Politics

As the construction of the new courthouse continues along Fourth Street, with estimated completion by the end of the year, San Benito County supervisors discussed how to allot the space that will be emptied in the existing courthouse.

San Benito County’s general plan update could take up to two years to complete, despite estimates earlier this year that it might be completed this fall.

Hollister resident Aurelio Zuniga was among the speakers at Monday’s public hearing over the proposed spike in water rates over the next five years. Unlike other residents, though, he said he was not there to protest the water rates, which would double over a five-year period to pay for a series of improvement projects.

The Bureau of Land Management will call in a third party to conduct a science and planning review of oil and gas development practices, including hydraulic fracturing, on public lands overseen by the Hollister field office, according to an announcement released Friday.

Staff members from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be making seven stops in California cities to discuss the California Foothills Legacy Area now that the draft environmental assessment is available.

According to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Side Fund Report, San Benito County owed $3.9 million for public safety unfunded retirement liabilities and the City of Hollister owed $10.8 million for all employee groups as of June 2012.

Supervisors approved reinstating an assistant county administrative officer July 23, with Ray Espinosa set to fill the position when a new county administrative officer is hired. Espinosa has been serving as interim CAO for 10 months.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development approved a grant for $133,000 for the San Benito County Homeless Coalition from its emergency solutions grant program.

San Benito County supervisors expressed their initial concerns about two petitions put forth by a private citizen that could potentially put ballot initiatives on the primary election next June to allow the sale of medical marijuana in the county and create tax revenue from such sales.

The owner of a medical marijuana dispensary that has been operating on Highway 25 in San Benito County has plans to circulate countywide initiatives in regards to the legalization and taxation of medical marijuana, to potentially appear on a statewide ballot in June 2014.