San Benito County Local News Search

Following community pushback over the proposed fire service contract with San Benito County and San Juan Bautista, the Hollister City Council proposed changes at its March 21 special meeting that requires the three jurisdictions to negotiate together. 

Tuesday, March 18 was “Farm Day” at Bolado Park—an event hosted by the San Benito County Farm Bureau that is "dedicated to raising awareness about the invaluable contributions of agriculture to our local community and economy.”All third-graders in San Benito County are invited to the annual event, which attracts more than 800 students every year.

We hope you will join us on March 26 for the Regional Priority Plan Community Wildfire Meeting, hosted by the San Benito Wildfire Resilience Program. At this community meeting we will provide residents with information and gather input on potential wildfire mitigation projects in San Benito County. These projects represent the implementation of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which you, the community, helped to develop.

The new Union Bridge, years in the making, opened March 20 to traffic, bicycles and pedestrians.

The city of Hollister and San Benito County have taken a step toward continuing to provide fire services to unincorporated areas of the county. New contract terms were discussed by both governing boards on March 17 and 18, respectively, and both have scheduled a vote.

At the March 11 meeting of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, Associate Planner Stephanie Reck delivered an update on the housing element of the county’s General Plan. While the county surpassed its goals for planning for market rate homes in less than two years, it’s still behind when it comes to low income housing.

A San Benito County Jail inmate unsuccessfully attempted to escape custody on March 3. Lieutenant Jorge Perez with the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department said there was no threat to the public and that the correctional officers followed protocol.

As the new chair of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, and also the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), Kollin Kosmicki gave a 180-degree turn to the agency watching over the boundaries of the county’s two cities and nine special districts.

On Feb. 21, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting at Paine’s Restaurant in Hollister with state and federal representatives. The goal was to seek their support for some of the board’s priorities, including the widening of Hwy 25, housing, tourism and the condition of the county’s jails.

Following a recommendation from public safety coordinator Roy Morales to the San Juan Bautista City Council, the city held a town hall meeting on Feb. 22 to provide an overview of fire services in San Benito County.

For more than a year, the housing element of San Benito County’s General Plan—which California cities and counties must submit to address housing needs—has been out of compliance. That has triggered a provision in state law, known as “builder’s remedy,” which prevents jurisdictions from rejecting developments that provide affordable housing, even if they violate zoning rules.

At its Jan. 11 meeting, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors took its first steps in adapting to the changes brought by Measure A, the initiative which reshaped the county’s land use decision-making process. The board unanimously approved modifying the county’s General Plan and determined that developers would pay for Measure A-related elections.

San Benito County is deeply concerned about recent allegations involving the County's Agricultural Commissioner and a local farmer. These allegations allege a serious breach of public trust, including accusations of a relationship that may have influenced the allocation of grants and equipment.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating a local political organization for allegedly violating campaign reporting laws by masquerading as a local affiliate of the Democratic Party. The complaint was filed in October and the FPPC began its investigation in December. 

A petition circulated by Hollister Guardians Action to rescind the 2040 Hollister General Plan appears to have obtained enough signatures to be considered by the Hollister City Council. The San Benito County Elections Office notified the city of Hollister that it predicts 2,902 of the signatures collected by the local activist group are valid.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has intervened in a lawsuit challenging San Benito County’s approval of the Betabel Commercial Development on U.S. 101 south of Hollister, Bonta’s office announced this week.

For months, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and the San Benito Healthcare District have clashed over the future of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. While the supervisors push to keep the county’s only hospital under local control, the hospital’s board is moving to lease, and potentially sell, it to Michigan-based Insight Healthcare Group.

Despite much chatter on social media following the fire at the Vistra Energy lithium battery plant in Moss Landing on Jan. 16, San Benito County Public Information Officer Rosemerry Dere said that there have been no confirmed reports of anyone in the county being treated for exposure to the chemicals and waste released into the atmosphere.

On October 22, 2024, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved Ordinance Number 1070, aimed at promoting greater transparency and accountability in government decision-making. The ordinance requires individuals and organizations that lobby County officials to register, disclose their activities, and provide detailed information about who they represent, their spending, and the officials they contact.

At its Jan. 28 meeting, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors identified a set of priorities—five issues which, according to board chair Kollin Kosmicki, will be “on every agenda” in 2025.