This article was written by BenitoLink intern Ariana Rivera. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
What began as road work updates from Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe quickly turned into a debate between members of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors over prioritizing funding for road projects at the board’s Aug. 26 meeting.
Ultimately, after much discussion, the board decided by a 3-2 vote to send a letter to state Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Robert Rivas requesting funds to repave San Juan Canyon Road.
Supervisors Angela Curro and Mindy Sotelo opposed the resolution, saying the county should prioritize other roads.
In addition, the board unanimously agreed to revisit how to appropriate $11 million in funding for road projects, and create a list of all “shovel-ready” projects in the county to assist in future analyses of funding needs.
Also during the meeting, the board heard from county health officials about the potential impact of the Big Beautiful Bill Act on local programs.
But the road work funding debate drew the most interest, from the board and the public.
The board focused its discussion on San Juan Canyon and Union roads, though each project is in a different stage of development.
Regarding Union Road, the supervisors weighed either going out to bid or using on-call consultants. Loupe said that this could affect both the financing and timing of the project.
He added that going out to bid could save the county money, but would entail a lengthy time commitment, whereas using on-call consultants would cost more, but the county would have project plans completed by mid-September. The latter approach could see the project completed by December.
Though the supervisors agreed that saving money on the project was important, Curro said that though an open bidding process may save the county up to $100,000, she could not agree with delaying the project “because even saving one life is worth $100,000.”
Curro cited safety concerns about Union Road, which is marked by pothole repairs between Riverside Road and Hwy 156, as the county prepares for fall and a potentially wet winter.
Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez countered Curro’s points, saying that “going out to bid will lower the price tag for these projects, and the savings would then be used for smaller roads.”
The council was also divided on how to move forward with a proposed letter to state representatives seeking funds for the reconstruction of San Juan Canyon Road.
In the letter to Rivas and Laird, the supervisors argued that the 6.4-mile stretch of road is not only important for tourism, as it connects to Fremont Peak State Park, but a necessary route of evacuation during an emergency, including wildfires.
That area is rated as high risk on the state’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone map.
Curro said that even though the road is a part of her district, she could not endorse sending a letter to the representatives, saying that of all the projects the county needs support for, San Juan Canyon Road would not have a countywide benefit.
She argued that projects such as the library expansion construction and “main artery” road construction are more pressing for available funding, and therefore more likely to get attention from Rivas and Laird.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki said Curro’s argument appeared to be that “she wants all of the roads to be fixed, but doesn’t want to ask for funding.”
Like Curro, Sotelo said she supports the San Juan Canyon Road project, but that the board should consider being more “strategic” about when letters requesting funds are sent to representatives.
San Juan Canyon Road is primarily residential, and lacks the amount of traffic of similar roads, such as Cienega Road, which also leads to a state park, but on average has higher rates of visitors, according to Curro.
“It’s not realistic to ask for infrastructure that is specific to one population,” said Curro. “It needs to be more global.”
Public speakers Mia Casey and Elia Salinas called the move to send letters to Rivas and Laird “absurd” and “embarrassing,” arguing that San Juan Canyon Road is of little relevance to most San Benito County residents and that the letter was politically motivated.
The board also heard a preliminary report from the Behavioral Health Department and Health and Human Services Agency which stated the county can expect more than 1,000 county residents to lose eligibility for public assistance programs and health care coverage because of the passage of Pres. Trump’s signature legislation.
To alleviate the impact on community members, the departments jointly recommended solutions such as data monitoring, advocacy and financial strategy.
Presenters Tracey Belton and Dr. Amanda Geipe of Health and Human Services and Dana Egull of Behavioral Health acknowledged that the report was still preliminary, and that many factors were still to be determined. However, they said they expect “additional administrative costs” and “staff burnout and turnover” to occur, among other challenges.
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