Politics

In a bid to keep downtown Hollister’s last patch of open space from becoming condos and offices, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez submitted a petition to city hall on Tuesday that would stop the development of the 400 block of San Benito Street. Velazquez turned into the...

School’s not the only thing that’s out for summer. The Hollister City Council is taking a July recess for the second year in a row. The history of the recess starts in 2015 when that year’s July 6 council meeting was cancelled due to the...

As a fog bank hovered over the California State Monterey Bay campus on Monday, 150 immigrants from 19 nations took part in a naturalization ceremony at the university’s ballroom in Seaside. In the room’s front rows sat eager participants, all carrying little American flags that...

A request for proposal for a new regional trash contract is expected to go before county supervisors this summer. The current franchise agreement with Recology was approved in 2007 and had an eight-year term from November 20, 2007 to June 30, 2015. According to a Hollister...

Hollister City Council Monday appointed longtime city employee Geri Johnson as the next treasurer. The City of Hollister held an open application process for the position after former Treasurer Cecilia Rios moved out of the city. The city treasurer can be elected by the public...

The City of Hollister’s budget continues to gradually balloon. Hollister council members Monday adopted the city budget for Fiscal Year 2017/18. Budget study sessions were previously held earlier this month. Administrative Services Director Brett Miller told council members the general fund budget is  $22,104,872 and the expenditures...

Council members Monday voted 3-1 to waive in-lieu fees for an upcoming senior housing development, opting instead to receive a one-time payment of $1 million. According to city documents, the total in-lieu fee for the project as of June 2017 is $1,515,000. Miller Homes, Inc., developer...

Council members Monday received a fly-by report on the Hollister Municipal Airport. Airport Manager Mike Chambless reported out on capital improvement projects and revenue. “Out of 194 airports in the state of California that are recognized by the (Federal Aviation Administration) and the State of California...

Vice Mayor Karson Klauer will sit out on the medical cannabis dispensary decision expected next week because his family has a connection to a property with interest in the vote. Council members are expected to hold a public hearing on Monday, June 26 to ratify...

The City of Hollister is holding an open application process for the city treasurer’s position. At a June 5 council meeting, staff announced that former Treasurer Cecilia Rios moved out of the city. That means the city must fill the role. In an interview with the...