Vendors were busy unloading their wares in downtown Hollister
Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the biker horde that many
expect will descend upon the city this weekend without regard for
the City Council’s decision earlier this year to cancel the
Hollister Independence Rally for 2006.
Vendors were busy unloading their wares in downtown Hollister Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the biker horde that many expect will descend upon the city this weekend without regard for the City Council’s decision earlier this year to cancel the Hollister Independence Rally for 2006.
“We don’t even know if anyone is going to come,” said a man, who declined to give his name, unloading boxes of T-shirts, leathers and other motorcycle gear from a Good Sports truck. The company’s tent, a staple during past rally weekends, was put up Tuesday in the vacant lot next to Metropolis on San Benito Street. At least two other vendor tents have been set up throughout the downtown area, but still, no one knows how many bikers are planning to thunder into town this year.
Dave Ventura – former president of the Hollister Independence Rally Committee that organized the rally for nearly a decade – was on San Benito Street Wednesday watching vendors set up for the “unofficial rally.” He estimates that about 20,000 bikers will stop in Hollister over the course of the weekend. Others have predicted as many as 50,000 and as few as 10,000.
“There will be more bikers than cops,” he said. “And there will be enough bikers to keep the cops busy.”
Last year, the city-sanctioned 2005 Hollister Independence Rally drew about 120,000 people over three days. During past events, several downtown streets were closed, hundreds of vendors hocked their wares and there was a variety of live music, contests and shows. Motorcyclists were permitted to park their beloved bikes up and down San Benito Street.
This time around, the streets will remain open, parking regulations will be enforced and attendees at the unofficial rally will have little to do but drink in local bars. The City Council voted 3-2 in February to cancel the annual rally, which has been the city’s signature event since 1997. The roots of the rally stretch back to Fourth of July in 1947 when Hollister gained national attention after a couple thousand motorcycle enthusiasts rampaged the city – driving into bars and ignoring local police. While many of the news reports from that first unofficial rally have been found to be exaggerated, it was that event that forever branded Hollister as “The birthplace of the American biker.”
When it voted to cancel the 2006 rally, the majority on the council cited financial concerns. Hollister was stuck with a $250,000 public safety bill after last year’s event. While money was the main motivation in the decision to cancel the rally, council members said they were also concerned about safety after a near clash between the Hell’s Angels and Mongols motorcycle clubs at the 2005 event.
For the last four months, law enforcement agencies throughout the Central Coast region have been honing plans to work with the Hollister Police Department during the rally weekend, said Chief Jeff Miller. Miller doesn’t know how many bikers are coming and he isn’t saying how many police officers are coming.
“We’ll have a great number of officers in the downtown area and an extraordinary presence from the California Highway Patrol,” Miller said. “Welcome to Hollister, follow the rules and obey the laws.”
Miller said all parking laws will be enforced throughout the weekend, including time limits.
“Your best bet will be to park legally,” he said.
Miller has hosted several meetings to talk about the rally weekend with area law enforcement agencies this month. He said the Hollister-Gilroy California Highway Patrol; California Department of Justice; Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control; San Benito County Sheriff’s Office and State Parole Department have all confirmed plans to assist the Hollister Police Department during the rally.
Although it has canceled the rally, the city will still have to pay overtime for Hollister police officers who will be on duty during the Fourth of July weekend. The city may also have to pay room-and-board costs for officers from other agencies if they are called in for assistance. However, the costs are expected to be significantly lower than those for the 2005 rally. Hollister City Manger Clint Quilter has estimated the city will have to shell out between $70,000 and $130,000 this year to cover the cost of public safety, additional trash receptacles and portable toilets downtown.
Hollister Mayor Robert Scattini vowed to eat his phone if this year’s unofficial event cost the city more than $150,000.
Scattini, one of two City Council members who voted against canceling the rally, said he has received more than 200 e-mails from bikers who plan on roaring their choppers up and down the city’s main drag this year even though the rally has been canceled.
“They’re coming, but I think they’ll be in a good mood,” he said. “It’s going to be a peaceful event. I’m thinking positively.”
Scattini said he plans to ride his 2000 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Police Special downtown this weekend to track the canceled event.
Councilman Doug Emerson, who voted to cancel the event for this year, said he will be downtown this weekend. But he won’t be riding a motorcycle. Emerson, a member of the Hollister Rotary Club, is planning on putting in some time selling tri-tip sandwiches at the organization’s booth at the corner of San Benito Street and South Street.
“I really don’t know what to expect,” he said. “I don’t think anyone really knows.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
