Politics

Temporary road would allow closure of Nash Road near San Benito High School campus

“Bennie Benitoite” will soon be coming to local parks as the new mascot for the parks and recreation commission.

Arturo Medina, whose District 2 board race was at the forefront of allegations over political threats relating to a proposed county-city fire contract, called a Hollister councilman’s claims about his campaign adviser a “distraction.”

City Councilman Doug Emerson contends that the brother of Supervisor Robert Rivas threatened to have his sibling reverse a vote for a $3.4 million fire contract if the Hollister official did not prompt a cancellation to San Juan Bautista’s recent town hall meeting over the proposed merger.

San Benito County's latest effort to close down medical marijuana dispensary Purple Cross went up in smoke last month – at least for now – when a judge recently denied a request for a preliminary injunction that would have forced the controversial nonprofit to close immediately.

With the Hollister City Council last week officially placing an extension to the Measure T sales tax on the November ballot, the new executive director of the San Benito County Business Council attended the meeting and offered three terms under which the organization would support the idea.

San Benito County Sheriff Darren Thompson presented the department's 2011 annual report at the May 8 county supervisors meeting in an attempt to stave off the elimination of 11 positions from his jurisdiction. The supervisors are set to discuss the layoffs at a future meeting.

The premiere of the podcast Talking San Benito County features host Marty Richman interviewing the interim police chief, David Westrick. The new police chief discusses his past in law enforcement and looks ahead to the future of the local force.

Hollister City Councilman Doug Emerson submitted this letter to the editor. Look back for a story on the matter.