County supervisors Monday unanimously elected Jaime De La Cruz as board chairman during a special meeting.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho was unanimously elected vice-chair.
After supervisors swapped seats, De La Cruz gave a state-of-the-county address.
“Four years ago when I last served as board chair, we as a county were struggling to get through the Great Recession,” De La Cruz said. “Things were not looking good for us financially, but we overcame them by working together as a team.”
De La Cruz spoke about working with the cities of Hollister and San Juan Bautista. He cited examples like the future homeless center, an expanded fire station in San Juan Bautista and a future fire station off Fairview Road in Hollister.
“All of these projects have not only made us a better community, but also a safer community,” De La Cruz said. “I’m very excited that 2017 offers opportunities to foster greater projects with our partners.”
Despite those successes, De La Cruz noted remaining concerns.
“Issues of concern still need to be handled, like addressing our failing roads and the impact it has on the public,” he said. “We need to find a way to fund repairs and see if we can work with our partners to come up with a more affordable solution together. For these reasons, I’m directing the (County Administrative Office) to provide a report with a monthly update on the specific work projects and budgetary expenditures being made by the county to improve our roads.”
In addition, De La Cruz requested that closed session portions of meetings be scheduled afterwards in the interest of streamlining the agenda for public participation. Currently, closed session takes place before board meetings.
After the address, Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez spoke during public comment. He thanked supervisors for their partnership with the Hollister Fire Department and the future homeless shelter.
“I really, sincerely hope that all of you understand that I want to work with you and the City of Hollister wants you as our partners,” Velazquez said.
