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Criticized by the San Benito County Civil Grand Jury for a lack of transparency and cooperation, the Hollister City Council on Aug. 3 agreed to discontinue requiring the investigative body to submit subpoenas to interview city officials and obtain city documents.
The council approved on a 4-0 vote without discussion the policy change as part of a series of responses to the civil grand jury’s 2025-26 report. Mayor Roxanne Stephens was absent from the meeting.
A portion of the civil grand jury report criticized the city’s requirement of subpoenas in order to provide documents as well as scheduling interviews with staff and elected officials. The civil grand jury noted the process “significantly” delayed their investigation and that it still didn’t receive all the requested documents and interviews despite issuing subpoenas.
In June, the grand jury released its annual report outlining its findings and recommendations following investigations into the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department, the Hollister Independence Rally and the Sunnyslope County Water District.
The grand jury is convened annually and composed of 19 citizens who are sworn to serve as grand jurors and investigate the operations of various government departments and agencies.
According to the city’s response, it will “administratively remove barriers that impede scheduling interviews” and that by Aug. 31 it will adopt a policy that requires staff to provide “relevant documents” without the need for a subpoena.
A subpoena is a court order requiring an agency or individual to provide documents or answer questions during an interview.
“The City embraces streamlining Grand Jury document requests, including clarifying such requests to assist the Grand Jury in gaining access to relevant documents,” the city’s response said. “Such clarifying assistance will allow the City to narrow search terms and produce relevant documents.”
The grand jury report indicated that three council members and the former interim city manager did not show up to scheduled interviews and did so “without repercussions.”
According to multiple attorney firms websites, failure to comply with a subpoena can lead to fines or imprisonment.
The civil grand jury report does not include individual names, but Jim Pia served as Hollister’s interim city manager for about five months starting in September 2025.
In its report, the grand jury said “there is no time” to pursue legal action to ensure compliance with subpoenas because its members are sworn in for a short term.
The grand jury also recommended the city attorney train elected officials on the importance and penalties associated with subpoenas.
At the Aug. 3 meeting, Administrative Analyst Leah Calderon provided a four-minute presentation titled “City of Hollister Subpoena Training” that Cortez said addressed the grand jury’s recommendation.
The presentation did not include information about the penalties associated with ignoring subpoenas.
“The City Council hopes these changes will allow a quicker streamlined response to the Grand Jury so that limited public resources are not wasted unnecessarily and allows the Grand Jury to focus future reviews on matters presenting substantial operational, fiscal, legal, or public policy significance,” the city’s response report said.
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