Opinion

They should lead with respect I don’t usually pay much attention to politics, but this feels personal. I’m writing as a daughter who is tired of seeing the way Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki talks about my father, Joe Paul Gonzalez. I understand that politics comes with disagreements,...

Every year around tax time, I come home from a long shift, still in scrubs, and sit down with my pay stubs, trying to make the numbers work. Like most people, I don't have fancy accountants or complicated investments—just a paycheck that gets taxed...

Once a week, something remarkable happens in homes and coffee shops across our city. People open the Hollister Free Lance and find something no algorithm can replicate: the unfiltered story of their community, told with care, accuracy and local knowledge. I’m writing to you...

Congress is not working for the South Bay, the Central Coast or the Salinas Valley. Families in our region are working hard only to fall behind while the cost of housing, healthcare and everyday life keeps rising. Rather than offer real solutions, politicians are...

Going to college is one high school goal but actually going to college turns a goal into actuality. I can imagine the gratitude of parents who take advantage of this opportunity to encourage their offspring to attend Gavilan College’s “Science Alive” program.   I can imagine...

My two years as Mayor of Hollister were some of the best—and hardest—moments of my life. However, I don’t regret serving.Why did I get involved? In the late ’90s, raising a family and working left little time for politics. But local decisions affected us. Few...

March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the achievements and lasting contributions of women who have shaped our nation and strengthened communities like ours. As the Postmaster serving the residents of Hollister, I’m reminded every day how important connection, service and community pride...

I grew up in a small agricultural town, watching my father clean carpets and my mother care for children. They taught me early on that service isn’t about a title; it’s about showing up and doing right by your neighbors.  I started contributing to my...

I admired Joe Heller’s cartoon of March 13, 2026. Although captioned WW III, this cartoon brilliantly depicts three confused survivors pulling from the wreckage Trump’s self issued Peace prizes. I admire a photo that can convey in a single picture 1,000 words. What deeply concerns...

If you wonder why there is so much misinformation and mudslinging about local politics these days, the answer is simple: Development interests aren’t getting their way anymore after decades of influence over local land use decisions, and they are trying to tarnish leaders standing...