The San Benito County Board of Supervisors appointed three new
planning commissioners Tuesday morning after new supervisors Don
Marcus, Anthony Botelho, and Jaime De La Cruz nominated the local
residents to the important position.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors appointed three new planning commissioners Tuesday morning after new supervisors Don Marcus, Anthony Botelho, and Jaime De La Cruz nominated the local residents to the important position.
The planning commission is an advisory committee to the Board of Supervisors. The commission reviews plans for buildings and land-use ordinances and then makes recommendations to the supervisors before they vote on the issues.
Dist. 1 Supervisor Marcus nominated Mark Tognazzini, a retired county agricultural commissioner, to replace Merle Conley. Botelho, of Dist. 2, chose Dan DeVries, a San Juan Bautista lawyer, to replace Anthony Freitas. And De La Cruz recommended grocery store manager Albert Araujo to replace Joe Tonascia in the Dist. 5 position. The board voted unanimously to appoint all three men to the planning commission Tuesday.
Upon taking office, each new supervisor nominates a local person from his or her district for the position of district planning commissioner. The board of supervisors then votes whether to appoint the nominees.
Tognazzini, who recently retired from his position as San Benito County’s agricultural commissioner, has a knack for local government and a keen interest in agricultural issues, according to Marcus. Tognazzini’s involvement in county government spans over 40 years, Marcus said. Tognazzini was unavailable for comment.
“He (Tognazzini) has a vast experience level with county government,” Marcus said, adding that Tognazzini has even served as an interim County Administrative Officer. “We have similar views as to how the county should grow, especially the philosophy for the preservation of agriculture in San Benito County, which is certainly something that I feel strongly about.”
Botelho said he chose DeVries because he has a strong background in land-use law and has served as chairman of the City of San Juan Bautista Planning Commission for eight years. Botelho hopes DeVries’ experience will give him a leg up on the learning curve new commissioners are sure to face.
“I’ve seen him at San Juan Planning Commission meetings, and I was very impressed that he was able to bring all the different factions together. I’ve been talking with different people in my district, and everyone seems to support him,” Botelho said.
DeVries said he is excited to serve the residents of San Juan Bautista and San Benito County as a whole as they face difficult growth issues.
“I think I’m looking forward to the work we’ll be doing in the next year with a little bit of trepidation, because I know that there are so many issues that have been plaguing the community,” he said. “I think the building permit allocation process is one that might need some revisiting, and the hillside ordinance I know is something the community feels very strongly about.”
De La Cruz’s choice was Salinas Albertsons Manager Albert Araujo, whom he has known since his school days. De La Cruz said Araujo is a perfect representation of the constituents in Dist. 5. Araujo was unavailable for comment.
“About 70 percent of the district is Hispanic, and I feel he represents them well,” De La Cruz said. “He is an independent voice in the community; he’s not tied to any group. He doesn’t believe in favoring one group over another.”
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
