THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
JULY 19, 2019
A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance
WINE QUEST
San Benito wineries a worthy quest
SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Calera, Eden Rift wineries worth the trip P6 CALENDAR OF EVENTS P8 | WILDFIRE PREPARATION P14 | REAL ESTATE P19
WORTH SAVING P2 | ICE PROTEST P10 | LITTLE LEAGUE STAR P15
HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
A New SV Media publication
Friday, July 19, 2019
sanbenito.com • Vol. 147, No. 29 • $1
Trustees discuss area elections BOARD PRESIDENT ASKS FOR PATIENCE WITH TRANSITION Scott Forstner Reporter
Robert Eliason
Hollister School District board president Stephen Kain is not opposed to shifting from an at-large to a trustee area election system. So when the local League of United Latin American Citizens brought the issue to the Hollister school board, citing the California Voting Rights Act and the need to ensure more minority representation on the board, Kain was open to the idea. “The issue was brought up to the last board. As far as I know, they felt it wasn’t necessary to change. They wanted to continue doing things the way they were,” said the first-year board member who, along with Jan Grist and Carla Torres-Deluna. “Since we’ve come on, it’s been presented to us by LULAC that we are the
U-PICK Three-year-old Addie Parson gets a boost from her father Matt to pick a Blenheim apricot during B&R Farms’ 90th anniversary celebration on July 13.
Blenheim bounty Staff report
➝ School board, 8
Robert Eliason
APRICOT DUO Jude and Jackson Bowers, both 2,
join the action at B&R Farms’ U-Pick event.
The community got its Blenheim apricot fix July 13 when Hollister-based B&R Farms held a U-Pick event in honor of its 90th anniversary. Blenheim apricots are rarely available fresh off the tree, and are mostly consumed in dried form. The Blenheim has a very thin skin and bruises easily, making it impossible to ship without being dried, causing the delicate fruit to appear on Slow Food USA’s Endangered Foods list. The 150-acre family-owned orchard on 5280 Fairview Road is now run by the third generation, Jim Rossi and his wife Mari, along with their son Brian. Two other sons, Phillip and Scott, also pitch in at the farm. For information, visit brfarms.com.
Hwy 101 development possible SUPERVISORS TO CONSIDER ZONING CHANGES Erik Chalhoub Business Editor
Faced with a need to increase the county’s coffers, officials are eyeing four intersections along Highway 101 as future revenue generators.
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors is expected to consider zoning changes for the properties on July 23, following the planning commission’s recommendation in May. The four “nodes,” as they are called, are located along the highway at Betabel Road and Highway
129/Searle Road in San Juan Bautista, and Rocks Ranch and 101 Livestock Market in Aromas. The properties, totaling about 326 acres, would be converted to regional commercial zoning, which according to the 2035 General Plan approved in 2015, provides “areas that function
as destinations for commercial activity serving the regional population.” Such developments as shopping centers, automobile stations and hotels could be constructed on the property. Under regional commercial zoning, retail space is limited to 85,000 square feet per node, and
no more than 125 hotel rooms can be built within each area. Each node is planned to have its own theme. For instance, the theme for Betabel Road is that of a mid-century roadside, while the Highway 129 node is expected ➝ Highway nodes, 8