march 16-22, 2023 montereycountyweekly.com LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Salinas Union reckons with racism 12 | the Art of the invisible 36 | listening to Whales 38 The Pajaro River levee fails, leading to catastrophic flooding and widespread evacuations. p. 10 By Celia Jiménez INSIDE: The annual Foilies awards recognize the worst attempts by government to hide public records from the public. p. 18 up A Creek Plus, coverage of other impacts from the storm, including extended power outages and business closures.
Paws Fore a Cause Monday, May 8th, 2023 First Annual Benefit Golf Tournament exclusive sponsorship opportunities Available! All proceeds go to aide lowcost spay & neuter services in underserved communities of Monterey County! The Club at Crazy Horse Ranch, Salinas, CA CALLING ALL GOLFERS IN MONTEREY COUNTY! $250 per player or $1000 for foursome Sign Up & Learn More 2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 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 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com March 16-22, 2023 • ISSUE #1807 • Established in 1988 Steve Zmak (DJI Mavic 2 Pro Hasselblad) The original course of the Salinas River between Blanco and Davis Roads (southeast of Marina) runs between the trees. The course of the river as of March 13 is shown above. The Marina Airport is in the upper left, with Monterey Bay viewable in the background. Monterey County photo of the week Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: A person crosses Main Street in Pajaro, carrying trash bags of personal belongings, on the morning of Saturday, March 11, after the Pajaro River levee broke overnight and the town was flooded. 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 16-22, 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. Learn more at SalinasValleyHealth.com We’ve changed how we look. We’ll never change how we care. FORMERLY SALINAS VALLEY MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH It’s established practice for courthouses during widely publicized court proceedings to limit the number of members of the media that may be present in the courtroom. Instead, media outlets agree to share photographs among themselves. That is the model used at Monterey County Superior Court in the trial of Paul Flores, who was convicted in 2022 for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart and sentenced on March 10 to 25 years to life. (His father, Ruben Flores, was tried for accessory to murder and found not guilty.) What was unusual in the court’s treatment of media access to this case came in March, when Monterey County Superior Court Executive Officer Chris Ruhl notified members of the photo pool that outlets were expected to use the same procedure for court documents obtained for purposes of reporting. Various outlets requested the opportunity to view records in the case, and the court’s take was, in essence: Sorry, we already shared them with NBC Universal. “The court simply does not have the staff resources to keep going through the process of making this evidence and these exhibits available to multiple requestors,” Ruhl wrote. He suggested reporters ask NBC for copies. Good: The Marina Equestrian Center, which at 14 acres is the largest cityowned park in Marina, is once again open for business after shutting down in December as it transitioned into being managed by a new concessionaire. After a somewhat contentious public process, City Council voted in September 2021 to enter into a concessionaire contract with Chaparral Country Corporation, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park March 11, and it is officially back in business. That means pony and trail rides, English and western riding lessons, and starting in June, riding camps for the young ones. Chaparral owner Sue Pennell says the ramp-up to bring more events and activities will be gradual, and she plans to bring in boys and girls scout troops, school groups, farmers markets and more. There’s also an equestrian-themed military museum that’s in the works. “Lots of fun stuff,” Pennell says. GREAT: The cause of animal welfare in Monterey County got a big boost with the news that Hitchcock Road Animal Services has received $233,000 in grant money from the state-funded California for All Animals program. Hitchcock Road, which serves the city of Salinas as well as wider unincorporated Monterey County, received $190,000 through the program’s spring grant cycle, which will go toward resources like an X-ray machine, dog houses and other equipment, as well as waived shelter fees. The organization also received $43,000 through the program’s fall grant cycle, which will be used to partner with the SNIP Bus mobile spaying and neutering clinic and increase the shelter’s capacity to perform those population-controlling procedures on its animals. Launched in February 2022, California for All Animals is administered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Number of year-long artistic projects that can each be funded with $140,000 grants, thanks to the California Arts Council’s Central Coast Creative Corps program. The concept is modeled after the New Deal-era Works Progress Administration. Monterey County is one of six counties eligible to participate; the deadline to apply is May 1. Source: centralcoastcreativecorps.org 23 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It’s heavy— eightand-a-half pounds.” -Film producer Conall Jones of Carmel Valley speaking about holding someone else’s Oscar on his night at the Academy Awards (March 12) where he was nominated for the short documentary Stranger At The Gate, but didn’t win (see story, mcweekly.com). Speakers Guided Nature Walk Ribbon Cutting Live Music Local Exhibitors Activities Food for purchase And more! Art by Emily Underwood Sunday, March 26, 2023 10 am-3 pm California Wildlife Day FREE Sponsored by Carmel River Watershed Conservancy & Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District www.cawildlifeday.net Doors open at 9:30 am Palo Corona Regional Park 4860 CV Road, Carmel Sponsored by Carmel River Watershed Conservancy & Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Sunday, March 26, 2023 10am-3pm Doors open at 9:30 am Rain or Shine! Indoor and Outdoor Activities for All www.cawildlifeday.net Palo Corona Regional Park, 4860 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Art by Emily Underwood Rumsen Ohlone Welcoming Ceremony Panel Discussions Guided Nature Walks Student Art & Science Projects Nature Journaling Crafts Local Exhibitors Food for Sale Live Music FREE Prevention, Education, Treatment & Recovery serving youth, adults and families in Monterey County Big Tobacco continues to lie, cheat, and fool people into a lifetime of addiction, disease and death. TAKE ACTION TOWARDS A HEALTHIER, MORE EQUITABLE FUTURE Support youth prevention services www.SunStreetCenters.org
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 Super Saturday March 18, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at CSUMB University Center • CSUMB President’s Welcome • Guest Speaker • Support Programs • Student Panel • Campus Tour Confirmed registered attendees who fill out our short survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an iPad. Participants will also be invited to apply for a $1000 scholarship upon enrollment at CSUMB. Register 1012934146 Super Saturday Flyer 2023 v3_Print.indd 1 2/7/23 10:15 AM Super Saturday March 18, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at CSUMB University Center • CSUMB President’s Welcome • Guest Speaker • Support Programs • Student Panel • Campus Tour Confirmed registered attendees who fill out our short survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an iPad. Participants will also be invited to apply for a $1000 scholarship upon enrollment at CSUMB. Register 1012934146 Super Saturday Flyer 2023 v3_Print.indd 1 2/7/23 10:15 AM Super Saturday March 18, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at CSUMB University Center • CSUMB President’s Welcome • Guest Speaker • Support Programs • Student Panel • Campus Tour Confirmed registered attendees who fill out our short survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an iPad. Participants will also be invited to apply for a $1000 scholarship upon enrollment at CSUMB. Register 1012934146 Super Saturday Flyer 2023 v3_Print.indd 1 2/7/23 10:15 AM 10:30 AM and 3:00PM 11:00 AM and 3:00PM The Salinas City Elementary School District is seeking applicants to fill the important role of serving as a member of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. This committee exists to ensure that the proceeds from Measures G&H—the two general obligation bonds passed in 2022—are spent in accordance with the will of the voters. This committee satisfies the accountability requirements of Prop 39. Among the duties of this committee: Reviewing quarterly expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that bond proceeds are expended only for the purposes set forth in the ballot measure and no proceeds are used for any teacher or administrative salaries or other operating expenses of the District. Recruitment for this committee is ongoing and will remain open unless and until four new members are approved. If you are interested, please visit this link: bit.ly/3YrZhsE to download and print the application, or you may obtain a paper copy of the application between the hours of 8:30am–4:30pm, Monday-Friday, at the front desk of the District Office, 840 S. Main St., Salinas. Please email your completed application to jcardenas@salinascity.k12.ca.us or return it to the District Office. Scan QR code to download application SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR THE CITIZENS’ BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY March 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 A rhythmic left, right “thwackthwack” fills the room. Over a dozen kids, ages 5-12, form a line in constant motion, throwing synchronized punches at pads wielded by their coaches. It’s just another day at AVILA Victory Boxing in Greenfield. One of the young pugilists is 10-year-old Mia Zamudio. She has a committed face as her gloved fists smack the target. Her movement is a powerful dance, with balance and swiftness. When Zamudio first started boxing, she had little endurance. Even warming up before practice was a challenge. “I didn’t know how to jump rope,” Zamudio says. Now, she wants to become a professional boxer when she grows up. She attends the club every day with her father, David, who is part of the coaching staff. Zamudio says she feels at home at AVILA. “Everybody is like family here,” she says. And as with most families, there are fundamental rules: “I’ve learned to respect others [and] not to fight outside of the club.” AVILA Victory Boxing started informally six years ago, in a 700-squarefoot garage with one student. Rigo Avila, the club’s founder and head coach, says someone asked him to train his son, who was bullied at school. By word of mouth, one child turned into 10, then 50. It kept growing until the original garage space became too small. AVILA is both a name and an acronym. It stands for some of the values and traits Avila says the sport can instill: ambition, valor, integrity, loyalty and achievement. The club became a nonprofit in 2021, located a former industrial building, and now has 300 boxing pupils registered. It is volunteer-based, receiving support from local businesses, organizations and community members to keep the club running or to sponsor a child’s $45 monthly fee. AVILA offers different programs for children 5-12, including an amateur program for older kids, who participate in boxing tournaments as well as empowerment training for girls. The latter runs twice a week and accepts walk-ins. Former Greenfield Mayor John Huerta volunteers by writing grants and seeking sponsorships. “We need more of this in South Monterey County,” he says. Huerta points out that many families in the city are lower-income and can’t afford to enroll their kids in recreational programs. “It’s tough,” he says. “We are campesinos, we are farmworker families.” Avila can relate to this. “I never had an opportunity to go amateur,” he explains. Although he trained with a coach, the nearest boxing gym was in Salinas: “[I’m] kind of living my dream through them,” he says of the students. In boxing, kids learn discipline, how to move and control their bodies, self-confidence, self-defense and decision-making. “We’re creating young leaders one punch at a time,” Avila says. Structured programs like this, he adds, can allow children who might fall into trouble find a different path. Genoveva Montoya enrolled her son Guadalupe, 12, in February. She explains that he punches away his negative thoughts and emotions. Randy Villalobos, 14, has been part of the club for over two years. He joined once he learned there was a boxing club in town; his parents had been looking into programs in Salinas. “We gave it a shot, and I never looked back,” Villalobos says. Before his own training begins, Villalobos helps the coaches with the youngest members. He assists in training and offers tips from his experience. The club is part of the Central California Amateur Boxing Association, and the more advanced students compete at tournaments in the region. Avila says they want to produce their own Ruben Villas, a nod to the professional boxer from Salinas. “We hope to bring back some championships,” he says. “We hope and dream of bringing some Olympic medals and maybe creating a professional champion one day.” AVILA Victory Boxing is at 36 4th St. (Building C), Greenfield. Open 4:30-8:30pm Monday-Friday. info@ avilavictoryboxing.org, avilavictoryboxing.org. Upper(cut) Class Through boxing, a local organization brings opportunities to children in Greenfield. By Celia Jiménez Ten-year-old Mia Zamudio practices with head coach Rigo Avila at AVILA Victory Boxing in Greenfield. The boxing club is the first and only one of its kind in the city. “We dream of bringing back some Olympic medals.” TaLES FrOM ThE arEa cODE CELIA JIMÉNEZ 831.200.9700 • www.gocatrescue.org THANK YOU! Thanks to you, we raised $80,522.68 from 376 donors during the 2022 Monterey County Gives! fundraising campaign. We are so grateful for your generous support! Thanks to you, Golden Oldies can continue to help cats 6 and older from Monterey County whose guardians can no longer care for them or who are at risk in shelters—like 14-year-old Daisy-Lou, our first kitty adopted in 2023! You are awesome! If you would like to sponsor our next ad, please contact us! If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, give us a call. Marley Rita Marley, or Marley as her friends call her, is sweet and gentle with canine friends of all shapes and sizes. She loves exploring the environment with her nose, but her favorite thing in the world is people, especially when those people have treats! Marley is an 82 pound, 11-year-old, Spayed Female, Labrador Retriever Mix. If you’d like to meet Marley, please fill out an online adoption questionnaire. P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove 831.718.9122 peaceofminddogrescue.org SPONSORED by Kalman Weinfeld In honor of my late father, who taught me the value of volunteering.
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 2020 INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS AND INTERVIEWS TO BE HELD AT 2:00 PM AT THESE LOCATIONS THE SUPERIOR COURT URGES YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN IMPROVING YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT! Greenfield Tuesday May 12 Monterey Wednesday May 13 www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/grandjury (831) 775-5400 Extension 3014 Salinas Thursday May 14 Monterey Courthouse May 9 at 2:00 pm Salinas Courthouse May 10 at 2:00 pm King City Courthouse May 11 at 10:30 am The 2023–2024 Civil Grand Jury Needs You! 2023 Informational session AND INTERVIEWS TO BE HELD AT THESE LOCATIONS For more information, visit our website at mbard.org or contact Tyrone Bell, Air Quality Planner, at tbell@mbard.org or call 831.718.8023. Community Air Protection Program Grants COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS Share your clean air program priorities for your community. Learn about grant incentives available for Zero-Emission Equipment Replacement, Off-Road/Ag Equipment Replacement, Marine Engine Replacement, and other potential projects. Tuesday, March 21, 2023 - 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner's Office 1428 Abbott St., Salinas, CA 93901 Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Watsonville Public Library 275 Main St., Watsonville, CA 95076 Thursday, March 23, 2023 - 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Monterey County Free Libraries - Marina Branch 190 Seaside Circle, Marina, CA 93933
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY march 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news On the morning of Saturday, March 11, Ramon Sanchez joined a crowd of people on the Pajaro River Bridge. They stood under an overcast sky during a break in the rain, as the river rushed below them. About three miles upriver, the levee had breached just after midnight. Sanchez, 59, and his family were awoken by a knock at the door in the middle of the night, and evacuated around 1:30am. Sanchez and his wife, Carmen Ramirez, and son, Gabriel, stayed with his daughter in Watsonville overnight. Sanchez walked for over an hour to get back to Pajaro after daylight to check on whether his apartment was underwater or not. “I haven’t slept,” he says in Spanish. Sanchez was one of about 200 people who evacuated overnight; evacuation orders had been in effect since the previous day, but the threat of flooding came all at once when the levee broke, inundating the town of about 2,000 people. Ruth Ruiz was also on the Pajaro River Bridge, on the Watsonville side, with her daughter watching the flooding in the distance. “Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen, but it happened, unfortunately,” Ruiz says. She grabbed some clothes and a few toys for her daughter before leaving. She and her family are staying nearby with a relative, and she doesn’t know if she will move into a hotel. They were away from home for nine days during the January winter storms; they spent seven of those days at a hotel paying $200 per night. “It was expensive,” Ruiz says, and adds: “Help, we didn’t get it from anywhere.” Ruiz works from home for West Marine, a chain specializing in boat parts and fishing supplies. Without the internet and electricity, she can’t work. “I can’t tell you when I’m going back to work,” she says. “It is a loss [for us] from every side.” Ruiz was able to check on the status of her home thanks to a camera she had installed, and estimates the water reached up to 3 feet inside. She adds that this time, she hopes they receive help. Even after the levee breach and water flooding the town, some residents whose homes are on a second-floor level refused to evacuate. Josh Silveira, a Cal Fire battalion chief, says they have subsequently received calls asking for help to be evacuated. “They now realize that that was probably a bad idea,” he says. “They don’t have food so they’re asking for help.” Pajaro has a large Spanishspeaking population as well as speakers of Indigenous Mexican languages, but residents report that first responders at the scene mostly spoke in English, and some in broken Spanish. The county has provided information and updates in English, Spanish and Indigenous Mexican languages on different platforms, from paper flyers to social media, yet residents say people on the ground—such as law enforcement officials and firefighters—were not fluent in Spanish. A range of agencies have been on the scene to assist with rescues, including the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office; Monterey County Department of Emergency Management; specialized water rescue teams from Oakland, Menlo Park and Marin County; National Guard; Cal Fire; North Monterey County Fire Protection District; the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; and the California Department of Water Resources. Sheriff Tina Nieto reports that as of Tuesday, March 14, three days after the breach, 239 people have been rescued from the flooded area. Meanwhile, what began as a 100foot breach widened to 120 feet, then 200 feet, and eventually 400 feet. The state Department of Water Resources is the lead agency working on emergency repairs, and hired contractor KW Emerson Inc. to do the work. Crews are using rock from a nearby quarry owned by local mining company Graniterock to fill the breach. The 400-span was filled in by March 15; next they’ll begin piling it higher. A longer-term fix will come later. On Monday, March 13, officials announced they had discovered a secondary breach further downriver, closer to the river’s mouth. That breach, according to Shaunna Murray, a senior engineer at the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, is helping to lower the flooding upstream, basically serving as a pressure relief valve: “That’s a beneficial breach that happened naturally, and it’s allowing the water to evacuate the flooded areas.” Evacuation orders remain in effect for now. Even after the floodwaters subside, it is uncertain when Pajaro residents will be able to return to their homes. Nieto said it could take months. Speaking at a press briefing on March 12, county spokesperson Nick Pasculli said it was too soon to give an estimated timeline for residents to return: “Disaster recovery is a complicated matter. There are a lot of things that have to happen. We are going to have to postpone giving a good answer on that.” Meanwhile, a shelter at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds was at capacity as of March 14. Two additional shelters opened in Santa Cruz on March 14, at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building (215 E. Beach St.) and Cabrillo College Gymnasium in Aptos (6500 Soquel Drive). Both will provide food, supplies and a place to sleep. Above, the view from above the flooded community of Pajaro on March 13; below, a man crosses Salinas Road in Pajaro mid-morning on Saturday, March 11. Stop Gap Pajaro River levee breaches, resulting in a chaotic emergency for thousands of displaced residents. By Celia Jiménez Jeremy Lezin To follow the Weekly’s ongoing storm coverage, visit mcweekly.com/ storms2023. There, you can also read several storm-related stories translated into Spanish. Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 NEW HOURS WEDNESDAY - SUNDAY: 4PM TO 10PM | MONDAY & TUESDAY: CLOSED LOCATED BEHIND THE PORTOLA HOTEL & SPA | COMPLIMENTARY PARKING (831) 649-2699 | PETERBSBREWPUB.COM SPORTS ON 18 HDTV’S & PET-FRIENDLY HEATED PATIO HAPPY HOUR 4PM TO 6PM & 9PM TO 10PM ALL NIGHT HAPPY HOUR WEDNESDAY FOR COLLEGE NIGHT | THURSDAY FOR MILITARY NIGHT ALL NEW MONTEREY SPORTS CENTER SPRING SPORTS CAMP March 20-31 • Two One-Week Sessions WINTER SPORTS CAMP: AGES 6-12 TEEN WORK EXPERIENCE: AGES 13-17 9:00am - 4:00pm Early drop-off and extended pick up available for minimal additional fees Registration: $210.00 or $189.00 / week for City of Monterey Residents Register at the front desk or online at montereysportscenter.org Stay active over winter break! Swimming, Basketball, Soccer & more: Gain work experience and build your resume assisting counselors with Winter Sports Camp: 9:00am - 4:00pm Registration: $115.00 or $103.50 / week for City of Monterey Residents Register at the front desk or online at montereysportscenter.org Monterey Sports Center 301 E. Franklin Street, Monterey (831) 646-3730 | montereysportscenter.org December 19th-23rd & December 26th-30th WINTER SPORTS CAMP SPRING SPORTS CAMP: AGES 6-12 TEEN WORK EXPERIENCE: AGES 13-17 Stay active this spring! • 9:00am – 4:00pm, Mon.– Fri. • Early drop-off and extended pick up available for minimal additional fees • $220 per week • City of Monterey residents receive 10% discount • Space is limited, Register NOW at montereysportscenter.org Gain work experience and build your resume assisting counselors with Spring Sports Camp: • 9:00am – 4:00pm, Mon.– Fri. • $115 per week • City of Monterey residents receive 10% discount • Space is limited, Register NOW at montereysportscenter.org The time you decided not to hire movers. Smarter, faster urgent care. 8 a.m.–8 p.m. every day including holidays Walk in or make a reservation online MoGoUrgentCare.org Visit-related X-rays, lab work, and medications onsite and included in your co-pay or flat fee. LOCATIONS y CARMEL 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Suite B-1 y MARINA 2930 2nd Avenue, Suite 120 y MONTEREY 2020 Del Monte Avenue, Suite B
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY march 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Four days after high winds on March 9 took out power for 37,000 residents in the Monterey area, PG&E crews were busy in Carmel with a backhoe and other equipment replacing two poles that had snapped after a large Monterey pine fell. It was one of approximately 40 trees that tumbled in Carmel and one incident among dozens on the Monterey Peninsula that kept most of the small village in the dark a day after neighboring cities. Some areas were still dark on Monday, March 13, as the next storm arrived. Carmel City Administrator Chip Rerig says he’s grateful for the workers piecing back together the town’s power lines, but he has questions for their employer. “It was odd for us because PG&E was so prepared and organized for the January storm, but they didn’t appear to have anybody staged and prepared for this storm,” Rerig says. “There was adequate warning. Why they weren’t better prepared remains a topic I need to take up with PG&E,” he says. PG&E Senior Public Safety Specialist Stewart Roth says crews were as ready ahead of the March 9 storm as they were in January, but it differed this time with higher gusting winds and saturated ground. “This was a totally different event,” Roth says. In addition, Roth says safety regulations require PG&E to pull crews out if winds are over 30mph. Another source of delay is workers having to make safe areas for police and fire by de-energizing downed lines. In January, crews were able to start repairs faster. Regardless of those issues, Pacific Grove City Manager Ben Harvey says he wants to have a conversation with PG&E officials about a future investment in beefing up local infrastructure, especially in light of recurring extreme weather. “We all need to face the reality of these stormy, rainy winters,” Harvey says. “It’s causing us to think, what sort of redundancy do we need to come up with?” In Monterey, where city officials counted 32 downed trees causing 12 street closures—including on Del Monte Avenue, where two transmission lines carrying power to a large area of Monterey County came down—and 136 calls to the Monterey Fire Department over a 24-hour period, City Manager Hans Uslar is talking more seriously about undergrounding power lines. It’s a lengthy and expensive proposition but Uslar is ready to consider it. “The community has to get its ducks in a row and decide, how do we finance that?” Uslar says. When the Pajaro River levee breached shortly after midnight March 11, floodwaters made their way south down Salinas Road, and later that Saturday morning, reached the Elkhorn Slough, a national estuarine research reserve. On their way, the waters inundated Tri-County Landscape Supply, and just before 3pm on Sunday, March 12, Elkhorn resident Rebecca Dmytryk filed a hazardous materials spill report with the state Office of Emergency Services, stating there was a sheen of “unknown black petroleum product” about 200-by-45 feet in size that appeared to be coming from a shed at Tri-County. Tri-County manager Juan Ramirez confirms it was the source—a tank holding 60 gallons of waste oil, which is “all gone,” he says. He adds everything was up to code, but it got submerged by the flood. Dmytryk, along with her husband Duane Titus, runs nonprofit Wildlife Emergency Services, a wild animal rescue company. Titus says they’ve done a number of rescues over the years for animals impacted by oil spills, and he says that for birds, even a dime-size blot of oil on their plume can be a death sentence. Oil latches onto vegetation, he says, so he’s unsure if any of the oil reached the slough. Mark Silberstein, executive director of nonprofit Elkhorn Slough Foundation, says this is a reprisal of the Pajaro floods of 1995, when floodwaters reached the slough on the same path. Some of the sediment the waters then deposited in the slough contained DDT—a pesticide banned in 1972 due to its toxicity and thinning of bird eggshells—and they decimated a fledgling colony of Caspian terns, which Silberstein says have not returned. He says ESF scientists will be watching in the coming months for broken egg shells and deformed embryos—signs of DDT poisoning. Dave Feliz, the reserve manager, says scientists will be closely monitoring any new sediment deposited from the flood. “Even decades after [DDT] was used, it persists in the soils,” he says. In the Dark Cities left without power start looking for ways to prevent future outages. By Pam Marino news House of Cards The Del Rey Oaks City Council and Planning Commission host a public workshop on the city’s latest Housing Element update. The multiyear housing plan identifies available land, keeps track of new policies and attempts to meet housing needs for multiple economic backgrounds in the area. Come in person to comment, or watch via Zoom. 6pm Thursday, March 16. Charlie Benson Memorial Hall, 650 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Del Rey Oaks. Free. 3948511, kminami@delreyoaks.org, bit.ly/ DelReyOaksHousingElementUpdate. Lunch of the Irish Enjoy a traditional Irish meal with Marina Recreation & Cultural Services as they celebrate Irish heritage this month. Come hear music, eat and honor the culture. 11am Saturday, March 18. Marina Community Center, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. $2. 884-1253, bit.ly/ MarinaIrishHeritageLunch. Family Matters The public is invited to attend a strategic planning event in order to help Monterey County officials plan for a forthcoming Family Justice Center. The space will be designed to help survivors of family violence and their loved ones get the resources and support they need in one location. Lunch will be provided during the afternoon. 8am-4pm Wednesday, March 22. Salinas Elks Lodge, 614 Airport Blvd., Salinas. Free. RSVP to FamilyJusticeCenterRSVP@co.monterey.ca.us. familyjusticecenter.com. STORM SUPPORT The Community Foundation for Monterey County has created a storm relief fund. Anyone is invited to donate any amount, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funds to support local storm-related response and recovery. As of March 1, more than $500,000 has been granted. 375-9712, cfmco.org/stormrelief. You can also mail a check to CFMC, 2354 Garden Road, Monterey, CA 93940 and note “storm relief fund” in the subject. Relief Resources King City is accepting business assistance applications for those who have been financially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The program provides grants to small and medium-sized businesses within the city limits to offset the negative impacts of the shelter-in-place order. Applications will be accepted until June 15 or until the funds have been expended. King City City Hall, 212 S. Vanderhurst Ave., King City. Free. 386-5929, bit.ly/ KingCityBusinessRelief. Toxin Watch Floodwaters reached the Elkhorn Slough. What chemicals did they carry with them? By David Schmalz PG&E crews were lined up on Dolores Street in northern Carmel on Monday, March 13, repairing two poles that snapped when a tree fell on power lines on March 9. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “They didn’t appear to have anybody prepared for this storm.” Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Join us 2023 Volunteer Season Kickoff! • Admissions • Camping • Parking • Traffic • Vendor Area • Store • Marketing & Promotions • Go-Karts • Hospitality • Service clubs Saturday, March 25th 10:00 AM The Hospitality Pavilion RSVP BolanosA@laguna-seca.com 1021 Monterey - Salinas HWY Salinas CA, 93908 831-242-8264 LEAKS FIX A LEAK WEEK WATER MATTERS The average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 GALLONS of wasted water per year. Worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and leaking valves are often EASY TO FIX and only require simple tools. Sign up for our Water Newsletter. MPWMD.net FIX & SAVE! MAR 20-26 Learn how to find and fix leaks: epa.gov/watersense FRESH. LOCAL. TASTY. Fisherman’s Wharf FRESHEST SEAFOOD with PAnORAmiC viEwS Open Daily at 11:30am • At the end of Fisherman’s Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com On Sunday, March 12, just a few hours after the staff at Rio Grill in Carmel saw their electricity return after three nights without power and began setting up for business, the lights went out again. The next day, it was the same story—the power came back for a couple hours before flickering out. For Rio Grill owner Ken Donkersloot, the fact that his restaurant had invested in portable generators last year, enabling it to preserve some perishable foods, was mild consolation. Two of his establishments, Rio Grill and Montrio in Monterey, had lost more than a weekend’s worth of business; only his third restaurant, Tarpy’s Roadhouse on Highway 68, remained open—and in fact was packed with Monterey Peninsula diners eager for a warm, cooked meal. “For the first two months of this year, business has been just horrific with the weather and the flooding,” Donkersloot says. “It’s been a really slow restaurant month, and this is just capping it off.” Retailers of all kinds found their businesses disrupted by widespread power outages that left much of the Peninsula in the dark, but perhaps none felt the pain like those in the food and beverage industry. For those without generators, or another location where they could transport their perishable inventory, there was no choice but to trash hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of food and swallow the financial loss of keeping their doors closed. Soerke Peters, owner of Mezzaluna Pasteria in Pacific Grove, says the outages compounded what is an increasingly difficult business environment for restaurateurs. “To make a profit these days in the restaurant industry, the margins are so low,” he notes, citing the climbing costs of rent, taxes, labor and insurance. “It’s getting more difficult by the year, and eventually it’s going to be unsustainable.” Caterers were not spared either, with Little Luna Cheese Boards owner Amy Aubuchon noting her charcuterie business had to throw away $800 worth of cheese, meat and other goods after her Monterey kitchen lost power. Aubuchon says the recent weather and power outages have worsened what’s already a slow season. “It’s tough during the winter months—people aren’t getting together as much,” she says. “Nobody is focusing on events right now. I think everybody is just trying to get through what’s happening.” Bashar Sneeh could count himself lucky; the restaurateur owns five establishments, and while Dametra in Carmel and Monterey both lost power, he was able to move some supplies to Dametra’s location in Marina, which was still operating. Still, Sneeh says his restaurants lost “tens of thousands [of dollars], for sure,” due to the outages. The darkness didn’t stop Sneeh from keeping one of his restaurants, Porta Bella in Carmel, open on Saturday, March 11. Porta Bella hosted a wedding reception, booked months in advance, in candlelight and served a limited menu. “For me, it wasn’t [about] the money,” he says. “It was their wedding—we said we’ve got to make it happen, no matter what.” Power Bill Monterey Peninsula restaurants and caterers count the cost of a weekend-long power outage. By Rey Mashayekhi Bashar Sneeh, who owns five local restaurants including Dametra Cafe in Carmel and Dametra Fresh in Monterey (pictured), saved on losses by moving food to Dametra’s Marina location. NEWS “Business has been just horrific with the weather.” DANIEL DREIFUSS PRESENTED BY
www.montereycountyweekly.com MARCH 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 A presentation at Harden Middle School in Salinas on March 9 was meant to uplift Latinos, and educate them about how to be allies of their Black peers. It included information on why they shouldn’t sing or say the N-word. So Brandon Brown, the guest presenter and CEO of SchoolYard Rap—an organization that educates youth minorities across the county—was crushed when, during his presentation, a student accessed the Bluetooth system, and shared a photo of a monkey with the N-word below it. “I was hurt,” Brown says. “I felt attacked.” He says he took a moment to compose himself and decide whether to continue; he did. Instead of following his planned lecture, he focused on how it made him and his colleagues, three Black men, feel. During Black History Month, Salinas Union High School District was already grappling with another racist incident. A Feb. 24 activity at Rancho San Juan High School invited students to recognize Black trailblazers’ contributions in any field, by decorating classroom doors. Instead, the assignment became evidence of how little many students knew. Some focused on soul food, with images of fried chicken and collard greens; one door showed ice cream cones, and the class used cotton to depict ice cream. (Millions of enslaved people worked in the American cotton industry.) Art Smith, a pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Salinas, says instead of using stereotypical food, students might have honored a well-known chef and their signature dishes—someone like Carla Hall or Augustus Jackson, known as the father of modern ice cream. Rancho San Juan Principal Anthony Hilton shared a statement with parents and staff. “I have been, and will continue to be very reflective on things I could have done differently to prevent harm from being done to members of the RSJHS community,” he wrote. These incidents come two years after the district made national headlines when photos were shared on social media showing students from Salinas High School mutilating a Black baby doll. After outcry, the district adopted a long-term plan focused on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. Superintendent Dan Burns says they have started it; the first training focused on LGTBQ+ awareness and pronouns. One goal is to address racial incidents consistently. “The long-term planning is really focused around educating young people, educating staff, educating the community as well,” Burns says. Still, Salinas High School freshman Alyssa Brown, 14, says she has faced racism at school: “I’ve been called a gorilla, a monkey. I’ve been asked if I wanted bananas,” she says. Black History Month, she adds, should be the norm. “You shouldn’t want to be nice to me because it’s February. Once that one month is over, there’s no respect for Black people.” Brandon Brown says the recent incidents reaffirm the district’s need to address racism on its campuses. “It makes the work I’m doing even more necessary. This is why I do the work that I do, to erase ignorance.” Racial Reckoning After two racist incidents at Salinas Union schools, the community demands accountability. By Celia Jiménez Heaven Flowers didn’t want her daughter, Alyssa Brown, to attend Salinas High after the racist doll incident in 2021. “They didn’t treat the wound, they just put a band-aid on it,” Flowers says. NEWS “This is why I do the work that I do, to erase ignorance.” CELIA JIMENEZ BEST SUMMER EVER! THE CITY OF MONTEREY FOR MORE INFO + REGISTRATION MONTEREY.ORG/REC OVERNIGHT CAMP DAY CAMPS TODDLER CAMPS SPORTS CAMPS AND MORE! REGISTER NOW SCAN ME!
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY march 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com In Deep Hope everyone makes it out safely (“Pajaro River levee breach floods the community, with emergency responders scrambling to get people to safety,” posted March 11). Nicole Amundson | via social media Wow, so much flooding! Karen Warner | via social media Kind of like Hurricane Katrina—poor people don’t matter. Hold your local government accountable; they knew this was a problem and instead they funneled your taxpayer money into their high salaries. Sam Ayala | via social media Heartsick for all those affected (“Monterey County puts much of Salinas Valley under evacuation order amid flood threat,” posted March 12). Marge Zimmermann | via social media Thanks for the updates and photos! Laura Hayes | via social media Fruits and veggies are about to be expensive this year (“Monterey County agriculture hit with damage ‘greater than January storms,’ officials say,” posted March 13). Juan Carlos Lozoya | via social media Thanks for the update. Unlike the TV news, this is information without hysteria (“Blanco Road is closed but Highway 68 remains open, dispelling fears of ‘Monterey Peninsula Island’— for now,” posted March 13). James Tarhalla | via social media Up on Downtown Comparing Alvarado Street to Lighthouse Avenue is like comparing apples and oranges (“Street, road or stroad, a streetscape can make or break a downtown,” March 9-15). Alvarado is a relatively short downtown street, while Lighthouse is one of only two public routes out of Pacific Grove. During a storm, Highway 68 is often closed due to downed trees so that leaves Lighthouse a parking lot. I agree with what King City is doing with Broadway. We enjoy stopping at the Cork and Plough for lunch. Mike Gunby | Pacific Grove Really nice piece. I watched a great video explaining stroads and what a challenge they are for communities to deal with. “Stroads are Ugly, Expensive and Dangerous” [on the YouTube channel] Not Just Bikes is at bit.ly/stroadsvideo. Josh Warburg | Marina I want more bike lanes! Maureen Wruck | Salinas Tunnel Time In 1978, the proposed tunnel between the two lakes was estimated to cost $8 million. Here we are 45 years later, and the estimate is over $200 million—45 years and nothing has been done (“As the proposed Interlake Tunnel project advances, the question is: Is it worth it?” March 2-8). Today, March 10, 2023, 8,000 cubic-feet of water are being released from Lake Nacimiento every second because the Nacimiento can not hold any more. That equates to 16,000 acre-feet a day running to the ocean. Wasted water. San Antonio Reservoir is sitting at 43-percent full. The tunnel would gravity-feed that wasted water over to San Antonio. It’s well past time to do something. Edward Heinz | Salinas Fighting Words William Offenberg begins his argument, “People should be customers of a business because of products and services and not because of race, sexual orientation or ethnicity” (“Letters,” March 2-8). An inane argument. Who is he to say what people should or should not do? People congregate, shop, etc., where they feel comfortable and accepted whether it be a gay bar, a rap concert, an Irish pub, an ethnic deli, etc. I also disagree that some are disadvantaged or discriminated against in favor of those who have been discriminated against. During my career in HR spanning more than 50 years, I have observed many non-merit appointments and/or promotions. However, all were based on cronyism and none were to favor any specific race or group. When given the opportunity, I corrected the non-merit appointments. More and more employers recognize that cross-cultural interaction and input often brings fresh thinking and new ideas—not to discriminate against anyone, but to increase workforce diversity in our increasingly blended society. “Level playing fields” are good things, and I am not aware of anyone who has been “disadvantaged or disenfranchised” by playing on one. I sympathize for those living in the good old USA who will “never embrace equality for all.” Although equal justice and equal opportunity will never be entirely realized, they are certainly worthy goals for any democratic society. Bill Strojny | via email Water Bill Thank you for coverage of the latest on the Pure Water Monterey project (“Cal Am is conspicuously absent as Pure Water Monterey celebrates a milestone,” posted March 7). Monterey One Water has received at least two federal awards for their outstanding project, a truly innovative and sustainable water source. So far, Cal Am refuses to sign the water purchase agreement and is holding our water supply hostage, putting over $42 million in funding at risk. If anyone wants to voice their concern to the California Public Utilities Commission, go to cpuc.ca.gov proceeding A.21-11-024 to leave a comment. The public needs to speak out on this. Susan Schiavone | Seaside One Voice Thank you for your article (“After 39 years at the helm of Interim, Inc., Barbara Mitchell says she got more than she gave,” Feb. 23-March 1). In 2008-2012, I enjoyed the privilege of working with Barbara while developing new housing on former Fort Ord property. My favorite anecdote about the lengths she would go to for Interim consumers to feel at home: Although Jewish, she donned a Christmas sweater and learned Christmas carols for sing-along parties in December. 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.
www.montereycountyweekly.com march 16-22, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 It is too soon to tally the toll of the ongoing storms. As of this writing, Monterey County has been, by some key measures, quite lucky— there are no reported deaths, and two reported injuries—although some of the impacts will not come into full relief until weeks or months from now. My colleagues at the Weekly have been reporting on the range of consequences to individuals, communities, the local economy and the environment, and you can read some of their stories in this issue (starting on p. 10), and much more at mcweekly.com, where we are doing our best to keep up with ever-evolving information. When difficult weather conditions hit Monterey County in January, county leadership was ready with a drumbeat of public safety messaging. They seemed to me, at the time, to be overly cautious—they held repeat press conferences cautioning about the potential for road closures and that we might experience a “Monterey Peninsula Island” effect. While the immediacy ebbed and flowed with the floodwaters and hydrological predictions on inherently unpredictable rivers, the message was consistent: Take the storm seriously, obey all evacuation orders and road closures, and be prepared. The gist, the logic goes, is that it’s best to overreact rather than to under-prepare. This is the guiding logic of emergency planners, and it is nothing new. But unlike the January storms, things in March have felt more haphazard. The county convened a press conference on Saturday, March 11, to release information about the levee breach and flooding in Pajaro. On Sunday at 2pm, they convened again. I asked about the potential for flooding and an island effect—after all, predictions for river levels were higher than what we saw in January— and was told, in essence, not to worry. “We are preparing for that possibility, but we are not anticipating that happening,” County Communications Director Nick Pasculli said. “We are watching that very closely. We are prepared.” But the public had not been advised to prepare. And given Pasculli’s report, it didn’t sound like we should be—while the potential was there, we could expect plenty of notice. Instead, at 8:14pm that night, the county sent out a press release titled, “Salinas River crest may cause significant flooding west of Salinas: Residents urged to prepare for possible cut-off between Highway 68, Salinas.” The announcement read, “The forecasted impacts have evolved over the last 24 hours.” But the change in tone came after just five hours. I asked about this seeming change in tone—from overprepared to urgent and reactive—at a press conference the next day. “We are measuring our messaging this time,” Pasculli said. “We were fine-tuning it.” I had to be persuaded in January that overprepared was the right approach, and I was at first reluctant to overhype risk, but I came around—it seemed the responsible thing to do. I know weather is unpredictable, but somewhere along the way it seems county leadership decided to shift gears. Maybe they did so in closed-door meetings. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors met on March 12 and 13, in a closed-session meeting to talk about the unfolding disaster. Most government meetings are conducted in public, with a few reasons for exemption—in this case, a section of government code referring to “matters posing a threat to the security.” Of course, the impacts of the storm are a threat to public infrastructure and security. But when I asked David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, about this provision, he seemed surprised. The reasoning for the provision is for government agencies to meet in private in order to avoid sharing potential vulnerabilities that a terrorist or a hacker might exploit—situations like a bomb threat would clearly apply. “I don’t think ‘threat to security’ should include a natural disaster,” Loy says. “The weather is not looking for security loopholes. It is not an actor like a potential terrorist.” It’s something we can and should talk about in as clear and comprehensive terms as possible—and in the open. Circumstances were different (and luckier) in January, but so was communication around preparedness. It will take both good luck and good communication to get out of this OK. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. Storm Watch Amid major storm impacts, the county’s messaging has been oddly subtle. By Sara Rubin Customer No Service…Squid was comfy and cozy in Squid’s lair while the first atmospheric river raged above the ocean’s surface March 9-10, but empathizes with the humans who were not faring as well. Squid sincerely hopes the people of Pajaro can return home soon, as well as residents along the county’s rivers who were told to evacuate or who couldn’t drink their water due to contamination. Squid also feels for the 37,000 people of Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove and beyond, who were without power for four days and more after the first storm pummeled the area. As if sitting in the dark and cold wasn’t bad enough, residents suffered further indignities thanks to PG&E messaging. No power meant no internet, and yet customers consistently received text messages and robocalls from the company directing them to the PG&E website for information. Adding further insult to injury, the cell phones of thousands of Verizon customers were rendered useless for all but emergency calls by an equipment failure March 9, meaning they were completely out of the loop for notifications until service was restored on March 11. It sounds to Squid like some maddening level of hell, but sadly it’s the real deal—care of a giant corporation where in 2021 CEO Patricia Poppe made $51.2 million in total compensation. Smoke Screen…Squid knows we need the rain and all, but it’s starting to feel like nature is being rude. Sure, the sun poked through on a handful of days in the past few months, but Squid remains deprived of Vitamin D—is three days in a row asking too much?—and Squid’s gelatinous skin has attained a corpse-like pallor. But alas, climate change has created a paradigm of extremes—drought and deluge, fire and flood. Which reminded Squid of an announcement Aera Energy LLC— which operates several oil wells near San Ardo—sent out in December to imagine a “life without oil.” Aera’s email was accompanied by a “fact-based” YouTube video that shows a family putting on a backyard barbecue, but one by one, most of the things required disappear, because they include plastic. Aside from the fact the first plastics were not made with petroleum—in a world without oil we could still have all those things—Aera’s press release leaned into the company’s local ties: “As a California-based company, Aera is committed to doing its part to help the state achieve carbon net neutrality.” Fast forward to Feb. 28, when Squid got a press release from Aera announcing the company had been sold to two asset management companies in Canada and Germany. But not to worry—they also, in a statement, stress their commitment to California’s “smooth transition” to net neutrality. Like any other fossil fuel company, regardless of state or country, their commitment is simple: Keep pumping. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We are measuring our messaging this time.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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