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San Benito County Public Safety Overview



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Ready is a national public service campaign designed to educate families and children on being prepared for emergencies. Participants learn how to respond and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters.

California Local Pin Marker Local Public Safety Digest

LA Wildfires Could Clobber California Economy as State Recovers From a Pandemic Recession

01/15/2025

Three days after immensely destructive and deadly wildfires broke out in and around Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a $322.3 billion state budget with a positive revenue forecast “based on an assumption of continued but slowing economic growth.”

How the LA Fires Could Exacerbate California’s Homelessness Crisis

01/14/2025

Jennielynn Holmes stood in the middle of a make-shift evacuation center when the scope of the crisis hit her.

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

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Three Teenagers Killed in Car Accident on Shore Road

Lea este artículo en español aquí.At around 7 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 14, the driver of a black Acura traveling west on Shore Road lost control of the vehicle, which crossed into opposing traffic and collided with a white Sedan. …

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San Benito-Monterey CAL FIRE Helps Battle Los Angeles Blaze

Lea este artículo en español aquí.This is the second article in our recent Los Angeles Fires coverage.The San Benito-Monterey Unit of CAL FIRE has sent a third of its staff to contain the fires raging in Los Angeles. The region’s …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Hollister Firefighter Battles to Put Down the LA Conflagration

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The unprecedented wildfires in Los Angeles have triggered a massive statewide response where more than 7,500 firefighters from all over California have been summoned. Among them is Battalion Chief Phil Rossi of the Hollister Fire …

Image caption: A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Fire Protection Services Town Hall Postponed Again

Lea este artículo en español aquí.For the second time, San Benito County has canceled a town hall meeting to discuss the future of the county’s fire protection services. The meeting—which was supposed to take place in December but was then …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Bird Flu Outbreak Not a Threat to General Public

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Mallory Schmitt, San Benito County’s deputy director of public health services, said the general public is not at a high risk from the bird flu outbreak that led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state …

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
‘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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Hollister Police to Receive $70,000 Grant for Traffic Enforcement

Information provided by Hollister Police Department. Lea este artículo en español aquí.Hollister Police Department announced it has received a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to support its ongoing enforcement and education programs to help reduce the …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Anger Over Death of Beloved Neighbor Brings Petition for Hwy 25 Change

Lea este artículo en español aquí.On Oct. 20, after years of planning, Priscilla and Mike Jones opened the Mmm Churros pop-up cafe, sharing the space with 3 Queens Carnitas on Tres Pinos Road. That evening, in a post on Facebook, …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
SB County Floats Options for Fire Service

The deadlock over what will replace a canceled regional fire protection contract continues, as the City of Hollister and San Benito County are still trading barbs over alleged bad faith bargaining.

Featured

A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained
What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
How Not to Feel the Burn
These groups help residents preserve their property, health and life.
Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era
As climate change causes more extreme and unusual weather, we need a new set of terms to describe the various phenomena
Though it’s the most famous, the San Andreas Fault is just one of more than 500 active faults in California.
Battening Down for the Big One
Making it through the earthquake is easy—the hard part comes later.
Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire
Wildfires are larger, more frequent, and more ferocious—so be prepared.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork
With CERT training, ordinary civilians can play critical roles in protecting their communities.
View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis
Recent lessons learned over days of local disaster.
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