Hollister
– City voters appear to have rejected Measure S, the
high-profile ballot initiative sponsored by developer Pulte Homes,
according to the election results available at press time.
Hollister – City voters appear to have rejected Measure S, the high-profile ballot initiative sponsored by developer Pulte Homes, according to the election results available at press time.
With 39 percent of ballots counted, 57 percent of votes were cast against the measure, while 43 percent of votes were cast for it.
“We always wanted to hear from the voters,” said Yes-on-S Campaign Manager Annette Giacomazzi. “At this point, only 35 percent of voters have spoken.”
Giacomazzi said that the outcome will not be certain until all the votes are counted a few days from now. When asked if she was surprised by the results she’d seen so far, Giacomazzi said, “We will wait for the final results before we assess how we feel about the race.”
Gordon Machado, who organized the No-on-S campaign, said he was confident that the measure will not pass. He sent the Free Lance an e-mailed press release signed by himself and other No-on-S members.
“We are gratified that Measure S did not pass, since we felt it was in the wrong location, at the wrong time and through the wrong means,” they wrote. “We never thought this election was about Ken Gimelli, Pulte Homes or Del Webb. It was about the manner in which Hollister, and more generally San Benito County, will accommodate growth over the next several decades.”
Measure S would have amended the city’s general plan to redesignate 1,300 acres of agricultural land near the municipal airport as a “mixed use residential community.” Pulte subsidiary Del Webb hoped to build a Sun City Hollister senior living community on that land. If the measure passed, the company would have been granted an exemption from the 244-unit cap imposed by Measure U; instead they would have been given up to 650 building permits per year.
The Free Lance interviewed a number of voters exiting the polling station in Dunne Park about the measure. Gloria Orta said she supports it because the city needs to grow.
“The opposition says that (the development) is not going to help with our problems … but I don’t believe that,” Orta said.
One voter asked only to be identified as Carla, because she is worried that her neighbors – who are for Measure S – will give her a hard time.
“(Del Webb) has been making a lot of promises, but they don’t have to be held to them,” she said.
Johanna Gonzalez said that she and her husband frequently disagree about politics, and their positions on Measure S are no exception.
“I came here about 17 or 18 years ago to get out of a crowded area,” Johanna said. “To add so many houses, I don’t think that’s good for Hollister.”
As she was discussing the measure, Johanna’s husband Saul emerged from the polling station and started offering his own take. He said he supports the measure because it provides homes for seniors.
“I do feel there is a need for senior housing,” Saul said. “If someone buys a home (in Sun City Hollister), that frees up a home here for a low-income person.”
Del Webb’s Bay Area Brand Manager Mike Serpa appeared to be pessimistic as he waited for the final results at the Yes-on-S gathering at Maverick BBQ.
“We overestimated Hollister’s ability to appreciate what we could bring here,” Serpa said. He noted that early results seemed to indicate that neither Measure S nor Measure R – a 1 percent sales tax increase to address the city’s budget deficit – would pass, adding, “Without R or S, it’s hard to hold out hope for Hollister’s economic efforts.”
Serpa added that he couldn’t say anything definite, but if Measure S doesn’t pass, a Del Webb development is unlikely.
“We’ll respect the opinion of the voters of Hollister,” he said. “We are dedicated to bringing a Sun City community to the Central Coast. Hollister was our first choice, but if they don’t want us, then we’ll keep looking.”
The mood at the small group gathered in Machado’s Rustic Turtle Embroidery Works was noticeably more jubilant. Machado noted that as of Sept. 30, the Yes-on-S campaign had spent $660,000, by far the most money ever spent on Hollister election; he said his campaign spent $7,000.
“We were expecting to see a ‘Yes-on-S’ blimp, and we didn’t see it,” Machado complained.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
