Politics

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...

Growing up in farmworker housing in Paicines, California informed how newly elected state Assemblymember Robert Rivas ran his campaign for his District 30 seat, and now it’s informing one of his first proposed pieces of legislation. The Farmworker Housing Act of 2019 has made its...

Mayor Ignacio Velazquez sent a letter “as a private citizen” to the Hollister Planning Commission raising new, personal objections to plans to develop the 400 block of San Benito Street. The mayor—forced to recuse himself from all discussion and action on the controversial project because...

Council member Marty Richman for District 4 this week was selected to be Hollister mayor pro tempore for 2019. The decision was made by the newly sworn-in council in its first meeting of the new year, and upended the traditional selection process for the position--...

Seven newly elected county government officials took their oaths of office in the Board of Supervisors chambers Jan. 7. Two new supervisors, Peter Hernandez in District 3 and Jim Gillio in District 4,assumed their new positions. District 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz and District...

Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s first week of his second term was a busy one, as the new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives faced new responsibilities and a government shutdown. Panetta and his Congressional colleagues were sworn in en masse Jan. 3 in the Capitol. By...

Newly elected City Councilmember Cesar Flores has been appointed the new mayor of San Juan Bautista. The three new council members—Flores, Leslie Jordan and Mary Vazquez Edge—all voted for Flores’ appointment on Dec.18. Councilmembers John Freeman and Dan DeVries voted against Flores’ appointment. A vote...