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After Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens touted the community would see “millions and millions of dollars coming into our local economy” from the Hollister Independence Rally, a preliminary report shows that instead, it cost taxpayers $199,376 to host the two-day event.
Despite losing money, the Hollister City Council directed staff to continue the historic event in 2026 saying it’s an economic development opportunity.
According to the report presented by outgoing City Manager David Mirrione at a Sept. 2 council meeting, the city brought in $457,896 and spent $654,928.
Mirrione also included a brief report on safety, which included statistics on the types of incidents police officers responded to citywide during the holiday weekend.
The income statement also included a $250,000 donation from Amazon that the city said was used for fixing the restrooms at the community center. Mirrione indicated that the online retailer had committed to a multiyear donation to the city for at least the same amount but that nothing has been put in writing.
Among the largest income generators were $109,500 in sponsorships, $42,265 from vendors and a profit of $23,066 from the beer garden sales.
Prior to the rally, councilmember Rolan Resendiz told news outlet KION that $450,000 had been raised in sponsorships.
The biggest expenses for the city were $264,497 for private security, $89,979 for staff time including police, and $60,539 for promoter Roadshows, Inc.
Mirrione said additional revenue to the city from hotel and sales taxes won’t be available until October and November, respectively.
Stephens did not immediately respond to BenitoLink’s request for comment on her statements the rally would bring in millions of dollars.
Twelve people, including two business owners, spoke in favor of the rally. Some called it a success.
“I think the rally was a huge success,” Fallon Greig said. “It was money well spent. It provides an opportunity to grow in the future and become a revenue source for the community.”
Like Greig, the majority of Hollister voters have supported the rally. In a 2022 advisory measure, 63% of voters said they favored the rally.
Stacie McGrady said though she supported the rally, she questioned the city’s transparency because they “were not completely genuine” about the event’s safety report.
She questioned why the city’s presentation reported two assault investigations with no additional information and said there was an assault with a knife at Whiskey Creek Bar but there was no update on the case.
“When you misstate the facts, when you minimize the truth, it makes me question what else are you mistating, what else are you minimizing, what else happened that you’re not forthcoming about.”
In August, Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso told BenitoLink that officers responded to the bar and found a victim with a “substantial laceration to his face.” He said that no arrests have been made or are anticipated because of a lack of cooperation from the victim.
Reynoso did not immediately respond to BenitoLink’s call for an update on the case.
As to the safety report, Reynoso previously told BenitoLink he would provide the City Council a comprehensive report that covers security concerns, attendance and potential profit or loss for the rally in August.
Asked after the Sept. 2 meeting what happened to the report, he said he submitted it to the Council in August.
The city, which did not include the presentation or data in the agenda packet, has yet to provide BenitoLink with two revenue reports from the Roadshows, Inc. which were supposed to be submitted to the city by July 25.
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