Supervisors to demand answers from state
The location of San Benito County’s next courthouse is getting
the attention of the county Board of Supervisors.
The California Administrative Office of the Courts in January
announced that it would ignore the suggestion by a local blue
ribbon panel that the courthouse remain downtown, near the site it
has occupied for 130 years. The state instead opted for a site near
the county jail off Flynn Road.
Supervisors to demand answers from state
The location of San Benito County’s next courthouse is getting the attention of the county Board of Supervisors.
The California Administrative Office of the Courts in January announced that it would ignore the suggestion by a local blue ribbon panel that the courthouse remain downtown, near the site it has occupied for 130 years. The state instead opted for a site near the county jail off Flynn Road.
The local outcry was almost immediate. The county Bar Association petitioned the state to reconsider. The Hollister Downtown Association and the county Farm Bureau weighed in for a downtown site. Now the board appears poised to join the pack.
“I certainly think the public deserves an explanation of how this decision was made,” said Supervisor Anthony Botelho. “From my perspective the best thing we could do is strongly express the preference that we all have. I’m sure everyone’s intentions are to keep it downtown.”
Initial plans to convene a special session of the board on April 8 to discuss the courthouse were scrapped. Board Chairman Jaime De La Cruz is attempting to schedule staff from the Office of the Courts to attend the meeting, which is now likely to take place late this month or early in May. County Administrator Susan Thompson said the project advisory group planned to meet today, and she expects that the meeting can be arranged “sooner rather than later.”
That would give the chance for the state to better explain its rationale and what options might be available locally, Botelho said.
The local committee recommended a site at the old Fremont School at Monterey and Fourth streets. That site would require a seismic review, which the Hollister Redevelopment Agency offered to commission. The seismic review was key to the state’s decision to opt for the runner-up site at a location that is now a farm field.
The existing courthouse dates to 1962. The building holds a number of county offices in addition to the courts. Law enforcement officials believe security is inadequate and the court staff said it long ago outgrew its space.
The new court is planned as a 36,500 square-foot complex, to be built at a cost of $32.5 million. Plans call for three court chambers, one more than the existing courthouse holds.
It is unclear how much influence local interests can bring to bear in the choice of a court site.
Although its official name is the San Benito County Superior Court, it, like all courts in California, is a state agency. Employees from judges to clerical staff are paid by the state and adhere to rules imposed by the state.
The location of the court is significant for a number of reasons.
The Bar Association noted that law offices are clustered around the existing site, one block from the Fremont School location. Bail bond offices, private investigators and many local businesses also cluster around the courthouse hub.
Those objecting to the Flynn Road site see the loss of it downtown to be an enormous blow to an historic district still suffering from the lingering effects of 1989’s Loma Prieta Earthquake and a string of recent business closures.
“I took some very pointed questions from the Farm Bureau,” Botelho said. “I do certainly understand that the economic toll to other businesses downtown is a huge factor. It should be considered.”
