Politics

The Hollister City Council this week appointed Ana Cortez as the new city manager, following a three-month search for a new staff leader at City Hall. Cortez will begin her new position in Hollister on Feb. 2, with an annual base salary of $265,000. She...

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...

This story was published Dec. 17 by CalMatters. For three years, the fate of poor people accused of crimes in San Benito County lay in the hands of attorneys who barely spoke with their clients and seldom filed legal motions on their behalf.  While defendants...

Voters in San Benito County Supervisorial District 5 will have a chance to vote whether to recall their incumbent in the June 2 election.  The local registrar of voters’ office has consolidated the recall election of Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez onto the statewide 2026 gubernatorial primary...

San Benito County and the First Amendment Coalition reached a settlement in a case involving a social media page that posted content that was allegedly threatening toward local officials and their families.  Under the settlement, which was announced Dec. 5, the county agreed to withdraw...

Anonymous Facebook users who run what they describe as a “satirical” social media page have sued San Benito County over its recent efforts to name them as the page’s owners.  At a Nov. 26 online hearing before the California Northern District Court, after receiving arguments...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors narrowly rejected a petition to recall one of its members and labeled the effort “illegal” due to allegations that signature gatherers misled local voters.  Some of those voters said during a public hearing at the Nov. 18 board...

San Benito County has recovered nearly $700,000 stolen from a recent vendor payment fraud scheme, according to the county Auditor-Controller’s Office.  The recovery of the funds will allow the county to “issue proper payment to the legitimate vendor,” Auditor-Controller Joe Paul Gonzalez said in a...

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a social media page that recently posted a political cartoon that allegedly encouraged violence against public officials and their families, according to authorities.  The Facebook page known as “Benito Beet Beat” published the post on Nov. 3....