City of San Juan Bautista City Council

A gas station planned for the corner of The Alameda and eastbound Hwy 156, which has been in the works for more than a decade, is moving closer to the start of construction with approval of plans to create a 450-foot right turn lane with a 120-foot taper.

Three measures passed unanimously at a special May 5 meeting of the San Juan Bautista City Council could bring additional funding for the town’s most significant expense: the ongoing projects that will bring water from the West Hills Treatment Plant and send sewage to the Hollister Wastewater Treatment Plant.

For nearly a year, Hollister has sought to increase the rate it charges San Juan Bautista and San Benito County for fire protection services. City officials claim that Hollister has been subsidizing the firefighting services it provides the county and San Juan for many years. With the contract set to expire in December, the City Council began renegotiating in 2024.Since then, there have been back-and-forth discussions about each jurisdiction's fair share of costs and budget capabilities. The three municipalities also partnered to conduct a countywide fire district feasibility study.

San Juan Bautista has participated in Music on the Porch Day, a worldwide celebration on the last Saturday of August, for the past three years. It's like a musical trick-or-treat: The public walks from house to house in a scheduled series of stops to hear local amateur and professional musicians perform.This year, it falls on August 30, but the San Juan Bautista Recreation Department is offering a preview: the Porch Sounds series.

Amid stalled talks, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors suspended its fire services negotiation ad hoc committee and voted to end its participation in a countywide fire district feasibility study.