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A SPECIAL EDITION OF SOUTH VALLEY & SAN BENITO MAGAZINES

Kids of Summer APRIL 12, 2019

& Recreation Guide

Kids of Summer & Recreation Guide inside

WATER PARK A HIT P4 | SAN BENITO GRAD NIGHT P8 | MURDER SUSPECTS P12

HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY

A New SV Media publication

Friday, April 12, 2019

sanbenito.com • Vol. 147, No. 15 • $1

Taxpayer concerns dominate tax return season TAX PREPARER SCHEDULES BOOKED SOLID LEADING UP TO APRIL 15 Erik Chalhoub Business Editor

➝ Tax Time, 2

Jaqueline McCool

With Tax Day approaching on April 15, local tax preparers are feeling the brunt of the new law that recently went into effect. In December 2017 President Donald Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, billed as the largest tax reform in three decades. The law applies to 2018 tax filings. The law changed, among many other things, the tax brackets based on a single person’s or married couple’s income. For example, a single individual who makes $38,701$82,500 annually saw their income tax rate drop from 25 percent to 22 percent on Jan. 1, 2018, meaning they would receive slightly more money per paycheck. However, this has resulted in smaller refunds, or worse, taxpayers finding that they owe money to the government in April. When asked about the upcoming Tax Day and how the new laws are affecting residents, four local tax services businesses—Eigleberry Tax Service and Tax Systems in Gilroy, as well as Mariposa Tax Service and Larry L. Snyder Tax

A PLACE TO CALL HOME Assemblymember Robert Rivas in front of the Vista Del Oro apartments in Hollister. The development is newly constructed farmworker housing on San Juan Rd.

Housing bill offered RIVAS’ FIRST LEGISLATIVE MOVE WOULD BOOST FARM HOUSING Jaqueline McCool Reporter

Growing up in farmworker housing in Paicines, California informed how newly elected state Assemblymember Robert Rivas ran his campaign

for his District 30 seat, and now it’s informing one of his first proposed pieces of legislation. The Farmworker Housing Act of 2019 has made its way out of the Assembly housing committee and has now moved on to the committee on local government. The bill creates a streamlined process for farmworker housing to be built on agricultural land. Currently, if a farm

owner wants to build worker housing on farm property, it is a long process of zoning changes, with smaller farm owners unable to provide the kind of housing their workers need. Rivas’ bill would provide exemptions to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for farmworker housing, and does not require property owners to apply for a zoning change. “This is a bill that is not

a mandate at all,” Rivas said in an interview. “It’s a tool kit, it’s an option.” The federal government currently provides a program known as H-2A that allows farm owners to sponsor temporary workers from foreign countries. Rivas said the Farmworker Housing Act would provide an option for the 75 percent of farmworkers who are U.S. residents and for the small farm owners who

cannot afford to participate in H-2A. Rivas said farm owners would be eligible to use state funding to partially fund the projects, allowing them to provide low- or no-rent housing. After being built, the developments would be run by local non-profit organizations The bill is focused on addressing homelessness in the state’s rural counties, ➝ Farm housing, 2

Hollister has money for new school DISTRICT SAYS FAIRVIEW ROAD SCHOOL IS FULLY FUNDED Scott Forstner Reporter

The proposed new $51 million elementary school at Santana Ranch in southeast Hollister is fully funded, according to Hollister School District Board President Stephen Kain. Kain and the rest of the Hollister board were assured that there are

no funding shortfalls by Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Gabriel Moulaison, who gave a “Santana Ranch School Funding” presentation in late March. “As it turns out, we have more money than we actually need” for the new school project, said Kain. “Honestly, I was very pleased with the presentation, and I believe all the board members felt very good about it, too.” The new school has five different funding

sources, including two bonds ($36.2 million from Measure V and $3.4 million from Measure M) and nearly $10 million in developer fees. “Trustee Rob Bernosky had concerns if we had enough money to build the school. That’s what prompted this report from the district,” Kain explained. “I was glad it was done. That made me feel a lot better. I feel a lot more comfortable.” Moulaison did outline a $455,500 difference in

current funds compared to the overall project cost. However, the district plans to make up for that with developer fees. “The district receives $2.5-$3.5 million per year in developer fees,” according to the staff report. “The district will receive enough in developer fees to cover the shortage in three months.” HSD also applied for $1 million in Proposition 51 matching state construction funds, Kain said. That

$9 billion bond act for kindergarten through community college public education facilities passed in November 2016. The target date to open the new primary school is the start of the 2021 school year, Kain said. “As far as shovels in the ground, that should be coming fairly quickly,” he added. The 12-acre parcel, purchased by the district for $5 million, is off ➝ School Funding, 8


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