Politics

Calfire has declared a burn ban for San Benito and Monterey counties due to drought conditions, according to a statement from the state agency.

Hollister is getting a new payment center next to Old City Hall.

The city is set to do road improvements on Cerra Vista Drive following a recent vote by the Hollister council.

Hollister council and planning commission will hold a joint meeting to discuss housing matters next week.

County supervisors in a 4-1 vote Tuesday reiterated their support in voting for a strict tree-cutting ordinance in light of the controversy at Ridgemark Golf & Country Club.

Usually, the San Benito County Tax Collector's Office is closed Fridays due to budget cutbacks. That won't be the case this week, however, because a crucial deadline for payments falls on that day.

For Measure J supporter Andy Hsia-Coron, it was somewhat “disappointing” to have an oil company drop its lawsuit seeking to kill the anti-fracking initiative approved by local voters in November.

Supervisor Jerry Muenzer likened developers’ pursuit of lower fees to the county being “raped and pillaged” at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Council members Monday unanimously approved spending up to $30,000 to hire BESST for an examination of Well No. 4 maintained by the city. Officials hope to “quantify the source” of chromium causing the supply to exceed a state standard established in July of last year.

Citadel Exploration has dropped its lawsuit against the county over the Measure J lawsuit, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.