Hollister City Council Rescinds General Plan

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On March 3, the Hollister City Council unanimously voted to repeal the 2040 General Plan following a successful referendum effort by local activist group Hollister Guardians Action. 

The state-mandated General Plan serves as the city’s blueprint for growth. It outlines the city’s vision for the next 20-30 years for “balanced growth” in residential and commercial zones. It also sets policy on development standards and outlines infrastructure goals such as addressing traffic congestion.

The document also sets policies to preserve open space and agricultural lands by regulating utility connections and requiring developers to permanently preserve the same amount of acreage that is developed. 

The 2040 General Plan was passed in 2024 following a four-year process that involved extensive public review and numerous public hearings. It cost more than $1 million.

According to the Guardians’ referendum, the City Council at its March 3 meeting could have either rescinded the plan, or called for voters to decide on whether to revoke the General Plan in a stand-alone special election or primary election. The first option was estimated to cost the city up to $450,000 while the primary election was about $50,000.

Four of the City Council members said they opted to repeal the general plan because it was the will of the people to put the brakes on growth, which, they said, the 2040 General Plan would have encouraged.

“I feel like we can hear you loud and clear,” Councilmember Rudy Picha said. “I don’t think we need to spend another $40,000, $50,000, $350,000, $450,000 to know what we already know.”

Thirteen community members spoke in favor of the City Council repealing the general plan rather than calling for an election. Hollister Guardians co-director Bella Rosales said the community is asking city leaders to address growth’s impact on agricultural land loss and traffic. 

“This general plan update exacerbates each and everyone of these problems, and the people have already made it clear that we don’t want it to go forward,” she said.

Former Mayor Mia Casey, who presided over the council that passed the 2024 General Plan in December, criticized the new City Council’s action on social media, saying it took away Hollister voters’ ability to weigh on the issue. She questioned how long it will take for the city to consider a new General Plan, as it needs to go through a process that includes environmental analysis and public review periods.

According to election code 9241, a repealed ordinance cannot be “enacted by the legislative body for a period of one year after the date of its repeal by the legislative body or disapproval by the voters.”

The council’s action means Hollister reverts to the 2005 General Plan, impacting its immediate and ongoing efforts to get its Housing Element certified by the state. The state requires the Housing Element—one of 10 components of the General Plan—to be updated every five to eight years.

The city has been out of compliance with its Housing Element since January 2024 and has been susceptible to “the builder’s remedy,” a provision in state law that limits how much say local jurisdictions have over residential developments.

Casey told BenitoLink the biggest consequence of repealing the general plan is that the city will continue to be out of compliance with its housing element. 

Expanded sphere of influence revoked

One of the focal points of the referendum to rescind the General Plan was the city’s expanded sphere of influence—a planning boundary that defines the city’s probable future boundary and service area. The 2040 General Plan update expanded the sphere of influence by adding 3,000 acres, and identifies five specific areas in which development can occur.

Casey said the purpose of it was to identify where growth is occurring. She said it also allows the city to have more control of what is built in that area because the city and county have different building standards.

As to residents’ concerns that an expanded sphere of influence leads to more development, Casey said eliminating it does not stop development. She said while the previous sphere of influence matched the city’s current boundaries, large projects were approved just outside the city limits, such as the Santana Ranch development on Fairview Road, which impacted the city. 

“It didn’t stop the housing from happening,” Casey said, “but what it did do was create huge issues for the city.”  She said it disrupted the city’s traffic patterns and sewer connections, while  the city had no role in the projects.

Guardians helped fund political shift

On Hollister Guardian’s website, it states the referendum was paid for by a group called Save Hollister From Developers. Hollister Guardians Action and Save Hollister From Developers have the same phone number filed with the secretary of state.

There is no information as to the Hollister Guardians Action’s donors or members on the secretary of state’s website. It is a sister organization of Hollister Guardians, led by Bella and Jasmine Rosales.

The referendum effort follows a political shift in which voters in November replaced three Hollister City Council members with challengers who campaigned on slowing growth. 

The Hollister Guardians sent out multiple political flyers in 2024 attacking members of the Hollister City Council. BenitoLink found a number of their statements to be false or misleading. 

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