march 2-8, 2023 montereycountyweekly.com LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Will Joby Fly away? 8 | Covid emergency comes to an end 13 | ocean heroes 29 | Food as Fuel 32 Q: What makes trivia night so beloved? By Tajha Chappellet-Lanier p. 18
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY March 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com March 2-8, 2023 • ISSUE #1805 • Established in 1988 Mike Sheehan (Nikon D7100, 12mm, ISO 200, 1/800 @ F8) Many ponds in North County are full, thanks to recent rains. When there’s water, the ponds draw wildlife—and also create a lovely canvas for reflections on clear days. Monterey County photo of the week Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Answer: A little bit of a lot of things, including hosts who ask tough questions. Here, a team plays trivia at Other Brother Beer Co. in Seaside, one of at least 10 regular Monterey County trivia nights. Cover Photo 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 MARCH 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 Healthy, how you want it. Let us help you reach your best health. Choose the health and wellness services that are right for you — when and where you want it. z Emergency care z Urgent care z Virtual visits z Primary and specialty care z Preventative programs z And much more Visit: montagehealth.org/care
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH The city of Salinas maintains multiple social media accounts. A series of those accounts—with an active presence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram—have been run by the Salinas Police Department, with public safety advisories, announcements of arrests and more. But the last Twitter post was made six months ago, and recently its Instagram and Facebook pages disappeared. Salinas Public Information Officer Sophia Rome says it’s part of a city-wide overhaul, and emphasizes the removal is temporary. “We appreciate there is a lot of engagement on the Salinas Police Department pages, but we are working to improve our communications strategy,” Rome says. She adds that the temporary removal is not based on complaints, though advocates of criminal justice reform have raised issues with a flippant tone. One recent post, on Valentine’s Day, encouraged people to call in about ex-partners who might be engaged in criminal activity. “Show them you didn’t forget about them (like they forgot about you),” the post read. “They will get a few nights stay with the county’s best accommodations at [Monterey County Jail]. We will even send a vehicle to pick them up.” Rome says, “We are trying to find what the perfect tone is across all of our social media pages.” Good: As the ocean continues to absorb one-quarter of the global carbon emissions annually, the ocean is changing. Specifically, it’s becoming more acidic, which negatively impacts marine life. Scientists are still trying to better understand this process, and to that end, the National Science Foundation awarded the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute a $519,101 grant to test and develop two different types of pH sensors that can be deployed for years and to depths of up to 2 kilometers. Yui Takeshita of MBARI said in a statement, “[The ocean] has buffered our planet from the worst effects of climate change, but at a heavy cost…Scientists need new tools to understand the ocean’s changing chemistry.” The project will allow MBARI and its collaborators to “share this new sensor technology with our colleagues to quickly scale our ability to observe the world ocean at this critical moment.” GREAT: It’s a great week for North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County and the residents they serve. The district will be fully staffed—meaning a total of 30 firefighters, three per shift, at each fire station—after a long stretch of understaffing and just two firefighters per engine. “We can respond to emergencies and handle them in a manner that is safe and efficient,” says Fire Chief Joel Mendoza. The district was considering the possibility of closing one of its three fire stations because of a lack of funds and personnel. In June of 2021, with 58.11 percent of the vote, residents passed a Prop. 218 assessment that brings additional funds to the district. Since then, they have hired 10 firefighters—most of them from the Monterey Peninsula College fire academy—to get to full staffing levels. “We were very lucky that we have the support of our residents,” Mendoza says. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Shelter bed nights provided at Casa de Noche Buena in its first two years in operation. The Seaside shelter has so far served 115 guests (58 women and 17 families) since opening in 2021. It is operated jointly by Community Human Services and Gathering for Women. Source: Community Human Services 4,264 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I’m in love with this brine.” -Chef Jonathan Rodriguez speaking about his weekly pig roasts, the centerpiece of Sunday afternoon gatherings at Salt Wood Kitchen in Marina (see story, post at mcweekly.com). Peninsul ’ Downtow Shops, restaurants, hotels and businesses Spend some time with us Downtown… 11:30am-close, 10am Sat & Sun 484 Washington Street Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 www.melvilletav.com WOOD FIRED PIZZAS, BURGERS, PASTA, SALADS & SANDWICHES INDOOR, PATIO DINING & TAKEOUT HAPPY HOUR FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS SUN-THURS 4-6PM WEEKEND BRUNCH Transform sparse brows - Artistic custom designs hair by hair The Shape is most important. 3D Microblading Before After Look Radiant Plumper, tighter younger looking skin No downtime No pain No discomfort Also Facials, Chemical Peels, Skin Care Products, Waxing, Lash & Brow Tint 831.776.4031 Call or text 406 ALVARADO ST. 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www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 We were here to care for your grandparents. We will be here to care for your grandchildren. Today we have a new, shorter name and a new, more modern logo. But our care remains the same as it’s been for 70 years: simply outstanding. We’re here so you keep rising. It’s a new day for the Salinas Valley. Learn more at SalinasValleyHealth.com FORMERLY SALINAS VALLEY MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Jenny Webster is a retired Marina High School English teacher, a lifelong poet and a mother of two adult children. She lives in a cute house on one of the sunniest streets of Marina, with her stranger-sensitive dogs and her affectionate black cat Bob. Her living room is the One Woman Two Fires headquarters, production space and storage—nothing more than a large rack of clothes and bags, and a big box of fabric, each attracting the eye with an intense color. “That’s basically how my rack looks,” Webster says about the growing inventory of African bags she designed and has made for her by tailors in Senegal, and the upcycled T-shirt line she started to make by hand in 2022. She is wearing a T-shirt of her own work with her logo sewn on, and she has another one in process, draped over the sofa next to her. The name of her initiative—it’s not a company, not an organization—comes from her observations in Africa, where “women would cook over the open fire and take care of all kinds of other family and community business at the same time,” she says. “Two fires. That’s important to me.” Webster has been selling African bags, on and off, at local farmers markets since at least 2012, but her adventure with the continent started with an entirely different art form: African dance. “There was just something about it that was so compelling to me, from the first time I saw it as an 18- or 20-year-old,” Webster says. “I heard the drums, I saw that style of dance and I just thought, ‘This is for me.’” She has been performing with an African dance circle in Santa Cruz for many years. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Webster traveled the world. She first visited Senegal in 2004, and then she found herself returning there every year. “You always hear about aid going to Africa,” Webster says. “But it is mostly distributed close to where the airport is. So the areas around Dakar [the capitol] will get aid. Other places don’t see much of it.” She decided to establish some kind of program that would help women and local businesses. She tried selling African jewelry in the U.S. and eventually ended up with Senegalese bags. “One of the things I like the most about them is that they stand on their own,” Webster says. Made of heavy cotton, they are durable totes—as well as works of art, if you like patterns. Whenever she sells one, she passes her profit to The Senegal Health Institute, founded and run by Jill Diallo, originally from Carmel. Webster felt a kindred spirit to Diallo in terms of recognizing the need for help in Senegal. “That was the goal,” Webster says about her determination. “It’s just life-saving work.” T-shirts are a recent addition to what she offers at local farmers markets in Marina and Pacific Grove and soon, perhaps, Monterey. Webster wanted to somehow incorporate her poetry into the project so she took a class on how to print on clothing at Slowfiber in Monterey. She finds her T-shirts in secondhand stores, washes them and stamps or stitches on letters by hand. “I don’t know where it’s coming from,” she says about her urge to upcycle T-shirts. “But I remember when I was a child and my mom taught me to sew my Girl Scouts badges.” Webster is always on the lookout for a fabric that will look good when combined with her African fabrics. She has clothes for men, women and children. She points to sweatshirts and T-shirts in all sizes, and even baby clothes. Her goal is to connect with craft fairs and maybe sell some of her stuff in a store. “We each have to choose our own corner of the world that we want to help,” she explains of her motivation. “If you go to rural Africa, you see that that’s where the most extreme poverty is. I made many friends over the years. I love the culture there—so communal. They don’t understand the need for alone time there.” One Woman Two Fires can be found at local farmers markets. In Fashion A retired English teacher is aiding Senegalese communities, selling African bags and repurposed T-shirts. By Agata Pop˛eda “It’s so much fun for me,” Jenny Webster says of designing and repurposing T-shirts and selecting bags made in Senegalese villages. “I started out with plain colors, then I started finding patterns...The patterns sell right away.” “We have to choose our corner of the world to help.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS FOSTERS NEEDED Would you like to make a difference in the life of an older cat? Would you like to BE the difference? Become a foster parent! You supply the home and the love, and we provide supplies and medical care. You will be helping an older cat get that Second Chance At A New Beginning. FOSTERS SAVE LIVES! Call us at 831-200-9700 or email goldenoldiescats@gmail.com to find out more. Ad sponsored in memory of Roger and Tatum Rouse and their love for cats. If you would like to sponsor our next ad, please contact us! 831.200.9700 • www.gocatrescue.org If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, give us a call. Gnocchi Gnocchi is the sweetest dumpling you’ll ever meet! He’s the perfect road trip companion. Always ready for a car ride, Gnocchi wants to be your navigator and explore the world with you! Gnocchi is a 10-year-old, 10-pound, Neutered Male, Terrier Mix. If you are interested in adopting Gnocchi, please fill out an online questionnaire. P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove 831.718.9122 peaceofminddogrescue.org AD SPONSORED by Judy LeRoy with Lasso.
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 Prevention, Education, Treatment & Recovery serving youth, adults and families in Monterey County A fatal drug-related overdose can happen with stimulants, depressants, opioids, alcohol and meth Support youth prevention services www.SunStreetCenters.org 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 Walk into Elroy’s Fine Foods and discover why everybody has been talking about us. Feel the good vibes and the energy of our people, our music and our beautiful space. See for yourself our California Certified Organic Farmers-certified Produce Department that brings you just-picked, farmers-market freshness and variety every single day. Experience the difference of our imported glass and steel Bulk Foods Department where we can personally service your every need from a pinch to a pound. Browse our uncommon grocery provisions and learn all about natural wines. Other talks of the town: our Meat & Seafood Department carrying only the highest of quality (Read: sustainable and humane); a chock-full Cheese Department; and scrumptious Prepared Foods. There’s even an in-store Bar where you can enjoy a glass of wine with your friends. Walk in today and you’ll immediately see what makes us The Uncommon Market. @ELROYSFINEFOODS WWW.ELROYSFINEFOODS.COM 15 SOLEDAD DRIVE (831) 373-3737 MONTEREY, CA 93940 YOU’VE HEARD THE TALK NOW DO THE WALK
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY march 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news When Mi Tierra market shut down for renovations last August, the plan was to reopen the beloved Seaside institution sometime this spring. But due to unforeseen setbacks related to the building’s age, the reopening date has been delayed indefinitely. At best, it will be sometime late summer—a year after it closed. Oswaldo Mesia, the architect managing the remodel, says the project is still in the demolition phase, and that work is moving slowly. Under normal circumstances, he says, there would have been some exploratory work done before renovations began in full. But because the project required first doing asbestos abatement, nothing could be opened up until it was remediated—so workers went into the project blind, not knowing what lay beneath the asbestos-laden flooring. And what workers found once things were opened up is that the concrete beneath is so uneven—“super irregular,” Mesia says—that it is “complicated” to use concrete saws, which require a flat surface or the blade might snap. And even then, because of the way the underground rebar structure was laid out, it’s not as simple as cutting in a straight line to realign the underground utilities— an errant saw might cut through rebar and compromise the building’s structural integrity. “It’s complicated. Normally we just go and trench in a week,” Mesia says, then adds: “Messing up the existing structure would be a big, expensive fix.” The good news for fans of Mi Tierra (home to a market and an outstanding taqueria), is that when the remodel is finally completed, it should be better than ever. For now, those fans will have to wait. In the Trenches Reopening of Seaside’s Mi Tierra has been delayed by what is almost an archaeological dig. By David Schmalz In the roughly five years since it set up shop at Marina Municipal Airport, electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation has been a signpost for Monterey County’s economic potential—one where forward-thinking tech and manufacturing firms could help modernize the local economy beyond its traditional bedrocks of agriculture and tourism. Yet while Joby pushes forward with plans to manufacture a fleet of electric aircraft that would serve as short- to intermediate-distance air taxis, there are concerns Marina could be left behind. The city is one of several across the country now being considered by Joby to house a new, much larger factory that would enable it to scale up operations—and some local stakeholders fear that the startup may look beyond the Central Coast, or California entirely, to lower-cost, more business-friendly pastures. Since leasing multiple buildings at Marina Municipal Airport in 2018, Santa Cruz-based Joby has grown to around 120,000 square feet of space where it employs around 300 people for research and development purposes, including work on its prototype. By 2020, the city of Marina had signed off on allowing Joby to build a much larger facility at the airport—a factory spanning up to 600,000 square feet that would potentially generate up to 2,000 jobs and enable Joby to ramp up production once its aircraft receives certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. But Joby has yet to start work on such a project, and in fact has been entertaining proposals from municipalities across the country before determining where it will construct its facility. With the startup now understood to be shortlisting possible locations, Marina officials are working to ensure their city remains in the running. Assistant City Manager Matt Mogensen says the city is preparing to circle back with Joby in the coming weeks on a revised proposal, which could include enhancements like “infrastructure improvements at the airport” and expansion opportunities on surrounding land. While noting that the city has “a great relationship” with Joby and that the startup is “going to be [in Marina] for a long time” given its decade-plus leases at the airport, Mogensen acknowledges that Joby is considering “what the cost-benefit would be of establishing that larger production line someplace else.” That analysis includes factors like government-sponsored business incentives and tax breaks, as well as the housing available to its workforce. On those fronts, it’s likely that Marina finds itself at a disadvantage to states like Texas and the Carolinas. Still, Marina City Manager Layne Long believes Marina has advantages to offer Joby including proximity to its Santa Cruz headquarters, a strategically advantageous airport and “hundreds of acres of land” to grow its own operations and develop more housing in the future. “Those are things Joby is aware of and we’ll be discussing with them,” he says. A Joby spokesperson says Marina could remain part of its operations wherever the larger facility goes. “While we are considering locations in several states, including California, to host that scaled manufacturing facility, we expect Marina to remain a critical strategic facility for us going forward,” the spokesperson says in a statement. Joby Aviation employs around 300 people at its R&D facility at Marina Municipal Airport, but could look beyond Monterey County to build a new, larger factory. Flight of Fancy Electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation could pass over Marina in deciding where to build a factory. By Rey Mashayekhi Mi Tierra in Seaside shut down for renovations in August of 2022, with plans to reopen in spring of 2023. Now, the best-case scenario is a summer opening, but it might be next winter. “We expect Marina to remain a critical strategic facility.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 Available through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Bay Federal Credit Union and Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union, and may also be employees of Bay Federal Credit Union. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Bay Federal Credit Union or Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are: Not Insured by NCUA or Any Other Government Agency Not Credit Union Guaranteed Not Credit Union Deposits or Obligations May Lose Value Your Credit Union (“Financial Institution”) provides referrals to financial professionals of LPL Financial LLC (“LPL”) pursuant to an agreement that allows LPL to pay the Financial Institution for these referrals. This creates an incentive for the Financial Institution to make these referrals, resulting in a conflict of interest. The Financial Institution is not a current client of LPL for advisory services. Please visit https://www.lpl.com/disclosures/is-lpl-relationship-disclosure.html for more detailed information. Here for Your Future Relax and enjoy the now! The Financial Advisors with Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union can help plan your future and set you up for retirement. Schedule a complimentary appointment today! bayfed.com/invest
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY march 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com During the succession of atmospheric rivers that swept over the Central Coast around the turn of the year, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, per a Jan. 13 statement, increased its “extremely small water releases” from Lake Nacimiento “to reduce the risk of the reservoir spilling over as a result of the next series of storms in our area.” That reservoir, as of Feb. 28, sits at 86 percent of its capacity, while the county’s other reservoir, Lake San Antonio, is at 41-percent capacity. And therein lies the logic behind the proposed Interlake Tunnel project, which would funnel water from Nacimiento to San Antonio as opposed to increasing releases into the Salinas River. It would provide a way to store the water that needs to be released to prevent a dam failure. The project was first formally proposed in 1991, the same year MCWRA was formed. But the idea collected dust for more than two decades, until a prolonged drought brought it back to the forefront. MCWRA’s draft environmental impact report for the project—which involves building an approximately two-mile tunnel between the two reservoirs—was released Jan. 20, and a public review period closes March 21. Even if a final EIR is ultimately approved by county officials, questions remain. Mainly: Who, exactly, will pay for it? And how much? Lew Bauman, MCWRA’s interim general manager, says the plan is to seek as much state and federal grant money as possible, but that the rest would be up to voters in a Proposition 218 election among stakeholders— landowners who stand to be the primary beneficiaries of the project. Currently, the estimated cost of the project is $180 million. And that’s on top of the estimated $160 million to do maintenance and repair work on both reservoirs and their spillways—needed fixes that predated this year’s storms—which the county intends to do first, using a similar funding model: grants, and a Prop. 218 vote. Nancy Isakson, president of the Salinas Valley Water Coalition, says repairing the dams and reservoirs is key before assessing whether or not the tunnel project is worth the cost, especially when considering the combined cost of the projects. “That’s a heck of a lot at once,” she says. “We feel there isn’t enough information.” Mike Scattini farms in the north Salinas Valley and also serves on the MCWRA board. Speaking as a grower, he says, “It always comes down to who has to pay…We’re going to have to use real science to understand this to see the benefits of this stuff.” Students griping about professors is not new, but a contingent of students at CSU Monterey Bay took it a step further by conducting a research study to gather data about one professor, Miguel Lopez of the Liberal Studies Department, they felt needed to be held accountable to Title IX laws that regulate discrimination based on sex. They presented the results of their research to the CSUMB Title IX Office and a CSUMB administrator last semester, on Oct. 14. As part of their research, the students created a survey to elicit both positive and negative responses from students and alumni— they collected 39 responses total. (The students conducting the research asked to not be identified out of fear of retaliation by Lopez.) While there were positive survey comments, there were numerous complaints that ranged from the less serious, like unclear assignment directions and how they would be graded, to more serious accusations of inappropriate behavior and comments in online classes regarding race, gender and disabilities, that led to complaints filed with the Title IX Office. Some students alleged Lopez invited Latina students to a group he called his “compadres,” that met separately outside of class and provided them instruction and assignments not available to others. One student who said she was invited into such a group receiving extra assignments said she felt “bad and angry that my fellow classmates really had a bad experience with him, and I felt guilty that I was doing well.” Current students of Lopez received an email on Feb. 20 stating that he is on administrative leave and will be replaced by other instructors in the interim. University officials would not confirm the leave, saying in a written statement that state and federal laws, as well as CSU policy, prohibits them from providing information about pending complaints or investigations. The Weekly was unable to reach Lopez. Tunnel In As the proposed Interlake Tunnel project advances, the question is: Is it worth it? By David Schmalz news Donation Drive Find out if you’re eligible to donate bone marrow with a simple cheek swab. Be the Match is hosting a bone marrow registration drive for people ages 18 to 40. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to get swabbed, helping to create a more diverse bank for people in need. Noon-4pm Saturday, March 4. Japanese American Citizens League Hall, 424 Adams St., Monterey. Free. jacl93940@ gmail.com, jaclmonterey.org. Future Leaders The Salinas Union High School District is looking for passionate and qualified individuals to be teachers, nurses and substitute teachers in its next job fair. There are also several opportunities for classified positions including bus drivers, custodians and behavioral specialists. 9am-2pm Saturday, March 4. National Steinbeck Center, 1 Main St., Salinas. Free. For more information, contact Marcos Cabrera at marcos. cabrera@salinasuhsd.org. bit.ly/ SUHSDJobFair2023. Book Haul The Friends of the Marina Library host their annual springtime book sale this weekend, with multiple opportunities to check out a variety of titles. On Sunday, you can fill a provided bag with books for $10. 10am-5pm Friday and Saturday, March 3-4; 10am-1pm Sunday, March 5. Marina library, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina. 682-8016, friendsofthemarinalibrary.org. Mindful Mentors The Seaside Police Department is preparing to launch a youth mentoring program to help at-risk youth avoid engaging in crime. The department will be meeting with the public to ask for community input from residents and organizations, in addition to connecting with anyone who would like to assist them. 4pm-6pm Wednesday, March 8. Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free. bit.ly/SeasidePDMentor. Growth Mindset Soledad is looking for a volunteer to serve on the General Plan Advisory Committee. The city’s general plan update is an opportunity to engage residents in open discussion about how Soledad should grow and change. The goal is to have the plan reflect the city’s vision for the future of development and business for the next 20 years. To apply, visit forms.office.com/r/ UgRiB6szW7. Soledad Community and Economic Development Department, 502 Front St., Soledad. Free. 223-5178, cityofsoledad.com. Class Leave A CSUMB professor is placed on leave after a student survey uncovers possible issues. By Pam Marino Castroville-area grower Mike Scattini isn’t sure how financing will play among growers. “Not everybody is on the same page about how to solve these problems.” e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “That’s a heck of a lot [of money] at once.” Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 Spirituality, Kinship, and the Human Condition: Works by Carole A. Pavlo Curated by Amalia Mesa-Bains and Angelica Muro Feb 13 - Mar 10 1 - 5pm Visual and Public Art Gallery Building 70 CSUMB 3127 Intergarrison Rd. Marina, CA Day-use visitor parking permit is required and may be purchased at permit dispensers on campus.
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com In February, Salinas City Elementary School District announced it would eliminate several positions. On the layoff list was a position that alarmed many parents: the person in charge of recruiting students for the Migrant Education Program, a federal program that aids migrant students. Instead, the district proposed transitioning the migrant ed program to the Monterey County Office of Education. Parents and community members quickly mobilized, and many attended a school board meeting on Feb. 21. Over a dozen people spoke about the proposed change, all in opposition. The Migrant Education Program is crucial for many migrant parents and their children. It provides support to migrant students, ages 3 to 21, to tackle specific needs such as navigating repeat moves from one school to another. Services include after-school and Saturday programs, participation in a speech and debate tournament and tickets to events such as the Pebble Beach Authors & Ideas Festival. In California, Monterey County is the second-largest migrant education region, serving over 8,000 students. Thousands of farmworkers follow the harvest, moving seasonally to Southern California or Arizona. SCESD has 789 migrant students this year; Los Padres and Sherwood elementary schools have the most, with 141 and 133, respectively. Currently, MCOE runs migrant education in 10 school districts, including Monterey Peninsula Unified and Gonzales Union. SCESD is one of four districts that run the program themselves and submit expenses to MCOE for approval and reimbursement. County Superintendent Deneen Guss says every year each district decides if they want to run the program themselves or transfer it to MCOE. The issue is whether to move the program, not eliminate it. “They are just trying to explore additional options, how they might be able to afford to administer the program,” Guss says. Parents are concerned they will lose their sense of community and familiarity with current staff because if MCOE takes over, the likelihood of having the same aides is slim. Mary Pritchard, SCESD’s director of the Migrant Education Department, plans to retire by the end of the year, a result of the forthcoming layoff notifications. Demetrio Pruneda, a retired teacher of 30 years who occasionally substitutes for SCESD, said the planning process failed to include the main parties—families and staff—in a discussion about management of the migrant program. “The only way you’re going to co-create a better reality is to include the people that are directly involved in what you want to change,” he says. On Feb. 23, the District Migrant Advisory Committee, run by migrant parents with representatives from each SCESD school, held a meeting in Spanish to discuss the change. Parents, former migrant students and community members highlighted the importance of the program and opposed moving it to the county level. The DMAC voted to recommend keeping it within SCESD and to collect signatures in support, with plans to present them to the board. On the Move Salinas City Elementary comes under fire for change to migrant ed program. By Celia Jiménez Constantino Silva, senior director of migrant education for MCOE, says migrant education services are the same regardless of who administers the program, SCESD or the county office. NEWS Monterey County is the second-largest migrant ed region. CELIA JIMÉNEZ PRESENTED BY
California’s Covid-19 State of Emergency Order officially came to an end on Tuesday, Feb. 28, three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued it on March 4, 2020. The ending is mostly a bureaucratic and ceremonial one—it is not the end of the pandemic, which the World Health Organization said on Jan. 30 remains a global health emergency. In a glimmer of possible good news, WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it’s possible the pandemic will officially end this year. The pandemic does appear to be waning: WHO reports that across the globe, new cases were down 89 percent between Jan. 23-Feb. 19, and deaths were down 62 percent. Here in Monterey County the overall trend is downward, with occasional upticks. As of Feb. 27, the case rate was 4.5 per 100,000 people, down from 6.3 the week before. The test positivity rate was 7.6 percent, down from 10 percent. Hospitalizations remained at 24 patients both weeks. Monterey County Epidemiologist Kristy Michie told reporters in a briefing on Feb. 22 that she considered the county’s situation to be “stable.” Monterey County is approaching the 100,000 mark in official Covid cases at 99,444 as of Feb. 27—the actual number is likely much higher since many cases go unreported. Health officials attribute 825 deaths to Covid, and people are still dying from the virus; there have been 17 deaths recorded since Jan. 1. The county’s emergency order that went into effect March 6, 2020, remains in place, although that may come to an end soon—it will need a vote of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. The impact on the county’s Health Department is minimal for now, says spokesperson Karen Smith. “We will continue to do what we have been doing, making sure the correct information gets out to businesses, schools and the public,” she says. State-supported Covid test sites closed officially as of Feb. 22, but VIDA Project sites remain open (see below) and the county is still able to obtain vaccines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). There are three vaccination clinics coming up: 10am-2pm Saturdays, March 3, April 1 and May 6, at Santa Rita Elementary School, 2014 Santa Rita St., Salinas. What does California’s end to the emergency order mean for each of us? The short answer is, not much—at least taken by itself. Once the national emergency and national public health emergency end on May 11, changes will be more noticeable. Here’s what to expect in the coming months. Vaccinations As long as the national stockpile of vaccines holds out, they will remain free to anyone regardless of insurance status. Unfortunately, whenever they do run out, uninsured people may have difficulty accessing vaccines due to cost. Those with public and private insurance will continue to have access to free vaccines in the future, under a provision of the Affordable Care Act. In California, State Senate Bill 510, which was signed into law in October, means that insurers will be required to continue covering costs for Covid testing and vaccination into the future. Testing VIDA Project testing sites will remain in operation for as long as the Monterey County Covid Collaborative can get rapid and PCR tests from the CDPH, says Kim Stemler, a partner with the Collaborative. Nonprofits that partner with the Collaborative will also be able to distribute rapid tests. Stemler says the state is getting tighter in releasing the tests, but she’s hoping to order enough to last through May. To find out where to get a test, go to montereycountyvaccines.com. State Assembly Bill 1473 requires insurers to continue reimbursing their members the costs of up to eight overthe-counter Covid tests per month for six months after the federal emergency ends—that is, until Nov. 11. (Check with your insurance provider; you may need to pay up front, then submit a receipt to receive reimbursement.) For people on Medi-Cal, at-home tests will continue to be free through September 2024. PCR and rapid tests performed by a health care provider will also remain free through that time. Medicare will no longer provide free tests after May 11. Those with supplemental private insurance may find that insurers will still provide them. Most insured people will be able to get PCR and rapid tests administered by a health care provider, although the cost may not be entirely covered by insurance. Some people, like those on Medicare, will not be charged for the test, but will have to pay for some part of a visit. Treatment Paxlovid, the antiviral treatment designed to prevent hospitalizations and death, will remain free until possibly late summer or fall after the federal emergencies end on May 11, according to the White House. California’s AB 1473, states that insurers will be required to continue to cover the costs of Paxlovid for six months after the federal emergency ends. After Nov. 11, make sure you are obtaining care services in your insurance network in order to be reimbursed. Those on Medi-Cal will not be charged for Paxlovid through September 2024. Financial Aid CalFresh emergency allotments came to an end Feb. 28 due to the U.S. Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. The act ended the extra money for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, of which CalFresh is a part of in California. Eligible families will no longer receive the $95 or more a month they were receiving during the pandemic. Unfinished Business What does the end to California’s Covid-19 State of Emergency Order mean? By Pam Marino MPUSD offered free Covid-19 tests to students and staff members at the Cabrillo Family Resource Center in Seaside on Jan. 10, 2022. news Daniel Dreifuss covid Cases in California As of Feb. 18, 2023, public health officials have confirmed 11,105,535 cases of Covid-19 in California. The graph at left shows new cases per 100,000 people since March 4, 2020, when there were a total of 95 confirmed cases statewide. The biggest spike happened in January 2022. Subsequent surges were recorded in July and December of 2022. www.montereycountyweekly.com march 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY March 2-8, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Battle Lines Most people do not want to spend three hours of their time away from their family and would prefer to do anything other than spend that time attending a meeting. But that is what almost 300 attendees sacrificed to be at the Carmel Unified School Board meeting (“Carmel Unified board president resigns amid a divided community and a scandal at Carmel High,” posted Feb. 16). Most people rate public speaking as one of their most feared activities. But that is what over 30 attendees did. Such high attendance and participation at a school board meeting indicates that something is very wrong with CUSD leadership. Regardless of their differing viewpoints on various other subjects, many at the meeting agreed on one thing. They do not trust the leadership of Superintendent Ted Knight and HR Manager Craig Chavez. For the sake of the Carmel students and continued excellence of Carmel schools, the board needs to take the meeting showing seriously and do what needs to be done to get trusted and effective leadership for Carmel Unified schools. Esther Valdes | Carmel Your inference of aligning parents aggrieved over LGBTQ+ rights with parents and community members aggrieved over CUSD’s plan to place stadium lights at the high school was astounding for its lack of understanding, sensitivity and its effort to gaslight the many self-made conflicts created by Mr. Knight and board members (“As chaos unfolds in Carmel Unified School District, everyone is on defense,” Feb. 23-March 1). Next, you will be suggesting that I’m aligned with anti-Semitic groups while I encourage the CUSD to find the appropriate solution to create an environmentally and community friendly sports complex at CMS. You owe your readers a huge and heartfelt apology for suggesting an alliance between groups that does not exist. Please stick to the facts that CUSD has apparently hired an incompetent superintendent, that the board continues to remain dysfunctional, that Jon Lyons’ removal was apparently mishandled, that the district’s drive to light up the sky by putting up stadium lights at CHS was and is fraught with material and serious safety, environmental and community issues. Ironically, the lack of candor and integrity within the environmental impact report is the same lack of candor and integrity that the superintendent and board has treated Mr. Lyons with. Robert Kahn | Carmel Insurance Plan As someone who has become quite intimate and frustrated with the health care providers in Monterey County, are you sure Kaiser is something we should be suspicious of? (“Squid Fry: Hand Outs,” Feb. 16-22.) I welcome any health care network across the county line that will create competition and force the pre-existing providers to make their services affordable, which they currently are not. Steve McDougall | Spreckels Speeding Ticket They need to have someone on La Salle Avenue near Ord Terrace Elementary School—people drive so fast down that street in front of the school! (“Seaside PD clamps down on speeding drivers on Hilby and other residential streets,” Feb. 23-March 1.) Kori Neth-Young | via social media Past and Future People should be customers of a business because of the products and services the business offers, not because of the race, sexual orientation or ethnicity of the business ownership (“Monterey’s first Black Business Summit focuses on resources available to minority business owners,” posted Feb. 22). That said, I disagree with the issue of trying to make up for 200 or 300 years of systemic racism. What’s happened has happened, and trying to level the playing field by disadvantaging or disenfranchising those who haven’t been discriminated against in favor of those who have, makes no sense for the future. Yes, it may relieve the guilt of some of the white, guilt-ridden, woke thinkers. However, that kind of woke thinking simply solidifies and intensifies the feelings of those who will not or never embrace equality for all. You cannot correct for past discrimination by committing current and future discrimination. Doing that creates a vicious cycle where the pendulum swings back and forth and benefits no one. William Offenberg | via email Power Play This is a good, insightful article into the process of appointing a coastal commissioner (“Coastal Commission vacancy means a chance for influence—and politics,” Feb. 9-15). I appreciate the background information which puts it in clear perspective. Whoever gets the commissioner slot will have a big responsibility to protect our beautiful coastline from ecological and environmental catastrophes. That’s a tall order and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Eloise Shim | Salinas Launch Pad Thank you for the article (“A Chinese spy balloon prompted a team of grad students at MIIS to get to work,” Feb. 23-March 1). I entered the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies (the name at the time) in 1971 after I served in Vietnam. I graduated in 1975 with a BA in international economics. Thanks to MIFS, I got a fellowship to go to Britain and Ghana for seven months and eventually used the Chinese I studied to teach English in China for five years and was a local hire in our consulate in Shenyang for a year after that and even made a “poaching” trip with the Economics Officer to Khabarovsk, USSR, in 1990. I’d love to tell you how it was when Soviet people weren’t afraid to spend time with Americans anymore, or attend the open Orthodox church in Harbin, where we taught English. There was optimism back then. Richard Mohr | Fountain Valley, Calif. CLARIFICATION A story (“As chaos unfolds in Carmel Unified School District, everyone is on defense,” Feb. 23-March 1) used the word “allies” to describe alignment between various groups advocating for a change in CUSD leadership. While they share a goal, they are not necessarily allies. 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.
www.montereycountyweekly.com march 2-8, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 It was a pretty festive Zoom meeting on Monday, Feb. 27. And why wouldn’t it be; on the call there were 198 people representing a huge cross section of the local nonprofit community there to receive $11.2 million from the 2022 Monterey County Gives! campaign. The mood was celebratory as Dan Baldwin, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Monterey County, Nancy Enterline, vice president of philanthropy at the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Bradley Zeve, founder and CEO of the Weekly, congratulated nonprofit volunteers and executives on the success of the annual year-end fundraising initiative. Last year, 2022, was the biggest year ever in the history of Monterey County Gives! The $11.2 million raised was 15-percent more than the previous year, which was itself a high water mark. In total, MCGives! has raised and distributed over $56 million to local nonprofits since 2009. In 2022, 201 local nonprofits participated, and the median amount raised was a little over $33,000. Each group received matching funds of 11.2 percent, turning $33,000 into $36,700— that’s a pretty impressive return. This grand scale of fundraising through Monterey County Gives! shows just how generous this community is, and how you, and your friends and neighbors, rally behind causes you support. The money is stunningly big, and the impact that flows throughout our community is far greater, with funds supporting organizations whose missions cover a wide spectrum, from providing music education to volunteer gardening efforts to low-cost medical care and much more. The Community Alliance for Safety and Peace is a coalition of public agencies and nonprofits that work to reduce youth and gang-related violence in order to build a better future. Eleven of its member organizations took part in Monterey County Gives! in 2022. Those groups include Community Parternship for Youth, Rancho Cielo, Sun Street Centers, Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, Harmony at Home and United Way, among others. By my calculation, the CASP groups raised over $1 million in MCGives! That amount of money in the hands of these dedicated people will create real and lasting positive impacts. MY Museum is the county’s children’s museum in downtown Monterey and it is a lively, colorful space where hands-on activities provide opportunities for children to play to learn, and grown-ups to learn to play. Their Big Idea for MCGives! was to raise money to bring a traveling pop-up STEAM exhibit (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) to the Del Monte Center mall to increase access for the broader community. They raised $44,673 and the exhibit, Potter the Otter, opens Friday, March 3. Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula serves a different clientele. Reducing food insecurity for people who are homebound is their mission. Unfortunately, their services are in great demand and growing. Last year, volunteers drove over 160,000 miles to deliver 276,000 meals to 1,100 seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. The need for Meals on Wheels is matched by the tenacity of the organization. MOWMP raised $311,516 in Monterey County Gives! and is going to put that money to use, building a second commercial kitchen in Seaside so they can increase their output to 10,000 meals per day. This is but a snapshot of a few of the groups that are vital parts of the local nonprofit mission-driven economic force that provides services throughout our county. There were 36 arts organizations in MCGives! that raised over $1.5 million, and 23 environmental groups that raised almost $1.3 million. (All of these funds were partially matched.) The match is thanks in large part to support from the Gunde & Ernie Posey Family Foundation, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel, David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Cannery Row Company and the Colburn and Alana Jones Foundation of the CFMC. While we’re celebrating the good work of philanthropists and local nonprofits, it would be appropriate to take a moment and thank another group vital to the success of Monterey County Gives!—that’s you. There were 12,067 individual contributions made by donors during the campaign. Whether you gave $5 or $5,000, thank you for your local philanthropy. Erik Cushman is the Weekly’s publisher. Reach him at erik@mcweekly.com. The Great Give Yet again, Monterey County Gives! sets new records in local philanthropy. By Erik Cushman Buzz Off…Where Squid lives in an undersea lair, there are no mosquitoes to contend with. Sure, sea stars can be annoyingly slow-moving, but it’s nothing compared to those terrestrial pests. Squid does not envy the humans deemed responsible for mosquito control, but that is the job of the Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District and the board that oversees them. Sometimes a public servant takes great interest in mosquito control, however, as happens to be the case with James Tashiro, who has served on the district board since 2009 with a nearly 100-percent attendance rate at meetings. He applied to be reappointed to another four-year term. But Tashiro was going to have to fight for the role if he wanted to keep it. The Salinas City Council was set to consider reappointing him on Feb. 21, but Tashiro faced a challenger in Chris Barrera, a local real estate broker and the president of the local chapter of LULAC. During councilmember comments, it seemed like it was less about mosquitoes than process; councilmembers Andrew Sandoval and Anthony Rocha said it was essential to get new representation on boards and raised questions about term limits. The ordeal took over 30 minutes. “I had no idea how this request would draw so much attention,” Barrera said, then announced he was withdrawing his application. Squid’s not sure if there’s a winner in this saga, and if it’s mosquito or human. Seek, find?…As a doting relative, Squid is on occasion called upon to squidsit for a brood of hungry squidlets. And as anyone who has catered to youngsters of almost any species will tell you, children can be picky eaters. So Squid turned to the internet for help. In response, Yelp offered guidance on restaurants with the best children’s menus within oozing distance of Squid’s lair. The “sponsored content” at the top of the page should have given Squid pause. On one attempt, Whisky Club popped up. The next time it was the Fieldwork, a beer garden. (Not either establishment’s fault; Yelp sets the algorithm.) The proper list, once Squid scrolled down, proved no better. According to Yelp, the second-best kids menu at a Monterey County restaurant is Old Fisherman’s Grotto, known for its motto of “no strollers, no high chairs, no booster chairs.” The Fisherman’s Wharf destination does not even have a children’s menu (and to Squid’s chagrin, it does serve calamari). Number six on the list, Monterey’s Fish House, earned its top 10 spot based on this from a Yelp post: “Small downside was no kids menu.” In fact, at least four of the top 10 in Yelp’s “best kids’ menu” search offer nothing of the sort. Squid wonders how we found reliable information before the internet. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. The scale shows just how generous this community is. Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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