Jeers For Rally Cancellation
The following people, events and organizations deserve either a Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down this week.
THUMBS DOWN: For the Hollister City Council, which voted to cancel the Independence Rally this year. The majority of council members – minus Mayor Robert Scattini and Councilman Brad Pike – did away with the public event that has come to define Hollister to the wider world. It’s too bad because the rally is a good time and, if properly managed, a potential goldmine for the city. The council should work hard to bring back the rally, run by a professional organization, next year.
THUMBS UP: For the Hollister Police Department, which nabbed 1,400 rounds of ammunition, several high-powered guns and a shotgun from a 15-year-old suspected gang member this week. Police served a search warrant at a Valley View Road apartment – a mere 100 yards from Sunnyslope School – and found the cache of guns and ammo. It makes one shudder to think to what use the weapons would have been put had police not found them.
THUMBS DOWN: For Scattini’s suggestion that the city eliminate its Airport Advisory Commission. The group has tangled with the city over a proposal to raise hangar rates and expansion plans, but an advisory board with knowledgeable people is a valuable commodity for the City Council. If the city has issues with the board, it should shake it up or rearrange it but not eliminate it – especially with Gavilan College looking to put a campus near the airport. Opinions and expertise in aviation will serve the city well as it deals with Gavilan’s plans.
THUMBS UP: For the impending reopening of San Juan Bautista’s Castro Breen Adobe after nearly three years of work to save the historic home. The adobe’s makeover was funded through a park bond after it was identified as a vulnerable structure due to its proximity to the San Andreas Fault. It’s one of the few remaining examples of Monterey Colonial architecture and was home to two very different but influential families. It was home first to the Castro family, a governing family from Mexico. The Castros allowed the Breens – who came to the area after surviving the Donner Party expedition – into their home after one of the Breen children struck gold in 1848. The adobe features seven different exhibit themes in four rooms, including “Life in the Plaza,” “Gold Discovery,” and Breen and Castro family histories. It will be open for visitors on March 11. Check it out.
