Showing posts with label government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label government. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Are You Ready to Vote?


I'm still reading up on the candidates and propositions. It's not easy finding information that I can easily understand. Here are some links for local and state items that I've found useful. Maybe they'll come in handy for you, too. Remember, voting day is Tuesday, November 6.

General Information
~ San Benito County Registrar of Voters
~ San Benito County Election results
~San Benito County Ballot at Smart Voter

Local Candidates and Issues
You can view videotapes of mayoral candidates and a few other local candidates at Community Media Access Partnership (CMAP). Here's the link.

On 10/16 and 10/17 the Farm Bureau hosted a candidate forum. On Channel 17, you can watch the videotape of the two nights. You can find the schedule for its showing at this CMAP link

San Benito County Today is the Web site for the Hollister Free Lance. By registering (it's free), you can read articles about candidates and Measure E, as well as opinion pieces by the candidates and their supporters (or not supporters).

Measure E: Here are sites by the supporters and the opponents to the extension of the 1% sales tax in the City of Hollister
~ Measure E Fast Facts by Yes on E Committee
~ Vote No on Hollister Measure E

California Propositions

Here are three sites where you can get information about the state propositions. 
~ California Secretary of State Official Voter Information Guide
~ Ballotpedia
~ KQED 2012 California Proposition Guide



Thursday, May 31, 2012

Who You Gonna Call?


Within Hollister?  That would be the Hollister Police Department.  Outside of city limits? That jurisdiction belongs to the San Benito County Sheriff's Office.

Hollister Neighborhood Watch Meeting
There will be a Hollister Neighborhood Watch Meeting with Police Chief David Westrick on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. It will be at held at the Hollister Police Department at 395 Apollo Court, which is in the Hollister Business Park, across from the Hollister Airport. The meeting is open to all.

Local Law Enforcement Web sites
Hollister Police Department
San Benito County Sheriff's Office
Nixle Wire: Local Police Alerts

Hollister Police Department Facebook page
Hollister Neigbhorhood Watch Group
: Police Chief Westrick actually answers questions posted by group members. Holding the upcoming Neighborhood Watch Meeting was a result of the Chief posting back and forth with folks at the page.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Corner of Monterey and Fifth Streets


I did not realize that the San Benito County Administration Building and its setting are quite gorgeous until I saw the scene from this angle. Guess it's true what they say about not being able to see the forest for the trees.


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

New Fire Station Going Up



Until construction of the downtown fire station at the corner of Sally and Fifth Streets is complete, the Hollister Fire Department is temporarily located in the vacant lot on Fourth Street, behind the west end Briggs Building Garage.

The old station was demolished earlier this year. Being built is a two-story facility with twice the space of the old station, which was a converted tractor garage. According to this local news article, the station should be completed within one year's time.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

100 Things I Like: The Library


I shall always think of the San  Benito County Free Library as The Library. It is, after all, the first library from which I ever borrowed books and was introduced to so many exciting worlds and possibilities.  

For more 100 Things I Like About Living in Hollister, click on that link.



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Library in Hollister


When I was a kid, the front of the library was landscaped with bushes that had flowers that smelled like hot dogs. Really, they did. The bushes were where the outside wall is now. The foyer, bathrooms, and meeting room were all added in the 1980s.

The San Benito County Free Library is a consolidation of the county and Hollister  City public libraries, which occurred in 1959. The City Hall building was once the Hollister City Library that was built in 1919 from money funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Want to know more about the fascinating history of our public library?  Check out this page at the San Benito County Free Library Web site.



Thursday, October 28, 2010

Hollister City Hall


This week's Tuesday in Hollister question was: Do You Know Where City Hall Is?

No doubt you all know that it is located at 375 Fifth Street between Monterey and San Benito Streets, across from the Granada Theater. You can pay your city water bill in the basement. The door is on the east side of the building.

The City Hall building was originally the San Benito County Free Library. In 1910, the county received a $10,000 grant from the Andrew Carnegie Library Foundation to construct a library for the community. Two years later, the library opened and was located there until 1959 or 1960 when it moved to its current place.  Before the city of Hollister moved its government offices into the building, it was used by the San Benito County Superior Court and the county probation department.


A few buildings to the east of City Hall is a tan brick building that proudly wears a sign that identifies it as CITY HALL. That building, designed by William H. Weeks, was erected after the 1906 earthquake. Along with once housing City Hall, the building used to be home to the city's fire department.

For info about the Hollister city government and its building, check out these links:

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Hollister Biker Rally in 2011?


Do you know where this mural is in downtown Hollister?

Yep. It's in Wentz Alley on the wall of Johnny's Bar and Grill. Originally painted in 1996, it was repainted in 2007 by artist (and biker) Ronald Rocha from San Antonio.

The mural depicts Hollister's part in the American biker history.  Some say the American biker tradition began in our sweet agricultural haven on the July 4th weekend of 1947.  For years, an annual motorcycle event took place at Bolado Park on the Fourth of July. In 1947, some bikers went into town for drinks and got frisky and loud. Somehow, the media learned about the ruckus and spun the rowdiness into wild and destructive abandonment. You know how that goes with some media guys. They spin things out of context, especially if they can make money out of it.

Have you ever seen the movie "The Wild One" with Marlon Brando?  That's  loosely-goosely based on the 1947 incident. 

In 1997, the City of Hollister decided to hold a Fourth of July Independence Motorcycle Rally downtown to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that event. It turned into an annual happening that brought thousands of bikers into town. Although it was cancelled in 2009, many bikers continue to visit the area to check out July 4 events held by local motorcycle groups and Johnny's Bar and Grill.

There's talk of holding the rally in 2011. Some members of the community plan to address the issue at the open session part of the Hollister City Council meeting on Monday, August 2.  The meeting will be held at City Hall, with the open session beginning around 6:30 p.m.

Folks can express their opinions, whether for or against the rally, during the "Public Comment" segment. According to one of the council members, the "Public Comment" segment normally starts early in the meeting. Speakers are limited to three minutes to present their opinions. Council members do not discuss, debate, or take action on any presentations made during "Public Comment." However, they may choose to put the issue on the agenda at a future Council meeting.

If you're interested in making a statement about the rally, here is your chance.

In the meanwhile, here are some links that may interest you:

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