Editor’s note: BenitoLink’s 2024 Primary Election coverage can be found below. Assembly District 29 candidates did not respond to BenitoLink’s questions. Lea este articulo en español aquí.
Two candidates are running for the San Benito County Board of Supervisors District 2 seat, San Juan Bautista Council member John Freeman and incumbent Kollin Kosmicki.
The office is a four-year term and the district covers the northwestern part of the county including San Bautista and Aromas. It also includes parts of Hollister near Union Road and Hwy 25.
John Freeman, 71, is a retired environmental consultant who has lived in San Benito County for 22 years. He has served on the San Juan Bautista City Council since 2016.
BenitoLink: Why are you running for office?
Freeman: I am running to continue the work I have started at the San Juan City Council, building up our infrastructure and improving government services. I am also running to give our constituents a choice between saying no to everything and the choice of being able to get around in San Benito County without traffic delays of sometimes over an hour to travel seven miles.
I want citizens to be able to drink water not contaminated by nitrates anywhere in the county.
The ability of citizens to have wastewater treatment systems that are in compliance with Federal and State regulations.
The ability for county citizens to have complete coverage by law enforcement and fire safety to enhance our public safety.
The ability to have a functioning and well-run hospital for all county residents.
All of the above require two things, a commitment to do this and money. Increasing the tax rate is out of the question, so increased revenue needs to be derived from hotel taxes (the transient occupancy tax) and increased sales tax revenue. This can only be done by bringing in more commercial and light industrial business into the country. This will increase our county tax base.
Other advantages to this approach include less commuter traffic on the roads since more people will be employed locally and more money will be spent in the county on ancillary goods and services that are now spent in other counties (Santa Clara, etc).
Which issues are most important to your district and, if elected, how do you intend to handle them?
A. To actually fix the roads by increasing the amount of pavement replaced each year. Since the number of public works employees has decreased in the past four years, it is time to increase the number of these employees. This will increase our speed in repairing the roads.
B. To increase the number of county public safety personnel. This means paying them a competitive wage so that they do not leave our county for nearby jurisdictions that often pay considerably better. For example, San Juan Bautista is presently unable to hire a second sheriff’s deputy for patrol service because of a lack of available deputies at the Sheriff’s Department. It is important to increase the budget for this department.
Let’s note that the Hollister Fire department is currently increasing its number of firefighters, so this can also be done for the sheriffs. This is important due to a significant increase in climate change-related disasters requiring more first responder personnel.
C. To increase cooperation between the three jurisdictions and the county water board, which allocates all of our water needs. Increasing water storage is critical to enable us to ride out severe droughts.
Also, wastewater services need to be made available to community colleges and certain designated commercial business areas. Insisting on county septic tanks is an invitation for high nitrates in our water and an environmental disaster. High-quality water is critical to both the citizens of our county and agricultural users, who make up the largest industry in the county.
D. Because we are a growing rural county, we need a hospital board that must do its due diligence in seeking out the best path for the hospital. The county can be supportive in expecting adequate oversight and include having them partner with other health agencies to direct a steady stream of customers to the hospital.
E. To concentrate on economic development for the county, which means more businesses are needed to increase the tax revenue streams that the county needs for our growing population. A few of these industries could include an increase in food processing, high tech, electric propulsion airplanes, ag chemicals, tourist and travel services (i.e: gas, electric vehicle charging, fast food, hotels).
Is widening Highways 25 and 156 sufficient to solve traffic in and out of the county? How can you make the traffic in and out of the county work better?
As a six-year member and past president of AMBAG (Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments) I have already been working on improving our surface transportation system in our county. Because of the many transportation issues to our shared highway system, I have insisted that San Benito County issues be placed on the list of improvements to be considered by Caltrans, which is imperative to them being addressed.
Since much of our traffic is pass through between the Central Valley and the Central Coast, one of the improvements I have listed is a need for the southbound Hwy 156 and 101 onramp, where it can take over 40 minutes to traverse two miles to merge.
The easiest way to improve traffic flows in San Benito County in the future is to increase transportation capabilities and choices.
Adding rail, including light rail, will increase commuters’ choices on ways to get to work. We will need to upgrade the train tracks that run from Gilroy to Hollister for passenger service. A trip to the Gilroy VTA station could be done in 15 minutes. Silicon Valley employees could enjoy a more constructive ride and then be shuttled by their companies directly to their job sites. Another rail option is the commuter train that will run from Salinas to the Gilroy VTA station.
Developing another stop at the Betabel exit would enable San Benito County residents who work in Silicon Valley another viable option.
Finally, upgraded roads handle traffic and are safer than the roads we have now. The road upgrade project that the county is embarking on needs to be speeded up.
As a supervisor, how would you support economic development in your district that doesn’t negatively affect San Juan Bautista, as that city’s leaders have voiced concern over proposed commercial projects along Hwy 101?
To begin we must understand and agree that economic development is, as the California Association for Local Economic Development puts it, “the creation of wealth from which the community benefits are realized and is more than a jobs program, it’s an investment in growing your economy and enhancing the prosperity and quality of life for all residents.”
These “commercial nodes,” as they are called in the county General Plan, are designated to be revenue producing areas for the county. As a longtime City Council member, I don’t consider economic developments along Hwy 101 to have a negative impact upon San Juan Bautista. If anything, those commercial developments will contribute to SBC’s economy and, if partnered by savvy entrepreneurial SJB merchants, could also positively contribute to SJB’s economy by bringing more desperately needed outside foot traffic to our city. All other counties along Hwy 101 have commercial nodes, as they produce needed revenue for their jurisdictions. I do not think that the businesses in San Juan Bautista will be cannibalized by the gas stations/electric vehicle chargers on Hwy 101. The need for county revenues must be balanced against over commercialization and stealing customers from downtown San Juan Bautista. San Juan’s downtown is hurting, and now has a third of its storefronts shuttered or closing. Probably only two of the nodes should be developed, one at each end of Hwy 101 in our county. This will cover the needs of passing drivers who want gas or a recharge and a bite to eat. I personally know that the political leaders of San Juan Bautista are split on this issue with many recognizing my points above. All projects should always be judged on a case-by-case basis with their pros and cons thoroughly fleshed out and discussed.
What is the county’s role in keeping Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital open and solvent? What are some possible solutions?
San Benito County is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and it needs to truthfully look within itself to see if it has the skills and qualified personnel to manage a modern hospital. Lack of qualified personnel is one of the largest problems in our county government.
Would the hospital, even if it operated as a separate entity, be able to attract qualified personnel? Would the Board of Supervisors and the county have the skills and qualified staff needed to negotiate with insurers and pharmaceutical companies? Those contracts make the difference between profitability and bankruptcy in healthcare and could bring economic disaster if poorly executed.
I feel the county needs to partner in hospital administrative oversight, not become a medical provider.
Law enforcement and first responders have difficulty covering and getting to some parts of the county such as Aromas and San Juan Canyon. How can this be fixed?
The problem of law enforcement getting to out-of-the-way places, such as San Juan Canyon and Aromas, needs several solutions. One solution goes back to needing more law enforcement personnel. Second solution is the need for critical road maintenance in these areas. One example is the San Juan-Salinas Road that leads to the Monterey County line: a maintained road will provide quicker access.
Let’s remember, San Juan Bautista has requested to have a second deputy, which was turned down by the sheriff because of a lack of available personnel. Obtaining this deputy would give quicker coverage to the western part of the county if an emergency arises.
Kollin Kosmicki, 44, has lived in San Benito County for 19 years and served as District 2 supervisor since 2021.
BenitoLink: Why are you running for office?
Kosmicki: I am incredibly motivated to continue making progress for San Benito County residents. My first three years in office have been extremely productive. My advocacy on key issues has led to the county moving forward on $28 million in road repaving projects over the next four years, development of the Riverview Regional Park project that will become a gem for local families, expansion to the San Benito County Free Library, a crackdown on illegal dumping, boosted support for senior services, increased public safety resources and more.
I hope to continue making progress in these areas and others—such as the county’s continued involvement in saving the hospital, cleaning up dangerous homeless encampments in public spaces while providing those residents the help they need, focus on attracting tourists to improve the economy and much more.
Which issues are most important to your district and, if elected, how do you intend to handle them?
By far, the most important issues I hear again and again from constituents are fixing the roads and slowing the pace of single-family housing growth while our community gets a handle on out-of-control traffic congestion. I will continue to aggressively advocate for a continued stream of significant county funding toward road projects and policies that promote more responsible housing growth with a focus on increasing the stock of truly affordable homes for local residents.
For the time being, however, continuing with efforts to save Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital remains at the top of the priority list for the county and my district. I have been a key leader in ongoing county efforts to help find a strong partner for Hazel Hawkins that will allow the hospital district to straighten out its finances and remain sustainable for the long term.
Is widening Highways 25 and 156 sufficient to solve traffic in and out of the county? How can you make the traffic in and out of the county work better?
Yes, widening Highways 156 and 25 will significantly improve traffic circulation in and out of the county. Hwy 156 should be done in the next year or so, and environmental work is underway for the Hwy 25 expansion. I will continue to prioritize taking every step possible to speed up the Hwy 25 expansion such as overlapping project phases where possible. This project is particularly crucial toward improving quality of life for our residents.
Still, those expansion projects won’t solve the traffic issue altogether. San Benito County absolutely must stop going through periods of rampant housing growth and grow at a more responsible pace in perpetuity. Slower single-family housing growth along with creating more job opportunities in and around the cities, where services currently exist, are the most ideal approaches to reducing traffic congestion. This is how our community will maintain its rural character while curtailing traffic congestion for generations to come.
As a supervisor, how would you support economic development in your district that doesn’t negatively affect San Juan Bautista, as that city’s leaders have voiced concern over proposed commercial projects along Hwy 101?
In just three years on the board, I have been the county’s leader in pushing forward new pro-business policies such as the following:
- I was on the board’s negotiating team in 2022 that finally came to terms on a long-stalled, historic tax-sharing agreement with Hollister that will spur job growth around the city’s core while generating tax revenue for the county and city. This agreement was necessary to allow for a major mixed-use project near the airport that will create hundreds of local jobs along with other commercial and industrial projects around Hollister’s borders.
- Supervisors approved a first-time sales-tax reimbursement program that I helped to develop. The program is intended to incentivize new or expanding businesses, such as Fireclay Tile in Aromas that counted on such a program for its expansion.
- I have proposed officially branding San Benito County as “Home of Pinnacles National Park” to focus tourism efforts around this attraction, which should act as the anchor to benefit other tourist attractions locally. This branding consideration is coming back to the board this year.
- Upon my urging, the board permitted limited commercial home kitchen operations allowed under state law with county consent as a way to encourage aspiring restaurateurs and other food industry startups.
- Additionally, when I joined the board at the height of the pandemic, I was instrumental in the county allocating over $1 million in relief funds to assist local businesses and nonprofits to help them get through the crisis.
I will continue to pursue county policies that promote job creation in a responsible way that allow more commuters to work closer to home.
What is the county’s role in keeping Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital open and solvent? What are some possible solutions?
Under my leadership, the county has taken an active role in working toward keeping the hospital open and solvent. I was instrumental in the county’s decision to draw the line and deny a $10 million loan to the hospital that would have acted as nothing more than a Band-Aid with a very high risk of losing those taxpayer funds altogether. Instead of a bailout without any reasonable assurances attached, the county has engaged with a professional, proven consultant to recruit potential partners for the hospital that can help to not only sustain the health care district into the future, but also improve health care services for the community. Finding a suitable partner is the essential path toward a healthy future for Hazel Hawkins, and I will continue working hard toward that solution.
Law enforcement and first responders have difficulty covering and getting to some parts of the county such as Aromas and San Juan Canyon. How can this be fixed?
This is an inherent challenge for a large, rural community with limited funding resources. However, since I joined the board three years ago, the county has taken monumental steps toward prioritizing public safety resources. The county and cities are exploring the possibility of creating a new Fire Protection District that would leverage impact fees from new development to generate consistent revenue for fire department services. With regard to the sheriff’s office, I have supported county board efforts to approve new deputy positions that will help to increase the local law enforcement presence along with upgraded technology resources that will help those deputies do their jobs more efficiently. I will continue to support making public safety resources a top priority.
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