Politics

San Benito County supervisors reduced the car allowance for appointed department heads from $500 to $350 at last week’s board of supervisors' meeting, while there were concerns from one department head that there should be some exemptions to the allowance.

The San Benito County Parks and Recreation commissioners received word this week that they will receive a grant from the Health Trust. The Health Trust awarded the county $61,500 for the first phase of looking into creating a special district that would support parks and recreation in the county.

An effort to have Pinnacles National Monument reclassified as a national park received a boost Thursday when a key committee OK’d the legislation and sent it to the House of Representatives, according to a statement from The Wilderness Society.

The San Benito County Elections Office has released the final slate of local items on the November ballot.

San Juan Bautista’s City Council had given approval to the 2012-13 budget, but will have to go back and re-approve it because officials needed to add an unfunded $382,000 item to the capital improvements list for a future water softener plant.

Louise Ledesma: “No, public safety workers probably should be able to retire earlier than other government workers because of physical requirements necessary for their jobs. I don't think anyone should be able to collect more money when they are retired than when they were working. At 3% for each year worked, a person would only have to 34 years. Actually less because retirement plans usually give COLAs."

Gang Prevention Coordinator Al De Vos recently gave a presentation to the Hollister City Council about an application for a Promise Neighborhood planning grant due by the end of July. It would encompass work to the west side of Hollister, including the neighborhoods surrounding Calaveras and R.O. Hardin schools. It would provide $500,000 for planning and then open up the county for additional implementation funding of up to $20 million from future grants.

While the police department readies for a new daytime curfew law targeting teen delinquents, it has not issued a single citation using the social host ordinance – targeting parents who encourage bad behavior to their children – since its enactment in April 2010.

Three Hollister councilmen Monday announced definitive runs for office in November, while another one said he was "85 percent" sure he will seek another term.