The following events, organizations and people deserve either a
Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down this week:
THUMBS DOWN: Though many pertinent questions remain relating to a sheriff’s deputy’s shooting of an unarmed man Sunday after a hysterical, possibly drug-induced confrontation with officers on Highway 156, it’s clear that Sgt. Mike Rodrigues used poor judgment in one respect. He had his 11-year-old daughter in his patrol vehicle, as she likely witnessed a violent spectacle and, ultimately, her father shooting and potentially killing another man. Rodrigues, his family and San Benito County are fortunate she wasn’t hurt or killed. We look to investigators to shed light on why Rodrigues allowed his daughter on patrol, as the department’s policy states nobody under age 13 is allowed on a ride-along. Most importantly, Rodrigues, a 25-year veteran, should have known better.
THUMBS UP: Organizers of Measure R, a proposal to hike the sales tax by 1 percent to pay for city services, are pushing for another vote this November for an increase. Although we must emphasize that increasing taxes should be considered with the utmost seriousness by officials and doing so would be a hard pill to swallow for every resident burdened by such a change, Hollister must find a way to make up for lost revenue caused by the building moratorium’s economic impact and resulting cutbacks in city services. Most important, city officials must have a solid plan, if voters approve a new measure, to ensure no tax dollars are flushed down the drain. And leaders also must implement the same five-year sunset – or even a shorter version of it – to the tax considered last time around.
THUMBS DOWN: San Benito High School lost a trusted, innovative leader when Principal Debbie Padilla resigned to take the principal job at Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill. It’s hard to blame Padilla for returning to Morgan Hill, where she previously worked as an assistant principal before coming here. The district must take a hard look at Padilla’s departure and consider changes to prevent any future, high-quality leaders from leaving for other jobs. We wish Padilla well on her new venture and thank her for her service to our high school’s students and staff.
THUMBS UP: San Benito County deserves a toast for a 10th consecutive year of positive gains in the local agriculture industry. This is still a farming community at heart. It’s refreshing to see our farmers continue performing at a high level despite an endless stream of obstacles, and county leaders must make it a priority to take steps toward keeping it that way.
THUMBS UP: San Benito County hired an impartial, outside firm to study economic impacts of incoming developments as a way to better understand how those constructions may benefit or degrade our area if ultimately approved. The focus for the approval surrounds the massive El Rancho San Benito proposal. We feel the $100,000 spent on the contract is well worth the money because, in the long term, the amount pales in comparison to the fiscal impact such decisions will ultimately have on not only the future landscape of San Benito County, but also on its financial well-being.
