With the nomination period closed for the Nov. 3 election, races for a partial county supervisor seat and offices for the City of Hollister feature crowded fields.
Former Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez qualified to run for his former District 5 seat on the board, after he was recalled from office by a voter initiative in the June 2 primary.
Two other candidates—retired refrigeration manager John Williams and business owner Rodney Bianchi—have also qualified to run for District 5 in the Nov. 3 election.
The winner of the District 5 election will serve the remainder of Velazquez’s former term before he was removed. The term ends in December 2028.
On the District 5 recall measure on the June 2 ballot, 1,312 people voted “yes” to recall Velazquez. A total of 1,279 voted “no,” according to certified results from the county registrar of voters’ office.
In Hollister, three candidates have qualified to run for mayor, with no incumbent on the ballot. Former Hollister City Councilmember Tim Burns, retired city employee Tina Garza and cannabis entrepreneur Scott McPhail are running for mayor, according to a list of candidates from the registrar’s office.
Hollister City Councilmember Rudy Picha has pulled nomination papers to run for mayor, according to the City of Hollister’s website. However, Picha is not yet named on the registrar’s list of qualified candidates.
Mayor Roxanne Stephens is not running for reelection. Stephens ran for the District 4 county supervisor’s post in the June 2 primary, but lost to incumbent Supervisor Angela Curro.
The nomination period to run on the Nov. 3 ballot began in mid-July and ended Aug. 7 for most races. However, for offices where an incumbent is not running, the nomination period was extended to Aug. 12.
The California Secretary of State’s office on Aug. 13 will conduct a randomized alphabetical drawing to determine in what order candidates’ names will be listed on the ballot.
Also on the Nov. 3 ballot are two seats on the Hollister City Council. In District 2, incumbent Councilmember Rolan Resendiz is not running for reelection.
The only candidate qualified so far for the District 2 race is Brian Chavez, who is identified as a “father/businessman” on the registrar’s list. The city’s website notes that Frida Benjamin has pulled nomination papers for District 2, but has not yet qualified for the ballot.
In the election for City Council District 3, incumbent Dolores Morales and retired city manager William B. Avera have qualified for the ballot.
In the race for Hollister City Treasurer, incumbent Gordon A. Machado will face challenger Jonathan Casey, a chief financial officer.
San Juan Bautista City Council
In the City of San Juan Bautista, four candidates are running for three seats on the city council. Incumbents Jackie Morris-Lopez and Leslie Q. Jordan have qualified for the ballot, along with two challengers—business owner Elise Brentnall and retired civil servant Eduardo Guaracha.
San Juan Bautista City Councilmember Edwin Sabathia Jr.’s term ends in December, but he has not yet qualified to run for reelection, according to the registrar’s site.
Councilmembers in San Juan Bautista serve the city at large, and voters will be asked to select up to three candidates in the Nov. 3 election.
Health board elections
A crowded field is also lining up for seats on the San Benito Health Care District board. The seats representing Zones 2, 4 and 5 will be on the ballot.
In Zone 2, incumbent George Willis Devon Pack will face physician and businesswoman Nazhat Parveen Sharma, according to the registrar’s office.
In Zone 4, three candidates will vie for the seat: farmer Gregory Swett, physician Michael C. McGinnis and Marni J. Friedman.
In Zone 5, only one candidate, property manager Roxy Montana, has qualified for the ballot, according to election officials.
Other races
The Nov. 3 ballot in San Benito County will feature dozens of additional races for local school district and special district boards—many of which are only elected in small portions of the county.
Among these are the San Benito County Board of Education (two seats); the Gavilan Joint Community College District (two seats); King City Joint Unified School District (five seats); San Benito High School District (three seats); and Hollister School District (three seats).
Know your candidates and districts
To see a full list of qualified candidates for all offices in San Benito County for the Nov. 3 election, visit the registrar’s website at sanbenitocounty-ca-cre.gov/elections. The site includes a section (tinyurl.com/4xy9fx4y) titled “District & Precinct Maps” where voters can look up which district they will vote in for each local race.
