Sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez prompt Hollister to discuss street named after him 

Sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez prompt Hollister to discuss street named after him 

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

A day after a New York Times investigation and civil rights leader Dolores Huerta accused United Farm Workers co-founder Cesar Chavez of sexual abuse, the city of Hollister scheduled a special meeting to consider a street that bears his name. Chavez and his work as a field worker activist had deep ties in San Benito County.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear the allegations against the late Cesar Chavez,” Hollister Mayor Roxanne Stephens said in a statement released by the city. “While it is disheartening to hear the allegations, I commend civil rights leader Dolores Huerta for the courage to speak out and share her story.” 

The public meeting is scheduled for March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Hollister City Hall.

The city statement said vice mayor Pricilla De Anda called for the city to reexamine the appropriateness of honoring Chavez moving forward. “At least until there is more clarity surrounding these allegations,” the statement said.

Hollister renamed a portion of Union Road, southeast of the city, to Avenida Cesar Chavez in 2022.

Local civil rights organizations have held events honoring Chavez’s work advocating for farmworker rights on his birthday, March 31, and celebrating Chavez’s and Huerta’s impact in San Benito County. It’s unclear if those annual events are still being planned.

In a statement, Huerta said she had two sexual encounters with Chavez in the 1960s that resulted in two pregnancies. She said the first time she felt manipulated and pressured into having sex. The second time, she said, was against her will.

Dolores Huerta gives special guest speech. Photo by Ariana Rivera.
Dolores Huerta gives special guest speech at the Latino Coalition’s Visionary Women’s Luncheon in September 2025. Photo by Ariana Rivera.

“I carried this secret for as long as I did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” Huerta said. “The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights and I wasn’t going to let Cesar or anyone else get in the way.”

Huerta said after the births of those children, she arranged for other families to raise them.

The Chavez family released a statement saying it was devastated by the New York Times article, which says two other women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, also said they were abused by Chavez when they were teenagers.

“We wish peace and healing to the survivors and commend their courage to come forward,” the family said. “As a family steeped in the values of equity and justice, we honor the voices of those who feel unheard and who report sexual abuse.”

It goes on to say, “We carry our own memories of the person we knew. Someone whose life included work and contributions that matter deeply to many people.”

The Cesar Chavez Foundation said the allegations are “shocking, incredibly disappointing, and deeply painful.”

The foundation also said, “To the survivors: We believe you. We honor your courage, and we are very sorry for the harm you have carried in the shadows for so long.”

It goes on to say the farmworker movement was never about one man but that it belongs to the people who built it and the communities it continues to serve.

“The movement was built by thousands of ordinary women, men and families from all walks of life who sacrificed for justice they believed in,” the foundation said. “Their contributions and the communities they transformed, belong to all of them. They cannot and will not be erased.”

The Latino Coalition of San Benito County declined to comment. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of San Benito County did not immediately respond to a call for comment. 

State and national responses reflect the foundation’s statements that the movement is bigger than one person.

“The actions of one person neither reflect nor diminish the integrity of the farmworker movement,” the national LULAC said. “LULAC remains unchanged in its support of the farmworker movement and the countless men and women who, for generations, have labored in the fields, often unseen and unheard, to sustain their families and feed this nation.”

Officials representing San Benito County said they were shocked and horrified by the allegations. 

“My heart breaks for the survivors who had to carry this pain for so many years, including UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta, and my thoughts are with all the brave women who have shared their stories,” Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren said. “The United Farm Workers and the movement it represents is so much bigger than one man, and we must continue confronting the injustices faced by America’s farmworkers.”

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said he was angry and “deeply disappointed.”

“The fact that many of these women were children when they were abused makes this even more heartbreaking,” he said. “But today, above all, we recognize their courage. Because speaking the truth, especially after so many years, takes extraordinary strength.”

We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.

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Four weekends of whale-themed events begin on Mendocino Coast

MENDOCINO CO., 3/06/25 — What could be better than eating good food, drinking wine and learning about whales on the Mendocino Coast? For four weekends starting this Saturday, coastal towns will celebrate the ocean giants with educational workshops, music, clam chowder competitions and wine tastings.  

The towns participating in this year’s Whale Festival are Mendocino, Little River, Fort Bragg, and Point Arena. 

Every spring, gray whales migrate from Baja California to Alaska, often so close to shore that beachgoers can see the tips of their flukes poking out of the water. The spectacle draws visitors from across the county and state to witness the whales’ northbound migration. 

This Saturday, the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce will be kicking off the festivities with the first event of the series, the Mendocino Whale Festival.  Chowder tasting, a popular component of the festival, will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude when the chowder is gone or at 1 p.m. A wine walk, which will feature local wines, will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. There will also be other educational whale-themed activities that last until 8 p.m. 

For a full schedule of the Whale Festival and other events taking place in March in nearby coastal towns, see the rundown of events at the bottom of this page. To purchase tickets or learn more about the various events, visit mendocinocoast.com or call the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce at (707) 961-6300.  

Ticket prices for the events range from $10 to nearly $82 for activities such as wine tastings, though several of the events have free admission. 

Mendocino – Saturday, March 7 

Chowder Tasting Competition 
Crown Hall, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., tickets $25 

Wine Walk 
Mendocino Village, 1–4 p.m., tickets $75 

DJ Beet Roots  
Crown Hall, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., free 

Whale Watching Station with Mendo Parks 
Mendocino Headlands, No specified time, free 

“The Boy Who Talks to Whales” Movie Screening 
The Kelley House, 4–5:30 p.m., tickets $10 

Flashback to 1976: 50th Anniversary Whale War Celebration 
Crown Hall, 5–8 p.m., tickets $20 

Little River – Saturday, March 14 

Margarita Madness 
Little River Inn Abalone Room, noon–3 p.m., tickets $53 

Whale Watching Walks with Mendo Parks 
Spring Ranch, No specified time, free 

Mocktail Trail 
Various Locations, 3–5 p.m., tickets $25 

Fort Bragg – Friday, March 20 

Campfire Program with Mendo Parks 
MacKerricher State Park, No specified time, free 

Four weekends of whale-themed events begin on Mendocino Coast
Runners compete at the Soroptimist Whale Walk and Run on Saturday, March 16, 2024. (Frank Hartzell via Bay City News)

Fort Bragg – Saturday, March 21 

Soroptimist Whale Walk and Run 
7:30–10 a.m., no specified time, View pricing at runsignup.com 

Whales on Wheels 
Town Hall, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., tickets $25 

Chowder Tasting Competition 
Town Hall, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., tickets $25 

Whale Story and Craft Time 
Fort Bragg Library, 10:30 a.m., free 

Wine Walk and Live Music 
Downtown Fort Bragg, 1–4 p.m., tickets $75 

Wild Monterey Bay Book Signing 
Noyo Center for Marine Science Discovery Center, noon–3 p.m., free 

Whale Walks with Mendo Parks 
MacKerricher State Park, No specified time, free 

Fort Bragg Rotary Beer Festival 
Historic Eagles Hall, noon–4 p.m., tickets $40 

Whale Race 
CV Starr Center, 1–4 p.m., free 

Flockworks Exhibit: “Whale of a Good Time” 
Fort Bragg, 5–7 p.m., free  

Gray Whale Migration Challenge Speaker with Jodi Frediani 
Fort Bragg, 5-6:45 p.m., $10 

Fort Bragg – Sunday, March 22 

Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study with Scott and Tree Mercer 
Crow’s Nest – Noyo Headlands, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., donation $10 

Noyo Center for Science Whale Walks 
Noyo Headlands, noon–1 p.m., donation $10 

Paint the Whale Skeleton! 
MacKerricher State Park, No specified time, free 

Wine and Whales at the Weller 
Weller House Inn, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., tickets $50 

FILE – A cup of clam chowder at Pier Place in Point Arena, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Sarah Stierch via Bay City News)

Point Arena and Elk – Saturday, March 28  

Cornhole Tournament  
St. Paul’s Community Center, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., tickets $30 

Whale Walks and Talks 
Greenwood Museum and Point Arena Lighthouse, No specified time, free 

Whale-Themed Drinks & Eats 
Participating Point Arena bars and restaurants, No specified time, no specified fee 

Live Music Finale 
Point Arena Theater, 7:30 p.m., tickets $25 advance / $30 door 

Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park – Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 

Lens Tour 
Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., No specified fee 

All Month Long 

Educational whale exhibits at the Kelley House Museum 

Whale programs and events at the Noyo Center for Marine Science 

Whale watching tours offered by All Aboard Adventures 

West Fresno County voters get a first look at new supervisor candidates

West Fresno County voters get a first look at new supervisor candidates

Dozens of west county residents got to take a first look at who may be their next representative on Fresno’s Board Of Supervisors. 

Thursday’s candidate forum was hosted by a handful of local community organizations, and moderated by members of Fresno City College at the West Fresno Center Campus.

Featured candidates included Felipe Perez, a Firebaugh City Councilmember since 2014; Lupe Flores, a Mendota Unified School District board of trustees; Eric Payne, a local businessman and nonprofit executive; Maria Pacheco, mayor of Kerman; and Omar Hernandez, a farmer and member of the West Hills Community College District board of trustees. 

Candidate Mike Karbassi did not attend Thursday’s forum.

District 1 of Fresno’s Board of Supervisors represents west Fresno County, including the cities of Firebaugh, Kerman, Mendota and San Joaquin. Supervisor Brian Pacheco has been in the seat since 2014. He’s leaving the seat at the end of the year to pursue office in the state assembly

The region consistently ranks among the worst areas in the nation for environmental quality, negatively affecting the long-term health of its residents. Cities in the district have also cited poor road infrastructure leading to numerous fatalities and poor quality of life. 

However, Thursday’s candidate forum comes ahead of an election where West Fresno County residents will be handed a rare opportunity to totally shape their local government. 

The county board’s 4th District, which covers southwest Fresno, will also be up for grabs this year. Two of Fresno’s three west city council seats, Districts 1 and 3, will also see new candidates this year. 

The third west Fresno City Council seat could also see an election in 2027 if current councilmember Mike Karbassi wins the race for the board’s 1st District. 

In front of a crowd of nearly 100, how did the candidates respond to the Q’s?

The five candidates at Thursday’s candidate forum were asked questions ranging from environmental quality to housing and mental health services. 

When asked how they’d help create greater, easier access to health services in the district’s rural communities, most candidates shared ideas for mobile health clinics. Though the county already provides a similar service, the candidates floated either expanding the policy, or creating new ones entirely to fill gaps the services can’t cover. 

Hernandez, in particular, said he sees an opportunity in helping local community colleges continue to lobby to provide bachelor’s degrees programs for nurses — the first response of the night to garner an applause from the audience. 

The Central Valley has long had a shortage of nurses. Community Colleges have wanted to become a new provider of bachelor degrees for some time now, though they’ve been met with some opposition from four-year colleges and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Most candidates seemed to give their most robust answers to policies surrounding housing. 

Payne said he was the only candidate with “direct affordable housing experience,” and that he hopes to use that experience even more at the board through the county’s role in designating land use in the region’s unincorporated areas. 

In a rapid-fire round, all candidates said they were against the county’s anti-encampment ordinance.

When asked what areas they’d like to see greater emphasis of the county budget going toward, Flores said she has long admired the work of Visalia-based affordable housing developer Self-Help Enterprises, and she would be open to continuing to collaborate with them in bringing more homes to the area.

Perez said he’s open to increased funding toward government housing, particularly in farm labor housing — something he and Flores have both experienced firsthand. They both said it’s a need for the region that should be expanded. 

“I’m not ashamed of that,” Flores said, adding that she is keeping an eye out for state legislation that could put more money toward farm-labor housing — a funding source she’d want to pursue if elected supervisor. 

When asked about public safety, Pacheco said she’d like to invest in re-entry programs and youth services. She said she sees those programs as long-term preventative programs to help solve local issues.

“There’s not enough investment in programs like that that really support Black students…all students of all colors need that investment,” Pacheco said. 

All six candidates will be on the ballot for the June 2, 2026 primary election. Unless a candidate can muster a majority of the votes, the top two vote-getters will face off against each other in the November 3, 2026 general election. 

The post West Fresno County voters get a first look at new supervisor candidates appeared first on Fresnoland.

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What happens when a neighborhood is built around a farm

Picture the bucolic little town of a fairy tale. At its core stand medieval buildings, a square where folks hawk their goods, and perhaps a well to provide water. Beyond the defensive wall radiate agricultural fields, where people toil to bring grains, fruits, and vegetables to market. 

Invert that for modern times and you’ve got the idea behind “agrihoods,” communities designed around a central farm. Like a garden in a big city, agrihoods promise to boost food security, reduce temperatures, capture rainwater, and increase biodiversity. As climate change intensifies heat, flooding, and pressure on food systems, agrihoods could be a way to make urban living more resilient — not just more picturesque.

“Developers have a hard time offering open space, because they would like to build more housing,” said Vincent Mudd, a partner at the architectural firm Steinberg Hart, which designs agrihoods. “One of the few ways to kind of bridge that gap is to be able to use active open space that actually generates commerce.” 

On paper, an agrihood is a simple concept: A working farm surrounded by single- or multi-family housing. Steinberg Hart recently finished two of them in California, one in Santa Clara and another, called Fox Point Farms, in Encinitas. The former, south of San Francisco, features townhouses, market-rate units and affordable housing, plus a community center and retail shops. The latter, north of San Diego, adds a farm-to-table restaurant, an event venue, and a grocery store, but its housing is primarily for sale instead of rent. “Two different housing programs for two different communities, but built around the sustainability of urban farming,” Mudd said.

What happens when a neighborhood is built around a farm
A view of the Fox Point Farms agrihood.
Kyle Jeffers

While these projects are in relatively affluent areas, Mudd said agrihoods can be built nearly anywhere — though it might require tweaks to zoning rules. “Almost every city has the ability to make that zoning change,” Mudd said, “because it retains commerce, preserves jobs, generates sales tax income from retail, and provides mixed-income, attainable housing.”

(Last year, residents of the agrihood development in Santa Clara alleged that management failures have left them living in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, with delayed repairs, poor air quality, and other issues. The building’s manager, the John Stewart Co., and owner, Core Affordable, did not respond to a request for comment.)

Where it gets more complicated is the logistics of the farm. Water is the big one: Ideally a farm captures enough rainwater to keep crops hydrated. Because Northern California enjoys a Mediterranean climate of rainy winters and warm, dry summers, the Santa Clara agrihood gathers precipitation and stores it in a tower. “It auto-refills with city water once it gets to a certain point, but we can get two-thirds, or sometimes all the way through the summer without having to do that,” said Lara Hermanson, co-founder of Farmscape, which helped design, install, and maintain the community’s farm.

A rainwater capture system, though, comes with an upfront cost that a community garden in a lower-income neighborhood might not be able to afford. If one year the rains stop and drought takes hold, it will have to pay for more water. “Perhaps people with the biggest need for food or nutrition security are also sort of disproportionately facing greater water expenses,” said Lucy Diekmann, an urban agriculture and food systems advisor at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Even so, one of the many charms of any urban farm or garden is that greenery, and even bare dirt, breaks up the concrete landscape. Historically, cities have been designed to whisk water through gutters and sewers as quickly as possible, before it can pool and cause flooding. This strategy struggles to keep up as climate change supercharges rainstorms, making them dump more water. Green spaces let all that liquid soak into the ground, mitigating flooding even without deliberate catchment systems.

Still, an agrihood’s farm isn’t going to run itself. From the very beginning of planning, Hermanson said, a community must decide what it’s going to grow. The general idea is to get as much yield as possible because space is constrained compared to an industrial farm. So pumpkins probably aren’t a great idea, because those plants take up so much room. Instead, in Santa Clara, Hermanson grows Persian cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers because they’re small. 

While an agrihood can’t feasibly provide all the calories residents need, it’s an especially powerful system because the produce that it does produce is highly nutritious. Scale that food production up across a city, and the impact could be huge: One study found that Los Angeles could meet a third of its need for vegetables by converting vacant lots into gardens. “It’s incredible what we could do with what we have, and what we could do even more with intentional planning,” said Catherine Brinkley, a social scientist who studies urban agriculture at the University of California, Davis.

In Encinitas, Greg Reese, the farm manager at Fox Point Farms, is sending food to the agrihood’s grocery store, so in addition to size he also considers the value of his crops. A lot of that comes down to speed: Arugula grows faster than cantaloupe, meaning Reese can harvest it, send it to market, and grow some more in quick succession. (Given the pleasant climate of Southern California, the farm can grow for 11, maybe even 12 months of the year.) It can also produce foods that the chefs at the on-site restaurant want. “What is in high demand, and then what grows really fast as well?” Reese said. “I can plant a seed and they can harvest it in a month, or transplant it within two months, so it’s a higher turnover.”

These crops can even benefit from a quirk of city life: the urban heat island effect. As the sun beats down on all that concrete, asphalt, and brick, the landscape absorbs its thermal energy — raising the mercury well above surrounding rural areas — and slowly releases it at night. This is a growing problem for urbanites struggling with ever-higher temperatures. On the flip side, these green spaces help cool the neighborhood because their plants release water vapor, making summer more comfortable for the surrounding community.

An agrihood can also support local biodiversity. Planting native flowering species, for instance, simultaneously beautifies the landscape and attracts pollinating insects, hummingbirds, and bats (which eat mosquitoes, an added bonus). Even the flowers the crops produce provide food for these pollinators, which return the favor by helping the plants reproduce. 

With the crop varieties decided, an agrihood can figure out how much refrigeration and storage capacity to build out. They’ll also have to decide whether to sell produce from a stand, or use it in an on-site restaurant. And they’ll need to project the costs of hiring outside help to keep the farm going. 

It’s not so simple, then, as just erecting a few buildings around a green space and calling it a day. “All those things need to be figured out before you start putting things on paper and making commitments,” Hermanson said. “Successful farms are well-funded, well-staffed. Everyone does better with clear expectations, clear budgets, and then also the community knows what it is they’re getting.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline What happens when a neighborhood is built around a farm on Feb 6, 2026.

City officials request public health study as odor concerns persist in west Hollister

City officials request public health study as odor concerns persist in west Hollister

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

With the sewer odor emanating from the city’s Domestic Water Reclamation Facility expected to get worse even as the city seeks to implement solutions in the coming weeks, Hollister city officials say they need reassurance there are no public health risks to residents on the west side of town.

At the Feb. 2 city council meeting, while Public Works Director Javier Hernandez called the odors a nuisance and stated that there are no public safety concerns, Mayor Roxanne Stephens and Councilmember Rolan Resendiz requested a formal study or soil and water tests.

‘Somebody coming up here and telling me there are no public health safety concerns is not just good enough for me,” Resendiz said. “There are people on the west side of Hollister that are marginalized populations that have had homes built right next to the sewer. That to me is very concerning.”

Hernandez, who was recently promoted as director after William Via left the position in October, said the city has been dealing with new challenges at the Reclamation Facility including the hookup to San Juan Bautista in mid-2025 and a rainy period “that was detrimental to the plant.”

He also said stagnant water on a wastewater pond is an issue and that the city will introduce enzymes to stabilize the wastewater to assist with the odor issue.

“We’ve been catching up and our consultants have been making some headway on this,” he said in regard to the odor complaints the city has received from residents. He added the odors will get worse before residents notice the improvement sometime in mid-March.

Hernandez said the city, which contracts with Veolia to operate the Reclamation Facility, is scheduled to install three oversized, temporary aerators to support oxygen levels in the pond. He said those will be installed when they arrive in mid-February, and in March the city expects to install permanent aerators.

“That should help with that issue,” he said.

He said the pond was designed with eight aerators but it’s now down to three.

Hernandez said the odor will increase at the time the city installs the aerators because it will disturb the sludge, a mud-like material that results from sewage treatment.

Javier Hernandez provides an update to the City Council about the odors emitting from the  Domestic Water Reclamation Facility located near Hwy 156. Photo by Noe Magaña.
Javier Hernandez provides an update to the City Council about the odors emitting from the Domestic Water Reclamation Facility located near Hwy 156. Photo by Noe Magaña.

Resendiz said the city should also look into removing the sludge, which Hernandez said hasn’t been done since 2022 and cost the city $2.7 million then.

Hernandez said the city also purchased a pump that will be installed in mid-February and will request two more to replace other pumps that have “lived their life.”

The council directed staff to provide updates every meeting until the project is complete.

Hernandez also said the city is working on updating its wastewater master plan that will identify needed infrastructure updates. He said the goal is to finish the update by the end of the calendar year.

Hollister has historically dealt with foul odors related to the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant located near the Summer Drive neighborhood. In the summer of 2024, residents complained to the city about the odors, and city staff at the time said it was caused by stagnant wastewater that is produced by the San Benito Foods tomato cannery.

In 2023, an investigation into reported foul odor found that some sewer lines in the Bridge Road area were located in backyards and were relatively shallow.

In March 2024, the city discovered a collapsed underground pipe on the corner of Graf Road and Fourth Street. When that occurred, Via said it was possible sewage soaked into the ground surrounding the pipe.

Other council actions

After spending about $1 million for the Accela Civic Platform since 2022, the city council approved abandoning efforts to implement the software.

“Unfortunately, the implementation of this effort has been unsuccessful, in part, due to the very large scale envisioned with this technology not matching the limited internal capacity and smaller needs required by the city of Hollister,” according to the staff report.

Councilmember Rudy Picha said he felt “sheepish” for not asking staff how the city could be “leaner” during the 2025-2026 budgeting process and lauded staff for identifying this expense.

“Great job to city staff for identifying this and giving us an opportunity to remove it from the budget, saving $250,000 per year,” he said.

We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.

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National groups to host free “Know Your Rights” workshop for tribal citizens Wednesday 

MENDOCINO CO., 1/28/26 – The National Congress of American Indians and Native American Rights Fund will host an online “Know Your Rights” workshop Wednesday focused on tribal citizens’ interactions with law enforcement.  

The virtual event will provide an overview of tribal citizens’ legal rights and responsibilities during law enforcement encounters, along with practical steps individuals can take to stay safe. Organizers say the session is intended to offer general information and education rather than legal advice. 

The workshop comes amid heightened concern among tribal leaders and civil rights organizations following recent reports of Native American community members being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during federal enforcement operations in several cities. In some cases, tribal citizens were reportedly questioned or held before their citizenship status was confirmed. 

Advocates say such incidents have underscored ongoing confusion around jurisdiction and legal authority involving tribal citizens, and the potential consequences of misunderstandings during law enforcement encounters. 

The free presentation is geared toward tribal citizens and community members and will be conducted online.  

“Know Your Rights: Tribal Citizens, Law Enforcement Encounters, and Practical Steps to Stay Safe” takes place from 11 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Jan. 28. Registration is required. More information is available at https://www.ncai.org/event/know-your-rights-tribal-citizens-law-enforcement-encounters-and-practical-steps-to-stay-safe.  

Hollister High students protest against ICE

Hollister High students protest against ICE

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

About 200 Hollister High Students protested against U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) on Jan. 16 on campus, joining similar events nationwide. 

A combination of students who did not attend their last class and others who were off for the day gathered at the Baler Plaza located along Nash Road around 1:30 p.m. and about an hour later marched east to Hwy 25, then walked along Prospect Avenue and ended at the Veterans Memorial Building on San Benito Street.

Freshman Sarabi Grace Muñoz said she organized the protest because many people in the community have lost their friends and families to ICE.

“We deserve to live in peace and not fear,” Muñoz said.

During the protest, the crowd repeated chants of “No ICE.” Before the students marched out of campus, they danced within the crowd that made a circle. 

Muñoz said history is repeating itself with the increased ICE activity in the nation and that things won’t change unless the community does something. She said immigrants were welcomed in this country.

San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said he is not aware of any ICE activity in San Benito County. 

Muñoz said she didn’t expect even 100 people to show up but that the turnout shows the community can make change happen.

“You can make a stand and you can make a change,” she said. “All it takes is one person. I know it’s scary, I know it’s nerve-wracking, but your voice can do so much good in the world.”

Junior Anthony Keys De La Rosa said he was “neutral” on the subject but attended the event because he wanted to experience what is happening in school. 

“Anyone or any conglomerate in this case can do something bad,” he said,” but just because someone or something does something bad doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad.”

Several Hollister High staff members supervised the event located at various points of the campus. 

Principal Kevin Medeiros said after two students reached out to him notifying him their intention to hold the protest, he met with them and informed them of their right to peacefully protest.

“I did let them know strictly that this is not a school-sponsored event, not a school-endorsed event,” he said. “However, it is our job as a school to maintain safety for all the students involved so we worked really hard to make sure to come up with that plan.”

He said they were also notified that students who missed their class would be marked with an unexcused absence.

Ahead of the protest, the school released a statement saying it respected the rights of the students.

“We believe these experiences can help students develop as informed, civic-minded and responsible members of our community.

It added that any actions that would ordinarily result in disciplinary consequences would be handled as they would in any other situation.

Hollister High School serves a diverse community with a wide range of perspectives,” it stated. “Every student has the right to feel safe, respected, and included on our campus.”

  • Freshman Sarabi Grace Muñoz waves a flag as she leads a group of Hollister High students protesting ICE activity. Photo by Noe Magaña.
  • Hollister High Principal Kevin walks along with students to ensure they stay on the sidewalk. Photo by Noe Magaña.

We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.

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San José Spotlight