County celebrates groundbreaking for regional park
San Benito County officials, legislative representatives and local parks and recreation enthusiasts celebrated more than a decade of collaboration and the development of a valuable community amenity July 1 at the groundbreaking of the Riverview Regional Park.
Phase 1 of the park’s construction will begin...
San Benito County provides food bank with $100k as feds suspend SNAP
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 4 approved an allocation of $100,000 for the Community Food Bank of San Benito due to the disruption of funding to CalFresh.
In a press release, the county said the expense highlights the board’s commitment to...
Community Solutions announces leadership transition
After a stellar career at its helm, Community Solutions President & CEO Erin O’Brien has announced her retirement from the South County nonprofit organization, according to the board of directors. O’Brien’s retirement is effective Dec. 31.
Taking her place after 2025 will be Rachel Montoya,...
Letter: Deport cruelty from the USA
Re: Food security critical on Central Coast, Free Lance, July 11, 2025
“We are all one common group,” clarified Harley Davidson biker wife at rally on San Benito Street, as colorful, stylish, multi-variety models of mechanical two and three wheel wonders paraded.
I assume that one...
Supes to commission impact report for ‘Empower Voters’ initiative
Study must be submitted 30 days after signature verifications
Water runs brown in San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista residents were surprised this past week when they turned on the faucets and saw their bath water running brown.
Several residents took to social media, posting photos of bathtubs and glasses filled with brown water or writing posts concerned about the water’s...
Hollister council disciplines Resendiz for alleged misconduct
Hollister City Council member Rolan Resendiz was stripped of his committee appointments during a tense Sept. 18 city council meeting.
In a 4-0 vote, his fellow council members took the action in an escalating disciplinary course against Resendiz for allegedly violating the council’s code of...
Abel Galindo Jr. aims to come back stronger than ever in senior year
Abel Galindo Jr. recently wrapped up his first year of playing on the Hollister High boys golf team, which under normal circumstances would be more of a footnote.
However, Galindo’s situation deserves more attention because it wasn’t that long ago when he was on the...
Local Scene: Tourism spending is up
Statewide tourism spending hits all-time high
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced May 5 that travel spending in California hit an all-time high of $150.4 billion in 2023, outdoing the previous record of $144.9 billion spent in 2019.
The state has retained its title as the world’s fifth...
Covid-19: By the numbers, March 4
San Benito County Public Health officials’ March 4 Covid-19 update shows the daily case rate and test positivity rate continue to decline locally.
The county’s Covid-19 dashboard shows there have been 5,708 confirmed cases and currently 55 active cases. The local death count remains at...


















