It’s not that Hazel Street sounded bad or anything. It’s just that civil-minded residents on the street got tired of what it stood for, so they called for change.
The former Hazel Street is now Comienzo Drive, thanks to those locals who pleaded with the Hollister City Council. Residents a while back came to a council meeting and relayed how there had been a lot of continual criminal activity along the block.
Their idea was to change the identity of the neighborhood, near the San Benito Foods tomato cannery, by starting with the street’s name. Council members agreed, and in recent months the city changed the street signs to reflect the change.
If non-Spanish speakers are wondering, “comienzo” means “start” or “beginning”.
