage projects, including the largest compressed air storage project in the world.</li>
</ul>
<p>“Our progress has been significant, but there remains work to do in acquiring additional sources of renewable energy, bringing investment to our communities, and being purposeful in our commitment to energy equity and affordability,” said 3CE CEO Robert Shaw. “As we look ahead, we can’t lose sight of the difference 3CE is making today, not only through the procurement of clean energy, but through our community programs that have helped over 1,000 customers adopt clean electric vehicles, improved air quality through all-electric homes, removed diesel buses and are spurring a fundamental change toward electrification among our agricultural communities.”</p>
<p>For more details on how 3CE provides benefits to the communities it serves, read the <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.vSBeUcYG3S0GKcO5zgHbbqA6KsZz2MxyPTeZquCqsiCFHBprmi9PGciRnteCd7pQaI-2B4C2DeLvTBZBfLN9WX5bX4wouVRU03DoIuNmGU0RJVenF-2BLTLlXnEZS2koe-2Bx5jxeaeCvG64Ntaa0qzwU6yw-3D-3D-edt_YqZQPEwK7XOCSiJ1ulWsP9uTTOCbxrg5uQeRrFXO-2FoMikFJTbvvHIzXJYXcpwmxmZk-2BobIQr94vUPjw7LTkDL3bpXTad-2BNX-2BJYnhcprX7Vnjf9aQ1QmZLQkeiGBnf8pD50GdQ-2FL-2Bjm1AIqR-2F54JzwdfZuyF-2B7XBYx3iu7bRfdMhsWyCUcOS6F2jVSWLbQihf1x4xUiqONOVEzHoiCt5eApFQYk3MCT8y9GFg2F6yZo9ffjZ1XzIE2cnzuqUsJtr6c-2F0G4oBgU-2B4tE-2BA6xI8FeKtQ-2BVCDdPnYf9WUCIofcI3nPyy8Dlo4cNnDyoc-2FN68jZIu0KJ0sSsFovxX75GkpAiBZazRQIiyBefHtx70WZdHUreBDQ1mwfX5DzHVhtfpY" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Impact Report</a>.</p>
<p><strong>About Central Coast Community Energy</strong><br />Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is a public agency that sources competitively priced electricity from clean and renewable energy resources. 3CE is locally controlled and governed by board members who represent each community served by the agency. Revenue generated by 3CE stays local and helps keep electricity rates affordable for customers while also funding innovative energy programs designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate economic development. 3CE provides service to approximately more than 1 million people throughout the Central Coast, including residential, commercial and agricultural customers in communities located within Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties. Learn more at <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.vSBeUcYG3S0GKcO5zgHbbh4DJpxu9SgCV9WkLa4I2iE-3DjcOW_YqZQPEwK7XOCSiJ1ulWsP9uTTOCbxrg5uQeRrFXO-2FoMikFJTbvvHIzXJYXcpwmxmZk-2BobIQr94vUPjw7LTkDL3bpXTad-2BNX-2BJYnhcprX7Vnjf9aQ1QmZLQkeiGBnf8pD50GdQ-2FL-2Bjm1AIqR-2F54JzwdfZuyF-2B7XBYx3iu7bRfdMhsWyCUcOS6F2jVSWLbQihf1x4xUiqONOVEzHoiCt5eApFQYk3MCT8y9GFg2F6yZo-2BgQ4vYsH-2FZOVcUTtv4LmH-2BqDBJFPOvdpTaFLzmgL7N-2BpvTOyfJt5ocKtYUAB1cBhmzkOxRDZB1BcV6f5ZXD-2FOiS963EkBuJsRsYVUKsW-2FPr-2FwJioxkQkciAZMRiuy9oyeE6PWQYpGw-2BvgLGz3sQaLB" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">3CEnergy.org</a> and on social media, including <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.vSBeUcYG3S0GKcO5zgHbbveACwbZYbVash0qKC0Jy2Vr283NPJkG8KTuXO7ziJ2SS8l5_YqZQPEwK7XOCSiJ1ulWsP9uTTOCbxrg5uQeRrFXO-2FoMikFJTbvvHIzXJYXcpwmxmZk-2BobIQr94vUPjw7LTkDL3bpXTad-2BNX-2BJYnhcprX7Vnjf9aQ1QmZLQkeiGBnf8pD50GdQ-2FL-2Bjm1AIqR-2F54JzwdfZuyF-2B7XBYx3iu7bRfdMhsWyCUcOS6F2jVSWLbQihf1x4xUiqONOVEzHoiCt5eApFQYk3MCT8y9GFg2F6yZo9oVDWk3OcUZxOaSXopaVzcQljsHfICQrw462gyI9ty-2FMOm4rJX8npxiZJ-2B6y2frmxL-2FfApOKQ9-2FTIZexYjVEKTmtkN9s1lAOTHC9Qy8vpvPFm8IZmq3garp7n89Cg0tR0hKHM4ECfR8u3gx-2Fg60U1G" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.vSBeUcYG3S0GKcO5zgHbbtf-2Fi2mmw4AIugo01liehy800qh64C-2BQTdE8-2FaZQ6NDp0-2FyzHownpIOdtt32ukaUJw-3D-3D8OTm_YqZQPEwK7XOCSiJ1ulWsP9uTTOCbxrg5uQeRrFXO-2FoMikFJTbvvHIzXJYXcpwmxmZk-2BobIQr94vUPjw7LTkDL3bpXTad-2BNX-2BJYnhcprX7Vnjf9aQ1QmZLQkeiGBnf8pD50GdQ-2FL-2Bjm1AIqR-2F54JzwdfZuyF-2B7XBYx3iu7bRfdMhsWyCUcOS6F2jVSWLbQihf1x4xUiqONOVEzHoiCt5eApFQYk3MCT8y9GFg2F6yZo-2F9qVS-2F1bvQPCQnic4fsPtvXHqWo3-2BB4XbIE-2BNMH6zwIEY2zTeu2xRkMhpcRvC-2B1QIrHrAHyuVHd2SSJ7z7ZZdmuMpdPqdywVnOwGRt46Iy7fAw1JSGvi8bUZxe-2Fq4PQxKkQEmLUQs2fCFdstmK1g-2BP" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.vSBeUcYG3S0GKcO5zgHbbuOrWEMC-2BkMlWZDMRSD6zDaYBSTbiI2-2BUFgSAr6V9I7OVExs_YqZQPEwK7XOCSiJ1ulWsP9uTTOCbxrg5uQeRrFXO-2FoMikFJTbvvHIzXJYXcpwmxmZk-2BobIQr94vUPjw7LTkDL3bpXTad-2BNX-2BJYnhcprX7Vnjf9aQ1QmZLQkeiGBnf8pD50GdQ-2FL-2Bjm1AIqR-2F54JzwdfZuyF-2B7XBYx3iu7bRfdMhsWyCUcOS6F2jVSWLbQihf1x4xUiqONOVEzHoiCt5eApFQYk3MCT8y9GFg2F6yZo9R8M6G2bX5Xin33cRwS5bnEXCIe5PWtbIe2XStynW7bBQN3tCqlhOIrDeqYbX9zTg86-2BY8MXA6Z1xtS8ohdMuCNfpOx0irN7JA2Vi6Vr-2FfINwHTv9pd6LtNztiL-2FebXjY3jjJJ1u2V-2FmiMCi-2FckfcB" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://benitolink.com/central-coast-community-energy-releases-impact-report/">Central Coast Community Energy releases impact report</a> appeared first on <a href="https://benitolink.com">BenitoLink</a>.</p> "Image for display with article titled Central Coast Community Energy Releases Impact Report")
