Rally 2026: Hollister police chief again voices concerns about rally security, safety

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As thousands of bikers rolled into town for the Hollister Independence Rally, Hollister Police Chief Carlos Reynoso for the second straight year expressed serious concern about the lack of adequate law enforcement and event security, and potential liability to the city, as well as the presence of biker gangs at the city’s largest gathering of the year. 

In his post 2025 rally report, Reynoso stated that: “inadequate law enforcement, security and communications led to a failure to control armed criminal gangs, illegal weapons possession, and the unlawful sale and distribution of alcohol in downtown Hollister during the two-day rally.”

During this year’s rally, Reynoso told BenitoLink he was still concerned because he had been purposely excluded from the process of selecting a security company and the local chapter of the La Verdad motorcycle gang, which was present in 2025, had returned, possibly in larger numbers. 

“They are affiliated with the Nuestra Familia cartel,” he said, noting the U.S. Department of Justice identifies the cartel as a prison gang.

Reynoso said he was also concerned about the return of the Hell’s Angels and other motorcycle gangs that “have a tendency not to be law-enforcement friendly and public-safety friendly.”

BenitoLink saw several members of La Verdad walking among this year’s rally attendees along San Benito Street and entering Johnny’s Bar and Grill. Outside of the bar, owner Peter Lego told BenitoLink he understood Reynoso’s viewpoint, but said he considered the bikers, “customers, neighbors, and even company owners.”

Earlier this year, Hollister City Manager Ana Cortez contracted for rally security with Citiguard Inc., headquartered in Woodland Hills and owned by Sami and Gharzi Nomair, according to its business profile, for $219,999. 

Most of the guards patrolling along San Benito Street were wearing arm patches that identified them as Black Eagle Secure Solutions, headquartered in Stockton and owned by Abdul Satar Hakimi, which operates in California and Texas, according to its website. 

The council sanctioned the return of the rally, claiming it would provide an economic boost to local businesses and provide opportunities for economic development. 

BenitoLink last year reported that while the city said it cost about $200,000 more to hold the rally than it had raised in revenue, the rally actually cost about $450,000 more than it had raised and only counting an Amazon donation as “savings” resulted in the lower cost overrun number.

Reynoso told BenitoLink the security company was providing nearly 100 guards for traffic control and overnight security for the two days, and that 40 of them were armed. However, he did not know any details about the selection of the company or the qualifications of the guards. 

Asked if the armed guards had been vetted regarding their certifications and weapons training, he said, “I hope so.” He added that the decision to choose a company for its ability to provide security was, instead, more of “an economic development matter that this is good for business, good for the city.”

Three of the armed guards, who all said they were from Modesto and worked for Black Eagle, said they carried their own weapons because they preferred them rather than what the company might issue. One, named Kyle, who preferred not to give his last name, said he was hired to provide traffic control but wasn’t sure how he might react should violence break out, or even what authority he had to respond.

“I just hope a cop is close by,” he said. 

In California, armed guards have very limited authority during violent incidents, according to the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS). They are no different than private citizens and can intervene only through a citizen’s arrest when a crime occurs in their presence, according to the BSIS “Power to Arrest” training manual.

BSIS rules allow reasonable force, with deadly force permitted only when the guard faces an imminent threat of death or serious injury. Furthermore, according to BSIS, the guard must yield to law enforcement when officers arrive or are already on scene.

“I have not been given any list of who’s here and whether they’re certified or not,” Reynoso told BenitoLink. “My understanding is that [rally organizers] are supposed to get armed guards that are all vetted and properly licensed.”

He added that even though the company has appeared to be transparent about the vetting, communicating with them has not been easy. 

“I’m having difficulty, once again, to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English,” he said.

Actual sworn officers at the rally included nine from Hollister, plus the chief and a captain for each day of the rally, along with several from the San Benito County Probation Office, two police officers from Dos Palos, four from Kingsburg, and three officers from the California State Parks Department, according to Reynoso. He said the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department could not provide any officers. 

“State parks are fantastic,” he said. “They’re doing it out of a straight partnership. They’re not even contracting with the city, so they have state jurisdiction. They can work anywhere. They saw the need we have and agreed to come and help us out.”

Rather than being involved in the selection process, he said he was informed that the city parks and recreation director would be spearheading the 2026 rally. He had been involved during previous rallies before the new mayor and city council took office in 2024.

“I was given directions to find as many cops as I could,” he said. “I did warn them [city council], as I’ve warned them in the past, that it’s almost impossible to do that, especially when the city won’t cover their workman’s comp of the agencies that come here.”

Reynoso said even though he has been excluded from the process, Cortez did give him the flexibility to set aside some money to try to pay the salaries of officers from other agencies to reimburse their cities. He said he didn’t have an exact dollar amount but only could say that it was “flexible.”

He said all law enforcement agencies throughout the state are working understaffed.

“It’s really difficult for them to spare people on a busy holiday weekend to assist us,” he said. “I was able to find a little less than two dozen people for the whole weekend. Usually for a rally, when we had this event in the past, we had anywhere from 80 to 100 officers.”

Reynoso remarked that the city would be in deep financial trouble should any of the sworn officers be injured or if there was a major incident. He said that because the city no longer covers other cities’ worker’s compensation they are reluctant to send their officers.

“All the way up to 2013, when we had a rally the city was covering the workman’s comp because you had to,” he said. “You can’t ask these agencies to let you borrow their officers, and if they get hurt, they’re on their own.”

Regarding the rally itself, Roadshows Inc. promoter Randy Burke told BenitoLink, “Friday was soft and Saturday was great. I was busy managing the rally, so I wasn’t counting noses. Numbers would come from the city.”

BenitoLink’s requests for comments sent to Cortez concerning Reynoso’s claims and rally statistics were not returned. Hollister Police said any incident reports or attendance numbers would not be available until later this week. 

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