Politics

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Jason Hopkins, a candidate in Trustee Area 7 for the Gavilan Community College Joint District Board of Trustees, has withdrawn from the race, citing “personal and health reasons.”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...

Hollister City Council members voted to fill a council seat left vacant by District 1 Councilmember Ray Friend. In a 3-1 vote, Planning Commissioner Carol Lenoir was appointed. The Oct. 1 special meeting began with candidate interviews with the council in chambers. The three candidates...

The 2018 Farm Bill expired Sept. 30, and Congressman Jimmy Panetta said that unless his House Agriculture Committee chair softens on President Donald Trump’s new work requirements for food stamp recipients, farm programs will begin to suffer in the new year. In an interview this...

For nearly 30 years “the 400 block” in Hollister has sat vacant, part of a long-term plan to develop the site in the center of city, the last reminder of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Since 2016, plans for a mixed-use commercial/residential/office structure at...

The Nov. 6 election is just one month away, when Hollister voters will be selecting a majority of the City Council. Council seats in Districts 2, 3 and 4 are all open in the upcoming election. In District 2 the candidates are Mickie Solorio-Luna...

If you want to take advantage of San Benito County’s low sales tax, you might want to act before the New Year. So far there’s been no organized opposition to the proposed 1 percent increase of the county’s percent sales tax to 8.25 percent, which...

Any trip to a Hollister City Council meeting would display a usual scene. A typical vote? Three in favor and one against. For almost the entire last year of his two-year term, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez has voted no on any bill that has to do...

As a former admissions officer at two different colleges, Miguel Sahagun Jr. knows what it takes for a high school graduate to make the leap into higher education. However, the San Benito High School alumnus also realizes how valuable a technical education can be as...

Would you like to be a City Council member, but avoid the time and expense of an election? The Hollister City Council has rejected an option of scheduling a special council election next spring, and instead is accepting applications for an appointment to the District...