Guest View

The economic downturn that the world is facing today as a result of Covid-19 may have been unavoidable. But the level to which so many of our neighbors are struggling today has been compounded greatly by the recent economic history of the United States, in which the economic security of working families has been sacrificed on the altar of corporate profits.

California’s severe drought continues, and mandatory water conservation measures are in place. These climate conditions, along with our limited long-term water supplies, mean it is in our best interest to use water as efficiently as possible. Not just when we’re in drought, but ALWAYS! On...

If there’s one thing we all have in common, no matter how many differences may separate us afterward, it’s this: we all came into this world in more or less the same way—we were born. In fact, celebrating one’s “birth” day is so common...

The agricultural stretch of California’s Central Coast along the Salinas Valley is often called the “Salad Bowl of the World,” and for good reason. It supplies more than 60% of the nation’s lettuce and substantial portions of strawberries, spinach and broccoli.  But beyond the fertile...

I have been thinking a lot lately about measure Q and the importance of slowing growth, protecting both open space and the environment as well as preserving agriculture in our region. I have had the incredible opportunity, over my lifetime, to spend a considerable...

This supply limitation along with the state’s tendency to change course—such as Blue Shield taking over vaccine administration in about two weeks—have left our Public Health Services department without the ability to communicate an immediate, firm plan. Our residents, as a result, have felt left in the dark.

By Kollin Kosmicki San Benito County must address the severe farmworker housing shortage.   As a journalist in the early 2000s, I examined heartbreaking farmworker housing conditions in Hollister. Multiple families, sometimes dozens of residents, often packed into small homes and poverty-stricken conditions.   The situation already reached a...