12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Dozens of Pajaro residents attended the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 4, holding signs in English and Spanish that read “Justicia para Pajaro” [Justice for Pajaro], “Pajaro is Abandoned,” and “Make Pajaro a beautiful and safe place to live.” About 10 people addressed the board, sharing their frustration and anger over how the flooding impacted their lives. “Your inaction speaks volumes,” said Ramiro Medrano during public comment. “Your racism and classism are glaringly evident, but we will no longer stand for it.” Medrano lived in Pajaro for over 30 years; he now lives in Salinas and has organized Pajaro residents, including at a protest in March where over 200 residents marched, asking for a federal disaster declaration and Federal Emergency Management Agency support. President Joe Biden signed a Declaration of Disaster on Monday, April 3, 23 days after the Pajaro levee was breached. “That does not absolve the County of Monterey from their responsibility... Taking care of Pajaro has been a very slow response,” Medrano says. The residents issued a list of demands to the board. These include: A step-by-step plan to prevent flooding in the next five-to-seven years before the levee repair project is completed; District 2 office hours in Pajaro at least once a month with Mixteco and Spanish translators; better management of the distribution of resources; the creation of an oversight committee to ensure resources are given to Pajaro residents; and $12,000 in financial aid per family. Eva Carrillo shared in Spanish that she doesn’t qualify for most aid because her house wasn’t affected, nor is she a farmworker. But she does need assistance—she spent her savings during the evacuation. Carrillo said her 18-year-old son is now contemplating dropping out of school and finding a job to help her to pay next month’s rent. “I don’t want my family to be destroyed due to an ineptitude from the government I have representing me,” Carrillo told the board. Carrillo was working in Pajaro and is now unemployed. “What you’re experiencing is truly systematic and environmental injustice,” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said during the meeting. “Until we fully address the policies that lead to structural inequalities in our communities, we will never have a better future for our children.” With all the disaster this past winter has wrought, there is a silver lining beyond the recharge to the region’s aquifers: beach replenishment. Sand on the beaches, locally, comes from the land, and it arrives there in one of two ways: erosion from existing dunes or rock formations or through the waves, with sand that is carried from the outflow where a river meets sea. In the case of the Salinas River, this is shaping up to be a historic year for such replenishment, in large part because of the cessation, at the end of 2020, of the Cemex sand mine in Marina, which captured much of the sand that was traveling south down the coast from the river mouth, which is only opened up by the county in heavy rain years like this one. (The steam still coming out of the Cemex plant is because the company has until the end of 2023 to process and offload its stockpiled sand, per a consent order from the California Coastal Commission.) Local coastal engineer Ed Thornton, now retired, was the leading voice that helped shut down the sand mines, which until the late 1980s stretched from Sand City to Marina. The problem they created was one of erosion: You take sand out of the system and the coast will retreat, a problem that will be worsened by climate change-induced sea level rise. But the difference in the beaches in Marina won’t be noticeable in how it looks— it will just prevent the beach from retreating. “You only see erosion when you have a building perched on the cliff,” Thornton says. The hope, he says, is that now, with the cessation of local sand mining, the natural replenishment will prevent further erosion in the face of sea level rise. “They’re in competition,” Thornton says. “I would hope it would keep up with sea level rise, so what we see is a net-zero, so the whole shoreline becomes stable.” This winter, he says, was “a big year” to that end. Backlash Pajaro residents demand financial aid and a plan to prevent flooding now. By Celia Jiménez news Easter Events The city of Marina is hosting several family-friendly events for the Easter holiday, including a pancake breakfast, egg decorating and an egg hunt for children. 9am Saturday, April 8. Rocky Han Community Center, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. 884-1278. bit.ly/ MarinaEaster2023. Cops with burritos Take a moment to get to know the police officers in your neighborhood. The King City Police Department will be available for conversation over burritos this week during Burritos with the Police, a program where you can ask questions and engage with officers in a friendly environment. 4pm Wednesday, April 12. El Taco Bravo Restaurant, 550 Canal St., #C, King City. Free. 385-3281. bit.ly/ KCBurritoswithPolice. Summer Jobs Are you interested in a summer job this year? The city of Monterey is looking to fill several positions in the recreation department and is accepting applications. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older, able to work the hours and days required by the position and program, and able to provide their own transportation to and from work. Applications are open until the position is filled. Monterey Recreation El Estero Park Center, 777 Pearl St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799. monterey.org/summerjobs. montereyrecreation@monterey.org. Social Outing Register for a free meal at the next Senior Social in Greenfield, meet up with old friends and make new ones. The event is in partnership with Salinas Valley Meals on Wheels, and local resource agencies that serve senior residents in Monterey County will be there to share information. Food will be provided by La Plaza Bakery. 11am Wednesday, April 12. Greenfield Memorial Hall, 615 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Free. 277-0514. bit.ly/ GreenfieldSeniorSocialApril23. Wear and Tear Salinas Valley Recycles returns with free tire recycling opportunities in Salinas, Gonzales and King City. Visit any of the three locations to dispose of your unwanted tires for free. Recycled tires can be turned into new materials like roads, playground floors and horse arenas. April 14-May 21. Salinas: Recycling & HHW Facility, 1104 Madison Lane. Gonzales: Johnson Canyon Landfill, 31400 Johnson Canyon Road. King City: Jolon Road Transfer Station, 52654 Jolon Road. 775-3000. salinasvalleyrecycles.org. Sand Blast The erosion of beaches in Marina finally has a fighting chance to end. By David Schmalz Ramiro Medrano speaks with Pajaro residents about the next steps as the community seeks to recover from flooding. Residents won a lawsuit after the 1995 floods. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “We will no longer stand for it.” Celia Jiménez
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