Public Safety · Hollister, CA
The City of Hollister sent layoff notices on Oct. 13 to 10 police department staff, including Capt. Michael Paddy and nine civilian positions handling evidence processing, fingerprinting, sex offender registration, and records management, following an Oct. 2 financial emergency declaration and an $18 million loan from the city's impact fee fund to cover payroll. Two recently arrested suspects were released because the department lacked staff to submit paperwork to the district attorney in time for a court hearing. Hollister Police Officers Association President Sgt. Bo Leland said City Manager Ana Cortez did not consult police leadership before issuing the cuts, and the union is calling for her termination. A public town hall scheduled for Oct. 16 was canceled due to unspecified safety concerns raised by city staff. San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor issued a statement expressing concern that shifting civilian duties to sworn officers would pull them from patrol.
Local Politics · San Benito County
Residents in West Hollister and San Juan Bautista reported that paid signature gatherers for the recall petition against San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki misrepresented its purpose, with one telling a resident it was about improving Highway 25 and another claiming the sheriff's office was funding the effort. The sheriff's office denied any involvement in financing the recall. Proponent Stacie McGrady said the paperwork clearly states it is a recall petition and attributed the incident to a language barrier, while Kosmicki called the signature-gathering effort "completely fraudulent." California Elections Code makes intentional misrepresentation of a petition a misdemeanor. The petition requires at least 1,762 signatures from supervisor district 2 by Oct. 19; if successful, a recall election would be scheduled on a future ballot.
About Your Local News in San Benito County
Every night we go through the news sites and public notices that cover San Benito County, CA. When several outlets report the same council vote, you read about it once.
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