San Benito supervisors direct staff to study Cal Fire or county fire option after Hollister rejects contract

San Benito County supervisors voted 3-2 March 26 to direct staff to place on a future agenda an ad hoc to explore contracting with Cal Fire or establishing a county fire department after the City of Hollister rejected an amended fire-services agreement and issued a 270-day termination notice.

The decision came after county staff and a consultant outlined how Proposition 172 funding is distributed and several residents and public-safety veterans called for clearer accounting of Prop 172 and for preserving firefighter staffing levels. The board also asked staff to provide a more detailed breakdown of Prop 172 receipts and current allocations.

The county’s interim chief executive, Henry Ring, told the board the City of Hollister delivered a “termination notice, the 270 day notice” to the county on March 25. Ring said the city’s ad-hoc negotiating committee and city management would present a proposal to Hollister’s council on April 7 and, if approved, would then submit a joint proposal to San Benito County and the city of San Juan Bautista.

“Yesterday we received the termination notice, the 270 day notice from the city of Hollister,” Ring said. His remarks framed the meeting as a time-sensitive discussion of next steps to ensure uninterrupted fire protection to unincorporated areas.

Don Ashton, the county’s fire consultant with MRG, briefed the board on Proposition 172, the state public-safety augmentation fund. Ashton said, “Prop 172 is a half-cent sales tax that was passed by the voters in California... it is required to be deposited into a public safety augmentation fund and then allocated by the county auditor.” He emphasized the revenue is allocated monthly and fluctuates with statewide sales tax receipts.

Dulce Alonzo, the county’s budget officer, provided budget figures: “we do receive approximately the $5,000,000 of Prop 172, and we currently budget for it under division 1020. In addition, we also have approximately $26,000,000 of net general fund contribution to cover public safety,” she said. Alonzo told the board Prop 172 currently covers less than 20% of the county’s public-safety spending.

During public comment, multiple speakers pressed the board for transparency about Prop 172 allocations and urged the county to avoid cuts to firefighter staffing. Greg Lopez, introduced himself as a 24-year public-safety veteran, told the board, “The community expects and deserves better than this,” and criticized how the negotiations were handled.

Board members debated options and budget trade-offs. Supervisors speaking in favor of the motion said the county must identify financially sustainable long-term options now that Hollister has rejected the amended agreement; those opposed warned the county lacks funds to absorb larger ongoing fire costs without cutting other services or reserves.

At the meeting’s close, the board voted on a motion to place on a future agenda the formation of an ad hoc to study contracting with Cal Fire or creating a county fire department. The motion passed on a roll call vote: Supervisor Zanger — yes; Supervisor Kosmicki — yes; Supervisor Velasquez — yes; Supervisor Sotelo — no; Supervisor Currow — no. The motion’s maker and seconder were not specified verbally in the public record of the meeting.

The board also instructed staff to provide a detailed Prop 172 breakdown for the public and to bring options to the upcoming budget hearings. With the 270‑day termination clock now running for Hollister’s contract, several supervisors said the county must move quickly to evaluate alternatives, including a Cal Fire contract or a county-run department.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to agendize an ad hoc to explore contracting with Cal Fire or establishing a county fire department — Approved, roll call 3-2 (Zanger, Kosmicki, Velasquez: yes; Sotelo, Currow: no).

What remains unresolved

The City of Hollister has issued a termination notice and may present a new joint proposal to the county and to San Juan Bautista after its April 7 council meeting. The board asked staff to return with a Prop 172 revenue allocation breakdown and with options and cost estimates for Cal Fire contracting and for a county fire department. No additional binding contract decisions were made at the March 26 meeting.