This community opinion was contributed by the former Hollister mayor, Mia Casey. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
After a year of stonewalling, political infighting, and secretive dealings, a fire contract was approved suddenly a few weeks ago which is, shockingly, the same bad deal rejected last March. So what changed? Absolutely nothing… except political pressure two Supervisors faced from a rising recall effort and public backlash.
This isn’t a victory for San Benito County. It’s a cover-up.
A Dysfunctional and Secretive Process
This past year we witnessed a broken and adversarial process due in large part to escalation of tensions by Supervisors Kosmicki and Velazquez. They insisted on secretive backroom dealing, shutting out key stakeholders. Holding closed-door meetings with two Hollister officials: Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Councilmember Rolan Resendiz. The result? A rehash of the 2019 contract that continues to unfairly burden Hollister taxpayers. The County uses 38% of fire services, yet only pays for 16%. This new 5-year deal means Hollister taxpayers will subsidize County fire services by over $15 million.
From Termination to Capitulation
In June 2024, Hollister invoked the contract’s termination clause—a clause all agencies agreed to in 2019—to force renegotiation. The new City Manager discovered Hollister was absorbing millions of fire service costs for County and San Juan Bautista. Despite a yearlong effort, the City Manager was unable to get the County CAO to begin nenegotiations. He also uncovered that under the previous administration, no audits had been done for fiscal years ending June 2021 and 2022, leaving Hollister in a financially precarious position. It will take years to unravel as accounting errors are uncovered that continue to impact Hollister’s budget. This situation necessitated initiating the termination clause–Hollister could no longer afford to subsidize millions of County fire obligations.
San Juan Bautista responded quickly and negotiated new terms agreeing to pay its share. The County refused, unless the termination clause was rescinded. For six months, Supervisor Kosmicki launched public attacks, labeling the city’s actions “extortion,” and refused to come to the table.
Then came the secret meetings.
The Ad Hoc Sham In January 2025, Supervisors Kosmicki and Velazquez, and new Mayor Stephens and Councilmember Resendiz, formed a so-called “Fire Ad Hoc Committee.” But this wasn’t a collaborative team, it was a backroom negotiation club. Excluding stakeholders like San Juan Bautista and our Fire Chief, they emerged in March with a contract written in secrecy. It included:
*Reduced staffing (2 firefighters per engine instead of 3)
*Proposing Brownouts/periodic station closures
*Removal of termination clause
*Continuing a 3% escalator per year (which does not keep up with inflation)
*Continuing an unfair cost split still heavily favoring the County
They attempted to ram this bad deal through in a week of “special meetings,” hoping no one would notice. But the public, especially firefighters and their families, pushed back.
Public Outcry and Political Backlash
San Juan Bautista rejected the deal, outraged its previously negotiated terms were Ignored, and a new contract was delivered instead reducing their firefighters to 2 per engine without their consent. Hollister Council rejected the contract after public protests. The County retaliated, dissolving the ad hoc group and threatening to build its own fire department. Ironically, after claiming repeatedly it could only afford $1.1 million for fire Services, miraculously the County found $6.5 million to fund their own fire department.
Capitulation and a Return to a Bad Deal
Under political pressure, with recall campaigns looming against Supervisors Kosmicki and Velazquez, Hollister suddenly reversed course and capitulated to County demands. In a poorly publicized Friday night meeting, Hollister City Council approved essentially the same contract rejected months earlier. San Juan Bautista followed suit, and despite good-faith negotiations and agreeing to its share, ended up with their firestaffing reduced to 2.
Failed Leadership
It’s troubling Hollister’s representatives, Mayor Stephens and Councilmember Resendiz, agreed to such unfavorable terms. Resendiz had demanded the termination clause be enacted, stating “enough is enough.” However, in the end, he and Stephens gave the County exactly what they wanted.
Resendiz, often aligned with Velazquez, once again did his bidding. And Stephens, Velazquez’ former planning commissioner, followed suit. Hollister residents had no voice in these negotiations. These councilmembers sold out their constituents. Now Hollister will continue to bear the burden with millions taken from our General Fund, all to subsidize County fire service.
It is important to note Supervisor Velazquez was Mayor of Hollister when the 2019 Fire Contract was negotiated. He clearly stated Hollister was subsidizing the County by millions. He voted against that contract. Velazquez had a unique opportunity to remedy that wrong, but instead chose not to support his Hollister constituents, opting to play politics instead.
Firefighters Held Hostage
Our firefighters were caught in the middle, demonized and threatened with layoffs and station closures if the County walked away. To protect each other, they reluctantly accepted the contract to preserve jobs, but will still likely face lower staffing and compromised safety in the future.
The Hollister City Manager and Fire Chief pledged to maintain three firefighters per engine, but the contract does not require it. And with looming budget shortfalls and possible recession approaching, reductions are likely. And dangerous.
Two-person engines are considered unsafe by Cal OSHA, the National Fire Protection Association, and our Fire Chief. It places firefighters at risk, slows response times, and could jeopardize fire insurance rates.
The Only Path Forward: Accountability
What we witnessed was not collaboration. It was coercion. Manipulation of the process to favor political agendas and avoid true negotiation. Supervisor Kosmicki’s attempts to spin this as a “win” for the community and rewrite history is offensive to everyone who witnessed this mess unfold.
Recalling Supervisors Kosmicki and Velazquez is not only justified, it’s necessary. The County continues to deprioritize public safety, slashing law enforcement, funneling money to pet projects and neglecting essential services. Public Safety should be a top priority. Essential services should not be an afterthought taking a back seat to political agendas.
San Benito County deserves better.
BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues.