San Benito County Supervisor Mark Medina announced at the May 25 supervisors meeting that he will step down from the board early next month. He did not specify his last day as a supervisor. 

“I poured my heart into this work every day,” Medina said. “Frankly, I had expected to continue but unfortunately sometimes life takes unexpected turns and it calls for hard decisions.”

He said after weeks of back and forth discussion with his family, they have decided to move to Florida to pursue an “uncommon and exciting job opportunity that I would receive nowhere else.”

Medina was elected as the District 1 supervisor in 2016. 

He urged his successor to listen to residents’ concerns on issues and allow them to set the agenda. 

In his four-plus years as a supervisor, he said he would have liked to get more done, such as addressing traffic and roads. However, he said he was proud of the work that was done. 

Supervisor Bob Tiffany said he wanted the supervisors to discuss the options for filling Medina’s seat as soon as possible—whether to hold a special election in November or appoint someone. 

Medina is the latest local leader to resign or retire in recent weeks. Others include Hollister School District Superintendent Diego Ochoa, former Hollister City Councilmember Honor Spencer, and Sheriff Darren Thompson.

Spencer’s seat will be filled in a special election in November. 

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