The Department of Justice seems to have come through in a big
way for Hollister and the Independence Rally.
The Department of Justice seems to have come through in a big way for Hollister and the Independence Rally.
The office of State Assemblyman Simon Salinas, D-Salinas, says the agency will send 24 officers, a mobile unit and a helicopter to the Hollister Independence Rally. The officers and equipment definitely are coming, but the details about who will pay for them are still being hammered out, a spokesman for the California Attorney General said Wednesday.
With other agencies declining to lend officers to police the event because of tight budgets, the DOJ’s commitment is great news. It will greatly ease the burden on organizers who are frantically searching for about 40 officers to police Hollister’s signature event and keep it from coming to an embarrassing end this year.
Mayor Tony Bruscia asked local state representatives to twist some arms in Sacramento to find police help for the event. Salinas and state Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Salinas, came through. They wrote letters to the Attorney General’s office that resulted in the DOJ stepping up. It’s good to see cooperation for a fine cause.
In addition, the City Council approved a contract with rally organizers for another three years. There is an escape clause allowing the city to opt out if the rally can’t get the security it needs. Still, the council has lined up to give an important show of support to the event.
The motorcycle rally, which traces its roots to Marlon Brando’s classic motorcycle movie “The Wild One,” has put Hollister on the map. The tens of thousands of bikers who come to town on the Fourth of July weekend to show off their rides and to have fun also put cash into the pockets of local businesses. Everyone benefits from a flourishing local economy and from an event that raises money for local nonprofit organizations. Losing it would be a shame.
There is a lot of work to do to keep this year’s rally rolling – not to mention the hard work needed to keep it viable into the future – but it seems organizers have turned the corner and motorcycles will rumble into town this year, keeping a Hollister tradition alive.
