PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2026

PRESS RELEASE

CITY OF HOLLISTER CLARIFIES MISINFORMATION REGARDING WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS AND FINANCIAL EMERGENCY

HOLLISTER, CA — On October 13, 2026, the Hollister Police Officers Association (HPOA) published information regarding the City's financial crisis and anticipated workforce reductions that was premature, misleading, and factually inaccurate. Unfortunately, this communication has created unnecessary concern among residents at a time when the community needs accurate information, transparency, and responsible leadership.

On Monday, October 12, the City Administration provided advance notice to the HPOA leadership regarding upcoming personnel actions. This notification was provided as a professional courtesy and in the spirit of collaboration, not because it was required under the City's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association. All City labor organizations received the same advance notification. All impacted employees have or will  be given required notifications.

The City is disappointed that the HPOA chose to publicly distribute information before the City had completed its employee notification process. More concerning, the Association's statements misrepresented the scope of the anticipated reductions, creating unnecessary anxiety among employees, their families, and the broader community.

Correcting Inaccurate Claims

Contrary to statements made by the HPOA, the City is not eliminating all civilian positions.

That assertion is false.

No employees assigned to the Animal Control Division are affected by the current reductions. The Police Department’s senior administrative leadership also remains in place. Workforce reductions affect multiple City departments and are part of a citywide effort to bring expenditures into alignment with available financial resources.

The HPOA does not determine City staffing allocations, departmental operations, or public service schedules. Those responsibilities remain with the City's authorized management and departmental leadership.

Over the coming days, individual department directors will establish and announce revised hours of operation and service levels based on available staffing and operational needs.

The City will publish this information on its official website to ensure residents have direct access to accurate and current information.

The City believes that public communications concerning matters of this significance must be grounded in facts, not speculation or inflammatory statements.

The City's current financial challenges are neither new nor unexpected. The City will describe financial conditions in a separate press release.

Chief Reynoso indicates that today October 14, 2026, Police lobby hours of operations will be from 8 am -10 am.  The Department will reopen at 8:00 am tomorrow October 15, 2026.

Please understand that records, and general customer services will be limited until further notice.  We appreciate your understanding as we prevent the city from reaching financial insolvency.