HOL1920

Page 1

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

MAY 17, 2019

Inaka Japanese Restaurant opens in San Juan Bautista

HOMECOMING

Inaka restaurant opens in San Juan

SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

THRIFT SHOP CLOSES P2 | TALENTED BALER ALUM P4 | CANNABIS DEBATE P12 CALENDAR OF EVENTS P10 | MARDI GRAS P15 | REAL ESTATE P17

HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY

A New SV Media publication

New oil wells sought in San Benito

Friday, May 17, 2019

sanbenito.com • Vol. 147, No. 20 • $1

Appeal goes to council RULING ON 400 BLOCK COULD SPARK LITIGATION Jaqueline McCool Reporter

The controversial 400 block project will come before the Hollister City Council on Monday, May 20 in what may be the city’s last chance to avoid drawn-out litigation over the site’s future.

Proponents on the council want to move forward with plans to construct 22 condominiums, offices for a non-profit foundation and several ground floor retail spaces while opponents have suggested maintaining an open plaza or building a center for performing arts. Citizens lost the chance to weigh in on the question after the city appealed to state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who gave

the city discretion to sell the land without a public vote. The effort to develop the currently empty lots at the corner of San Benito and Fourth streets—buildings there were destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake—has been riddled with complications and public mishaps from the start. The city tried in 2016 to find a developer to create

a mixed-use project in the space, and a local builder, the Del Curto Brothers, along with the Community Foundation of San Benito County proposed a joint project. That proposed project has generated nearly three years of controversy. The council agreed to a sale price based on an outdated appraisal after city officials withheld a higher appraisal from public

view until a public records request by the Free Lance revealed its existence. A petition drive to have the project appear on the ballot was derailed by the city council, when it sought a ruling by the attorney general on the legality of a referendum. Becerra, after nearly nine months, ruled the decision was an ➝ 400 block, 8

TRUMP’S BLM SEEKS TO OPEN 800,000 ACRES FOR OIL/GAS Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor

➝ Oil and Gas, 11

Robert Eliason

The federal Bureau of Land Management on May 10 announced a plan to open approximately 800,000 acres of public lands and underground federal mineral rights across California’s Central Coast to new oil and gas drilling, with specific targets in San Benito County—including areas surrounding Pinnacles National Park. The BLM said the new plan, coming less than a month after it announced a plan to allow drilling on more than one million acres of federal land near Bakersfield, should result in 75 new oil wells in California over the next 20 years. The announcement produced a not-unexpected chorus of objections from elected officials in the Central Coast region, including Rep. Jimmy Panetta, State Sen. Bill Monning and Assemblyman Robert Rivas. California is the sixth largest oil-producing state, providing more than 8 percent of U.S. crude oil production from thousands of private wells, WILD RIDE Six-year-old Josiah Rodriguez holds on tight as he rides the Dragon over Mother’s weekend at the San Benito High School Carnival at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.

Baler carnival offers fun SBHS RAISES FUNDS WITH CARNIVAL Staff Report

Robert Eliason

Hundreds of San Benito County students and even more community members enjoyed the three-day San Benito High School Carnival over Mother’s Day weekend May 10-12. The school fundraiser was held at Veterans Park off Memorial Drive in Hollister this year because of construction at the high school athletic fields. Rides and skill games provided fun for all ages. SBHS students were able to purchase all-day ride bracelets to make it a full day of thrills.

LOTS OF PRIZES Angel Landeros brought home some prizes from the San Benito High School Carnival.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.