Within a month of seating three new members, the San Benito
County Board of Supervisors has wasted no time proving it aims to
get things done around here.
Hollister – Within a month of seating three new members, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors has wasted no time proving it aims to get things done around here.
So far, the new board has questioned the old board’s decisions, stepped forward in opposition of one of the most controversial issues in the area and dove head first into a slew of lawsuits that have haunted the county for years.
Recent board actions include:
n Hillside Ordinance: At its Jan. 25 meeting, the supervisors rehashed the controversial Hillside Ordinance, which outgoing supervisors passed 3-1 at their final meeting on Dec. 7.
At the suggestion of Dist. 1 Supervisor Don Marcus, the new board accepted public comment on the ordinance and unanimously voted to send it back to the planning commission for further review.
The ordinance would restrict building on ridgelines with a 15 percent or more slope. Subdivisions of five or more homes would not be allowed on such slopes, and the floor area and height would be limited.
Marcus said he wanted to bring the ordinance back for public comment because of the high amount of criticism it had received from locals, and because the previous board had seemingly ignored the planning commission’s recommendation to reject the ordinance in November.
n Miwok Casino: Tuesday morning, four of the five supervisors publicly announced their opposition to a proposed Miwok casino in San Benito County. Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, only Supervisor Anthony Botelho had publicly opposed the project. Among their reasons for opposing the casino Tuesday, Supervisors Botelho, Loe, Monaco and Marcus cited moral and infrastructure concerns, as well as a lack of local public support for the casino.
The board also voted to hold a nighttime public meeting on Feb. 15 to give locals one last chance to speak their minds before the supervisors vote on the resolution opposing the casino at 7pm on Feb. 22 in the Veterans Building.
If the board does pass a resolution against the casino, it could mean trouble for the Miwoks and their investors from Game Won, who have yet to prove the Miwoks have ancestral ties to San Benito County. If they are unable to prove their roots here, they will not get a gaming compact from Gov. Schwarzenegger without overwhelming local support. Schwarzenegger’s Deputy Press Secretary Vince Sollitto said Tuesday a signed resolution by the board of supervisors would indicate to the governor that there was much local opposition.
n Lawsuits: In closed session meetings, the new board has been discussing all 12 active lawsuits against the county, whereas reviewing three or four per meeting is usually more common. While all five supervisors have said the lengthy discussions were largely an educational process for the three new supervisors, Marcus has said he believes several of the suits will be cleared up sooner rather than later. And all five supervisors agree they’d like to see every suit settled as soon as possible without causing further legal problems.
n Augmenting Marshal’s Budget: In July, the county slashed Marshal Robert Scattini’s budget from $179,000 down to $40,000 a year, according to Scattini. The Marshal lost his deputy to the sheriff’s department, had his secretary cut back to part-time, and saw a severe under-funding for vehicle maintenance, he said.
On Tuesday, the supervisors voted to augment Scattini’s budget by nearly $30,000 to pay the department back for some of the costs incurred since July. The funds will reimburse the Marshal’s office for Deputy Martin Deffee’s wages, as the Marshal’s department paid them even after Deffee was sent to the sheriff. Scattini said he hopes to return to the board later this year to secure additional funds.
