Guest View

Benjamin Franklin said there were two things certain in life: Death and taxes! When it comes to special interests’ involvement in influencing our government, I can add two more certainties: Bad policies and more taxes to cover the costs of those policies. To be clear,...

As I noted at the San Benito County Board meeting June 14, the discussion about San Justo Reservoir’s longstanding closure has been one of the worst broken records imaginable for local residents.  That stale melody on repeat among political entities—ranging from the county to Congress—has...

One of the more encouraging recent announcements at a San Benito County Board meeting happened Aug. 8 when supervisors learned about a new partnership to provide local residents the option to buy annual memberships for air and ground ambulance needs if they arise.  Of course,...

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors at the latest meeting initiated efforts to significantly strengthen the county’s illegal dumping ordinance to deter those activities.  Supervisor Dom Zanger and I had requested this formal consideration, and I have been pushing for more action with regard...

As someone who was born and raised in Hollister, whose mom was a nurse at the original hospital when it was downtown, I feel a special connection to this community—like so many of you. I was born at Hazel Hawkins, and today, as interim...

Throughout the fall, San Benito High School District has engaged in an outreach effort to encourage community feedback regarding the need for a second high school.  To date, as we enter the second half of our K-8 Parent Listening and Awareness Sessions at 10 local...

We know by now that most adults who’ve refused the Covid-19 vaccine will not be budged, no matter what they’re told by science and common sense. They’ve chosen this as their line in the sand—or, for a more apt metaphor, their hill to die...

If there is one thing most of us can agree on, it is that we need to slow our growth.

Winter storms brought significant snowfall to the Sierra Nevada and other California mountains in December. Snowpack is critical for the state’s spring water outlook because when the snow melts it runs downhill into streams that fill reservoirs that hold about 30% of the state’s...

Open letter to San Benito County residents, Nov. 8:  I am writing to share my gratitude for your engagement in our recent election and to provide a brief update on how the day unfolded. Thanks to your participation, the election was a resounding success, with...