Politics

This past year has been a flurry of events, milestones, changes, victories and losses that shaped San Benito County. And as the region continues to face the challenges and embrace the hopes related to ongoing growth, 2026 promises to keep local communities moving and...

Esperanza Colio Warren, who has more than two decades of public service leadership experience, is San Benito County’s new County Administrative Officer.  The board of supervisors appointed Colio Warren to the position last week. She will begin her new job as CAO June 16.  Colio Warren’s...

Art & Rebellion, a Santa Cruz-based self-described resistance group, staged a peaceful theatrical protest at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company in Hollister on Aug. 21.  Garbed in brilliant colors, goofy hats, glittery jackets, bright red noses and curly wigs, waving umbrellas, batons and plungers, the...

The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a social media page that recently posted a political cartoon that allegedly encouraged violence against public officials and their families, according to authorities.  The Facebook page known as “Benito Beet Beat” published the post on Nov. 3....

This story was published Dec. 17 by CalMatters. For three years, the fate of poor people accused of crimes in San Benito County lay in the hands of attorneys who barely spoke with their clients and seldom filed legal motions on their behalf.  While defendants...

Proponents of an effort to recall San Benito County District 5 Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez—who has served on the board for less than one year—submitted a petition with more than 2,200 signatures to election officials last week.  In a Sept. 23 letter to the committee’s treasurer,...

Every year,  lawmakers in Sacramento introduce a flurry of bills, most of which are eviscerated during the legislative process and end up on the Assembly or Senate trash heap. A select few make it to the governor’s desk, and assuming they dodge the veto...

San Benito County officials have requested an audit and investigation services from the state controller’s office after a recent fraud incident brought the county’s total known loss of public funds to theft or embezzlement to more than $1.1 million in recent years.  Concerned that there...

Ballots and voting information packets for the Nov. 4 special statewide election are in the mail for San Benito County’s 37,000-plus registered voters.  Early voting started Oct. 6. Voters can begin casting their ballots by mail; 24-hour drop box; or in person at one of...

With thousands of San Benito County residents set to lose their CalFresh benefits due to a suspension of federal funding, local organizations and service providers are preparing for a surge in the need for food assistance this month.  On Nov. 4, the board of supervisors...