18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 26-February 1, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Prison BreaK Congratulations on the insightful cover story on the local prison and its transformative justice program (“Call me by my name, and other exercises in empathy from the local prison in Soledad,” Jan. 19-25). Agata Popeda clearly put a lot of time into her research and it shows. The American prison system is horrific, in my opinion, and long overdue for reform. It was heartening to read about efforts to improve conditions and treat inmates like humans capable of change. Nancy Middleton | Monterey Tax and Spend The county collected over $70 million from cannabis in the good times and spent it on benefits to our communities, so the promise to the voters is fulfilled for years to come (“County supervisors will vote on another tax break for cannabis growers, who say it’s still not enough,” Jan. 19-25). Now in hard times, they need the help themselves. Bob Roach | Salinas Note: Roach is executive director of the Monterey County Cannabis Industry Association. MUSICAL CHAIRS Last week, Salinas City Councilmember Anthony Rocha threw shade at Mayor Kimbley Craig for her support in the business community (“Squidfry: Hot Seat,” Jan. 19-25). At least much of her support is local. Councilmember Rocha’s overt ties to the Monterey County New Progressives, founded and led by prominent Peninsula interests, call into question whether his allegiance would be to the city of Salinas at all (“The politics of powerful appointments makes democracy messy,” posted Jan. 23). The math on the council may have changed but the mandate has not—serve the people and interests of Salinas. Residents will be watching closely if Rocha can rise above politics to do just that. Dennis Sanchez | Salinas I’m really enjoying your reporting on the meetings of Monterey County councils and boards (“With appointments to regional boards, newly elected officials realign,” Jan. 19-25). Who knew local government would be such a hotbed?! Mary Jane Perryman | Pacific Grove Moving On What a waste of time when there are some much larger issues in this world to deal with—homelessness, hunger, poverty, mental illness, famine…(“Can Pacific Grove’s diversity task force survive a controversial appointment process?” posted Jan. 17). Diversity, inclusion, equity are all misguided attempts at relieving woke guilty consciousness. People’s time and resources [should be spent on] something important and relevant, instead of making efforts to apologize for actions taken by people eight generations ago. Wake up to today’s issues like education and healthcare, and move on. William Offenberg | via email ROCK ON This sounds amazing! (“A unique museum/micro-hotel overcomes dissent to get approval in Pacific Grove,” Jan. 19-25). Heather K. Purdy | via social media Over Flow The runoff into Little Bear Creek was increased by the development of the subdivision on the southeast corner of the intersection of San Juan Grade and Rogge roads (“Salinas residents blame flooding on the county for lack of creek maintenance outside city jurisdiction,” Jan. 19-25). Even with stormwater improvements, the runoff from the impervious surfaces has permanently increased the surface flows into the creek. When that increase in urban runoff is coupled with the failure (over the past 20 years) to clean out the creek, the flooding of innocent downstream homeowners is guaranteed. The true price of new subdivisions, allowed to be developed without adequate infrastructure and without adequate fees being charged to developers, is paid for by unsuspecting neighbors or the county’s taxpayers. Marc Del Piero | Pebble Beach POWER OF Art I was touched by your article on grief through art (“As the pandemic continues, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital invites us to process our grief through art,” posted Jan. 19). The rose project is a wonderful movement to honor those that have passed but I also feel it is a unifying force for those left behind. Thank you for bringing this subject to light for the community. David Villareal | Carmel Valley Power Down The push by Michael DeLapa and Ben Gould to switch our energy system to be powered by electricity is a mistake for a couple of reasons (“Monterey County should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring new homes to be all-electric,” Jan. 19-25). The first is that there’s an alternative to electricity which is more economical and better for the environment. Simply put, when solar and wind are not available, coal is used to provide electricity; batteries like those at the Moss Landing facility cannot be disposed of environmentally and elements mined for batteries damage the environment. As proven during recent blackouts, our electric grid can’t handle a conversion to only electricity. The natural gas from PG&E that powers my car is renewable natural gas. RNG is natural gas made from garbage and animal waste. RNG is the stepping stone to a future of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe. Martin Becker | Pacific Grove Play to Win I read your piece about the Niners and felt the same way that you did! (“Becoming a fan of a sports team often starts at a very young age, and when it does, it sticks. (Go Niners.)” posted Jan. 20.) Last time I watched them was at a bar in Tiburon and when we won my gals and I went into the city which was on fire—honking, dancing in the streets! Watching the Niners play during [shelter-in-place] made me feel normal, and I am hooked again. So glad that “we’ve” had a winning season, and crossing my fingers for Sunday’s game! Anna Wilson | Monterey 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.
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