Let's talk Hollister

08/03/2026

This is yet another questionable decision by a supervisor already facing recall. And it raises genuine concerns about conflicts, priorities of time, and personal gain by an elected official.

When he took office Supervisor Kosmicki said he gave up his news/website business to avoid even the appearance of a conflict. But now he is ok accepting a $25,000 no-bid media contract from another local public agency that does business with the county, one he admits he did not seek, but was personally offered by the superintendent. Why?

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘’𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩.

𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗦 𝗔 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗝𝗢𝗕
Unlike the city council, a supervisor’s job is considered full-time and he receives over $100k for this work, so is he putting in at least 40 hours a week doing that job? Or is he now going to split time so he can attend sports and other events to report on? How would the public even know?

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
The claim there is no real crossover is simply not credible. He has already had to recuse himself from county matters involving the district, including one he initially failed to recuse from. The school district is a local public agency that regularly depends on the county for behavioral health, law enforcement, youth services and other programs. Who is gonna keep an eye to make sure he recuses himself when he is supposed to? Why should the public have to be concerned about this at all?

Maybe lawyers can find a way to call this technically permissible. But to the public it feels again like Supervisor Kosmicki has made another backroom deal, it appears his position and connections created an opportunity for personal financial gain. At best, this is terrible judgment. At worst, it raises serious questions regarding conflicts, preferential treatment and personal enrichment.

𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚.

County supervisor’s school district contract raises conflict of interest questions

08/01/2026

Happening today!!

06/13/2026

😁😆😂

If you ever

06/11/2026

Makes me very sad to see our fire chief leaving. It was however predictable given the underfunding of the fire contract. Firefighters are testing out. Police and sheriff deputies leaving. We are losing our public safety-first responders because they are not being prioritized or funded properly. This is exactly what we don’t want to see heading into fire season.

Chief Goulding, you will be missed. Good luck in your new position.

It is budget time. Demand your county supervisors and city council put public safety first in budget planning.

06/08/2026

𝘼𝙉 𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙏𝘼𝙉𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿 𝙊𝙉 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙋𝙊𝙎𝙀𝘿 𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙔 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝘼𝙂𝙀 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙉𝙏.

The article makes it sound less like a question of IF it gets built, and more like HOW it gets built.

And that is why I am concerned, because it appears some supervisors are playing politics here instead of doing the hard work to prioritize and create an ordinance to protect our community. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 10 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

Supervisor Velazquez sent out a campaign mailer during the recall claiming he “stopped” the battery plant. See in comments below.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡—𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙑𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙯𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙯 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣.

Here’s the problem: these battery energy storage projects are tied to a state initiative, and the developer can bypass local control and go through a state approval process instead of working through local government.

That means the smarter move is not political theater. It is getting a strong local ordinance in place, negotiating real protections for the community, and making sure any promises are put in writing. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘗𝘎𝘌 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥?

If this project is likely to move forward one way or another, I’d rather see the company work with us locally. That includes written commitments to use local workers, strong safety protections, and a development agreement we can actually enforce.

We do not need another Amazon situation, where promises were made that we would get millions of dollars in sales taxes so the project was rushed through, and then the community lost out because those promises were not locked into a written agreement.

That is why the mailer bothers me–Supervisor Velazquez claiming to voters he “stopped” the project to mislead people.

But if this plant gets built a few years from now, those same voters are going to wonder what really happened?

We need less political spin and more serious leadership.

𝙄𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮–𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬!!

Allium Solar: County could lose local control over battery energy storage project

05/28/2026

Take a good look at the people in this slideshow. These are the people who brought this recall. The real 'scam' here? Ignacio Velazquez attacking residents, claiming they are “developers” or part of some secret conspiracy. These are just everyday folks: taxpayers, retirees, parents, business owners, and voters. Many have never been part of a campaign before. But they were outraged by his failed leadership, the underfunded fire contract, and the risks it created for public safety. So they exercised their right to hold leadership accountable with this recall.

Instead of listening and responding to legitimate concerns, he resorts to personal attacks and creating a climate of fear. He has singled out and attacked donors and supporters to the campaign, myself included. This kind of toxic, divisive leadership is exactly why this recall exists. San Benito County deserves better.

05/20/2026

A lot of folks ask me why the recalled started, and/or claim I am behind the recall. As I have stated many times, I have participated by serving as an adviser, helping them to navigate one of the most complicated election processes - a recall. It is harder to get a recall on the ballot than a measure or a referendum. So I supported and offered guidance. But there are co-chairs who run the committee, and quite a few members who participate and volunteer for the recall. I wanted to share with you this graphic that breaks down their concerns into several areas. It is a synopses from the first workshop I held, for Voices of San Benito.

Voices of San Benito is an education and advisory network with a mission to educate and help people understand how our local government works, to discuss local issues that impact us and to teach people how they can become advocates that are informed and engaged.

Back in Spring 2025, I held a community workshop, to talk with people about the issues they were most concerned about. We had about 35 people who attended. Over 90% who came were frustrated over the fire contract negotiations and 4 elected leaders who were being less than transparent and not listening to the public. The main question I was asked: How do we start a recall? So I gathered information for them to show them how the process worked, connected them with the elections office for further information, and told them they would need to set up a campaign committee. That is how the recall started. Don't get me wrong, I am 100% in support of it. I support our firefighters and was angry too over their treatment and the underfunded fire contract that was pushed through. But this is not my committee. I support it like many others, and have donated to help them fund the expenses that are required to campaign. I hope they are successful. They have worked really hard and stepped up to try to make change. The more that people are willing to step up and get involved in various ways, the better our community will become.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙖𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥?

We held our first Voices of San Benito community workshop in Spring 2025, inviting residents to come together at the new Hollister Gavilan College campus to talk about issues affecting our community.

One issue clearly dominated the discussion: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

Residents 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 about:

• Backroom negotiations
• Public input being dismissed or labeled misinformation
• Fire and city leadership being excluded from talks
• A rushed series of special meetings with little public notice

After discussing these concerns, several attendees asked:

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚? 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠?

Voices of San Benito’s role in this and a subsequent meeting was to provide education to the interested group about how recalls work, explain the process, and connect them with the elections office so they could understand the legal requirements. I shared many of their frustrations, and agreed to be an adviser to their group as they navigated the very complex recall process, to enable them to be successful in their efforts.

While initially the group had wanted to recall all four officials involved in these backroom fire negotiations, I explained the difficulties they would encounter attempting to recall too many officials at one time and that it could jeopardize the success of their efforts.

I was surprised at their dedication and decision to move forward and their choice to focus on recalling just the two supervisors. In an effort to help them as they began the arduous task of fundraising for a costly recall effort, I also donated from the Voices of San Benito committee for their newly formed campaign.

Ultimately, attempting to navigate the recall of both Supervisors Kosmicki and Velazquez proved to be too energy intensive and extremely costly, so the group decided to focus only on Supervisor Velazquez' recall. I connected them with the Elections office and encouraged them to purchase their own voter registration list as they got ready to do petition signature gathering. They were successful in their recall efforts and the Recall of Supervisor Velazquez will occur this June 2, 2026.

Voices of San Benito was created to serve as an education and and advocacy network. Our primary mission is clear:

𝙀𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚. 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.

If you would like to learn about upcoming events or have a topic you want to learn more about, please follow our page, and share your topic request below and be sure to follow our page to learn about future events!

05/20/2026

𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧!
𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩?

If you think your vote doesn’t matter — it does. A LOT.

Local elections shape our schools, roads, public safety, housing, and the future of our community. In San Benito County, some local elections have been decided with a small margin of less than 100 votes!

That means YOUR vote truly can make the difference.

Good leaders don’t just focus on a single issue or one agenda. I always watch for leaders who listen, care about the whole community, and are willing to do the hard work needed to help us thrive.

So please vote. Encourage your friends and family to vote too.

And if you still need to register — it’s not too late! You can register at the Elections Office or at the Farmers Market on Wednesdays.

𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙜𝙚. 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮.