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BenitoLink sent four questions about San Benito County issues to the two candidates for the 29th Assembly District seat: incumbent Robert Rivas and challenger Dennis Sanchez.Â
Robert Rivas
Rivas, 46, grew up in Paicines and now lives in Hollister with his wife and children. He served as chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and was vice-chair of the Latino Legislative Caucus. Currently speaker of the California Assembly, Rivas manages the flow of legislation, assigns committees and leads the Democratic caucus in negotiations with the governor’s office and the state Senate. Before being elected to the Assembly, Rivas served two terms on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors.
BenitoLink: Why are you running for office?
Rivas: I’ve lived in Assembly District 29 my whole life. I grew up in Paicines in farmworker housing, went to Hollister High School, and am raising my children in Hollister. This is home. I’m honored to have represented our district in Sacramento since 2018, and I’ve served as speaker of the California Assembly since 2023. Before being elected to serve in the legislature, I served on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. I’m running for re-election so that I can keep our community’s needs and perspective front and center at the state Capitol.
Does the state need tighter regulations or improved public disclosure regarding proposed data centers, particularly in rural areas such as San Benito County?
Data centers have to work for AD 29’s residents, not just AI and tech companies. As a rural community, we need to be especially vigilant about the impact of these new technologies, because as any thinking Californian knows, it’s about balancing economic growth with natural resources. In this last legislative session I supported AB 1577. This bill requires data centers to be transparent about energy use and submit that information to regulators, so we know the impact they’re having. Data centers must pay their fair share of electricity grid costs, disclose water usage, and help communities mitigate their environmental impact. I’m on the case, and if re-elected I’ll keep holding data centers accountable, because AD 29 residents can’t afford higher energy costs.
Law enforcement across San Benito County faces chronic staffing shortages and lacks the funds to compete for personnel. How would you work to ensure adequate state support for this and other core functions, such as behavioral health and fire protection?
I’m always grateful to San Benito’s first responders for their hard work and the real sacrifices that go into doing these jobs. Prior to running for office, I worked as a paid call firefighter in San Benito, where I gained firsthand experience of the challenges faced by our first responders.
In terms of funding, state grants play a big role in local law enforcement budgets, and that comes out of the budget we pass in the Assembly. The latest state budget includes $50 million for crime victim services through the Victims of Crime Act program, $20 million for community-based violence prevention and rehabilitation through the RIGHT Grant, $375 million in substance use treatment, mental health treatment and rehabilitation services, and $20 million to fight human trafficking.
We’ve also made huge investments in stopping organized retail theft. In 2024, I authored a package of public safety bills with our caucus that gives police and prosecutors new tools to fight retail crime while also supporting criminal justice reforms.
We hear Californians loud and clear: They want stronger public safety laws, and they want those laws enforced. I’ve also helped secure millions in funding for wildfire resilience projects and billions in emergency recovery legislation.
California is owed a lot of money from the federal government for fire recovery, but they haven’t sent it, and that’s been a real challenge. In this past session, I pushed back on an insufficient wildfire liability and victim compensation bill that did not do enough for fire victims or hold utilities accountable.
San Benito still sees a high number of residents commuting outside the county for work, while the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements hold the potential to increase this daily traffic issue. What can be done to attract businesses and industries that could provide higher paying jobs in the county?
I’ve always worked closely with local business owners in San Benito County, and as a child of the labor movement—my grandfather organized alongside Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers at Almaden Vineyards—improving the lives of working families is always top of mind.
Creating more good-paying jobs here requires strengthening the entire pipeline: educating and training local residents, helping small businesses start and expand, investing in infrastructure, and protecting the employers and jobs we already have. This year’s state budget provides $100 million in tax incentives to help new businesses launch and grow, while creating 25,000 new child care slots so more parents can return to work or pursue an education. We also fully funded paid pregnancy leave for teachers, helping local schools retain talented educators.
Protecting major local employers matters, too. I secured a $10 million loan for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and an $8.3 million loan for Watsonville Community Hospital, helping preserve essential services and local jobs. I also helped secure a $25-per-hour minimum wage for healthcare workers.
Housing growth must be accompanied by jobs, transportation, infrastructure and services. Our goal should be clear: San Benito County should not simply be a place where people live—it should also be a place where they can build careers, support their families and prosper
Dennis Sanchez
Sanchez, 52, describes himself as a small business owner in construction and landscaping, with about 30 years of experience in construction, private security, investigations, executive protection, special response teams, regional management supervision and public-safety-related work. He is a lifelong resident of District 29 and has held an elected office as a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Garden of Memories Cemetery Board of Trustees.
BenitoLink: Why are you running for office?
Sanchez: I am running because I believe the people of Assembly District 29 deserve representation that is accessible, accountable, and focused on the everyday challenges our communities face.
As a lifelong resident, small business owner, and father, I see firsthand the effects of California’s high cost of living, regulations, taxes, housing pressures, public safety challenges, deteriorating infrastructure, and the difficulties facing agriculture and local businesses.
I am not running to build a political career. I am running to serve the communities that raised me and ensure our district has a strong voice in Sacramento.
My priorities include public safety and law and order, agriculture and water security, better roads and infrastructure, stronger schools and career education, support for small businesses, responsible housing policy, and greater government accountability.
Does the state need tighter regulations or improved public disclosure regarding proposed data centers, particularly in rural areas such as San Benito County?
Yes. At a minimum, communities deserve much greater transparency before approving major data center projects.
Data centers can bring investment, jobs, and economic opportunities, but rural communities should not be asked to accept major impacts without understanding exactly what is being proposed. Residents deserve clear information about water consumption, electricity demand, backup power generation, infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, emergency response needs and the number and quality of permanent local jobs a project will actually create.
San Benito County already faces important questions involving water, roads, power, agriculture, housing, and growth. Sacramento should not simply impose another one-size-fits-all mandate.
I would support stronger public disclosure requirements and meaningful local participation so residents, farmers, businesses, local governments, fire departments, and other affected agencies have the information necessary to evaluate these projects before decisions are made.
Economic development is important, but it needs to be responsible development.
Law enforcement across San Benito County faces chronic staffing shortages and lacks the funds to compete for personnel. How would you work to ensure adequate state support for this and other core functions, such as behavioral health and fire protection?
Public safety is one of my highest priorities.
Communities cannot provide adequate law enforcement, fire protection, emergency medical response, or behavioral health services when they continually lose trained personnel to jurisdictions that can offer substantially better compensation and resources.
As an assemblymember, I would advocate for greater state support for rural and smaller counties whose tax bases cannot always keep pace with rapidly rising public safety costs. State funding formulas should recognize staffing shortages, geographic coverage, population growth, mutual-aid responsibilities, and the unique challenges faced by counties such as San Benito.
I would work to secure funding for recruitment and retention, training, equipment, communications technology, fire and emergency response resources, and behavioral health programs that can intervene before a crisis becomes a law enforcement emergency.
I also believe behavioral health resources and law enforcement should complement one another, not be treated as substitutes for each other.
Our officers, deputies, firefighters, dispatchers, and first responders need the personnel, equipment, training, and financial support necessary to do their jobs safely and effectively. Public safety is a core responsibility of government, and I will treat it that way.
San Benito still sees a high number of residents commuting outside the county for work, while the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements hold the potential to increase this daily traffic issue. What can be done to attract businesses and industries that could provide higher paying jobs in the county?
We cannot continue building communities where people can afford a house but cannot find a good paying job near it.
Housing and economic development have to be planned together.
San Benito County needs an economic-development strategy that attracts employers capable of providing stable, higher paying jobs while protecting the agricultural land and rural character that make the county unique.
That means improving infrastructure, roads, broadband, water reliability, and permitting processes, while creating a business climate where employers know they can invest and grow.
I would support expanding career and technical education and partnerships between local schools, community colleges, employers, agriculture, construction, public safety, advanced manufacturing, technology, and the skilled trades. We should be preparing local students for careers that allow them to remain in their own communities.
I would also work to reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers for small businesses and encourage responsible employers to locate and expand within the district.
RHNA housing mandates cannot be considered in isolation. If Sacramento requires communities to accommodate significant housing growth without addressing roads, water, public safety, schools, and employment, it risks worsening existing problems.
My goal is not simply more development. It is balanced development: good paying local jobs, attainable housing, adequate infrastructure, protected agricultural resources, and communities where people can spend more time with their families and less time sitting in traffic.
BenitoLink General Election Forum
BenitoLink is hosting a General Election Forum with candidates currently running for office at the Granada Theater (336 Fifth Street, Hollister) at 6 p.m. on Sept. 17. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Please fill out this Google Form with any questions for the candidates or send them to yourvoice@benitolink.com.
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