Opinion

Re: “Medi-Cal not the solution to expand healthcare,” Free Lance, March 29. What have we learned from the pandemic, or are we in another pandemic? The symptoms seem to be having a hunger when we are not hungry. These symptoms are not like body obesity...

With sunshine warmth, spring breaks and Easter season upon us we must go to the beach. At the ocean—smooth with few white caps—we see a lifeboat rising and falling in swells with paddlers poking the blue. The people in this lifeboat are not in...

The United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has announced initial surface water supply allocations from the Central Valley Project (CVP) for the 2024 water year.  The 2023 water year left most California reservoirs in a good place, after a record-setting winter. While it has been a slow...

In a recent Free Lance article regarding a break in the sewer pipe in Hollister, two elected officials made disparaging and unsubstantiated claims against Hollister City Council members: “They don’t care about what the citizens of Hollister, especially on the west side, have to...

We can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day because when our fields of lettuce, onions and peppers are green they must look like the green isle of Ireland. We must carefully view the spoken brogue of those in public office because not all want to preserve our...

What would you do if you had another $2,298? Take a tropical island vacation, buy new kitchen appliances, put the money in the bank or hand it over, as you do now, through higher prices every time you shop by way of the little...

San Benito County is facing significant challenges in its legal representation for indigent clients, with glaring issues in the current contract system. This includes low rates of litigation, minimal jury trials and lack of motions to suppress evidence—all of which raise ethical and procedural...

The Gavilan Joint Community College District extends from the Coyote Valley to the southern edge of San Benito County, and includes the communities of Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Tres Pinos and Paicines, along with the surrounding rural areas. It...

“My vote doesn’t count,” is heard frequently but let’s look at how one vote does count. Our vote is our voice. Our voice is us. We are heard when we vote. Let’s remember that when anyone attends a Super Bowl game or even a...

National Groundwater Awareness Week is celebrated from March 10-16. It is an annual week of awareness, education and advocacy focusing on one of the nation’s most precious resources.   Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock. It...