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San Benito County Land Use & Development Articles



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SBC Responds to Allegations Involving Agricultural Commissioner

Informaiton provided by County of San Benito. Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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Referendum to Rescind Hollister General Plan Advances

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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Attorney General Intervenes in Betabel Lawsuit

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.

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New Homes on the Market in Hollister

Willow Landing—a new housing development touted by its developer as a tranquil home with convenient access to commercial amenities and urban opportunities—celebrated its grand opening in Hollister Feb. 1.

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Proposed West Hollister Apartment Complex Favors Low Income Residents

Lea este artículo en español aquí.A San Diego developer has submitted plans for a project called Baler Place, which would provide affordable housing for very low income households. It includes two three-story buildings with 53 apartments at 340 Bridgevale Road …

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San Benito Farmers Urge Caltrans to Prioritize Ag Land in Hwy 25 Project

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Local farmers and community members continue to voice their frustration about the Hwy 25 Improvement project route adopted in 2016. Among the concerns raised at two Jan. 28 Caltrans meetings was the loss of prime …

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Delta Communities, Regional Fishing Groups, Startled by New Presidential Executive Orders

Trump backs Newsom's Delta plans in a big way, but are the President's sweeping anti-environmental orders so broad that the Governor and other California leaders...

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Rescinding Hollister’s General Plan Could Trigger ‘Builder’s Remedy’

Lea este artículo en español aquí.For a year, Hollister has been susceptible to a provision of a state law, known as “the builder’s remedy,” which limits how much power local jurisdictions have over residential projects. Having the state approve the …

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Hollister Receives Signatures to Rescind General Plan

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The group Hollister Guardians Action submitted signatures to the city of Hollister on Jan. 21, in a referendum campaign to rescind the recently adopted 2040 General Plan, City Clerk Jennifer Woodworth confirmed to BenitoLink.Woodworth said …

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County of San Benito Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element Available for Public Review and Comment

Information provided by County of San Benito. Lea este artículo en español aquí.NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the availability of the 6th Cycle (2023-2031) San Benito County Housing Element Public Review Draft. This update of the Housing Element constitutes an …

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Referendum Petition Protests New Hollister Growth Boundaries

A group of San Benito County residents submitted more than 3,500 signatures Jan. 21 for a referendum petition that aims to reverse an end-of-the-year city council decision to expand Hollister’s sphere of influence for potential future development.

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San Benito High School District Set to Acquire Additional Property for Proposed New Campus

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The San Benito High School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved the acquisition of additional property for its proposed new campus on the north side of Hollister. The board approved purchasing 13.98 acres on Westside …

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For San Benito Blueprint, It’s Just the Facts

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Raymond Martinez has lived in San Benito County for only six months. Still, he has already launched his new website, The San Benito Blueprint, which he hopes will help county residents cut through the misinformation …

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Wildfarmers Receives Grant to Support Blue Oak Woodland Habitat Stewardship

Information provided by Wildfarmers. Lea este artículo en español aquí.Wildfarmers is a nonprofit dedicated to connecting and strengthening wildlife, wilderness and human communities, through the enhancement of native habitat, aquifers, and forest lands; specifically pertaining to the ancient Blue Oak …

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Top Stories of 2024

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Being an election year, there was no shortage of news for BenitoLink to dig into in 2024. Stories included several campaign flyers distributed by two unknown organizations which, as BenitoLink’s Fact Check project revealed, contained …

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Pinnacles National Park Hiring Habitat Restoration Crew Members

Information provided by Pinnacles National Park. Lea este artículo en español aquí.Pinnacles National Park and Conservation Legacy are hiring Habitat Restoration Crew members for the 2025 field season. For more information about the position, desired qualifications, and application instructions, please …

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Measure a Clashes With Federal ‘Opportunity Zones’

Lea este artículo en español aquí.In 2017, President Donald Trump created a program called Opportunity Zones to spur economic growth in low-income communities—two of these are located in San Benito County. Although the program will continue until 2026 and Congress …

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‘Governors Are Going to Have to Create a New System’: Leaders in the West Lambast Insurance Industry Over Rising Costs for Homeowners

Smoke and burned trees are pictured near Sylvan Lake State Park during a wildfire that erupted south of Eagle in the White River National Forest on June 20, 2021. With intense wildfires becoming a greater threat in the West, homeowners …

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Sheriff’s Office Visits Encampments in Riverbed

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Homeless residents have built elaborate living arrangements along the San Benito River, and some of them include underground dwellings and walled communities, according to a recent census conducted by the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office. …

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San Benito Supervisors Delay Changes to Planning Commission’s Authority

Lea este artículo en español aquí.At its last meeting of the year, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to postpone voting on amendments to the rules governing the county Planning Commission. The proposal modifies the commission’s duties …

Featured

Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.