Politics

Jose “Omar” Rodriguez decisively won the San Benito County Superior Court Judge No. 2 election Nov. 6. He will occupy the judge’s seat formerly occupied by longtime Judge Harry Tobias, who will retire at the end of this year after serving on the bench...

City Councilmember, Jim Gillio won an election night upset against District 4 incumbent Supervisor, Jerry Muenzer. Gillio received 2,104 votes and 74.14 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting, but provisional ballots and late vote-by-mail ballots have not yet been counted. His victory means...

In a major upset in the city elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6, newcomer Rolan Resendiz unseated one-term Councilmember for District 2, Mickie Solorio Luna. The campaign was contentious, with Resendiz’s past and allegations of domestic violence being brought up by opponents of his campaign. Despite...

The mayoral race in Hollister was crowded this election, with incumbent Ignacio Velazquez facing opposition from former council member and county planning commissioner Gordon Machado and vocal resident, Keith Snow. Velazquez managed a significant victory on Nov 6, garnering nearly 52 percent of the...

A trio of fresh faces will join the Hollister School District’s Board of Education at a time where the governing body is in the process of selecting a new superintendent. Challengers Carla Torres-Deluna, Stephen Kain and Jan Grist finished one-two-three in the six-candidate race for...

The future is bright for Gavilan College with the passing of a $248 million bond measure Nov. 6 as well as the election of three new members to its governing body. A combined 57 percent of voters in Santa Clara and San Benito counties (who...

Congressman Jimmy Panetta, 20th District Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Agriculture Research Caucus, has introduced the Specialty Crop Mechanization Prize Challenge Act. The bipartisan legislation incentivizes innovative agriculture technology development and deployment. The bill also encourages public-private partnerships between agriculture industry and the U.S....

Hollister votes by City Council districts —and county supervisor districts—which means not every ballot is going to look the same on Nov. 6. You can’t just go to any polling place. Candidates for City Council will be on the ballot in Districts 2, 3...

The race for mayor is crowded in Hollister, with incumbent Ignacio Velazquez up against former planning commissioner and city councilmember Gordon Machado and five-time candidate Keith Snow. In Hollister the mayor sits on the City Council as a member at large, with council members representing...

Jason Hopkins, a candidate in Trustee Area 7 for the Gavilan Community College Joint District Board of Trustees, has withdrawn from the race, citing “personal and health reasons.” Hopkins, however, will still appear on the Nov. 6 ballot and told the Free Lance that he...