Editorial: Supervisors take the right turn on car allowance reductions
San Benito County supervisors are on the right track in curtailing excessive vehicle allowances for department heads, but they should remain steadfast in requiring all of the top officials to follow their new policy and continue seeking other ways to cut such transportation costs.
Water Cooler: Do you support reviving a sanctioned biker rally?
Richard Place: “I would like to see another motorcycle rally happen here. The biggest problem, of course, is being able to handle the law enforcement for the event. I don’t believe we need the over enforcement that we had during the last few events but with both our departments short handed from budget cuts, it would certainly be a problem just to plan and run the event. If we can go back to the old plan of putting all the bikes on San Benito Street and the vendors on the side street it would be more appealing to the public and better for crowd control. Maybe we can sell the old tee shirts to pay for the extra officers.”
Guest View: Hollister without a motorcycle rally – 4 years and counting
It took me a while to sit down at my desk and write about how I felt about our fourth year without a rally. How does one stay upbeat and positive while they watch the number of visitors to Hollister shrink exponentially every year without our famed motorcycle rally? I'll confess for me it is a huge struggle. I admit that Johnny's is very well the hardest hit by the loss but I know that our community as a whole suffers because of it.
Editorial: Concerns from foundation raise questions about group
Concerns expressed by San Benito Health Foundation officials – over a similar outside agency staking territory here by partnering on a neighborhood improvement grant application – have ended up raising serious questions about the local organization itself.
Water Cooler: Should public safety workers get better pensions?
Louise Ledesma: “No, public safety workers probably should be able to retire earlier than other government workers because of physical requirements necessary for their jobs. I don't think anyone should be able to collect more money when they are retired than when they were working. At 3% for each year worked, a person would only have to 34 years. Actually less because retirement plans usually give COLAs."
Guest View: County’s youth will do great things
Envision this: you're sitting at Starbucks (whichever of the 80 of them in San Benito) on a crisp, fresh summer morning in the middle of June, reading your choice novel, savoring your last summer before the woes of adulthood must be faced. Songs of birds and smells of coffee beans occupy your senses as you read – complete serenity. You can hear two ladies chat over their lattes 10 or so feet away, but they don't catch your attention until they begin talking about the youth population of SBC. Now it's getting juicy, so you tune in (call me nosy, but you know you would too if it was relevant to you). The lady on the left leans closer to her friend and quietly says,
Editorial: Legislation needed to toughen pension forfeiture law
The case of convicted ex-cop Ray Wood and others throughout the state underscore the need for tougher legislation to deter major crimes or penalize those who commit them in the course of their official duties.
