On June 2, voters in some districts across the Monterey Bay region will cast ballots for county supervisors. But, in San Benito County, District 5 residents will decide whether to recall incumbent supervisor Ignacio Velazquez. One of the other two remaining incumbents, Kollin Kosmicki, nearly faced a recall.
To understand what's going on in the largely rural county of about 68,000 people, KAZU's Amy Mayer spoke with BenitoLink reporter Juan Pablo Pérez Burgos.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Juan Pablo Pérez Burgos: Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez was mayor of Hollister, and he's become this very significant politician in the county. And in 2024, he was elected to the Board of Supervisors. His term began January 1, [2025], but what happened was that when he got to the Board of Supervisors, the balance of power changed.
The county is divided politically between one faction that calls itself “slow growth” and the other one that calls itself “smart growth.” What causes that division is basically the position [on] development and housing—they have different views on that.
When Velazquez got to the Board of Supervisors, he changed that balance, and now the side that's in power is the "slow growth." So, the recall was initiated last summer. Stacie McGrady [is] one of the people leading the recall effort, and she aspired to be a supervisor in 2024 and lost.
She and other people behind the recall began gathering signatures in July. One of the reasons that they claim for pushing this recall is that they do not support some of the decisions that Velazquez has taken—not only Velazquez, but this "slow growth" majority—in their first year.
Amy Mayer: The group also began the recall process against a second "slow growth" supervisor. But recall supporters say gathering signatures across two large districts proved untenable. Officially, they object to how the fire contract between the county and the City of Hollister was negotiated. But is the recall mainly an attempt to dilute the "slow growth" faction?
JPPB: In general, they oppose the changes that this new majority has taken. So, they gathered enough signatures by just nine. And the recall was approved, in, I want to say, November, December last year. And it's been a very controversial topic in the county.
The current majority at the board has supported Velazquez and have claimed that the recall, as Velazquez has said, is a scam.
AM: Does it really come down to that it's just another tactic for these two different political sides to attempt to get the people who they agree with to have more control?
JPPB: It all comes down to politics. The current majority at the board has supported Velazquez and have claimed that the recall, as Velazquez has said, is a scam.
AM: [Your reporting] has found that getting a recall onto a ballot does not bode well for the incumbent.
JPPB: Most recalls, when a process begins, don't make it to the ballot, but if they do, usually the official gets recalled.
AM: Notably, though, when Gov. Gavin Newsom faced a recall in 2021, he survived—receiving more than 50% of the vote, including in San Benito County (though by less than the statewide margin).
Find Juan Pablo Pérez Burgos’ reporting about the San Benito County Board of Supervisors at BenitoLink.com.
