Politics

The Hollister Police Department is looking to use grant funds to buy the city's first automated license plate reader.

When Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller considered promoting Carlos Reynoso from sergeant to one of two captain positions in April 2009, he considered whether to continue a standard practice and allow the No. 2-ranked officer access to a department-issued squad car for his commute. Reynoso's case is unlike most others because he lives outside the county about 45 miles from Hollister.

It has been a point of debate among Hollister residents and officials for years, but in June it looks like voters will finally get the chance to decide if they want a mayor elected by the city's entire citizenry.

San Benito County planning officials presented an ordinance amending the San Benito County code pertaining to the life of use permits for commercial and industrial zones, and county supervisors adopted it at their recent meeting.

San Benito County's Health and Human Services has put in place a procedure to make sure that claims for In-Home Support Services are filed in a timely manner after the State of California denied payment of claims dating back to 2007.

A former Gilroy developer who constructed a 9-foot-tall barbed wire fence around his home after he was savagely beaten in 2008 owes the City of Gilroy more than $45,000 in fees that started with a simple $200 citation for his out-of-code safety precaution.

The inevitable courtroom showdown between San Benito County and medical marijuana dispensary Purple Cross Rx is on the horizon, as county lawyers acknowledged this week that they will soon ask a judge to force the closure of the Bolsa Road nonprofit.

Rural San Benito County homeowners could pay up to $150 annually after a state board's recent approval of a fire fee to help offset budget cuts that are expected to affect Calfire's suppression efforts.