Thumbs up for county supervisors who made it easier to see who is contributing to county elected officials’ campaigns. The supervisors voted to post everyone’sForm 460 – which details contributions and must be filed by all candidates – on the Internet. That shines a welcome ray of sunshine on the source of the cash that fuels all races. Supervisors also deserve kudos for beginning to develop a plan to limit campaign spending and donations. We hope the restrictions are reasonable enough to allow candidates to collect enough to fund a campaign, but stringent enough to allow newcomers to compete with incumbents.
Thumbs down for the driver of a vehicle who caused a head-on collision Wednesday that sent a woman to the hospital with severe head trauma. The driver told police she had injected heroin while driving before the crash. Now, the victim has a long road to recovery, if she will ever completely heal from her serious injuries. Abusing dangerous drugs is bad enough, but using them while driving puts everyone else on the road in serious danger and is completely unconscionable.
Thumbs up for the Hollister Independence Rally Committee for noticing the problems within their organization and taking steps to improve one of the more important events in Hollister. Although the dollars and cents are not as abysmal as feared, the rally has a lot of work to do and organizers seem to be committed to doing it. Hollister is the Birthplace of the American Biker and we’re glad to see this baby won’t be thrown out with the bath water.
Thumbs up for the Hollister Police Department for coming up with a plan that led to more arrests, increased police response and, overall, a safe Hollister Independence Rally. Police arrested 75 people versus 48 last year, handed out 141 more citations, and did so with class and dignity. The “wild ones” came to Hollister in force over the busy weekend, and local police, with help, kept them all in line.
Thumbs up to the new gang task force that integrates numerous members of our community into a team that will take a serious look at how to keep youth in San Benito County from becoming part of a gang problem. It’s no secret there are gangs in our area and this task force is a proactive step to stop the violent cycle. If area gangs cannot recruit more members, they’ll die out.
Thumbs up for state lawmakers for passing a grant that will give the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department a $500,000 boost. The Sheriff will use the funds, among other things, to increase staff and equip deputies with TASERs to deter criminals from putting up a fight. A strong police presence is integral to safety, but they also have to have enough backup and equipment to do their job.
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