january 19-25, 2023 montereycountyweekly.com LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Flood control future 8 | taking stock of the storm 14 | Rethinking Grilled Cheese 36 Beyond Bars A local program bridges borders between the prison and the community. p. 20 By Agata Pop˛eda
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com January 19-25, 2023 • ISSUE #1799 • Established in 1988 Don Blohowiak (iPhone 12) After seemingly nonstop rain for over a week, the clouds parted to make way for a rainbow over Carmel Beach. Monterey County photo of the week Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Sergio Zarazua (left) and Micah Harris during the final ceremony of the eight-week Exercises in Empathy program in the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad. Both are inmates in CTF. Cover Photo by Daniel Dreifuss etc. Copyright © 2023 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $120 yearly, pre-paid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountyweekly.com. Audited by CVC. Founder & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@mcweekly.com (x103) Publisher Erik Cushman erik@mcweekly.com (x125) Editorial editor Sara Rubin sara@mcweekly.com (x120) features editor Dave Faries dfaries@mcweekly.com (x110) associate editor Tajha Chappellet-Lanier tajha@mcweekly.com (x135) Staff Writer Celia Jiménez celia@mcweekly.com (x145) Staff Writer Pam Marino pam@mcweekly.com (x106) Staff Writer Rey Mashayekhi rey@mcweekly.com (x102) Staff Writer Agata Pope¸da (x138) aga@mcweekly.com Staff Writer David Schmalz david@mcweekly.com (x104) DIGITAL PRODUCER Kyarra Harris kyarra@mcweekly.com (x105) Staff photographer Daniel Dreifuss daniel@mcweekly.com (x140) contributors Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Paul Fried, Jeff Mendelsohn, Adrienn MendonçaJones, Jacqueline Weixel, Paul Wilner Cartoons Rob Rogers, Tom Tomorrow Production Art Director/Production Manager Karen Loutzenheiser karen@mcweekly.com (x108) Graphic Designer Kevin Jewell kevinj@mcweekly.com (x114) Graphic Designer Alexis Estrada alexis@mcweekly.com (x114) Graphic Designer Lani Headley lani@mcweekly.com (x114) SALES senior Sales Executive Diane Glim diane@mcweekly.com (x124) Senior Sales Executive George Kassal george@mcweekly.com (x122) Senior Sales Executive Keith Bruecker keith@mcweekly.com (x118) Classifieds business development director Keely Richter keely@mcweekly.com (x123) Digital Director of Digital Media Kevin Smith kevin@mcweekly.com (x119) Distribution Distribution AT Arts Co. atartsco@gmail.com Distribution Control Harry Neal Business/Front Office Office Manager Linda Maceira linda@mcweekly.com (x101) Bookkeeping Rochelle Trawick rochelle@mcweekly.com 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, CA 93955 831-394-5656, (FAX) 831-394-2909 www.montereycountyweekly.com To read Monterey County NOW in your inbox daily, sign up at mcweekly.com/signup. We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountyweekly.com. MAKE A DIRECT IMPACT INSIDER MAKE AN IMPACT AT $15 PER MONTH Become an Insider today. montereycountyweekly.com/insider Our work is continuing to be made possible through the support of readers like you. Delivering local and independent journalism takes a lot of resources. Whether it’s for investigative reporting, covering the arts scene or offsetting the costs of distribution every dollar makes a difference.
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 IN-PERSON EVENT Parents, please join us in a discussion around the building blocks of mental health with a developmental focus for raising children ages 1–5 years old. Community conversations with Ohana: Magic years (1–5) Learn more and register: montagehealth.org/ohana-talks Wednesday, January 25, 5–7 p.m. Monterey Public Library
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH A little over a year after it began publication, the Pacific Grove Press has been sold by owner Gary Baley to the publisher of the Seaside Post, Alade Djehuti-Mes, under his company Empower Local Media LLC. Baley announced last fall that he would cease publication in December unless he could find a buyer for the biweekly newspaper. On Dec. 16, the front page of the Press featured a photo of Baley and Djehuti-Mes smiling and shaking hands, announcing the sale. “I didn’t want a local paper to die,” Djehuti-Mes says of why he made the purchase. The Press took a short break before resuming publication Jan. 11, with Baley as a guest columnist and providing numerous photos. Djehuti-Mes, a native of Seaside, purchased the 76-year-old Post two-and-a-half years ago but has not put out any new editions since 2020. He says he will be starting up the Post again in February. “We look forward to providing quality news to the people,” Djhuti-Mes says. Good: Exactly 150 years ago on Jan. 4, the Southern Pacific Freight Depot opened as Salinas’ first train station, planting the seed that grew into the Salinas Valley becoming known as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” The depot, located in what is now the Salinas Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Salinas, began transporting passengers and freight in 1873; at one point the freight depot was shipping out about 50 percent of the valley’s produce, according to the California Welcome Center Salinas. The board-and-batten building consisted of a waiting room, baggage room, ticket office and freight bay. A separate station for passengers was built next door in 1905. The freight depot now serves as the Welcome Center’s home, featuring displays from the region’s rich history. “We are proud to be the stewards of this important piece of California history,” the center announced on the building’s 150th birthday. GREAT: A new group of aspiring local filmmakers have received scholarships from the Monterey County Film Commission. The winners are David Orta of Greenfield, a film student at Hartnell College (awarded with $1,500); Laska Stanford of Marina, a student in the Cinematic Arts and Technology Department at CSU Monterey Bay ($1,500); and Diego Garcia of Lemoore, also a CSUMB film student ($500). “In a time of financial strain and economic disparity, this award is a glimmer of hope for artists like myself and the creative people I collaborate with,” Orta said in an announcement. “I feel very grateful for the creative freedom receiving this scholarship affords me,” Stanford added. The Director Emeritus Richard Tyler Film Student Scholarship Award program was created in 2008; the film commission itself was created in 1967. This year marks an expanded scholarship program; in 2021, Eliette Singleton of CSUMB was the sole winner of $2,000. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Estimated minimum cost to repair damage to public county infrastructure from the series of recent storms. This includes roads, bridges, parks, debris removal and more. Source: Monterey County Office of Emergency Services report to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services $30 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Water is going into areas it hasn’t been in a decade or more.” -Anthony Guerriero, a supervisory hydrologic technician with the U.S. Geological Survey, explaining how drought makes modeling potential flooding on the Salinas River extra challenging (see story, posted Jan. 12 at mcweekly.com). million BUILD A BUSINESS IN 3 DAYS! Organized by Cal State Monterey Bay College of Business RSVP at startupfactorymb.eventbrite.com FEBRUARY 3-5, 2023 CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY •Get hands-on experience with the process of starting a business •Learn how to develop your idea and explain it to people •Meet coaches who will help move your business ideas forward STARTUP FACTORY MONTEREY BAY
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System invites you to be part of a nationwide effort to honor our local community whose lives were affected by COVID. As part of the effort, we are assembling red felt roses to memorialize every life lost in Monterey County. Join us! Saturday, January 21 450 E. Romie Lane, Salinas DRC-ABC (Basement level of the parking structure) 10am-2pm The red felt roses will be mounted on recycled fishing nets and displayed on March 6, 2023 at the hospital. For more information, email roserivermemorial@svmh.com.
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY January 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 When Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno sailed along the California coast in 1602, he had the sense our local bay was special, and he coined the first non-Indigenous place name in the region: Bahía de Monterrey—Monterey Bay—in honor of New Spain’s viceroy at the time, whose ancestral home was Monterrey, Spain. There are many ways cities and towns get their names, and knowing the origin stories can often deepen one’s understanding of a place. Donald T. Clark, who became the founding librarian at UC Santa Cruz in 1962, certainly understood that when he published a deeply researched—and now out-of-print—book in 1991, Monterey County Place Names. It’s an astonishing piece of work, stretching more than 600 pages, all packed with stories. According to Clark’s research, Carmel also comes from Vizcaíno— he named the Carmel River “Río del Carmelo” in 1603, as he had with him three Carmelite priests. To honor them, he named the stream after their patroness Lady of Mount Carmel, also the spiritual protector of their expedition. Big Sur, too, comes from the Spanish: They referred to the mountainous wilderness as El País Grande del Sur—“the big country to the south.” Pacific Grove is more prosaic, derived from the Pacific Grove Retreat Association, a group of Methodists who convinced landowner David Jacks to give both funding and land to form a Methodist summer camp in 1875. Del Rey Oaks, a hybrid of Spanish and English (Oaks of the King), came by a vote of its residents, likely inspired by Canyon Del Rey. Seaside was named by its founder, Dr. John Roberts, who in 1887 bought 150 acres of a former rancho then-owned by his uncle. Sand City is descriptive in another way: A sand mining industry was active in the city at the time of its incorporation in 1960, and the naming effort was led by sand-mining industrialists who feared Seaside would annex the local coastline and shut the sand mines down. Marina gets its name much in the same way as Seaside: In 1913, William Locke-Paddon purchased 1,500 acres of land from Jacks and laid out tracts for a settlement. He negotiated a railroad stop there and the location was originally dubbed Mile Post 117 and, later, Paddonville. He didn’t like either and changed it to Marina, Spanish for “shore.” While the Spanish imprint is evident across modern maps, Castroville is dedicated to Monterey native Juan Bautista Castro. The act that made him worthy of recognition? He subdivided the land for the town—which was on his father’s rancho—to be settled in the early 1860s. Moss Landing honors Charles Moss, who built a wharf at the location in 1866. Salinas finds its origins in the brackish lagoons at the mouth of the valley— it’s a pluralization of the Spanish “salina,” which roughly translates to salt lagoon, or salt mine. Salt was harvested by the Spanish as early as 1770. Further south, Chualar was named by Jacks (he owned much of the land), and per Clark, it was “a Spanish adaptation of an Indian word meaning ‘place where chual (pigweed) grows.’” Gonzales gets its name from two brothers, Dr. Mariano and Alfredo Gonzales, who founded the city in 1874 on land granted to their father, Teodoro, who arrived from Mexico in 1825. Soledad, established in 1873 by Doña Catalina Munras, was named after its mission, which in turn was named after Most Holy Mary, Our Lady of Solitude. (Soledad is Spanish for solitude.) King City was laid out by Charles Henry King when the Southern Pacific Railroad established a stop there in 1886. King’s father was born in France, and the family translated his last name, Le Roi, to King. San Ardo is a creation of the U.S. Post Office: M.J. Brandenstein bought the San Bernardo Rancho, and laid out a town in 1886. The Post Office, seeking to avoid confusion with San Bernardino, chopped the first four letters. The result is that the town now bears the name of an obscure ninth-century French saint that no one locally even knew existed. Name Game How did Monterey County’s cities and towns get their names? The answers might surprise you. By David Schmalz Monterey’s name derives from Monterey Bay, which Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaíno named in 1602. The town bears the name of a saint no one knew existed. TaLES FrOM THE arEa CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS kazu 90.3 a community service of CSU Monterey Bay NPRsm for the Monterey Bay Area If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, please give us a call Peanut & Pinky Peanut and Pinky are about the cutest pair you could ever imagine! This dynamic duo adores waddling around in the yard or taking a nice stroll around the block. They enjoy snuggling into a bed together at night. Peanut and Pinky are both 11-year-old, 10-pound, Spayed Female, Chihuahuas. If you’d like to meet this adorable bonded pair, please fill out an online adoption questionnaire. P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove 831.718.9122 peaceofminddogrescue.org AD SPONSORED by Arnold Shapiro and Karen MacKain In Memory of Geiger and Misti
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news Sandra Ocampo was a long-time trustee of the Salinas Union High School District, serving from 1991 to 2005, then again from 2015 to 2022. She resigned from the Area 6 seat last year after she won a position representing Area 7 on the board of the Monterey County Office of Education. Ocampo won with 73 percent of the vote against one opponent, Rick Giffin, who had dropped out of campaigning. That leaves a vacancy, and SUHSD plans to appoint a trustee to serve the two-year remainder of Ocampo’s term. On Dec. 13, the board decided to appoint a candidate instead of holding a special election. (This is a common practice among public agencies seeking to save funds on special elections; in the past six months, the Salinas City Elementary School District and the cities of Soledad and Monterey have made appointments.) In SUHSD’s Area 6, there are 7,952 registered voters. The cost for a special election would be up to $20 per voter, about $160,000. Area 6 represent parts of East and South Salinas. Students attend El Sausal and Washington middle schools and Salinas and Alisal high schools. The district accepted applications between Dec. 16 and Jan. 6 from candidates seeking to fill the vacancy, and received two qualified applicants. District officials are declining to release the identities of those candidates or their applications, and say the first step is to confirm if the applicants want to continue with the process. The board is scheduled to interview the candidates at a Jan. 24 meeting, and may choose to appoint one of them. If no one is appointed that day, the district would hold a special election. School Bell Salinas Union to appoint a new school board trustee after a long-time member vacates seat. By Celia Jiménez A s parts of the Carmel Valley flooded last week, it highlighted the stark risks of living in a floodplain, and for some residents, perhaps, was a reminder that they indeed live in a floodplain. But for residents and businesses in lower Carmel Valley, there is hope that in the future those risks will be less. Since 2010, Big Sur Land Trust has been working on a “green infrastructure” project called Carmel River FREE (Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement) that would restore a former agricultural field in a natural floodplain that would give the river another path to the sea when its flows get high. The 128-acre property, known as Odello East, was donated to BSLT by Clint and Margaret Eastwood. It is located south of the river and just east of Highway 1. “With these atmospheric rivers we’ve all been experiencing, it’s a very vivid reminder, and a painful reminder, of the need for a green infrastructure project like this,” says Rachel Saunders, BSLT’s director of conservation. “We hope all the agencies get a renewed sense of urgency to get this project to happen.” The County Board of Supervisors approved the project’s environmental impact report in 2020, and all the necessary state and federal permits have since been obtained. What’s holding it up now is the finalization of an environmental review by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is necessary if the county—the lead agency for the project—wants to obtain a $25.3 million grant from FEMA to help fund it. Saunders estimates it will cost about $56 million in total, a number that has risen due to inflation. Shandy Carroll, a planner who is managing the project with the county, says that while there’s already a federal environmental review, FEMA requires doing its own before awarding grants. Carroll feels confident the county will get the FEMA grant, and if it does, that the project will essentially be fully funded. “If not, we’ll find funds for the rest of the project as needed,” Carroll says, adding that FREE has had strong support from the outset. “When we’ve asked for help, we’ve always received it.” FREE will work like this: Where the river flows westward, south of Rio Road and east of Highway 1, parts of the existing levee on its southern bank will be removed, giving high water another place to go. Presently, when the river gets above a certain height, it jumps its northern bank, flooding homes and businesses near Rio Road. The river didn’t breach there in the recent storms, but Saunders adds, “If it had kept raining for another day at the same rate, that was certainly a strong possibility.” The project will be built in two phases. The first is grading the field east of the highway, carving some channels into it and planting native plants. The fill created by the construction will then be piled up on the southern part of the field to create an agricultural preserve, elevated high enough to be out of the 100-year floodplain. The second phase involves constructing a causeway under the highway, where the floodwaters will flow into the Carmel River Lagoon. “It’s complex and has been more challenging than we would like to get this going,” Saunders says, “but we are hoping there will be a renewed sense of urgency right now.” Carmel River FREE will provide another path for high river flows to reach the Carmel River Lagoon (rear), which will help mitigate flooding in lower Carmel Valley. Release Valve A floodplain restoration project near the lower Carmel River is inching closer to reality. By David Schmalz Sandra Ocampo at a 2021 meeting of the Salinas Union High School District. After she was elected to the county Board of Education in November, she resigned from SUHSD. “There will be a renewed sense of urgency right now.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 Apply in person at Pebble Beach Human Resources Offices Monday – Friday 9A.M. – 4P.M. 2790 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach (Next to Pacific Grove Gate) Interviews on the spot These opportunities are for the period of January 30 – February 5, with most shifts February 2-5. Hiring for all areas Bartenders, bussers, barbacks, cashiers, cooks, purchasing clerks, servers, stewards, and many more! Special event applications will be available on-site. Questions: (831) 649-7657 Please come prepared to provide proof of employment eligibility. We are hiring for the AT&T Pebble Beach PRO-AM DR. BRYNIE KAPLAN DAU, MS, DVM VOTED MONTEREY COUNTY’S BEST VETERINARIAN TWO YEARS IN A ROW! ’22 ’21 SURGERY DERMATOLOGY FELINE AND CANINE MEDICINE PREVENTATIVE CARE AND MUCH MORE COMPASSIONATE CARE WITH EXCEPTIONAL MEDICINE. 1023 Austin Avenue, Pacific Grove • 831-318-0306 www.pacificgroveanimalhospital.com
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Jon Kramer loves all things rocks, gems and fossils, and is convinced he can build a successful business around his lifelong hobby in a mash-up between a geological museum, a small retail space and a mini-boutique hotel inside an empty old church in Pacific Grove just two blocks from the coast. The one-time geology-major-turned-businessman plans to include interactive geology exhibits inside each hotel room. “It would be like spending a night in a museum,” Kramer says of what he has named Casa Museo, Spanish for “museum house.” “It’s really going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” Little did Kramer know back in July 2021 he would find himself between a rock and a hard place when it came to city officials who refused to even accept his project application, claiming that zoning did not allow for lodging units. Their reason made no sense to Kramer, who pointed out that the city’s own codes stated that California Coastal Commission rules, which allow lodging in the coastal zone, take precedence. Officials refused to budge, so Kramer filed a lawsuit in Monterey County Superior Court demanding the city accept his application. The city lost the case and in January 2022, Judge Carrie Panetta signed a settlement order that required the city to accept the application with up to four lodging units, provided Kramer include four off-street parking spaces. The Pacific Grove City Council retained the right to approve, disapprove or modify the project. The application went through two rounds of review at the city’s Architectural Review Board and then another two rounds with the Planning Commission. Some residents argued that parking would be an issue, along with traffic, since the project is situated around the block from what is slated to become a 225-room luxury hotel in the American Tin Cannery, currently under appeal at the Coastal Commission. On Jan. 12, the Planning Commission voted 6-0 in favor of Kramer’s project, after requiring off-site parking for employees and other conditions. Kramer plans on renovating the timber-framed church into a museum space featuring fossils and other artifacts with a coastal theme and a small sales space in one corner. Some later additions in the back of the church will be demolished and replaced with the lodging units and a garage. Around the outside of the building, along Central and Dewey avenues, there will be a geological garden with boulders from various regions of the country. Kramer hopes to begin construction this summer. He estimates the project will take about two years to complete. A long-stalled affordable housing project in Seaside appears ready to move forward: On Jan. 5, Seaside City Council approved an agreement with Cal Am to use the city’s stored water credits to serve the project, which will finally clear the hurdle that kept the project in limbo for years. The project, known as Ascent, will be located on 2.85 acres on Broadway Avenue between Terrace and San Lucas streets. It will have 106 units—a mix of one-, two- and three bedrooms—16 of which will be affordable. City Council approved Ascent in November 2019, and the site was demolished. The plan was to serve it with water using credits from the developer and the city—the project would use about 13 acrefeet annually—but Cal Am wouldn’t set a water meter to serve it due to the state’s cease-and-desist order regarding overpumping of the Carmel River. So Seaside got creative. Last June, the city reached an agreement with the developer to provide water to the project from Seaside’s municipal water utility by running a pipeline from its system— which supplies a small area around upper Broadway— down Broadway to the Ascent site. The city also paid a $7.5 million capacity fee to Marina Coast Water District to irrigate the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses with recycled water, which allows the city to accrue stored water credits in the Seaside Basin. The agreement City Council approved Jan. 5 will allow Cal Am to use those water credits to serve the project, which will negate the need for the city to build the pipeline, which was expected to cost $1.5 million. “For me this is all about making Ascent,” says City Attorney Sheri Damon, who helped negotiate the agreement. “We have to have a path to move [it] forward.” The city will need about 10 months to accrue enough credits for the meter to be set, but construction can begin now. Rocking It A unique museum/microhotel overcomes dissent to get approval in Pacific Grove. By Pam Marino news Birthday Bash The Monterey History & Art Association is celebrating its 92nd birthday. The nonprofit has been charged with a mission of preserving the cultural history of Monterey since 1931. There will be cake and refreshments, and a raffle for a chance to win an original 1945 Jo Mora print, valued at $900. 6pm Thursday, Jan. 19. Monterey History and Art at Stanton Center, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. Free. 372-2608, mhaadali.com. Damage Control State and local teams have begun to conduct damage assessments in areas impacted by flooding, and the Monterey County Department of Emergency Management has created an additional survey to be sure all damage information is captured. If your home was impacted, you can complete a survey; responses will be used to try to receive FEMA funding. Survey at arcg.is/1Pefe11 in English, or at arcg.is/5qqKv in Spanish. Auto Action The Monterey County Workforce Development Board hosts a Tesla informational session highlighting jobs available in Fremont with hands-on work building vehicles. Register to speak with a recruiter. 10am-3pm Wednesday, Jan. 25. Salinas Career Center, 344 Salinas St., Salinas. Free. Make an appointment at bit.ly/ SalinasRecruitment. More information at montereycountywdb.org/calendar. Future Housing The city of Marina is looking for public opinion on designs and layouts for future residential and mixed-use developments. “[Marina] is preparing Objective Design Standards to help bring the city into compliance with State Senate Bill 330, which requires individual jurisdictions to establish a clear and impartial approval process for all housing projects,” according to the city website. Survey at surveymonkey.com/r/ MarinaODS. For more information about the process, visit cityofmarina. org/1189/Objective-Design-Standards or contact Planner Alyson Hunter at 884-1251 or ahunter@cityofmarina.org. Farm Day Monterey County Agricultural Education is looking for volunteer guides to help with Farm Day, a unique opportunity for agricultural workers to explain where our food comes from to third-grade students. Volunteers need not work in the industry. Thursday, Jan. 26. Salinas Valley Fairgrounds, 625 Division St., King City. For information about volunteering, visit bit.ly/FarmDayVolunteer. More at montereycountyageducation.org. In Ascent Creative problem solving clears the path for a long-awaited housing project in Seaside. By David Schmalz Julie and Jon Kramer plan on filling a one-time church in Pacific Grove with fossils and skeletons of organisms that lived off the coast in prehistoric times. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “It’s really going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 and facilities. Unfortunately, its popularity has also attracted large commercial interests seeking to destroy Big Sur’s unique character through expanded development. Keep Big Sur Wild exists as a watchdog to protect against these pressures to push aside the Plan and open up Big Sur. Unfortunately, officials in charge of governing land use do not respect or understand the historic efforts undertaken to protect Big Sur’s unique character and landscape, threatening the ongoing preservation of the Coast. Keep Big Sur Wild was started two years ago to defend the protective policies of the Big Sur Use Plan legally and publicly. We have highly regarded Land Use professionals and Legal Counsel and are presently engaged in a number of significant issues to protect the Big Sur Coast–Please visit our website for more information. Please Join Us KEEP BIG SUR WILD KeepBigSurWild.org P.O. Box 610 Big Sur, CA 93920 PROTECT THE PLAN THAT PROTECTS THE COAST HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KEEP BIG SUR WILD Our goal is to protect the Big Sur Coast by preserving the remarkable Big Sur Land Use Plan (the “Plan”). Since 1986, the Plan has been the governing document for all land use on the Coast. Preservation has prevailed in many court challenges. Big Sur is seen as a national treasure, to be preserved in its natural, unmarred state. Scenic travel is prioritized and all destination development is limited to protect the Coastʼs unspoiled beauty. The National Scenic Highway through Big Sur is the most popular drive in the world, drawing millions of visitors yearly, seriously overcrowding and congesting the highway and facilities. Unfortunately, its popularity has also attracted large commercial interests seeking to destroy Big Surʼs unique character through expanded development. Keep Big Sur Wild exists as a watchdog to protect against these pressures to push aside the Plan and open up Big Sur. Unfortunately, officials in charge of governing land use do not respect or understand the historic efforts undertaken to protect Big Surʼs unique character and landscape, threatening the ongoing preservation of the Coast. Keep Big Sur Wild was started two years ago to defend the protective policies of the Big Sur Land Use Plan legally and publicly. We have highly regarded Land Use professionals and Legal Counsel and are presently engaged in a number of significant issues to protect the Big Sur Coast–Please visit our website for more information. Please Join Us KEEP BIG SUR WILD KeepBigSurWild.org P.O. BOX 610 Big Sur PROTECT THE PLAN THAT PROTECTS THE COAST
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY January 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on another tax break for Monterey County cannabis cultivators, who are struggling amid challenging market conditions that have forced many to scale back operations—if not shut down entirely. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the board is scheduled to vote on a revised business tax structure for cannabis growers, who have lobbied for a lighter regulatory burden in the wake of an industry downturn. The lower tax rates—which would fall to $1.46 per square foot per fiscal year for mixed light cultivators, who comprise the large majority of growers in Monterey County, from $3 per square foot previously—come after the board previously approved a similar tax break last March. Despite a boom in production that has seen cannabis become the thirdmost valuable agricultural product in Monterey County—total production value eclipsed $618 million in 2021, up from $484 million in 2020—growers have suffered from declining market prices. Industry participants cite overproduction, and a lag in new dispensaries to absorb that crop, as key factors behind the industry’s headwinds. Joann Iwamoto, program manager for the county’s cannabis program, says 15 cannabis businesses closed shop in 2022, taking the total number of shuttered operators to 35 since 2019. “It is a difficult industry right now,” Iwamoto says. In turn, many cultivators have found themselves behind on unpaid taxes to the county, and have pleaded with regulators for interventions like a temporary tax freeze. “How can we pay a tax when we’re not making any profits on what we’re selling?” says Michelle Hackett, CEO of Salinas-based cannabis cultivator Riverview Farms. In addition to declining crop values, Hackett cites the higher cost of soil, fertilizer, fuel and other operating expenses as compounding the issues faced by growers. “The county knows we’ve been selling at or below our cost of production, yet they want to continue collecting a tax…Now they think they’re doing us a favor while we’re still fighting for our lives,” she says. The revised tax structure would see the county’s projected tax revenues from cannabis cultivation decline to $5.26 million, from $7.25 million, for the 2022-23 fiscal year. That would still be enough to offset the county’s costs of administering its cannabis program, yet would diminish the amount contributed to other county programs. That dynamic gives pause to officials like Supervisor Wendy Root Askew, who says that when Monterey County residents voted to legalize cannabis in 2016, they did so with “very real expectations…about the ways that there would be public benefit from the taxation of cannabis.” Askew says that while she is “comfortable proceeding with the direction to bring the taxes down”, she is also mindful of “my responsibility to uphold the will of the voter” and would be less willing in the future to support lower cannabis taxes “beyond this moment of crisis—unless the public provides other direction.” Low Times County supervisors will vote on another tax break for cannabis growers—who say it’s still not enough. By Rey Mashayekhi As cannabis cultivators have downsized or closed altogether, the county’s cannabis industry shed roughly 40 percent of its workforce, or around 1,000 jobs, between July 2021 and October 2022. NEWS “We’ve been selling at or below our cost of production.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Open letter from your Monterey County Administrative O cer Sonia M. De La Rosa Dear Residents and Businesses, In the last three weeks, we have braved winter storms that have ooded our communities, downed trees, seriously damaged farmland, and devastated homes, resulting in the displacement of our families and friends as well as considerable economic damage. Countless organizations including law enforcement, county governments, city and state partners, and the National Guard have assisted our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) spearheaded by our Department of Emergency Management. e EOC’s foundation is operated by steadfast and dedicated county employees serving as disaster emergency workers. Our objective was to safeguard residents through the series of unpredictable storms and river ows. To do so, we utilized information from our partners at the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, the Water Resources Agency and other experts to remain ahead of the storms’ impacts and take proactive measures to reinforce key areas to mitigate damages. In the coming weeks, we will work to assess, identify, and quantify the damages to seek State and Federal emergency assistance for our community. We will also work to ensure those impacted by the storms are able to access information and resources as they work to recover. If you are interested in supporting recovery e orts, please consider donating to a local organization such as the Community Foundation for Monterey County, the local American Red Cross or Salvation Army. ank you for your continued support as we work together in this recovery phase. Please take good care Sonia M. De La Rosa County Administrative O cer - County of Monterey
www.montereycountyweekly.com JANUARY 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Dozens of sandbags, like a small barricade, are outside of several homes and garages on the low side of Paul Avenue in Bolsa Knolls in North Salinas. By Monday afternoon, Jan. 9, there is almost no trace of the flooding that covered several streets in the vicinity with murky water just a few hours earlier. Lisa Wise, who has lived on Paul Avenue since 1992, says the flooding came after 8am and receded after noon. Wise knew about the evacuation order Monterey County officials issued only after the water was receding, but neither she nor her neighbors left. Instead, they stayed to clean out storm drains. “All of our neighbors are in their slickers out here, putting up sandbags and cleaning out the culverts and protecting each other’s property because no one else is doing it for us,” she says. In December, water got into Wise’s garage and also flooded her backyard, moving playground equipment and a sandbox for the daycare she runs. Neighbors say flooding in the area could be prevented with more cleaning and maintenance of Little Bear Creek. The creek goes by different names on the county and city sides of Russell Road. It is Santa Rita Creek on the Salinas side and Little Bear Creek upriver to the north, on the county side. And it looks completely different in each jurisdiction: In Salinas, it looks wider and clearer; one side is covered with large rocks. On the county side, the creek is narrower and grass and vegetation grow on its banks. “You come on this side and it’s like a big jungle,” Wise says. Francisco Maciel, who lives two doors down from Wise and is a teacher in Salinas, requested the day off to stay home and make sure his property was OK; his home is 4 feet below the street level, and he doesn’t have flood insurance. “I can’t afford $5,000; I have two kids in college,” he says. Maciel and Wise say they are frustrated because no one is taking responsibility to maintain the creek. “We call the county, they tell us to call the city; then they tell us to call Public Works; then we get an answering machine,” Maciel says. At a press conference about flooding preparation the day before, on Jan. 8, Monterey County Public Works Director Randell Ishii noted crews were out clearing ditches and culverts across the county. “The county cleared culverts and drainage ditches that are under our maintenance both before and during this crisis,” says Monterey County Communications Coordinator Maia Carroll. “The creek runs through both private property and county property so it’s a complex issue.” Both Wise and Maciel remember a time the creek was better maintained— trash removal, clearing of culverts— but they say that work stopped over 10 years ago. They are hoping newly sworn in County Supervisor Glenn Church, whose district includes North Salinas, will address the issue. Church was in the area helping residents prepare for the upcoming storm. “It has made a difference [in the past],” Maciel says. “So if somebody cleans out the creek I guarantee we will have less flooding.” Creek Side Salinas residents blame flooding on the county for lack of creek maintenance outside city jurisdiction. By Celia Jiménez The creek on the county side, north of Russell Road, where neighbors say maintenance lags. Across the street, within city limits, the creek is wider and its banks are lined with rocks. NEWS “No one else is doing it for us.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ Help those affected by the 2023 winter storms. Grants will support immediate relief and recovery. MONTEREY COUNTY Storm Relief Fund 100% of donations support nonprofits assisting local individuals and families. cfmco.org/StormRelief 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org | Paul Wylde DMT Imaging Federally Insured by NCUA | Equal Housing Lender 831.479.6000 • www.bayfed.com • 888.4BAYFED *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective as of December 15, 2022. $1,000 minimum deposit required to open and maintain Certificate account. APY assumes the dividends are reinvested and remain in the account for the full term. Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Certificates are eligible for this offer. Penalty for early withdrawal. Bay Federal Credit Union membership required. This offer is subject to change without notice. Other terms and conditions may apply. For more information, visit any Bay Federal Credit Union branch or call us at 831.479.6000 or toll-free at 888.4BAYFED, option 3. Start earning on $1,000+ 6-MONTH CERTIFICATE 12-MONTH CERTIFICATE 3.05APY* % 4.08 APY* % Grow Your Savings Fast
storm feature 14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the first sunny day of the year, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors met for its first full meeting of 2023, the pomp and circumstance of the usual swearing-in ceremony for the newly electeds delayed by one week. They’d decided to hold off on the ceremonial part of their meeting and most of business while county officials were all-hands-on-deck addressing storm-related impacts. “When they talk about baptisms, my executive management team and myself definitely had a baptism by Mother Nature over the last two weeks,” Sheriff Tina Nieto said. Those two weeks included some 28,000 people under evacuation orders and warnings at any given point, in communities stretching across all parts of Monterey County—along the Salinas, Carmel, Pajaro, Big Sur and Arroyo Seco rivers, as well as a number of creeks that roared to life with 8.25 inches of rainfall since Christmas. The impacts to infrastructure and property are just being revealed. An initial analysis from Monterey County estimates at least $30 million in damage to public infrastructure, and a $50 million hit to agriculture. Those figures do not include damage to private homes, which property owners will be left to assess with flood insurance providers, if they have them—most homeowners’ insurance does not include flood coverage. For purposes of obtaining potential FEMA funds, county officials are asking property owners to report damage in a survey at arcg.is/1Pefe11. The photographs here capture some key moments during the week-plus of the most intense weather and greatest flood risk, before evacuation orders and warnings all lifted on Jan. 17. To read the Weekly’s complete storm coverage, visit mcweekly.com. Weathering the Storm As the sun comes out again, the damage toll of flooding, rain and wind just begins to come into focus. By Sara Rubin Above: Neighbors came together to help remove water and debris from a home on Paso Hondo in Carmel Valley after the Carmel River flooded several homes on Monday, Jan. 9. Evacuation orders were issued and downgraded to warnings twice in the area over the course of the week, and finally lifted on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Daniel Dreifuss Right: A slide south of Mill Creek on Highway 1. The highway remains closed on the South Coast of Big Sur due to damage and unstable ground. On Jan. 17, Caltrans moved the northern closure limit from Deetjen’s Inn 11 miles south to near Lime Creek. Below: An almost three-mile-long flooded farm field along River Road, south of Salinas, seen on Thursday, Jan. 12. CalTRans david Gubernick
www.montereycountyweekly.com January 19-25, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 STORM FEATURE Above: Big surf left damage along 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. Left: Davis Road is flooded where it crosses the Salinas River, as seen on Thursday, Jan. 12. Below: Caltrans workers inspect the Highway 68 bridge where it crosses the Salinas River near Spreckels on Friday, Jan. 13. Despite fears the river could flood 68 and other roads, making the Monterey Peninsula an “island,” highways stayed open. DANIEL DREIFUSS CALTRANS KAREN LOUTZENHEISER Dr. Juliet Del Piero announces new offices in Monterey, Carmel Valley and Soledad. Dr. Del Piero has taken over her parents practices Hartford Optometry in Carmel Valley and Soledad. Dr. Del Piero has also bought Friedman Eye Center in Monterey. Friedman eye Center 80 Garden Ct, #103, Monterey 831-375-2486 Hartford optometry 14 Ford Road, Carmel Valley, 831-625-3911 179 Main Street, Soledad, 831-678-2086 Dr. Del Piero grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and received her medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, New York where she received the Behrens Memorial Prize in Ophthalmology for outstanding graduate entering ophthalmology. Dr. Del Piero is very excited to return to her home on the Monterey Peninsula and serve her community. She also is looking forward to spending time with her husband, John Del Piero, and their family and friends on the Peninsula. Call to schedule an appointment. TAKE-OUT TODAY DinE-in TOO DELiVERY AVAiLABLE 831-899-1762 THin CRUST PiZZA SALADS & CALZOnES SEASiDE’S FinEST SOURDOUGH PiZZA Tues – Sat 11am – 9pm Sunday 11am – 8pm 720 BROADWAY AVE. SEASIDE BEER ON TAP • PASTA & SUBS DESSERTS EAST COAST PiZZAS NY style, thin crust w/butter & garlic. 14” has 6 slices. 18” has 8 slices. WEST COAST PiZZAS SF sourdough crust w/garlic olive oil. 14” has 6 slices. 18” has 8 slices. STUFFED CALZOnES Made from pizza dough, stuffed w/pizza sauce, garlic, mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of basil. (Onions upon request).
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Stormy Weather This is my home. Those are my daily roads (“The view from above: Carmel River and Salinas River flooding,” posted Jan. 12). God bless us all. Ruth Pizano | via social media I have to say because I’m sick of the media overplaying everything (“Evacuation shelters remain open with more than 18,000 residents under evacuation orders or warnings,” posted Jan. 10). I’m sure there are people that are flooded and things are bad but the fear-mongering is just getting out of control. Candace Cate | via social media I was in the picture where we are sandbagging on the river. I sandbagged in the same area in ’95 and I can’t explain why it was worse this time but it was! And we are now facing it for potentially a second time. From experience—plan ahead and have caution and a healthy fear. I wouldn’t call it fear-mongering. Michelle Bevard | Carmel Valley God bless all who are displaced. Karen Warner | via social media Sheriff Tina Nieto is a boss. How inspiring to see a woman as sheriff! (“Officials issue an urgent reminder to abide by evacuation orders, describe Monterey Peninsula at risk of becoming an ‘island,’” posted Jan. 11.) Marilyn Seeley | via social media Up Stream Another excellent example of Monterey County Weekly/Monterey County NOW’s coverage of local water issues (“Why is the lower Salinas River flooding on a day when it didn’t rain?” posted Jan. 12). Thank you! Sandra Weaver | Seaside In or Out I am extremely concerned for the future of Pacific Grove given the unilateral decision of Mayor Bill Peake, to not select several former candidates and committee members for any 20232024 city boards, commissions or committees (“Can Pacific Grove’s diversity task force survive a controversial appointment process?” posted Jan. 17). Mike Wachs, Tina Rau and Darla Vining cared enough about our city to run for office. Unfortunately, none of them were given the opportunity to represent the constituents that voted for them on any boards or commissions. Also, there are members of committees who have reapplied for their spots but have not been given the opportunity to continue their service. Peake’s actions appear to be punitive, short-sighted and cowardly. Is Mayor Peake being retaliatory? Is he afraid to have discussions with people who may have different points of view on how best to promote our beautiful city? I want a thoughtful, honest and transparent process. Esther Herrick | Pacific Grove Flood Control Agree with the neighbors—nobody wants to take responsibility (“A tale of two creeks: As parts of Bolsa Knolls flood, neighbors blame lack of creek maintenance on county side outside city border,” posted Jan. 10). I also live in Bolsa Knolls and I’ve seen city and county trucks drive to our dead end street and just stare at the flooding and then get back in their trucks and drive away. They are a joke. Andrea Houston-Garcia | Salinas It’s deja vu all over again. Every time Bolsa Knolls floods, the county says clearing the creek is too difficult because it runs through some private property. Just get it done. The other thing that would help would be to incentivize upstream property owners to install and maintain retention basins to moderate the flow. However, enthusiasm and resources for flood control projects tends to recede with the flood waters. Bob Roach | Salinas Sand Box Great article on sand mining and replenishment (“Now that sand mining has ended, big storms are restoring sand to the beaches of southern Monterey Bay,” posted Jan. 9). Something to look for in old pictures are the enormous sand dunes of sparkling white sand where Spanish Bay is now, across the road from Asilomar. Taller than buildings. I remember the bulldozers scooping it up until they were all gone. I used to cry about all that beautiful white sand disappearing! That was in the ’40s and ’50s. Susan Widmayer | Oakton, Virginia Interesting history! There was also a sand mine in Asilomar where Spanish Bay resort now resides. Before the resort, it was a pretty wild space and fun to explore, with a nice stream coming down to the ocean. Susan Schiavone | Seaside New and Old I have personally known [retired sheriff] Steve Bernal for about 15 years, and got to know him when he was a deputy working in South County (“After storm-induced delay, Monterey County officials get sworn in,” posted Jan. 18). I had a piece of farm equipment stolen from my yard; Steve worked the case relentlessly and I was able to get my equipment back. In my opinion, the top three sheriffs who have served the people of Monterey County were Bud Cook, Norm Hicks and Steve Bernal. Steve: We want to thank you for helping to keep the ranchers, farmers and citizens of Monterey County safe. The next sheriff has some big shoes to fill. John and Gloria Grisetti | Soledad Park Parking Thank you for the informative article about our local national park, but I’m concerned that readers may be left with an impression that it’s too hard to visit because of parking capacities (“Pinnacles is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of becoming a national park, but the park has been millions of years in the making,” Jan. 5-11). In 2000-2002, I was one of five alternative transportation planners hired in the National Park Service, a program of President Bill Clinton’s administration. NPS has gained a lot of experience in shuttles and reservation systems since then, e.g. Yosemite, Muir Woods. I’ve heard that expanded transportation and access improvements are high on the list of Pinnacles Superintendent Blanca Alvarez Stransky’s priorities, and the Weekly would be a great place to publicize those new opportunities to access and enjoy the park. Jennifer Coile | Hollister Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==