PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2026
SAN BENITO COUNTY, CA - As County Executive Officer, I want to reassure the public that the National Motto “In God We Trust” will be returned to the San Benito County Board Chambers. As the public may be aware, the County is currently finalizing a long-planned, extensive renovation of the Board Chambers at the San Benito County Administration Building where most of the County’s public meetings take place, including the Board of Supervisors.
As part of the renovation and repainting of the Chambers, it was necessary to temporarily remove the “In God We Trust” lettering from the wall behind the dais. During the removal process, the existing letters were damaged and could not be reinstalled. Replacement letters have been ordered and will be installed in the Board Chambers as soon as next week. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors previously approved the display of “In God We Trust” on September 10, 2019. The replacement of the lettering is consistent with that prior Board action.
For clarity, neither the Board of Supervisors nor any individual member of the Board has directed that the “In God We Trust” motto be permanently removed from the Board Chambers. I have personally managed the project, and its temporary absence is solely the result of the ongoing renovation and the damage that occurred to the existing lettering during its removal.
The project scope has included replacement of fixed seating, new carpet, painting, electrical modifications, upgrades to the Chamber's Audio/Video (A/V) system, I.T. upgrades, HVAC system cleaning, lighting improvements, dais repairs, window blind replacement, and additional microphones, among other enhancements. This has been a long-planned project to address these much-needed, deferred improvements. The County Board unanimously approved the renovation with use of $280,000 in non-General Fund monies as part of the 2026-27 budget.
The County looks forward to completing the renovations and restoring the National Motto to its place in the Board Chambers.
Esperanza Colio Warren
County Executive Officer
County of San Benito
###
