Fact Check: The Hollister Guardians ‘People Won’ flier

Editor’s note: This article was updated as it incorrectly identified the members of the City Council starting in fiscal year 2021-22, the year the fiscal audit for 2020-21 was not done. Lea este artículo en español aquí.

A political mailer by the Hollister Guardians group, which has distributed numerous fliers over the past year containing misleading information, was distributed during the week of April 7. The flier includes numerous false and disparaging claims about the previous Hollister City Council and mayor, as well as this news organization.

BenitoLink, as part of its commitment to serving the San Benito County community, identifies false or misleading claims made in local political fliers. BenitoLink has fact-checked four previous fliers, three of which came from this group, which self-identifies as a grassroots organization that advocates for affordable housing and monitors environmental and land use decisions by city and county officials.

Hollister Guardians has widely circulated many of these glossy, full-color fliers over the past year, and they have been shown to contain numerous demonstrably false and misleading allegations.

Hollister Guardians led a successful referendum calling for the revocation of Hollister’s 2040 General Plan, which serves as the blueprint for growth in the city.

According to its website, Hollister Guardians is led by co-directors Jasmine Rosales and Bella Rosales. It also states that it’s a nonprofit fiscally sponsored by Ecologistics, based in Los Osos. Hollister Guardians also has a “sister organization” called Hollister Guardians Action, which paid for one of the fliers. The Guardians website does not list its board members.

Claim: “Ex-Mayor Mia Casey and her ousted City Council majority freely spent city funds. When they took control in January 2022, Hollister’s general fund had almost $12 million [in] surplus. When they left office at the end of 2024, the general fund was heading toward a $3 million deficit, if no one intervenes.”

The record: Former mayor Mia Casey took office in December 2022, in the middle of the 2022-23 fiscal year. She joined a leadership that included councilmembers Dolores Morales and Rolan Resendiz, who won re-election, and incumbents Rick Perez and Tim Burns. According to Hollister’s budgets, the city ended the 2021-22 fiscal year with a general fund balance of $10.2 million, and $11 million at the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year.

The city then projected a balance of $6.4 million at the end of fiscal year 2023-24 and $3.8 million for a year later, which would be June 2025. While the city’s surplus dwindled during these years, Hollister is not projected to be in a deficit as the group claims. 

City Manager David Mirrione said in his 2024-25 budget message on Sept. 30, 2024, that the city was under “financial pressures” as a result of low sales tax growth, outdated user fees and enterprise rates, and underfunded fire service contracts. 

He also said the city had not completed financial audits for three consecutive years beginning with the 2020-21 fiscal year—a situation that “further constrained our revenue streams,” because it limited the city’s eligibility for grants. 

Those neglected audits occurred under former mayor Ignacio Velazquez and former council members Rick Perez, Tim Burns, and current Council members Resendiz and Dolores Morales. Following the 2020 general election, Rick Perez replaced Carol Lenoir, Tim Burns replaced Marty Richman and Resendiz replaced Mickie Luna.

The flier cites the Nov. 12 presentation by Mirrione, who said the balance for fiscal year 2021-22 was $11.8 million and was projected to include a $3 million surplus in 2024-25—not a $3 million deficit as the flier states. See the video here.

“That’s a big caveat I want to put out there,” Mirrone said about the projected figures.

He told BenitoLink that audited financial reports are required of municipalities if they receive federal funding. 

A May 2024 letter from CPAs Mann Urrutia & Nelson reported that in its audit of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, it found “significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the city’s internal control.”

Conclusion: The claim is false. Like other cities in California, Hollister is facing a financial strain. Though its general funds are projected to decrease by about $8 million, it is not projected to be in deficit. The city administrator points to several factors that predate the Mia Casey-led City Council. 

Claim: “From 2022 to 2024: The City Council ‘doubled their salaries and their travel budgets.’”

The record: This claim is repeated from a 2024 Hollister Guardians flier. Because 21 years had passed with no raise, the council was allowed to increase its pay by 105%, from $400 to $820 per month.

BenitoLink found that the City Council, when it consisted of Velazquez, Perez, Morales, Burns and Resendiz, first discussed a raise from a $400 monthly stipend to $800 on April 18, 2022. A video of the session is here. Velazquez was absent from that meeting.

The item was again discussed on May 16, 2022, where it failed in a 2-2 vote. Velazquez and Resendiz were opposed. Morales was absent. The meeting minutes for agenda item E3 are here.

On May 15, 2023, the item was again considered and passed in a 3-2 vote, with Resendiz and Burns opposed and Morales, Perez and Casey in favor.

According to the discussion, members’ pay was set at $400 per month in 2002. According to California Government Code section 36516, a city council can vote itself annual pay raises not to exceed 5%. 

While all the council members said that the chance to serve the community outweighed the modest financial incentive, Casey said that higher compensation might make it easier for some people to handle the financial demands of the office.

Council members also qualify for up to $38,000 in health insurance annually. Retirement is set at 2% of salary per year after five years of service.

Regarding travel expenses, at the council’s meeting on June 5, 2023, a resolution was passed raising the travel allowance for each council member from $2,500 to $5,000 per fiscal year to allow for inflation. The discussion and vote on the resolution were prompted by trips Casey and Morales had taken at the suggestion of then-city manager Brett Miller.

Conclusion: The claim is accurate but lacks context. The City Council did double its monthly salary from $400 to $820. There had not been a pay increase in 21 years. The City Council also doubled its budget for travel expenses. 

Claim: “They bought a $1.6 million office building from Hazel Hawkins to help bail out the hospital. (The building sits unused.)” 

The record: This is another claim made in a 2024 flier. 

Hollister did purchase the property from the San Benito Health Care District, which governs Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, for $1.6 million in May 2023. The health care district had purchased it for $1.9 million in 2022.

BenitoLink found that at the May 15, 2023, City Council meeting, Mirrione said that the building, at 190 Maple Street in Hollister, would be used to house city offices that are spread out over several different rented locations in Hollister, allowing for consolidation to a single location with a large parking lot. 

“We have four different offices just on [5th Street],” he said. “This creates operational challenges for our constituents. What this building will do will be to provide us the ability to develop a one-stop center for public services we offer in the community.”

Mirrione confirmed to BenitoLink that the human resources and payroll divisions of the Administrative Services Department were moved to the new building. He said the building also includes a conference room that is used by other departments. He also said that because of financial constraints, the city is not moving forward with relocating additional staff to the facility and that the City Council directed staff to either sell or lease the property. He said the property has not been listed for sale and staff will seek direction from the council on price and terms.

Mirrione did not say how much the city has invested in the building. BenitoLink submitted a public records request for that information, as suggested by Mirrione. 

BenitoLink visited the building on Jan. 3, 2024, and April 9, 2025, and can confirm there is a city human resources office located there. The building, however, appears mostly empty with no visible construction taking place.

Conclusion: The claim is partially true. The city bought the building with the stated intention of making it a one-stop service office for its residents, not to “bail out” the hospital. However, the building is largely empty, with the exception of a section for the Human Resources Department, a meeting room and the payroll division.

Claim: The City Council “gave big discounts on impact fees to developers.” 

The record: This claim is broad and does not point to any specific discounted impact fees or projects. However, the group has made this claim in the past involving a sewer connection for San Juan Oaks (a senior subdivision), and discounted fees for Eden Housing (an affordable apartment project). BenitoLink previously looked into this and found the San Juan Oaks project was approved in 2015 by a different city council. The Eden Housing project received a density bonus as is required under city and state law.

Conclusion: The claim is false. A previous city council took action based on local and state laws and upheld a previous agreement. 

Claim: The previous city council “hired 26 city employees and gave generous raises.”

The record: According to the city budgets, between fiscal year 2021-22 and 2023-24, the city created 27 new, funded positions, bringing the total number of city employees to 225. Of the new positions, 12.5 were for the Hollister Police Department, three were for the Hollister Fire Department, and three were for the city’s Community Services department. The rest were spread throughout other departments.

However, not all of the city positions are filled. In February, Hollister Fire Chief Jonathan Goulding told BenitoLink he had four vacancies in his department.

BenitoLink asked Mirrione how many people were hired between 2022 and 2024 and whether the hiring was to fill a previously vacant or new position. He suggested that BenitoLink submit a public records request for that information, which BenitoLink did on April 17.

Regarding staff salaries, the city deals with multiple unions including the Hollister Peace Officers Association, Hollister Firefighters Union, Service Employees International Union and executive management. The agreements between the city and the unions, most of which are set to expire in June 2025, and salary schedules are available here. 

Latest raises

Employee group	Raise in base salary	Term of contract
The Hollister Peace Officers Association	3%	7/1/24 to 6/30/25
The Hollister Firefighters Union	6%	7/1/24 to 6/30/25
Service Employees International Union Local 521	4%	7/1/24 to 6/30/25
Executive Management	6%	Effective 7/1/23
Hollister Mid-Management Association	7% (2023-24), 6% (2024-25)	7/1/23 to 6/30/25

Conclusion: This claim is misleading. It infers that the newly hired employees were given raises, but the city negotiates with unions regarding salary schedules and benefits.

Claim: “After taking office in January 2025, the new Hollister City Council, led by Mayor Roxanne Stephens, quickly tackled the budget deficit left by the previous mayor and City Council. They began cutting 10% of the 2025-26 budget, raising user fees to match other cities, selling or leasing unused office buildings, freezing staff hiring, [and] cutting subsidies in fire service contracts.”

The record: Mirrione began presenting his report on the city’s fiscal status to the City Council in November 2024, a month before the current City Council took office. At the Dec. 2 meeting—still with the previous City Council—he outlined options for the city, including all the actions listed on the flier. He said the city could consider selling or leasing its properties, including the Maple Street building, the Briggs Building and the property known as Leatherback on McCray Street at Hillcrest Road.

He also noted that the city could defer noncritical maintenance of city infrastructure and facilities, renegotiate vendor contracts, cut nonessential services and outsource city services when it results in cost savings.

Regarding fire service contracts, the previous City Council directed staff in May 2024 to renegotiate with San Benito County and San Juan Bautista for fire services. Though it appeared at the time that the jurisdictions were close to agreeing on new terms, negotiations continue and have grown heated. 

Conclusion: The claim is misleading. The flier attributes some of the work initiated under the previous council to the current City Council, such as initial efforts to negotiate new fire service contracts and the user fee schedule study.

Claim: “New City Council listens to voters: 3,562 Hollister residents signed a referendum petition to stop a terrible general plan that allowed thousands of houses to be built on 3,000 acres of farmland by Fairview, Union and Buena Vista roads. Ex-mayor Mia Casey and ousted City Council members adopted this terrible general plan on their last day in office in December 2024.”

The record: Hollister Guardians Action led a successful referendum effort against Hollister’s 2040 General Plan, which was approved by the Hollister City Council on December 3, 2024—before the new council members were sworn in during the last meeting in December.

According to the Guardians’ referendum, the City Council could have either rescinded the General Plan, or called for voters to decide the matter in a special election or primary election.

Rather than put the question on a ballot so the voters could decide, the new City Council voted unanimously to revoke the General Plan.

The 2040 General Plan was passed in 2024 following a four-year process that involved extensive public review and numerous public hearings. It cost more than $1 million.

The group collected 3,562 signatures of which 2,846 were found to be valid registered voters by the San Benito County Elections Office. 

Regarding the “thousands of houses being built on 3,000 acres of farmland,” the 2040 General Plan included a planning tool known as a “sphere of influence,” which defines the city’s probable future boundary and service area. There are conflicting views on this planning designation. Some argue that a large sphere of influence promotes development, while others say it gives the city a say in what is built near its city boundaries. 

Unless properties within the sphere of influence are annexed into the city and the land use designation changes, according to the recently passed Measure A, development would require voter approval.

Conclusion: The claims are false. Rather than showing that the new City Council “listens to voters,” three council members made a decision that upended decades of work involving significant public input. A general plan serves as a guide of potential growth and does not guarantee development will occur on designated properties.

The claim: “Ex-Mayor doxes critics and puts them in danger. Mia Casey attacks individuals on social media, calling them out by name (doxing) on NextDoor and Facebook.”

The record: “Doxing,” as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, means “to publicly identify or publish private information about someone, especially as a form of punishment or revenge.” The names of people who are engaged in public political processes are not “private information.”

Conclusion: The claim is false.

The Claim: “A Hollister resident told police that windows of her two cars were broken after she criticized Casey at a city meeting. She thinks Casey’s attacks on her on social media incited vandalism of both cars.”

The record: Following a request from BenitoLink to the Hollister Police Department for reports of vandalism to vehicles, Police Chief Carlos Reynoso said there were 21 vandalism reports in 2024, but none involved a car window being vandalized by a pellet or BB gun. 

Conclusion: The claim is what is known as “hearsay.” It is impossible to assess the reliability of such an accusation, because the anonymous person making the claim cannot be questioned or challenged.

The claim: “BenitoLink Doxes Hollister Guardians. BenitoLink often publishes the names of Hollister Guardians donors, its fiscal sponsor, and even the employer of one Guardian director.”

The record: To reiterate: “Doxing,” as defined by Merriam-Webster, means “to publicly identify or publish private information.” The information quoted in the claim—names of donors, sponsors, etc.—is all public information. Much of it can be found on the Hollister Guardians website.

The claim: “BenitoLink writes more articles attacking Hollister Guardians than any other organization. Why? Is it because Hollister Guardians exposed the corruption of pro-developer interests that used to run our City but still control BenitoLink?”

The record: BenitoLink, as part of its commitment to serve San Benito County, identifies false or misleading claims made in widely circulated local political fliers. Hollister Guardians has distributed several fliers over the past year, many of which contain numerous demonstrably false allegations.

Further, BenitoLink is not controlled by “pro-developer interests” as the flier states. Every year, BenitoLink publishes the names of all its supporters and states its editorial independence in the Terms of Use, Section 23. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, BenitoLink is governed by a board of directors—eight members of the local community, who volunteer their time with no compensation.

BenitoLink’s major donors and sponsors are listed at the bottom of its homepage. As a local nonprofit news organization, BenitoLink annually publishes all donations made by community members in the Individual Donor section. BenitoLink also publishes the names of all donors during fundraising campaigns, including its most recent donor list, and annual financial statements.

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