Economy

San Juan Bautista is among eight Central Coast communities slated to receive federal funding for public works, healthcare, housing and other projects, according to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s office.  The FY 2022 appropriations package for the 20th Congressional District totals about $5.9 million. That includes...

Josh Jensen—famed founder of Hollister’s Calera Wine, visionary leader in the American wine community and an iconic pioneer of luxury California Pinot Noir—died peacefully at his San Francisco home June 11. He was 78 years old.  In the world of fine wine, and to generations...

The San Benito County Planning Commission held a scoping meeting Aug. 2 for the proposed Ranch 35 Quarry project near the intersection of State Route 156 and U.S. 101. The meeting’s purpose was to inform the public about the scope of the quarry project...

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a stack of bills Aug. 16 aimed at curtailing organized retail, property and auto theft in California. Newsom appeared at a Home Depot in San Jose with state, business and law enforcement officials, signing 10 bills that he said go “to...

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital employees received notices this week indicating the Hollister hospital could close as soon as February 2023, according to HHMH administrators.  The hospital’s issuing of Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) to its employees follows a string of unfortunate financial announcements from...

The developer of the Santana Ranch neighborhood recently gained permission to build more homes off Fairview Road, even though the embattled project is behind on its affordable housing requirements spelled out in a nearly 11-year-old agreement with the county. The San Benito County Board of...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on March 8 were unable to come to a consensus on whether or not to add a sales tax measure to the November ballot, requesting more information on the county’s finances. Among the concerns during the public forum,...

Food insecurity in California ticked upward over the past year, bringing the share of hardship back up to levels early in the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data released by the California Association of Food Banks on Dec. 12. “Families are buying less food,” said May...

Residents, business owners and other interested parties have until Sept. 6 to submit their input on the proposed expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill, after county officials extended the comment period on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report. The San Benito County Board of...

San Benito County officials certified the citizens’ petition for an initiative that would require voter approval for certain land rezoning decisions, but are waiting for an impact report on the proposal before deciding whether to place the measure on the November ballot. The board of...