THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
JUNE 1, 2018
OUT & ABOU T CALEN DAR EVENT OF S
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
Johnny’s new owner, Peter Lago
Johnny’s legacy continues in Hollister
American Brand
Hollister’s biker haunt lives on
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
RHÔNE VARIETALS P6 | ON SENIORS P12
San Benito Magazine INSIDE THIS ISSUE
THIS WEEK: Poppy Jasper screens Luis Valdez’s ‘Ceasar’s Last Fast’
HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
A New SV Media publication
Friday, June 1, 2018
sanbenito.com • Vol. 145, No. 22 • $1
City says no to the chamber COUNCIL TELLS CHAMBER CITY NEEDS MONEY FROM HOTEL VISITORS Bryce Stoepfel Reporter
Robert Eliason
The Hollister City Council dealt the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce a financial blow Monday when they unanimously refused to award $78,000 over five years for the Chamber's tourism efforts. The proposed memorandum of understanding would not only have awarded the Chamber of Commerce $78,000 a year, but also 20 percent of the net increase in annual transient occupancy tax revenues that would be generated if Measure B passes in June. The measure would increase the tax, assessed on hotel stays, from 8 to 12 percent. The door is not entirely shut on increasing the Chamber's tourism budget. Vice Mayor Micky Luna said she would like to look into the proposal in greater depth before making a decision. Mayor Ignacio Velazquez and Councilmember Karson Klauer were not as diplomatic in expressing their displeasure.
HIGHEST HONOR Benjamin Rialson, 9, of cub scout pack 444 in Hollister honors the memory of a deceased service member on Memorial Day at Odd Fellows Cemetery on Buena Vista Road, Monday May 28.
City honors fallen CEREMONIES HONOR SERVICE MEMBERS WHO PAID THE GREATEST PRICE
➝ Tourism, 8
Robert Eliason
COLOR GUARD Official ceremonies at I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Hollister
pay tribute to the city’s fallen soldiers.
Debra Eskinazi
Magazine and Features Editor
Hollister paid tribute to fallen servicemen and women May 28
during Memorial Day ceremonies. The event is coordinated annually by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9242. Post commander George Nava said it was a memorable day of ceremonies at both I.O.O.F. and Calvary cemeteries. “We must have had about 150 people attend,” said Nava. “It’s a great privilege to honor our deceased veterans.”
Gavilan OKs new bond survey BANDIERA-LOCCI WON’T SEEK TO RETURN TO BOARD Scott Forstner Reporter
When Lois Bandeira-Locci was campaigning four years ago for the District 7 seat on the Gavilan Joint Community College District board, the driving
factor of her candidacy was the delayed development of the San Benito County extension campus. As her term nears an end in November, BandeiraLocci has answered many of her own questions as to why the Fairview Corners property remains an open field, and the reasoning behind differing allocations of 2004 bond dollars toward building the campus.
GAIN IN-DEMAND TECH SKILLS WITH LEVEL BOOTCAMPS.
“That’s why I campaigned to get on the board in the first place,” said Bandeira-Locci, who is not seeking re-election. “It’s very important to make clear that no matter what the board could have done or should have done, there has never been approval to build at the Hollister site. … We are still waiting. It’s very frustrating.”
The well-versed trustee, who said she researched 10 years of board minutes to get the bottom of the issue, pointed out that environmental assessments have yet to be finalized since the 80-acre property was purchased in partnership with Morgan Hillbased Dividend Homes for $8 million more than a decade ago. Gavilan was
also required to obtain “incidental take permits” and buy mitigation land for the California tiger salamander, a federally endangered species found at Fairview Corners. Bandeira-Locci represents Gavilan’s District 7, an expansive boundary area that stretches from Fairview and parts ➝ Gavilan, 8
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