Sometimes it’s important to step back and connect the dots.
I don’t know Laura Garcilazo personally. But after receiving her campaign mailer for the auditor-controller election and seeing some of the sensationalistic headlines being used, I started to look more closely at the circumstances surrounding this race.
A few things stood out to me.
First, take a look at a post from last January by Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez. He presents it as a list of county job openings, but then specifically states:
“If you’re a CPA you can earn over $240k. Message me directly for more information.”
The interesting part? None of the jobs listed match that description or salary. In fact, the only position I could find that does match the is the elected Auditor-Controller. So was he trying to recruit someone to run against the controller?
And instead of properly directing interested applicants to Human Resources, Velazquez asks people to contact him directly.
Maybe that’s nothing. But it certainly raises some questions.
Second, if you review campaign finance filings, most of Ms. Garcilazo’s funding appears to have come from two unusually large out-of-county donors totaling more than $10,000: Charles Knowles and Serena Rivera.
Coincidentally, these are the same donors who recently contributed to Ignacio Velazquez and have also given to candidates aligned with Campaign to Protect San Benito and Hollister Guardians including Roxanne Stephens, Rudy Picha and Priscilla de Anda. All of this money pouring into candidate campaigns from outsiders including Silicon Valley millionaires is worthy of investigation, however…
It naturally leads to another question:
Why would these same big political donors from outside San Benito County pour significant money into an Auditor-Controller race?
Third, the style and tone of these campaign mailers are very similar to the political messaging local voters have seen for years coming from Campaign to Protect San Benito and Velazquez-aligned campaigns.
Again, people can draw their own conclusions. But taken together, this does not feel random.
And when you’re talking about the Auditor-Controller official, the person responsible for financial oversight and accountability for our county, independence really matters.
The public deserves an auditor who is willing to stand up to elected officials when necessary, regardless of politics or alliances.
The auditor-controller’s office should belong to the taxpayers, not to any political faction.
Mia Casey
Former Mayor of Hollister
What Ms. Casey has failed to disclose is that she, herself is taking substantial money from outsiders, in particular, developers, for her recall group. This was disclosed in an insightful edition of the Freelance in March.. It appears that she is attempting to shame the genuine grass root groups that have exposed her poor performance and compromised decision- making during her tenure as Mayor from 2022 to 2024. Quite simply, she got called out and paid for it, politically.
Mr. Robles, it has been made abundantly clear by the recall committee itself—through public photos, statements, and interview—that this is not “my recall committee.” Yet here you are again falsely claiming I am taking money from outsiders for “my recall.”
That statement is simply untrue and demonstrates exactly why so many people have grown tired of these political smear campaigns.
You also claim the Freelance reported that I am taking money from outside developers for the recall. It did not. No article says that. Readers can verify that for themselves.
What the campaign finance reports actually show is that the recall effort has received support from hundreds of ordinary residents, taxpayers, retirees, business owners, parents, and voters who were concerned about leadership, public safety, and the fire contract.
Those are the people behind this recall, not the fictional narrative you keep trying to sell.
The irony is that the very groups claiming to be “grassroots” have spent years attacking, labeling, and smearing anyone who disagrees with them. We saw it in the 2024 election. We saw it with all the Hollister Guardian mailers that were publicly fact-checked and found to contain numerous false and misleading claims. And apparently, we’re seeing it again now.
When facts aren’t on your side, you attack the messenger. People disagree with you, you call them developers, conspirators, or failed politicians. The public has heard it all before. It’s getting old.
The recall is not about me. It’s about leadership decisions made and the consequences of those decisions. No amount of name-calling, false accusations, or recycled political attacks changes that.