Politics

Hollister officials are ready to start promoting Pinnacles National Park to people entering and living in the city.

Days after a Free Lance story detailed 2015 travel expenditures incurred by Hollister Councilwoman Mickie Luna without council approval, she canceled plans for a second consecutive multi-day January trip to the League of California Cities conference in Sacramento designed specifically for newly elected officials, the city clerk confirmed.

Here is a sampling of the biggest stories during the past year in San Benito County as reported by the Free Lance:

People on social media, the Free Lance website and outside a busy Hollister store resoundingly called a man’s posting of a Confederate flag on his private property off Southside Road in rural Hollister an act of free speech, while some labeled it racist and others said they were unaffected.

The red, white and blue of the Confederate flag located on private property off Southside Road in rural Hollister will be coming down this evening, said its owner, Michael Zgragen.

Despite concerns over a prior promoter’s $90,000 deficit owed from the 2015 Hollister Freedom Rally, council members Monday agreed to prepare a request for proposal to solicit a new organizer of the city’s signature event.

Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez has had an on-again, off-again status when it comes to making official decisions on the biker rally. On Monday, he announced he is on again and said he will avoid making money on the event so he can take part in the city's decision making.

When taking into account estimated sales-tax and business-license revenue, City of Hollister records show a net profit for the local government during the past three motorcycle rallies, according to documents obtained by the Free Lance.

Councilwoman Mickie Luna has traveled on the taxpayers’ dime during her first year in office without permission from her colleagues, according to records obtained by the Free Lance and interviews with officials.