Politics

Homelessness, the armed forces and drug policy were some of the items discussed at a town hall meeting Tuesday with Jimmy Panetta, the Democratic representative for the 20th congressional district. Panetta was introduced to the packed room at the county administration building by Jaime De...

Calling their existing medical cannabis policy a mess, county legislators Tuesday decided to defer a vote on proposed rules for cultivation and manufacturing operations to November. “I personally have developed major reservations about moving forward with this medical marijuana ordinance or policy,” San Benito County...

San Benito County leaders threatened to stop work at Panoche Valley Solar Farm Tuesday as tensions flared over unpaid tax revenue and lack of local workers at the renewable energy site. After heated exchanges between the supervisors and a ConEdison Development  representative, supervisors set...

Cannabis was not on the agenda for the Hollister City Council meeting Monday, but that did not stop three dispensary applicants from requesting reconsideration. Last week, the city leaders approved just one—out of two—possible medical cannabis dispensaries. Purple Cross Rx received the go-ahead, while three...

The Hollister City Council approved an ABC liquor license for the upcoming Epicenter Wine Room in downtown Hollister. According to the staff report, San Andreas Beverage Company, LLC applied for a winegrower type two license. The new wine tasting spot will be located at 620 San...

The Hollister City Council approved local medical cannabis business Purple Cross Rx to move forward in the dispensary permit process after a testy face-off between council members and Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez. After hearing presentations from six medical cannabis dispensary applicants, Velazquez said he had...

At the same meeting the San Juan Bautista City Council decided to hire a cannabis consultant, city leaders moved to draft an ordinance that would ban recreational cannabis businesses within city limits before the state is expected to start issuing licenses next year. City...

PACHECO RESERVOIR EXPANSION PROJECT The Hollister City Council unanimously approved sending their support letter with an amendment to bring up the inclusion of a possible recreation component. The $800 million dam project - proposed by the Santa Clara Valley Water District -  would expand the reservoir...

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,...