Candidates have begun pulling papers and contemplating their plans for elected offices in Hollister, San Juan Bautista and on local school boards on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election.
The nomination period for candidates for local offices started July 18, and continues until Aug. 12, according to the San Benito County elections office. If no incumbent files for a seat before Aug. 12, the deadline for that seat will be extended to Aug. 17.
Local races to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot include Hollister Mayor; Hollister City Council Districts 2 and 3; Hollister City Treasurer; San Juan Bautista City Council, three seats; San Juan Bautista City Treasurer; San Benito County Board of Education, three trustees’ seats; San Benito High School District; three trustees’ seats; Hollister School District, three trustees’ seats; among others.
The Nov. 8 ballot also includes statewide offices. To see a full list of offices up for election on Nov. 8, and for information on how to run, visit the county elections website at sbcvote.us.
The ballot will also feature a runoff from the June 7 primary for the San Benito County Supervisor District 1 race, in which incumbent Betsy Dirks and Dom Zanger will vie for the seat.
As of July 27, three people in Hollister have pulled papers for candidacy, according to Interim City Clerk Bonnie Gawf. These are Mia Casey, who pulled papers for mayor; and Serbio Montanez and Celeste Toledo-Bocanegra for City Council District 2.
Pulling papers suggests the residents are interested in running for office, but they have not yet filled out and submitted their qualifying paperwork to elections officials.
Hollister’s incumbent mayor is Ignacio Velazquez. City Council Districts 2 and 3 are occupied by Rolan Resendiz and Dolores Morales, respectively.
A number of local ballot measures have been submitted for the Nov. 8 election as well. These include the “Let Voters Decide How San Benito Grows” initiative for San Benito County, and an advisory measure from the City of Hollister regarding the Fourth of July Motorcycle Rally.
