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Board renames Economic Advisory Committee to Tourism Advisory Committee and trims membership
Summary
The board voted 4–1 to rename the Economic Advisory Committee to the Tourism Advisory Committee, narrow its scope to tourism initiatives, reduce membership from 11 to 7 and set meeting times; Supervisor Sotelo opposed the change, saying economic development is broader than tourism.
The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 on Jan. 28 to amend the bylaws of its advisory panel: the Economic Advisory Committee will be renamed the Tourism Advisory Committee, will focus primarily on tourism initiatives for 2025, and will be reduced from 11 members to seven.
Chair Colin Kosmicki said the narrower committee is intended to deliver “tangible initiatives” for tourism in the coming year and suggested returning to a broader economic focus later if the board chooses. The board also set the committee’s meeting schedule for the third Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the County Board Chambers and recommended that the supervisor representatives serve as committee chair and vice chair.
Opponents said in public comment and on the dais that tourism is only one component of economic development and that narrowing the committee risks discarding earlier multi‑stakeholder work. Supervisor Rosanna Sotelo cast the lone “no” vote, saying the committee should retain a broader economic advisory role.
The board instructed staff to update the committee bylaws and return the final resolution to the clerk. The board also noted that many ongoing economic efforts — including Visit San Benito and efforts to expand parks and regional attractions — would continue under county oversight.
Ending: The board asked staff to finalize the bylaw changes, post meeting dates publicly and ensure coordination with other county economic and tourism partners.
