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San Benito County Public Safety Articles



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San Benito County Takes Step Toward Creating Its Own Fire Department

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Negotiations for countywide fire protection services appear to have gone up in smoke. At its May 6 meeting, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors approved job specifications for a fire chief as part of …

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Santa Clara County Confirms First Carfentanil Death

Information provided be San Benito County Health Department.  Lea este artículo en español aquí.The County of San Benito County has shared the following release from Santa Clara County. The County of Santa Clara Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed the …

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Fire Protection Services Contract Negotiations: A Timeline

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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It’s Fentanyl Awareness Day. Do You Know Where the Naloxone Is?

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Little metal stands, reminiscent of newspaper boxes or Little Free Libraries, have been stationed across San Benito County. There’s one just outside the San Juan Library, one inside the Community Food Bank, and a few …

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Supervisors Suspend Fire Service Negotiations Committee

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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. The board’s move came …

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County and San Juan Reject Hollister’s Offer for Fire Protection Services

Lea este artículo en español aquí.San Juan Bautista and San Benito County have rejected Hollister’s latest proposal for fire protection services, citing an inability to cover the $3.9 million in shared increased costs. Both agencies have asked Hollister to reconsider …

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San Benito County Warns of Rabies Detected in Dead Skunk

San Benito County authorities warned that a dead skunk found recently in Aromas was infected with the rabies virus and anyone who thinks they have been in contact with a rabid animal should take precautions.

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Hollister Puts New Fire Service Deal on the Table

Lea este artículo en español aquí.As negotiations over countywide fire protection services continue for a fourth month under a new City Council, the city of Hollister is proposing a new deal to San Juan Bautista and San Benito County. Instead …

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San Benito County to Look Into Options for New Fire Services Provider

San Benito County is preparing to “take a step back,” in the words of Supervisor Dom Zanger, from its longstanding partnership with the City of Hollister for fire services.

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County Health Warns Measles Can Be Life-Threatening

Lea este artículo en español aquí.San Benito County is joining Bay Area health officials in urging residents to get vaccinated against measles if they are not certainthey had the disease as a child and to be aware of the signs …

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Fire Service Negotiations Stall

Lea este artículo en español aquí. 265 days. That is how long San Benito County and San Juan Bautista were given until their fire service contract with the city of Hollister ends—unless they agree on new terms. Not only are …

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Hollister City Officials Change Approach to Fire Service Negotiations

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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San Juan Bautista Rejects Hollister’s New Fire Service Contract

Lea este artículo en español aquí.On March 18, the San Juan Bautista City Council rejected a new contract with Hollister for fire services because of changes to the number of firefighters assigned to the city’s fire station. The contract’s staffing …

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San Benito Regional Priority Plan Community Wildfire Meeting

Information provided by San Benito Agricultural Land Trust. Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 (SBWRP). At …

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Hollister Council, San Benito Supervisors OK New Fire Contract Terms

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps Released

Information provided by Office of the State Fire Marshal. Lea este artículo en español aquí.The California Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has released Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) throughout the state. According …

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Tri-County Survey Underway for Moss Landing Fire

The health departments of Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties invite the public to participate in a community survey to gather information about potential health concerns related to the recent battery fires at the Vistra Moss Landing Energy Storage …

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San Benito Town Hall on Fire Services Draws Nearly 100 Participants

Lea este artículo en español aquí.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 …

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Community Town Hall on Fire Protection Services

Information provided by City of San Juan Bautista. Lea este artículo en español aquí.The City of San Juan Bautista will host a town hall meeting on Feb. 22 to discuss the status of fire protection services in our community. This …

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Hollister Considering San Benito Street Makeover

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The city of Hollister is looking to give a large portion of San Benito Street a makeover to address speeding concerns. At the Feb. 5 Hollister City Council meeting, Derek Wu with the planning consultant …

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