Politics

The Hollister City Council meetings are becoming increasingly contentious—and loud. Its most recent meeting Aug.19 devolved into a series of shouting matches as councilmembers went head to head over several seemingly minor agenda items.  The meeting went on for five hours as council members waded into...

The 2020 mayoral field in Hollister already has two candidates: current Mayor Ignacio Velazquez and first-term District 3 council member Honor Spencer. Spencer announced at the Aug. 5 city council meeting that she would be running for mayor in March 2020, and Velazquez confirmed that...

In a raucous three-hour debate before an overflow audience punctuated by tears, shouts and legalese, the Hollister City Council voted 3-1 on June 3 to allow a multi-purpose development plan in the center of downtown to move forward. The council vote upheld a planning commission...

This year’s Democratic state convention in San Francisco offered a select group of party regulars a sneak preview of Democratic campaign themes. Included among the 3,400 delegates at the May 31-June 2 convention were local elected officials and party workers, from former city councilmember Mickie...

The expected showdown between Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez and the City Council over a San Benito Street development this week was delayed until June 3 because city staff didn’t release a report to the public ahead of the meeting on May 6. After the mayor’s...

Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s first week of his second term was a busy one, as the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives faced new responsibilities and a government shutdown. Panetta and his Congressional colleagues were sworn in en masse Jan. 3 in the Capitol. By...

The undeveloped “400 block” in Hollister on San Benito Street is entering another phase as it inches toward its first development in nearly 30 years. Despite the sale of the property last year to the San Benito Community Foundation and Del Turo Brothers construction,...

All of the votes in San Benito County have finally been counted following the Nov. 6 election. The County has released a final report on the election which is available at www.sbcvote.us. In a press release the county registrar of voters said the jurisdictions will be...

In a major upset in the Hollister city elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6, newcomer Rolan Resendiz, a likely ally of Mayor Ignacio Velazquez, unseated one-term District 2 Councilmember Mickie Solorio Luna. The campaign was contentious, with personal attacks on Resendiz raised by Luna’s supporters. Despite...

A trio of school board candidates running on the same campaign slate with a shared mission to bring equity back to Hollister School District are sitting one-two-three in the race for three at-large seats, according to the latest unofficial election results from the San...