City of San Juan Bautista City Council Councilmember Edwin Sabathia

Though the meeting was uncharacteristically short, at just over 45 minutes, the San Juan Bautista City Council worked its way through some important housekeeping on Jan. 7 as it voted to fill several vacancies in city government offices.

In the final days of 2024, on Dec. 27, Don Reynolds’ tenure as San Juan Bautista’s city manager ended with his resignation after an eventful five-and-a-half years. His replacement, interim city manager Ashley Collick, will assume the job after the first of the year. 

After deciding not to run again, John Freeman ended his eight years on the San Juan Bautista City Council as it underwent a change of guard. At the Dec. 17 meeting, after a ceremony recognizing Freeman’s contributions to the city, his replacement, former planning commissioner Jose Aranda, along and reelected councilman Scott Freels, were sworn into office.

At a Dec. 2 special meeting, the San Juan Bautista City Council voted to approve the final wording of a memorandum of understanding that will be submitted to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. If accepted by the board, the MOU would give the city a greater voice in decisions regarding proposed developments in the area immediately outside the city limits.

Jose Aranda, who currently chairs the San Juan Bautista Planning Commission, was one of two candidates elected to the San Juan Bautista City Council on Nov. 5, taking 37% of the vote in a four-person race.