Politics

County supervisors Tuesday awarded a $20 million jail expansion construction contract to Montana-based Sletten Construction. In May, San Benito County gave close to $1 million to construction management firm Vanir Construction. According to Vanir’s proposal, the project is expected to begin construction in late August....

The City of Hollister’s new Treasurer Geri Johnson is no stranger to the machinations of government. She worked for the city for nearly 30 years and now she’s back to sign city checks. “When I first started I wasn’t sure when the city would ever...

San Benito County Supervisors received a disconcerting update about the Panoche Valley Solar Farm on Tuesday. “They raped and pillaged us again,” Supervisor Jerry Muenzer said about the 26,000-acre solar  project in San Benito County that promised to generate 399 megawatts of electricity for...

A bill to reopen Clear Creek in San Benito and Fresno counties unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Congressman Jimmy Panetta introduced the Clear Creek National Recreation Area and Conservation Act. The bill directs the Bureau of Land Management to reopen the 63,000-acre Clear...

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...