After city council members voted 4-0 on Monday to pursue a sale for development on the last large public grassy plot in downtown, Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez took to Facebook to express his frustration and encourage community action.
Following the decision, the mayor posted his frustration to the Facebook group “What’s Going On In Hollister, CA?” and asked community members to comment “yes” if they wanted to change the outcome.
Within 17 hours, 630 people had reacted and 1,280 had left comments.
“I’m extremely frustrated with the lack of vision and the shortsightedness last night at the council meeting when they decided to turn the 400 block into offices and apartments, especially when hundreds of citizens made their feelings known,” the mayor wrote in the Facebook post Tuesday. “I need everyone’s help to turn around this decision by the council. As an individual I’m asking for your help to launch a referendum to take this issue to a vote of the people.”
On Monday, Hollister city council members voted 4-0 in favor of entering into exclusive talks to sell the city’s property in the 400 block of San Benito Street. Velazquez did not vote because he has declared a potential financial conflict of interest since he owns The Vault, a property that neighbors the grass plot. He has repeatedly said as a private citizen, he opposes the development.
Residents commented on both sides of the issue during public comment at the city council meeting earlier this week.
Community members may un-do council action or recall city council members through the referendum process, which would involve filing a “notice of intention” with the city clerk, creating a petition and gathering a specified number of unduplicated signatures, explained City Clerk Tom Graves, who spoke with the Free Lance on Wednesday.
Graves could speak only in general terms about the process, as he is prohibited from providing guidance or support to proponents of an initiative, he said.
“My job as city clerk is to remain neutral in a process,” Graves said.
He does suggest proponents seek competent legal counsel, he said.
“The law is actually quite specific about what the petition can look like and it goes so far as to define top borders and bottom borders,” Graves said. “It’s kind of very specific about what needs to be done.”
