This community opinion was contributed by the Hollister Police Officers Association. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aquí. 

In 2016, the residents of Hollister voted decisively in favor of Measure W, a one-cent sales tax extension originally passed as Measure E in 2012. At the time, city leaders made a clear and convincing promise: that these funds—estimated at around $4.5 million annually—would primarily support public safety and essential city services. That was the deal. And voters held up their end of the bargain.

Unfortunately, city leadership has failed us once again.

Despite the projected revenue and the long-term support from taxpayers, the City of Hollister now finds itself in a multi-million-dollar budget deficit. Our public safety departments—those same services Measure W was meant to protect—are bearing the brunt of the financial mismanagement. The Hollister Police Department alone has seen roughly a 30% budget cut in under a year. Officers have been offered only short-term contracts. Medical benefits and incentives have been frozen or reduced. Layoffs and furloughs are being discussed—not because Measure W failed, but because the city’s leadership has.

And while the city pleads poverty, discretionary spending continues to be out of control. Projects like bathroom renovations at Dunne Park and preparations for the biker rally go forward as if the fiscal crisis doesn’t exist. At the same time, audits are years behind, and city departments are being asked to slash their budgets across the board. This is not only poor planning—it is a fundamental betrayal of public trust.

Measure W included accountability provisions, such as annual independent audits and oversight by a citizens’ committee. But what good are these checks if they are ignored, delayed, or undermined? How can a city with years of missing audits claim to be acting in good faith?

The sad reality is that we are not dealing with a revenue problem—we are dealing with a mismanagement problem. Basic financial planning has gone out the window. Rudimentary math errors, lack of transparency, and a failure to adhere to even the most basic accounting standards have led us to this point. What’s worse, these issues didn’t arise overnight. This has been a slow erosion of fiscal responsibility, and now our residents, city workers, and emergency responders are paying the price.

Hollister is a growing city with a caring, engaged community. We approved Measure W to invest in our collective safety and future. We didn’t vote to fund unchecked discretionary spending or administrative blunders. We certainly didn’t sign up for budget cuts that compromise our safety and service quality for our residents while bathroom renovations are prioritized and oversight goes ignored.

This situation demands action—starting with honest leadership and full transparency. The city must release all outstanding audits immediately and account for every dollar of Measure W revenue and general fund revenues. Oversight committees must be empowered to ask hard questions and get real answers. Discretionary projects should be halted until core services are stabilized and the city can demonstrate a clean and accurate financial picture.

If city leaders believe new spending priorities are needed, they should present them to the public honestly—through open forums or even a new ballot measure. What they must not do is continue raiding funds promised to public safety while our streets grow less secure and morale in our public safety departments plummets.

This is a call not just for accountability, but for a recommitment to the values that made Measure W a success: transparency, trust, and prioritizing the well-being of our entire community. Hollister deserves better—and we must demand better.

Hollister Police Officers Association

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