City of San Juan Bautista Government News Digest

The San Juan Bautista City Council considered a draft ordinance reducing restrictions on food trucks operating in the city.

The city-owned Luck Museum is in need of repair to protect its collection of artifacts and records from the elements.

The San Juan Bautista City Council debated possible changes to the city’s business district regulations and whether to reopen discussion on instituting a parking plan.

The 34-units D’Ambrosio Vista project is proposed for Third Street near the sewage treatment plant.

City Manager Don Reynolds confirmed that he had met with location scouts from Warner Brothers. Mission Plaza, the Zanetta House, the bar at the Plaza Hotel and the Mission itself have been named as likely locations.

Ways to cope with the area’s ever-present need for a reliable supply of water were outlined during a presentation to the San Juan Bautista City Council by Holly Kennedy and Steve Wittry of the San Benito County Water District.

BenitoLink looks ahead to construction projects in the county that are expected to begin or be completed in 2024.

Councilmember Scott Freels was elected to a one-year term as mayor of San Juan Bautista at the Dec. 19 City Council meeting.

Complications facing the architects of the new gas station to be built at the Alameda and Hwy 156 seems to be finally leading to approval by the San Juan Bautista Planning Commission.

Brian Foucht, San Juan Bautista’s assistant city manager, was placed on paid administrative leave, City Manager Don Reynolds confirmed on Dec. 6. Reynolds said the leave was performance-related and that his office was “gathering some information and doing an investigation.”

The San Juan Bautista City Council made several decisions that will affect the town for years to come, including retaining food and beverage parklets until mid-2026, passing a long-debated urban growth boundary that restricts future developments through 2035, and reassessing the San Juan Bautista Economic Development Citizens Advisory Committee.

The Intergovernmental Committee approved a letter asking Caltrans to prohibit left turns onto Highway 156 from Flint and Bixby roads and Lucy Brown Lane between 3-7 p.m.

San Benito County presented to the Hollister and San Juan Bautista city councils a final report and proposal to form a JPA, along with Hazel Hawkins Hospital’s current governing body, San Benito Health Care District.

During a six-hour meeting on Oct 18, the San Juan Bautista City Council approved the installation of traffic surveillance cameras, opposed a plan to conduct a further study of the business community, and postponed a decision on approving the proposed Urban Growth Boundary.

Two new projects for San Juan Bautista were considered by the city’s Historic Resources Board. The first was a gas station project at the corner of Hwy 156 and The Alameda. The second was the demolition of existing buildings at 45 Washington Street to be followed by the construction of four duplex units within two two-story apartment buildings.

The City Council agreed to send the 2023-2031 Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis, which requires the city to plan for a minimum of 88 housing units over eight years, despite reservations.

The Planning Commission voted to forward a draft of the 2023-2031 Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis to the San Juan Bautista City Council before submitting it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Members of the San Juan Bautista Urban Growth/Sphere of Influence Ad-Hoc Committee expressed a desire to remain in control of future development, and most said they want to stay away from historic areas and agricultural land.

The San Juan Bautista City Council approved a $18.7 million water agreement with the city of Hollister. City Manager Don Reynolds announced that the project to divert the city’s wastewater to the Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hollister is firmly on track.

In a reversal following public comments from divided retail business owners and residents, the council rescinded a decision to remove all of San Juan Bautista’s parklets by April 28 and voted instead on a motion to keep them through the end of 2023.

A five word agenda item for the April 11 meeting of the San Juan Bautista Planning Commission sparked a contentious two-hour-long dialogue regarding recent citations issued by the city to the Hapa Brothers’ food truck.

The city of San Juan Bautista is conducting a high-level organizational review including a strategic planning and public facilitation session to review and determine organizational goals, objectives, and priorities.

In a surprise move at its March 21 meeting, the City Council ordered all the downtown Third Street parklets to be removed by April 28. The resolution originally allowed for restaurants and bars to keep their parklets.

On Jan. 31, the San Juan Bautista City Council approved a bond for its wastewater project, filled vacancies on the Planning Commission and reviewed its transportation and connectivity plan.

Appointing four new planning commissioners proved difficult for the San Juan Bautista City Council, as it rejected two of the five hopefuls and erred in one appointment at the council’s Jan. 24 meeting. In a 4-1 vote, members appointed David Medeiros and Jose Aranda.

Candidates are sought for the position of city treasurer for the city of San Juan Bautista. To qualify, a candidate must be an elector and resident of the city.

Born to farmworker parents, outgoing Councilmember San Juan Bautista Cesar Flores served as an Air Force flight line mechanic, spent over 50 years with El Teatro Campesino, worked with the National Park Service in the Conservation Corps, served as the principal at Chamberlain House and as president of the San Benito Arts Council.

San Juan Bautista City Manager Don Reynolds and Mayor Leslie Jordan were presented with a ceremonial check for $3 million by state Senator Anna Caballero and Assemblymember Robert Rivas.

A special San Juan Bautista City Council meeting was held on Nov. 29 to allow public comment on the city’s ongoing attempts to resolve violations of its floodplain ordinance occurring at 451 San Juan Hollister Road, a property owned by Kulta Farms LLC.

San Juan Bautista City Manager Don Reynolds announced the U.S. The Department of Agriculture accepted an application for assistance that includes $14 million in potential funds for the city’s wastewater project. He also said Hollister accepted the final design for the project.