The Hollister City Council has two district seats and an at-large mayorship on the ballot this November.
Incumbent mayor Mia Casey is being challenged by newcomer Roxanne Stephens, and the District 4 race is between incumbent Tim Burns and another newcomer, Priscilla De Anda.
In District 1, the contest is also down to two candidates: incumbent Rick Perez and Rudy Picha.
Perez, 60, was first elected to the council in 2020 and is looking to serve another term. He is running on a platform focusing on community development, the creation of youth programs and infrastructure improvements.
Picha, 44, is a political rookie and lists his occupation as a local teacher. He is a lifelong Hollister resident. Picha is running on a slow growth platform focused on improving roads and curbing residential development.
The Free Lance sent questions to both candidates and this week we are featuring Picha’s responses. Some responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Why are you running for the District 1 City Council seat?
Like so many residents in the city of Hollister, I am fed up with the numerous poor decisions
being made by the current council. As a council member, I will listen to the residents and focus
on getting our streets and infrastructure repaired. I will STOP the current council’s efforts to
take 3,000 acres of farmland for more housing developments. I will never let another housing developer get away without paying 100% of their true costs. Our residents shouldn’t have to pay
more taxes to make developers rich! It’s time to take power away from developers and give it
back to the people.
What are some pressing issues you will work on if elected?
My priority is getting our roads and infrastructure fixed right the first time without wasting
millions of tax dollars on patch jobs and developer giveaways. Reviving downtown is very
important to our future and I will support bringing back the motorcycle rally that voters want. I
want to make sure our residents feel safe and proud of our town. Quality of life for the people
who live here is important to me and will lead to more local shopping, leading to more
businesses opening.
What relevant experience will you bring to the table?
My background is in business and teamwork. I have worked in organizations with nearly 100,000 employees and organizations with less than 100. Getting things done through teamwork has always been a key aspect to how I get things done. I have a Masters of Business Administration and I’m also currently working as a teacher in our local schools. I understand the needs of the community and I will be able to use my experience to bring different groups and government agencies together. One of the most important things we can do as a council is have a clear plan on what we need to accomplish to benefit our community.
What are your positions on Measure A and Measure X?
We can all agree that housing growth has gotten out of control. Developers have been able to
do whatever they want by controlling three politicians’ votes. I believe Measure A will help change this by taking power away from the developers and giving it back to the people. I support a “Yes” vote on Measure A for those reasons.
In regards to Measure X, why would we sell our only hospital to a company located 2,500 miles away in Flint, Michigan? I believe we should keep local control of our hospital, especially since a recent analysis revealed that the hospital is profitable. We should insist on better local management and it being more transparent with the community. I support a “No” vote on X to allow our community more time to find out how decisions like this have affected other communities that are similar to ours.
Why should voters elect you over the incumbent?
My opponent and I have a completely different vision for our community. I believe we need to
slow growth and focus on our roads, infrastructure and quality of life. My opponent believes
that somehow traffic, our roads and our quality of life will get better if we take 3,000 acres of
prime farmland to build thousands of additional houses. I grew up here and I know how beautiful our town is and the people who live here are. As the next councilman for District 1, I
will make sure to listen to and serve our residents, not developers!
