Politics

The Community Foundation of San Benito County and its allies have launched an online petition to support its plans to build the nonprofit new offices on the 400 block of San Benito Street. Started last Friday, the online petition is open to anyone with an...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors is preparing for a fight over the Panoche Valley Solar Farm. On Tuesday, supervisors approved a contract not to exceed $60,000 for legal representation in the county’s pursuit to fix breaches in the development agreement with ConEdison Development,...

City and county leaders during last week’s intergovernmental meeting discussed sharing equipment across jurisdictions as a way to cut down on expensive road maintenance costs. “You guys have a striping truck and we don’t,” San Juan Bautista Mayor Chris Martorana told the gathering of policymakers...

San Juan Bautista residents crowded city hall to speak out against a proposed Formula One Grand Prix racetrack at a Tuesday meeting of the city planning commission. The proposal, Motor & Technology Center of Excellence, includes a raceway, convention center, eateries, luxury condominiums and hotel,...

A medical cannabis recommendation clinic with several licensed physicians will not be allowed to operate at a former bank in the historic center of San Juan Bautista, according to a decision by the city’s planning commission during its Tuesday meeting.   “I’ve provided a wealth...

Outdoor gym equipment and handball courts may be in the pipeline for McCarthy Street Park thanks to a nearly $700,000 grant the City of Hollister was recently awarded by the state. While the process is expected to take up to three years to complete,...

An opinion from the California Attorney General’s Office on the validity of the 400 block petition has been delayed, according to city officials. City Clerk Tom Graves recently reached out to the state attorney general’s office for an opinion on whether Mayor Ignacio Velazquez’s petition...

San Juan Bautista planning commissioners will revisit an ambitious proposal to transform a nearby 550-acre ranch into a world-class car racing destination at its regular meeting next week. On August 1, the five-member board will hear from WY2M, Inc., a Los Gatos-based company that...

State attorney general consulted over 400 block   The Hollister City Council is still on recess, but there’s activity at city hall. City Clerk Tom Graves is validating signatures for the 400 block petition that Mayor Ignacio Velazquez submitted for certification earlier this month, after leading...

Environmental groups have reached a settlement agreement with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Con Edison Development over the size and location of the Panoche Valley Solar Farm. The settlement agreement is between the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, Santa Clara Valley Audubon...