Economy

Every year,  lawmakers in Sacramento introduce a flurry of bills, most of which are eviscerated during the legislative process and end up on the Assembly or Senate trash heap. A select few make it to the governor’s desk, and assuming they dodge the veto...

This past year has been a flurry of events, milestones, changes, victories and losses that shaped San Benito County. And as the region continues to face the challenges and embrace the hopes related to ongoing growth, 2026 promises to keep local communities moving and...

A $450,000 grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation will support ongoing efforts to bring more housing to San Benito County and the Monterey Bay Region.  The grant was recently awarded to the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, which cites housing as one of its...

With thousands of San Benito County residents set to lose their CalFresh benefits due to a suspension of federal funding, local organizations and service providers are preparing for a surge in the need for food assistance this month.  On Nov. 4, the board of supervisors...

Local CalFresh recipients will see a delay in their benefits in November due to the federal government shutdown, says a notice from the San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency.  San Benito County currently serves 7,742 people and 3,794 families with CalFresh benefits, which...

Government, business and nonprofit leaders around San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties staged the 2025 State of the Region Oct. 17 at CSU Monterey Bay to discuss a vast list of topics from healthcare and air mobility to hospitality, tourism, advances in the...

San Benito County will conduct a full audit of the public library after two former employees were convicted of embezzling more than $360,000 from the county.  Former library staff members Erin Baxter and Mary Alvarez were recently convicted of embezzling about $360,755 of library funds...

A multitude of elected officials, workers and law enforcement officials from Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties gathered at the Government Center in Salinas last week to send a message to the community and the federal government. “Today we stand together, locally, statewide and...

After celebrating the holidays with her family and recovering from a bout of Covid, Zoe Lofgren flew back to Washington, DC on Jan. 2 to begin her new term representing California’s 18th Congressional District in the US Congress. The district follows Highway 101 from...

California’s homeless population remains the biggest in the nation, but the crisis is growing more slowly here than in most of the rest of the country, according to new federal data.  The number of homeless Californians increased just over 3% last year compared to the...