Opinion

The Covid-19 pandemic has created an extremely trying situation for essential businesses, which have stepped up in amazing and heroic ways to provide the goods and services that Californians rely on daily.

Measure Q will be devastating to San Benito County, with huge negative impacts that will last for years, as Q’s restrictions would go until 2050. Why? Let’s look at some basic county facts and the consequences of Measure Q: Revenue: We are a very poor...

Re: Ballot drive seeks to preserve county’s farmland, Free Lance 2-4-22 When I hear the overhead grind of a single engine aircraft in the quiet sky of my area it gets my attention. I often wonder what view presents itself to the pilot of this...

By Mattie Scariot The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival will take place virtually from Wednesday, April 7 to Tuesday, April 20 this year. This longtime, internationally acclaimed, local festival in Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, Hollister and San Juan Bautista will feature fantastic films, panels,...

A consistent uptick of Covid-19 cases in San Benito County, the Delta variant’s growing presence and a slowing vaccination rate here have raised serious concerns about our progress fighting this deadly pandemic.  This new reality we face is daunting, but vaccines remain the only solution...

The photo (from the Nov. 19 edition of the Hollister Free Lance) of the hug given to Vietnam veteran Anthony Gutierrez on Veteran’s Day celebration on Nov.11 visibly conveyed a gesture of deep gratitude. We do not want to forget veterans but why do...

The three-person race for mayor is crowded in Hollister—with incumbent Ignacio Velazquez competing against former county planning commissioner and city councilmember Gordon Machado and five-time candidate Keith Snow—and offers clear choices. In Hollister the mayor sits on the City Council as a member at large,...

Re: Out with the old, Free Lance 1/14/22 Not everything old is an old Christmas tree, but what a good idea it is to get rid of everything old.  For instance, just because we enjoyed a couple of downpours in December we can forget about...

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,...

Rightfully, San Benito County residents complain about road conditions more than any other local issue. Our road conditions are unacceptable, and they have been for a very long time.  After spending my first year on the San Benito County Board strongly advocating for a major...