HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
A New SV Media publication
Friday, October 20, 2017
sanbenito.com • Vol. 144, No. 42 • $1
COUNCIL’S 400 BLOCK VOTE USED OUTDATED APPRAISAL
LOCAL SCENE Fire donations The Enterprise Academy of Martial Arts at 351 Tres Pinos Road #B in Hollister is accepting donations for people left struggling from the devastating fires in Northern California. Supplies needed include: non-perishable food, water, clothes, hygiene items, blankets, children’s books, diapers and cell phone chargers. People can drop off items from 4–8pm until Saturday.
COUNCIL WAS UNAWARE OF HIGHER VALUE WHEN IT GAVE DEVELOPER A DEEP DISCOUNT
Red Ribbon Run Get out your bullhorns and noise-makers. The 28th annual Red Ribbon Run is on Saturday, Oct. 21 in downtown Hollister. The annual 5k run/walk aims to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and alcohol in the local community while benefiting prevention efforts in local schools. Prerace registration, packet pick up and activities begin at 7:30am at the Veterans Memorial Courtyard. The race starts at 9am at the corner of 7th and Swope Alley. Awards and raffle will be at 10am back at the courtyard.
Nicholas Preciado Reporter
Comics and costumes
Transfer Day
GAVILAN COLLEGE HONORS TRES PINOS’ CHEF NAOMI RUIZ, FLAPJACKS OWNER, FOR SPIRIT AWARD Roseann Hernandez Cattani Editor
Flapjacks restaurant is a culinary gem in the historic town of Tres Pinos. Serving up American-style breakfast and lunch, the restaurant and owner, Hollister resident Naomi Ruiz, will be honored next
week with a Community Spirit Award by Gavilan College. Presented annually, the commendations honor the people and institutions that contribute to improving the quality of life in each of the communities the college serves: Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister. The college’s governing board recognized the restaurant’s sponsorship of organizations such as the women’s basketball league in Santa Cruz and donations of gift certificates to Tres Pinos Elementary School for their school fundraisers. For Ruiz, who bought the
long-established restaurant two years ago, running the business has been a worthwhile endeavor. “I didn’t know what I was getting into at first; it was a steep learning curve for sure,” said Ruiz, who is a first-time business owner. “But it’s an adventure I would not take back at all, it’s been great. I’ve had nothing but a good time—and a little extra grey hairs.” Like the old motto: the customer is always right, Ruiz said Flapjacks aims to please. ➝ Flapjacks, 4
➝ 400 Block, 4
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
OCTOBER 20, 2017
OU T & AB OU T OF NDAR CA LE EN TS EV
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of wood-fired oven used to make his pizzas. In starting the business, he is also bringing a taste of his family’s home country to his family’s hometown in Hollister. The Felice family is from the Calabria part of Italy and has deep roots in San Benito County as well. With the opening of Forno, meanwhile, Hollister will once again
exactly how and when the money will be spent. “The board is ultimately going to make the decision going forward on this,” Gavilan Director of Public Information Jan BernsteinChargin said. “They’ll be thinking about it over the next few months.” The feasibility study is another link in looking at the big picture for Gavilan College over the next 10 to 15 years, Rose said. “Now that the information is out about the feasibility, it’s time for us, the college community, myself and the administration to continue to talk to the community about how they feel about a bond for 2018, the projects listed and the suitability for a bond at that time.”
TURN TO PIZZA • A8
length spanning 17 minutes. The overall margin of error is +/- 3.95 percent. A potential measure would repair/replace leaky roofs, rusty plumbing and faulty electrical systems, upgrade classrooms, labs and career training facilities, expand the Veteran’s Center, improve access for students with disabilities, improve student safety and campus security systems, add a campus in San Benito County and classrooms at the Coyote Valley center, and renovate the college library to meet modern standards for technology and research. The measure would require a citizen’s oversight committee and a project list in order to inform the community
The San Benito County chapter of the national nonprofit organization Birthday Cakes 4 Free started last spring and group members have been bringing cakes, cupcakes and muffins to low-income seniors and children ever since then. Since the group started in June, its members have delivered about five cakes a month to the Emmaus House, Chamberlain's Children Center and the assisted living facility Whispering Pines Inn. Now they're looking to expand to individual homes in the county. A2
The Gavilan Joint Community College District Board of Trustees is considering placing a $248 million bond measure on the November 2018 ballot. A recent survey found a sample of district residents, from Hollister to south San Jose, were in support of the measure, which would fund facility upgrades at the college’s main campus in Gilroy and build a new satellite center in San Benito County. Gavilan College President Dr. Kathleen Rose said she felt good about
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San Juan resident: ‘Lik
Project planned for Y Road
KATIE HELLAND •REPORTER khelland@freelancenews.com
HOLLISTER
Reporter
the results, but remained cautiously optimistic. “It’s a feasibility study and the whole reason Gavilan committed to the survey is because we wanted to take a measurement of how the community felt, wanted a holistic measurement of the whole district,” Rose said. Rose said 610 voters likely to participate in the November 2018 election were surveyed between Aug. 31 and Sept. 14 via phone and email, in addition to online data collection. Of those surveyed, 65 percent were in favor of a ballot measure and 27 percent against. The results were presented at the college’s board meeting on Oct. 10. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish with the average
Solar revisions
Nicholas Preciado
The company vying to build a 247-megawatt solar farm in Panoche submitted a draft supplemental environmental impact report addressing plans to examine impacts under a revised, reduced proposal. PV2 Energy filed the supplemental draft EIR on Dec. 23. The prior company overseeing the project, Solargen Energy, had an initial EIR approved by the county board in late 2010. A5
$248 MILLION BOND WOULD FUND NEW CAMPUS IN SAN BENITO COUNTY
SPORTS
Gavilan survey supports vote Soph surge
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for her business sponsorship activities at a special ceremony in Hollister next week.
A $16 million bridge stretching 900 feet across the San Benito River is planned to connect Y Road and San Juan Bautista. But in this rural area, the number of people it will serve is small. “It's like our own bridge to nowhere,”
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ORDER UP Flapjacks owner, Naomi Ruiz, will receive a Community Spirit Award from Gavilan College
A year ago, Brad Sparrer was the No. 5 player in the lineup on San Benito High’s golf team. But entering the 2015 season—practice starts on Feb. 1—the 5-foot-8, 140pound sophomore will likely be the Haybalers’ No. 1 player. Sparrer’s meteoric rise came the good old-fashioned way: hard work. B1
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE
The Gavilan College Career and Transfer Center is hosting its annual College Transfer Day at the Gilroy main campus on November 2, 10am–2pm. This event is held every fall and will welcome over 30 college and university representatives. Students will be provided with all the information they need to transfer to a 4-year institution. Everyone is invited to make a connection with the school of their choice. Event is free and open to the public.
Roseann Hernandez Cattani
It is that time of year again— the Halloween ComicFest at Bill’s Bullpen in Hollister. On Saturday, Oct. 28 the comic bookstore at 207 4th St. will host a costume contest and give out free comic books to participants. The annual event also features costumed hero appearances from 12–2 pm. "One of the goals of Halloween ComicFest is to reach out to individuals who are unfamiliar with comics and their local comic book shop. That's why we've launched a massive promotional campaign that heralds the event and spreads the good word of comics to potential readers and customers everywhere," said owner Bill Mifsud. The all-day event starts at 10am.
Cake, anyone?
Between June 2016— when the Hollister City Council entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement for the 400 block of San Benito Street—and its vote a year later to sell the property, the price jumped by 77 percent. Council members may have been unaware that they were transferring the public land at a deep discount for private development, depriving public agencies of $300,000. A 2015 appraisal valued the land at downtown Hollister’s busiest corner at $390,000. In September 2016, however, an updated appraisal placed the property’s market value at $690,000. The second appraisal, obtained by the Free Lance through a public records request, was not publicly disclosed before the council voted to revise the sale terms and dispose of the parcels. City Manager Bill Avera said the council was “probably” not made aware of the $690,000 valuation when it voted to sell the real estate on June 5, 2017. He did not provide the Free Lance with any documentation indicating the council had been notified of the second appraisal. The final sale of the property to the Community Foundation for San Benito County and local builders the Del Curto Brothers Group is on hold because of the upcoming vote on the proposed 400 block plan next November. Avera said he believes the city is stuck with the $390,000 price despite the updated $690,000 appraisal. “The deal was already done during the exclusive negotiating agreement,” Avera said. “They wouldn’t have had discretion on that anyway.” Mayor Ignacio Velazquez said by phone Tuesday that he had never
Revitalized routine Hollister’s Cold Storage CrossFit is part of a hot fitness trend
Inside this issue: Kettle bells and chin-ups at Cold Storage CrossFit
SARAH’S VINEYARD P8 | SUPER SENIORS P16 | REALTOR AMBER NEIL P19