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In fewer than 200 days, thousands of bikers and visitors are again expected to roll into Hollister, this time for the 2026 version of the Hollister Independence Rally after city officials cleared the way for the event’s return.
On Dec. 15, the Hollister City Council approved on a 4-1 vote a $40,000 agreement with promoter Roadshows Inc. for rally operations despite several questions from city officials going unanswered.
Councilmember Dolores Morales, who cast the sole dissenting vote, questioned whether Roadshows met its contractual obligations for the 2025 event.
“I have not seen the collection of revenues or the report [required from Roadshows] within the 45 days,” she said.
Parks and Recreation Director Charles Wall, who provided the staff report, said the revenue numbers “came in later than what was written in the previous year’s contract” and added that on Sept. 2, former city manager David Mirrione presented those numbers.
Morales said the report provided to the city was missing information and that no additional information was provided to the City Council after that report.
“From a contract compliance perspective, when there is a contract there are deliverables and expectations and when those deliverables are not met then normally there is an impact,” she said.
Wall said he was not aware of any additional information but that he would research it and get back to the city officials.
Interim city manager Jim Pia, who came on board in September while the city searches for a new top administrator, said he was committed to enforcing the deliverables included in the contract.
“It is my understanding that they delivered everything we asked for in July and we delivered to them the contract portions that we’re responsible to do,” he said.
BenitoLink requested the interim and final comprehensive revenue reports for the rally that Roadshows was contractually obligated to submit, but the city said it did not have records responsive to the request.
In addition, BenitoLink also did not get responses from Mirrione and former city attorney Mary Lerner when they were asked whether Roadshows submitted those documents.
Instead of the requested documents, the city provided its own preliminary revenue report.
Morales also questioned how the city could host the rally when it didn’t budget for it, noting this fiscal year’s budget accounted only for the 2025 rally.
Pia repeated several times that the goal is to have the rally be cost-neutral and that there are costs that are still unknown, such as security.
“We’re committed to raise as much money as we can through the sponsorship process and to contain our costs as best we can to make this happen,” he said. “But I cannot, on this day in December 2025, promise a cost-neutral event.”
Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens said all events have a cost to the city, such as the car shows and farmers markets, adding that they have a value to the city and community at large. She also said the city has more time to make the rally cost-neutral.
The farmers market and car shows are hosted by the nonprofit Hollister Downtown Association.
Councilmember Rudy Picha asked what happens to the contract if Roadshows and owner Randy Burke do not meet the obligation to secure $90,000 in sponsorships.
Pia did not answer the question but said the promoter indicated he was confident he can secure that amount in sponsorships.
“That was a number that we negotiated, Mr. Burke, and Charles [Wall] and I based on the ad hoc committee’s input and all of your input,” he said.
The event’s ad hoc committee is made up of Councilmember Rolan Resendiz and Stephens.
Before motioning to approve the 2026 contract, Resendiz said he intends to ask the council at a future meeting to consider approving a multiyear contract with Roadshows for the rally. Burke said he was interested in discussing such an agreement.
Picha said he needed more data from the 2025 rally before entertaining that request.
The new contract with Roadshows represents a $10,000 increase from last summer.
The contract is structured in the same way as the previous one, including a requirement to secure $90,000 in sponsorships and a provision allowing the promoter to receive a supplementary $5,000 for each additional $20,000 in sponsorships it secures.
Other council actions
On Dec. 15, the City Council also approved a repeal of its growth management program policy as directed by the state. The program sought to slow down market-rate residential development, but was deemed illegal by the state.
And the council gave the go-ahead to joining the American Air Advantage Consortium to apply for a federal program aimed at accelerating the safe deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in the U.S.
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