Politics

San Benito environmental activists known as San Benito Rising, with the Center for Biological Diversity as a cosponsor, held a rally against 15 proposed oil wells near Pinnacles National Park on Saturday. The event was called “Draw the Line: Don’t Frack the Pinnacles.” The oil company with exclusive rights to the project – Ojai-based Citadel Exploration, Inc. – vehemently denied those implications of fracking and its spokesman said the businesss has worked with the county to address all environmental concerns. San Benito Rising also has acknowledged there is no planned fracking at the Indian Wells project.

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...

Before the county board OK'd placing Measure J on the ballot, supervisors had the option of delaying the process to conduct an economic analysis but chose to bypass that choice and send the proposal to voters. Without a county economic report to precede the November ballot decision – whether to ban hydraulic fracturing, cyclic steaming and acidizing as extraction techniques along with all petroleum activities in rural residential zones near the two cities – the local farm bureau went ahead and conducted a study of its own.

With local alliances in Norteno and Sureno street gangs

HOLLISTER