Politics

San Benito County Supervisors unanimously approved an amended 2019-2020 county budget June 25. The new budget allocates $143.4 million in total spending for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Edgar Nolasco, deputy county administrative officer, told the Free Lance that total spending is approximately $87 million less...

Hollister’s cost of living may be relatively low compared to its northern neighbors, but wages and benefits for its city workers place it among the top 20 percent in the entire state, according to a new report. In her annual report of Government Compensation in...

Neil Kitchens, a Republican candidate who ran an unsuccessful campaign for State Assembly District 30 in 2018, has been charged with five counts of election fraud. Kitchens pleaded not guilty at an arraignment June 28 in Monterey County Superior Court, according to court filings. He...

The San Juan Bautista City Council was set to approve an employment agreement for a new city manager, Don Reynolds. Reynolds currently works as the assistant public works director in Salinas. Reynolds told the Free Lance he’s spent three decades in public service, working...

The Hollister City Council unanimously approved spending $25,000 to hire a recruiting firm to find a new city manager, with City Councilmember Honor Spencer absent from the vote. The city voted to hire CPS HR Consulting, A Sacramento based firm, which, according to  its...

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...

Anthony Botelho, vice chairperson of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, said he is not seeking re-election after 15 years on the job. Botelho first won election to District 2  in 2004, after serving on the county planning commission, farm bureau, resource conservation...

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...

The Federal Rail Administration has pulled funding for California’s High-Speed Rail Project. In a letter sent to High-Speed Rail Authority President, Brian Kelly, the FRA said it will be terminating the 2010 cooperative agreement between the two agencies. This will pull $929 million in funding...