COMMUNITY OPINION: Proposal for the Land Use Initiative

This community opinion was contributed by Judy Gansen. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the upper right corner of our homepage and agreeing to our Terms of Useyou can write opposing opinions or share your insights on current topics.

This article is here in Spanish.

I lived in Hollister for 35 years (1971-2006). We loved it there, but we moved away because it became a bedroom community for San Jose. The housing developers took it over. My son still lives there, so I visit often. As I left Hollister on Sunday, I looked at the beautiful Diablo Range. I began to wonder who owned it.

What worried me was that developers are already contacting the owners to try to buy the land to build more homes there – like in San Jose. When I got home, I googled “who owns the Diablo Range in San Benito County” and found the group “Save Mount Diablo.”

They are trying to protect all open space in the Diablo Range from development. They support the “Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions” initiative.

In a recent article in BenitoLink about this measure, Bill Tiffany referred to this group as “outsiders” trying to influence the direction of San Benito County. This group is trying to save what beauty remains in the rural areas of San Benito County.

This ballot initiative would put land use decisions in the hands of voters, not the San Benito County Planning Commission. San Benito County voters must be able to determine the county’s future, not government agencies that only look to the almighty dollar. Even though I no longer live there, Hollister will always be my home.