Politics

Early returns from the four counties in the sprawling 30th Assembly district left no doubt about the front-runner, San Benito County Supervisor Robert Rivas. He will likely face first-time Republican candidate Neil Kitchens in a November runoff, as fellow Democrat and Gilroy City Councilman...

Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012, was in South County and San Benito County last week campaigning for her preferred candidate in the 30th District State Assembly race. On Thursday, May 24, Huerta stopped...

For Rep. Jimmy Panetta, whose 20th District includes some of the nation’s biggest farm producers, voting against the most recent Farm Bill was difficult but necessary. “The failure of the Farm Bill on the House floor last week was due to a flawed process and...

The state’s petroleum industry is spending $320,000 in the District 30 State Assembly race to defeat fundraising frontrunner Robert Rivas. The San Benito County supervisor hopes to succeed Anna Caballero, who is running for state senate this year and represents a district that stretches...

The Hollister City Council still awaits clearance from the State of California to ensure that a new growth management program adopted earlier this year will not conflict with rules set by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. To ensure that the city will...

The U.S. Supreme Court justices Tuesday heard arguments in its first abortion-related case under President Trump, and “pregnancy centers” in Gilroy and Hollister were center stage. In a story that led nearly every major national news report on Tuesday, lawyers for the National Institute of...

A statewide initiative to ask voters to change portions of three crime-related laws is picking up steam in Santa Clara County, and is soon expected to reach San Benito County. Over the last week and a half, both the Morgan Hill City Council and Gilroy...

In the view of City Manager Bill Avera, the City of Hollister is “in good shape.” Avera reported on economic condition of the city at a recent San Benito County Chamber of Commerce lunch event billed as a “state of the city” report. Avera said he...

County voters may be asked to vote on several different tax measures in the June and November elections. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors this week began looking at tax ballot measures to fund regional road repairs, public safety, and administrative payrolls. First one the...

A shift from an at-large to a trustee area election system this year will determine three seats on the San Benito High School District Board of Trustees for the first time in November. For the current five-member board, the change in format was a welcome...