2019 BEST OF
BEST OF
VOTE FOR THE BEST COUNTY
COUNTY ★ ★ ©
Ballot on page 13
400 BLOCK P2 | GAVILAN BOND RATING P4 | FORMER CITY COP P12
HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
A New SV Media publication
Friday, April 19, 2019
sanbenito.com • Vol. 147, No. 16 • $1
Feds OK $2.5M health center grant HOLLISTER CLINIC TO INCREASE DRUG ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor
RED SHOES Baler football players, from left, Gio Solis, Garlin Ivy, George Arroyo, joined members of the community
in the Hollister march against gender violence and sexual assault.
‘Mile in Her Shoes’ Hundreds of mostly men and boys donned pairs of red high-heeled shoes on San Benito Street April 13 in the 7th Annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes march to raise awareness about gender violence and help end sexual assault in San Benito County. The biggest
contingent at this year’s community event included members of the San Benito High School Baler football team. Proceeds benefited Emmaus House Domestic Violence Shelter and Community Solutions. For more details, visit walkamilesanbenito.org.
Robert Eliason
➝ SB Health, 11
Robert Eliason
The San Benito Health Foundation in Hollister has received $2.5 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to allow it to continue providing a wide range of primary health care services. The foundation has operated its federally funded community health center since 2007. Located at 351 Felice Dr.,, the funds will enable it “continue to provide [its] patients with quality health education and preventative services, and to promote healthy lifestyles," said Congressmember Jimmy Panetta, who announced the grant, which has a budget period from May 1, 2019 to April 20, 2020. "Community health centers and clinics are integral to our region’s health care system," said Panetta. San Benito Health Foundation program received the non-competing continuation award, which continues Health Center Program grant funding “to support the delivery of comprehensive,
HIGH-HEELED HUDDLE San Benito football players get ready
for a teetering walk down San Benito Street.
Taylor Farms buys Earthbound Farm COUNTY’S LARGEST EMPLOYER BACK IN U.S. HANDS, A SALINAS COMPETITOR Erik Chalhoub Business Editor
Salinas-based Taylor Farms announced April 11 that it purchased organic grower Earthbound Farm of San Juan Bautista, the largest employer in San Benito County. Privately held Earthbound Farm, billed as the largest producer of organic salads in the United States, has been owned by Paris, France-based Danone since 2017. The operation netted
$400 million in sales in 2018, according to a press release from Danone. In a press release, Taylor Farms officials stated that Earthbound will join the Taylor Farms Retail Group and “help lead growth in the dynamic organic fresh produce category.” “We are grateful for Danone’s stewardship of Earthbound Farm during the past two years and for the opportunity to return ownership of this organic fresh produce leader to local roots and family ownership,” the press release stated. “We will build on Earthbound Farm’s tradition of organic authenticity, new variety development and quality focus with
expanded regional organic growing and processing capability to better serve Earthbound Farm’s customers and consumers across North America,” Taylor Farms stated on its website. An Earthbound Farm spokesperson deferred questions about the acquisition to Taylor Farms. Taylor Farms did not respond to questions. Earthbound Farm, with more than 1,000 employees, is the largest employer in San Benito County, according to a San Benito County Chamber of Commerce economic study. It was founded in 1984 in Carmel Valley, and was purchased by WhiteWave Foods in 2013. Danone, which owns many
international brands, purchased WhiteWave in 2017. San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner Karen Overstreet said it was too early to tell what, if any, impacts the acquisition will have, but said that “Taylor Farms is no stranger to us,” adding that it is one of the major packers of iceberg and romaine lettuce in the county. “Earthbound is the largest employer in San Benito County,” she said. “It’s very important to us.” In 2015, Earthbound Farm reported nearly 50,000 acres in production. In The Omnivore's Dilemma, author Michael Pollan referred to Earthbound Farm as “a company that arguably represents industrial organic farming at its best.”