APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 montereycountyweekly.com LOCAL & INDEPENDENT the day the internet died 14 | Local bands take center stage 32 | greek classics to a beat 33 Now in its second season, Monterey Bay F.C. looks to lure more fans—and win more games. p. 20 By Rey Mashayekhi going for goal FamilyFREE 2023-2024 Published by BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® • SUMMER CAMP LISTINGS 2023 • THE OCEAN AS CLASSROOM • GAME TIME FOR ATHLETES • YOUTH LEAD THE WAY cover_family_23.indd 1 4/13/23 1:05 PM Best of Monterey Bay® Family magazine inside
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com PARTNER WITH TRINITY AND TRANSFORM YOUR CHILD'S LIFE WHERE the defining characteristic is love for Christ and serving others... GRADES 5-12 | ENROLLING NOW 680 BELDEN ST. MONTEREY, CA. VISIT TRINITYCHRISTIANSCHOOL.INFO OR CALL (831) 656 - 9434 WHERE Students receive an outstanding education; not just learning facts or how to perform well on a test, but rather how to use their minds to explore truth and to unlock the mysteries of God’s creation. WHERE the whole student is developed according to his or her gifts, talents, and passions Imagine a School . . . TRINITY CHRISTIAN NOW SERVING 5TH GRADE!!! Volunteers! Happy National Volunteer Month! We'd like to take a moment to thank our MPCC volunteers for their continued dedication to the Chamber and for helping to keep the Monterey Peninsula business community vibrant. Interested in becoming a MPCC Volunteer? Visit montereychamber.com for more information.
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 27-May 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com April 27-may 3, 2023 • ISSUE #1813 • Established in 1988 Gil Lucero (iPhone 14 Pro) The superbloom has begun. Lupine are popping above the grass at Marks Ranch, adjacent to Toro Park just outside of Salinas. Monterey County photo of the week Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Monterey Bay F.C. midfielder Walmer Martinez fights for a ball during the club’s 2022 home finale versus Tampa Bay Rowdies last October. Cover Photo by Daniel Dreifuss etc. Copyright © 2023 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $120 yearly, pre-paid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountyweekly.com. Audited by CVC. Founder & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@mcweekly.com (x103) Publisher Erik Cushman erik@mcweekly.com (x125) Editorial editor Sara Rubin sara@mcweekly.com (x120) features editor Dave Faries dfaries@mcweekly.com (x110) associate editor Tajha Chappellet-Lanier tajha@mcweekly.com (x135) Staff Writer Celia Jiménez celia@mcweekly.com (x145) Staff Writer Pam Marino pam@mcweekly.com (x106) Staff Writer Rey Mashayekhi rey@mcweekly.com (x102) Staff Writer Agata Pope¸da (x138) aga@mcweekly.com Staff Writer David Schmalz david@mcweekly.com (x104) DIGITAL PRODUCER Kyarra Harris kyarra@mcweekly.com (x105) Staff photographer Daniel Dreifuss daniel@mcweekly.com (x140) contributors Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Sloan Campi, Paul Fried, Jeff Mendelsohn, 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 We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountyweekly.com. We can tell you like the print edition of the Weekly. We bet you’ll love the daily newsletter, Monterey County NOW. Get fresh commentary, local news and sundry helpful distractions delivered to your inbox every day. There’s no charge, and if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe any time. DON’T MISS OUT Sign up today at montereycountyweekly.com/mcnow
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 Since 1953, Salinas Valley Health has been dedicated to providing care that promotes health and healing for our community. As we celebrate our 70th anniversary, we remain committed to continuing our mission to help the Salinas Valley rise in good health. YEARS A LEGACY OF HEALTH AND HEALING SalinasValleyHealth.com
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH Social media posts often have a flippant tone, but when does it go too far? In Salinas, City Manager Steve Carrigan decided in February that the Salinas Police Department had missed the mark at humor: “I didn’t think it was funny.” The department’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages routinely take a glib approach to public safety advisories or suspects who have been arrested. In February, SPD’s social media presence abruptly disappeared, Carrigan emailed the City Council to say: “I was not happy with two of their recent posts. I gave PD a warning and said if it happened again that I would take their pages down.” (The Weekly obtained emails connected to the social media pages via a California Public Records Act request.) The accounts were basically reinstated, and Carrigan says that decision comes after all city public information officials received additional training. Recent posts continue to use the same lighthearted tone, such as this one from April 15: “So you may have asked yourself what do you get when two drunk drivers crash? Well, other than many bad decisions let us tell you…a free ride with a sober driver to jail.” Good: Good news for Salinas youth comes on wheels. The Salinas Community Science Workshop inaugurated its Salinas Science Workshop on Wheels on April 15. The mobile unit will allow kids and teens to learn about science by playing and building objects like electric cars, catapults, scooters and more–all for free. The nonprofit started the project last summer with a grant from the Grower-Shipper Association and a bus donated by Monterey-Salinas Transit. SCSW Director Curt Gabrielson and Bus Coordinator Salvador Lua learned how to drive the 40-foot bus, which has been transformed into a mini-workshop with tools and materials. ”We are expanding fast,” Gabrielson says. The science bus will be at Martin Luther King Jr. Family Resource Center every Saturday during the summer from noon-2:30pm, and it’s also touring Salinas Public Library locations (salinaspubliclibrary.org/events). GREAT: Congratulations to the Monterey Peninsula Gospel Community Choir, directed by Seaside native John Nash Jr. The choir has been invited to perform at an international workshop in London that runs from April 27-29. The event is called the Global Edwin Hawkins Gospel Music and Arts Event and is led by gospel star Donald Lawrence. Lawrence is an American gospel music songwriter, best known for his Grammy Award-nominated songs “The Blessing of Abraham” and “Encourage Yourself.” Hawkins was an American gospel musician and was one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. Lawrence has led global events in the spirit of Hawkins’ legendary music and arts seminar before, but never in London. MPGCC, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary, will be the only American choir invited to perform at this event. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Number of consecutive years in which Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has been recognized as one of the “Best Communities for Making Music” by the NAMM Foundation. Among other offerings, MPUSD provides 1st through 5th graders with weekly music class; optional instrumental lessons to 5th and 6th graders; and a singing and movement program for kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students. Source: MPUSD 4 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “As of right now, being Youth Poet Laureate is one of my biggest priorities.” -Monterey County Youth Poet Laureate Mahi Shah of Notre Dame High School in Salinas, who was celebrated with an installation ceremony on April 22 (see story, mcweekly.com). 26384 Carmel Rancho Ln., #103 Carmel-by-the-Sea 831.899.5464 monterey-mattress.com VISIT OUR SHOWROOM Open Any Day By Appointment My beloved father passed away at 87 years of age and will be greatly missed. He was my business partner in Monterey Mattress for 36 years. His legacy lives on with me, in Carmel, and the brand, Monterey Mattress Gingerich-Built, and is well-known around the Amish town of Kalona, Iowa and Iowa City, home to The University of Iowa. My best friend and greatest supporter, I got him into the business when he moved out here after the Iowa farm economy became bad. Of Amish-Mennonite roots, he was a master woodworker and custom home builder, and owned quite literally the most progressive cattle farm in the state of Iowa, home to the first national soil conservation fair. Of local note, he restored the historic original antique bar at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch. With a glimmer in his eye, his sense of humor was unsurpassed. He would always put everyone before himself, and his generosity of spirit was also unsurpassed. He leaves behind my mother, Ruth, my four siblings, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, all living around our family farm. My Father, Dale Gingerich, aka Pops Panda NOVEMBER 11, 1934 ~ MAY 27, 2022 Monterey Mattress SP23.qxp_Layout 1 2/10/23 1:45 PM Page 1 My father, Dale Gingerich, aka Pops Panda, passed away at 87 years of age and will be greatly missed. My business partner in Monterey Mattress for 36 years, his legacy lives on with the brand, Monterey Mattress Gingerich-Built, and is well-known around the Amish town of Kalona, Iowa and Iowa City, home to the University Of Iowa. Best friend and my greatest supporter, I got him into the business when he moved out here after the Iowa farm economy became bad. Of Amish-Mennonite roots, he was a master woodworker and custom home builder, and owned quite literally the most progressive cattle farm in the state of Iowa, home to the first national soil conservation fair. Of local note, he restored the historic original antique bar at Clint Eastwood’s Mission Ranch. With a glimmer in his eye his sense of humor was unsurpassed. He would always put everyone before himself, and his generosity of spirit was also unsurpassed. He and my mother, Ruth leave behind me and my four siblings, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, all living around our farm. - Brian Gingerich Dale Gingerich, aka Pops Panda NOVEMBER 11,1934 - MAY 27,2022 Built on a foundation of tradition, ready for the future. VISIT OUR SHOWROOM Open Any Day By Appointment 26384 Carmel Rancho Ln., #103 Carmel-by-the-Sea 831.899.5464 monterey-mattress.com
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Harmony True danced as a professional ballerina for a decade. When she moved from San Luis Obispo to Monterey County, she called it quits— there was no professional ballet company locally. She was grocery shopping one day when she got a call from Callie McKenzie, another member of the small local dance community. McKenzie, also a ballerina by training, was interested in starting something that sounded as different from ballet as you could get: a burlesque troupe. At first, True wasn’t sure. “I thought, burlesque means you take off your clothes…what are people going to think of me?” McKenzie, who was introduced to burlesque by another fellow-ballerina when she lived in Mendocino, had gone through the same kind of questioning. But both women have found that not only are they free of the judgment they feared they might face, they are freed in a creative way they never could have imagined in the world of ballet. “In ballet, there is an exact way you are supposed to do something, there is a body type you are supposed to be—it’s very rigid and regimented,” McKenzie says. On the other hand, burlesque embraces all body types and styles, and there’s room for improv. “It’s the most liberating, freeing thing I have ever done in my life,” True offers. “I always thought ballet was my calling. Now, burlesque. I have complete control of the person that I want to be on stage.” That person for True is Belle Delight; McKenzie is Honey Delight; Vanessa Burkleo is Afternoon Delight. Together they form the core of The Carmel Delights, and after a pandemic hiatus, they are back on stage with more shows than ever. This summer they’ll perform at The Fringe Festival in Scotland, and the Ibiza Burlesque Festival in Spain. They perform on a variety of local stages. And they also teach others the art of burlesque in community classes meant for dancers of all levels, from curious beginners to advanced pole dancers who practice at Ms Tryss Boutique in Monterey. On a recent Tuesday night, McKenzie guides a group of eight women through a routine to Christina Aguilera’s “Nasty Naughty Boy,” starting out seated backwards on chairs, beckoning with a “come hither” finger wag toward the mirror. A few minutes later, with everyone lying sideways on the floor and practicing a corkscrew leg move with the knee up then down then up again, McKenzie encourages the group: “It feels really awkward, but looks really good.” It’s an hour of intensive dance, and by the end most participants have shed a layer or two, many down to sports bras, and one adds high heels for the final run-through. But it doesn’t feel like a fitness class. “It is very slow, sultry movement, so it’s not super aerobic,” McKenzie says. “Because burlesque is supposed to be for all, we want it to be accessible to anyone.” In her day job, McKenzie works as a therapist; besides teaching, choreographing and performing burlesque, she also teaches aerial silks and plays soccer in a league in Santa Cruz. After exhausting every dance offering at Monterey Peninsula College, McKenzie decided to start her own dance group in which she gets to combine her talents, including fire-eating. She’s been surprised by her own journey. “I tip-toed my way in,” she says. She remembers starting out and saying: “I’m not going to go down to thong, and I’m not going to go down to pasties.” Now she’s done a number that features 17 sets of pasties. At 39, she’s older than a lot of dancers, but has found a community who embrace their bodies: “We’re not afraid to put on pasties and a thong and embrace our cellulite.” That celebration of bodies is part of what dancers say gives it power. “You’re claiming your sexuality,” McKenzie says. “It’s crazy to be able to do the minimal movement of peeling a glove off on stage, knowing that everyone is hanging off the edge of their seat.” The Carmel Delights perform fourth Fridays of the month at Pearl Hour, 214 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey; next show 9-11pm April 28. $15. carmeldelights.com. Dance Off A local burlesque troupe finds success on the stage, and expands to teaching anyone and everyone. By Sara Rubin Callie McKenzie, aka Honey Delight, teaches a burlesque class. Whether participants get deeper in or just attend once, she hopes it gives them the same experience she’s had with burlesque: “It helped me have more self-love.” “It’s the most liberating, freeing thing I have ever done.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Get the legal assistance you need Legal Services for Seniors Office is Open Monday-Friday: 9am-3pm 11 Thomas Owens Way #101 Monterey, California 93940 Legal Services for Seniors has provided no-cost legal assistance to Monterey County seniors for more than 35 years. Be prepared - Give us a call! 831.899.0492 Kellie D. Morgantini Interim Executive Director Legal Services for Seniors is a 501(c)(3) organization. MONTEREY COUNTY RAPE CRISIS CENTER Volunteers Needed Are you compassionate and looking for a way to give back to the community? Become a certified sexual assault counselor. 47 hour training starts June 3 Volunteers staff our 24 hour helpline providing support, info and referrals to survivors of sexual assault and their loved ones. Apply at: www.mtryrapecrisis.org
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 @ELROYSFINEFOODS WWW.ELROYSFINEFOODS.COM 15 SOLEDAD DRIVE (831) 373-3737 MONTEREY, CA 93940 FREE SAMPLES from our amazing vendors! FREE NA DRINK SAMPLES from Parch, Pentire, For Bitter For Worse, and De Soi AT THE BAR! RAFFLE CONTEST with tasty prizes! FOR A GOOD CAUSE! A portion of our daily sales will go to The Monterey County Food Bank EARTH MILK MISS LIPPE’S MOONSCOOPS CE PATLI YOLK MARKETPLACE CAT & CLOUD VANA TISANE PHILOSOPHIE HEALTHY ON YOU LAVENDER CREEK CO. HAKOUYA HEY BODE MYCOSCI A springtime sample social! ELROY’S PRESENTS Friday, April 28th from 11am-4pm 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
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 27-may 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news Once banned as an annoyance, in recent years cities across California have removed cruising ordinances. Although cruising—groups of drivers lapping city streets at a slow pace to see and be seen— was a widespread, nationwide phenomenon, many consider the bans racially motivated, mainly targeting Latinos for expressing their culture. Salinas City Councilmember Orlando Osornio says residents reached out to him asking for a review of the local ordinance. “They would like to see cruising come back,” Osornio says. Through the pandemic, cruising and related meetups increased since people couldn’t meet indoors. “The pandemic brought it back to life,” says Frank Calderon, president of the Oldies Car Club. Current city code prohibits cruising on streets and highways. The city held a community meeting on Tuesday, April 25 (after the Weekly’s deadline) to discuss a cruising pilot program. Osornio is one of several local leaders who support revising the current ordinance, along with City Councilmember Tony Barrera and County Supervisor Luis Alejo. “There’s a really big movement to not criminalize cruising,” Osornio says. The Salinas City Center Improvement Association said in a statement that cruising would be an asset if it is properly regulated. At the state level, a resolution to recognize cruising and its cultural significance was unanimously approved by the legislature with bipartisan support in 2022. A bill pending in the State Assembly that would remove cruising/lowriding bans across California has passed unanimously in three committees and has been referred to the consent calendar. Cruise Control Salinas officials discuss the future of legalizing cruising within city limits. By Celia Jiménez After weeks of discussion over what a financial assistance package for flood-stricken Monterey County households should look like, the Board of Supervisors approved a $728,000 disaster relief program for low-income residents who were displaced by flooding or live in flood zones evacuated during this winter’s storms. The board voted 5-0 in favor of the package on Tuesday, April 25 after making numerous last-minute amendments that combined elements of two separate proposals by District 1 Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents Salinas, and District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church, whose North County constituency includes Pajaro. The approved package consists of $478,000 from the county’s contingency fund, as well as $250,000 reallocated from the county’s little-used Covid-19 funeral assistance program. While Church lobbied to transfer all $350,000 of the funeral program’s unused funds toward the flood assistance package, Alejo insisted on leaving $100,000 to keep that program intact. In the end, a compromise saw the board dip further into the county’s coffers—adding an additional $100,000 from the contingency fund while preserving $100,000 for the funeral program. The compromise did not end there, with the final version of the disaster relief package representing a hybrid of the differing plans pitched by Alejo and Church. Per Church’s proposal, recipients will be able to use the funds as “general assistance” for whatever needs they may have, whereas Alejo had initially suggested a rental assistance program. In line with Alejo’s proposal, the funds will be available to any low-income Monterey County residents impacted in the flood-affected areas—contrasting Church’s desire for the money to be targeted toward the hard-hit communities of Pajaro and San Ardo. And while Church had sought to gear the program only to those who do not qualify for FEMA disaster aid, the package passed by the board excludes that requirement—keeping with Alejo’s wish to help county residents who are “very frustrated” with the slow-moving nature of federal and state relief programs. The supervisors also approved a $750 per household cap. The program will be administered by the nonprofits United Way Monterey County and Catholic Charities, which could be ready to accept applications as soon as next week. Though the supervisors voted unanimously in favor of the relief package, there was no shortage of reservations expressed during the debate. Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said that she was “very uncomfortable” with how the board’s deliberations played out—especially regarding the last-minute decision to pull an additional $100,000 from the county’s contingency fund. The move, proposed by Supervisor Chris Lopez, leaves the contingency fund with only $25,000 left in reserve for this year. County Budget Director Ezequiel Vega described the decision as a “calculated risk” that the body could take “in order to help the needs of the community right now.” Supervisor Mary Adams echoed Askew’s sentiments, saying she was “also dissatisfied” with the board’s decision-making process. But in the end, the supervisors agreed that, after weeks of discussions, the time had come to deliver aid to the most vulnerable, flood-ravaged households. Board chair Luis Alejo originally proposed a program to provide a rent subsidy to farmworkers impacted by January flooding. The concept changed after more storms. Done Deal Supervisors compromise on $728,000 aid package for low-income residents impacted by floods. By Rey Mashayekhi For Frank Calderon, president of the Oldies Car Club, cruising isn’t just a hobby, but part of who he is. He says the ban is “the way to keep us in check to control us.” After weeks of discussion, the time had come to deliver aid. Daniel Dreifuss Courtesy of Frank Calderon
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 27-may 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Within Carmel’s one-squaremile city, volunteers with the nonprofit group Carmel Cares picked up 70 pounds of cigarette butts— representing approximately 250,000 cigarettes—in 2022 alone. That staggering number is just a drop in the bucket nationally; the Keep America Beautiful organization estimates that there were around 9.7 billion butts picked up daily across the U.S. in 2020. Carmel Cares founder Dale Byrne and fellow volunteers were already on cigarette butt patrol when Byrne learned of KAB and its Cigarette Litter Prevention Program and grants available to support local efforts. About a year ago, Carmel Cares applied to become a KAB affiliate. It also applied for and received a $2,500 grant to fight cigarette litter and raise public awareness about the problem. Butts, which are mostly plastic, pose a serious threat to the environment, leaching nicotine, pesticide residues and metals into water runoff, as well as dumping microplastics into the ocean, hazardous to marine life. In dog-friendly Carmel there’s another reason to be concerned because the butts are toxic to canines, Byrne says. In accepting the grant, Carmel Cares leaders agreed to complete a survey of how many butts are collected and where the hot spots’ are. Even before the group became a KAB affiliate they had already discovered that many restaurant and hospitality workers smoke, leading to concentrated areas of litter near eateries and hotels. They purchased butt receptacles and Byrne did some friendly campaigning to change employees’ behavior. “We tend to be a pretty creative group, and also a pretty common-sense kind of group,” he says. KAB gave Carmel Cares free materials to distribute to the public, including cigarette trays that fit in vehicle cup holders (since ashtrays are no longer standard in late models) and small, sealable and nonflammable bags that act as portable ashtrays. Another part of the program is recycling recovered butts through a Colorado-based company called TerraCycle that provides free shipping to participating affiliates like Carmel Cares. In addition to continuing to pick up and recycle cigarette waste and raising public awareness, the group will be reviewing the city’s cigarette ordinances to see if they can be tightened to discourage cigarette smoking and disposal—possibly even banning smoking in public. Pacific Grove passed such an ordinance in 2020. Carmel Valley residents objecting to short-term vacation rentals in their community will have to wait longer for a resolution, after the Monterey County Board of Supervisors rejected an interim ordinance that would have temporarily restricted permits for such rentals in Carmel Valley and unincorporated areas of the Monterey Peninsula. On Tuesday, April 25, the board voted 5-0 in favor of a recommendation by the county’s Housing and Community Development Department, which acknowledged that shortterm rentals are “a significant public policy issue” in the coastal District 5 area and that permits for them should be referred to the county Planning Commission for review. But that falls short of the temporary permit restriction proposed for consideration by District 5 Supervisor Mary Adams, whose Carmel Valley constituents flocked to the board’s chambers to voice their views during the meeting. While some of the two dozen-plus speakers expressed opposition to the ordinance and its potential impact on the local tourism-reliant economy, the majority voiced support for a permit ban—citing the disruption of traffic and noise on the remote residential community, as well as how short-term rentals can eat into the local housing market. With the ordinance’s rejection, the onus now moves to a new, permanent short-term rental ordinance that HCD hopes to bring before the Board of Supervisors by the end of the year. One outstanding issue is non-permitted rentals; according to HCD, there are only 29 permitted short-term rentals in unincorporated Monterey County, yet some 600 are advertised on Airbnb and similar sites. Adams acknowledged that it had become clear in recent weeks that she did not have the four votes needed to pass the proposed interim ordinance, and bemoaned the board’s inability to find a solution to a long-running issue in her district, describing it as “the biggest failure of my entire career.” No Butts Carmel volunteers join a national effort to clean up cigarette waste. By Pam Marino news Helping Hands Rotary District 5230 is preparing to distribute relief supplies to residents of Pajaro. They expect about 500 mattresses and up to 96 pallets of home goods. Volunteers are needed to help unload, sort and store the items. Four-hour slots are available and organizers are seeking about 50 volunteers for each day. Trucks unload 8am Thursday April, 27; sorting starts at 8am Friday, April 28. Hilltop Warehouse, 3060 Hilltop Road, Moss Landing. Free. (559) 799-0533, rotary5230.org. Lasting Memorial The District Attorney’s Office honors people who have been lost to crime through a Victims’ Dedication Ceremony each year. Families and friends have the opportunity to share their loved one’s names in an intimate setting with others who understand their stories. Noon Friday, April 28. Salinas Courthouse courtyard, 142 W. Alisal St., Salinas. Free. 755-5070, co.monterey.ca.us. Pocket Parks Earth Day has passed, but volunteers with the Friends of Seaside Parks Association are still working on neighborhood parks each week to keep them clean. Come make a difference in your community and help with weeding, mulching, planting and picking up trash. Children and pets are welcome. FOSPA meets 10am-noon every Saturday, rotating through parks. April 29 at Lincoln Cunningham Park (at San Pablo, Lincoln and Yerba Buena) and May 6 at Havana Soliz Park (Havana Street and Lincoln Street), Seaside. Free. friendsofseasideparks.org. Road To Recovery Community Human Services is hosting three more flag memorial ceremonies with the next one slated for Soledad, then in Seaside and Salinas in the following weeks. More than 1,800 flags will be on display, a speaker who has experienced the recovery process will share their story, and recovery practitioners will be on-site. Officials will distribute 200 Narcan kits at each location. 1pm Saturday, April 29. Veteran’s Memorial Park, Gabilan Drive, Soledad. Free. chservices.org. Run For It The Big Sur International Marathon is here, celebrating its 36th year of bringing thousands together for a run along scenic Highway 1. This bucket list course features redwood trees and a coastal view of the ocean and mountains. 6:45am Sunday, April 30. Big Sur Station, 47555 Highway 1, Big Sur. Registration for runners is closed. 6256226, bigsurmarathon.org. Stay Awhile Supervisors shoot down a temporary ban on short-term rental permits in Carmel Valley. By Rey Mashayekhi Carmel Cares volunteer Janice Bradner was responsible for collecting around 70 pounds of cigarette butts in the village in 2022. She also coordinates recycling the butts. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX Cigarette butts, which are mostly plastic, pose a serious threat. Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 JARROD PENNER, CPA Jarrod is an Equity Partner and Partner-in-Charge of the Monterey office where his areas of expertise include assurance and tax services for non-for-profit, local government, small business and construction industry clients. Jarrod grew up in a small agriculture town in California’s Central Valley. Jarrod attended California State University, Monterey Bay, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in accounting. Jarrod and his wife, Leslie, currently reside in Monterey with their two sons. When Jarrod is away from the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and enjoying the best of the Central Coast. BKP reaches across industries to help individuals and companies by providing worldclass accounting, business advising, and tax services. For more information about BKP’s audit, taxation, estate planning, business consulting, valuation, accounting, payroll, and IT services, please visit our website or call our office. www.bkpcpa.com Hollister: 831. 638.2111 | Monterey: 831. 373.1697 | Salinas: 831. 757.5311 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
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com On April 5, a Seaside Public Works crew was busy readying a derelict, city-owned property at 1561-1571 Del Monte Blvd. in order to convert it into a parking lot. In the process, the crew came across wire, lying above ground, that connected to a utility box near a telephone pole next to the former railroad tracks, at the rear of the property. The other end of the wire wrapped around the northwest corner of the property and went into a box near Midas, on the southwestern side of the lot. Believing that the wire must no longer be live—it was above-ground, on a vacant lot—a Seaside worker cut it and rolled it up so that the crew could begin grading. But, it turns out, that wire provided internet service to American Lock & Key, which is on the northeastern side of the lot. When a contractor for Comcast came out after that outage was reported, Dave Fortune, a superintendent for Seaside Public Works, says they told the Seaside crew what the issue was, but assured them the rest of the property was clear of any utilities. Eight days later, on April 13, after having graded much of the property, Seaside workers were digging a drainage swale next to the sidewalk on Del Monte so that runoff from the lot percolated into the Seaside Basin, rather than running off onto the street. While digging out that swale with a backhoe around 7:30am, a Seaside employee severed an underground fiber-optic line that provides thousands of Seaside residents and businesses—and some in Salinas—with their internet service. Fortune (who wasn’t there but was briefed on what happened) says an employee from Midas soon came out to tell the workers the business’ internet had gone out. Believing that the site was clear of active utilities, a Seaside crew member nonetheless called his supervisor to tell him what just occurred. The supervisor’s internet had just gone out too. When he went down to the site, which is just a few blocks from the Seaside Public Works office on Olympia Avenue, he saw Comcast markings on the severed line, so he called the internet service provider. It took about 12 hours before thousands of Seaside and Salinas residents got their internet back. Joan Hammel, a Comcast spokesperson, says upwards of 5,000 customers were impacted by the outage, and Comcast was “still investigating” the incident. As to why such a critical piece of infrastructure would be under a vacant lot with no markings, and that just recently was home to crumbling foundations, Fortune can’t say. Nor does he know how things will shake out in terms of who has to pay for the fix—it’s the first time he’s dealt with an issue like this. The work Seaside’s crew was doing was being carried out after the City Council, on Jan. 19, approved converting the property into a parking lot to support housing developments nearby and to provide parking for nearby businesses along Del Monte, which have no curbside parking due to a bike lane. Crossed Wires Why did the region’s internet go out on April 13 for nearly an entire day? By David Schmalz The gravel lining the sidewalk along 1569 Del Monte Blvd. in Seaside covers a drainage for a new, city-owned parking lot. Seaside workers hit an unmarked fiber-optic cable while digging it. NEWS It took about 12 hours before thousands got their internet back. DANIEL DREIFUSS 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!
www.montereycountyweekly.com April 27-May 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Getting into a four-year university is easier said than done. Students must fulfill a list of academic requirements, apply for admission and also apply for scholarships to increase their chances of attending the school of their dreams. One initiative to help high school students navigate the process is the Puente Project, which focuses on improving college acceptance rates among underrepresented and first-generation students. At Rancho San Juan High School in Salinas, the first Puentistas, 30 students who attended grades 9-12 and spent half of their high school life in online learning, are setting a remarkable record: 97 percent of them will attend a four-year college. Students got accepted to Ivy League schools such as Yale, Brown and Stanford, plus universities in the UC and CSU systems. Of the 17 students attending UC Berkeley next fall who are graduating from Rancho San Juan—the first graduating class that attended all four years at Salinas’ newest school—13 are Puentistas. The achievements don’t end there. Five Puentistas were finalists with QuestBridge, a nonprofit platform that connects first-generation and low-income students with scholarships and universities. Jordana Henry and Peter Williams, both English teachers, lead the Puente Project at the school. “We’re creating a four-year experience for students, not just one-off activities,” Henry says. They aim to build community among the students and develop their knowledge, skills and abilities over four years. The program is offered at two high schools in Monterey County: Everett Alvarez and Rancho San Juan. Students in the Puente Project are more likely to complete their UC and CSU requirements. In 2021, 54 percent of Alvarez graduates completed their required courses, while 88 percent of Puentistas from the school did the same. Transfer rates are higher as well, with 88 percent of Puentistas transferring to a four-year college compared to 65 percent of Alvarez graduates overall. Jezmarie Avila, who will attend UC San Diego next year and plans to major in social psychology, says her second-grade teacher, a Stanford graduate, was a role model who motivated her to pursue higher education. Avila will be the first in her family to attend a four-year university; she says thanks to Puente she was able to navigate the application process, something she couldn’t ask her parents or other relatives about. “They can’t really give me the guidance I needed to get into university; no one in my family had ever gone.” Karen Dorantes, the valedictorian at Rancho San Juan, and her twin sister Carolyn, both QuestBridge finalists, entered the program after they saw their brother’s success in the program at Everett Alvarez. “Without the Puente Project I probably wouldn’t have been able to apply to as many schools as I did,” Dorantes says. She applied to 45 schools and got accepted to 36; thanks to scholarships, Dorantes will attend Yale next fall at no cost to her. High Marks The first generation at Rancho San Juan High School sets a high bar. By Celia Jiménez Rancho San Juan High School student and Puente Project member Nayely Muratalla gets a cheer as she announces she will be attending UC Irvine next year. NEWS Students got accepted to Ivy League schools. DANIEL DREIFUSS May 14, 2023 Looking to learn more about community justice models? Want to be part of the solution? The purpose of the event is to highlight partnership progress, educate community members about becoming involved and support advancement of restorative justice throughout Monterey County. Community Partnering for Justice That Heals. Restorative Justice Partners, Inc. (RJP, Inc.) will host a community engagement event on Wednesday May 3, 10-11:30am at the Marina Library. 190 Seaside Cir, Marina, CA 93933 Lunch will be served following a presentation by RJP, Inc. and community partner speakers panel, including: Chief of Probation Todd Keating, Sand City Mayor Carbone, Public Defender Sue Chapman, Assistant District Attorney Marisol Mendez To RSVP, email rjp.vorp@gmail.com RJP, Inc. volunteers are restoring communities one relationship at a time!
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY April 27-May 3, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com History Now Bring on more series like Up and Down Monterey County, 1861 (“The contemporaneous letters of William H. Brewer, a scientist with the California Geological Survey, bring the Wild West to life,” April 20-26). Fascinating, well written, marvelous detail. I loved seeing the “young” Central Coast through his eyes. Well done, William H. Brewer. Jane Radicchi | Castroville Thank you, David Schmalz, for sharing these letters (“Step back in time by reading the 1861 letters of William H. Brewer,” posted April 23). As a lifelong (and I am old!) California history buff, I love reading anything about the state’s history. And hearing about the abundance of wildlife is not surprising. My mother’s family arrived in California in 1846 from Missouri; their story was definitely one of survival as well. I look forward to your next installment! Dana A. Lee | via email Great idea to introduce his writing. I found his observations and writing remarkably scientific and timeless. What an incredible journey and such a tough and uncomplaining man. I have driven or hiked in many of the areas he traveled on foot and horseback/muleback, and cannot imagine how he survived. Scott Hennessy | Corral de Tierra Thanks for undertaking this series. Great idea! I enjoyed the first one very much. Holly B. Ochoa | Monterey Homing In I fear that the city of Monterey is going the way of other cities that have failed rent control policies. It does not work. In fact, it makes the situation worse (“Monterey City Council to discuss rent stabilization and other housing aid measures,” posted April 18). Several people from rent-controlled areas spoke against it. Though well intentioned, there are unintended consequences. Landlords would be forced to raise the rent to market rate on current tenants and rent would increase every year by the maximum allowable amount. Why would a property owner do any but the most necessary maintenance in the least expensive way possible? Many landowners would simply sell the property, making it available to big corporations only concerned about the bottom line. Also, property owners often convert to condominiums, thus removing rentals from the market. More large employers should follow the example set by CHOMP in purchasing housing for their workers. There is land at Ryan Ranch, Fort Ord and Garden Road. Carole J.S. Dawson | Monterey Food Supply I just rolled into Monterey, slack-jawed after driving on Highway 101 through Salinas, a place I’d only read about. It’s beautiful, but the fields hint at struggles of growers the same way dramatic, copper dunes tell you the coast is near (“Small growers feeling the pain of winter storms are frustrated at slow-moving government aid,” April 20-26). Always good to visit cities with alt weeklies, and glad to see Monterey County Weekly is doing the good work. Ray Roa | Tampa Next Gen YES: “Not only are student journalists contributing real journalism to their communities, but the class helps cultivate critical thinking skills.” Thank you for spotlighting the value of student journalism (“School newspapers give a hopeful template for the future of journalism,” April 20-26). Josh Moore | via social media I agree! (“School newspapers help support the future of a well-trained, diverse workforce in journalism,” posted April 22.) The First Amendment needs to be respected and practiced...always. No censorship in any way, shape or form by anyone for any excuse, left or right. Carl Silverman | via email Last Laugh Your (supposed) cartoon exploiting the tragic deaths of three 9-year-olds, not to mention the three 60-year-old educators targeted because of their Christian beliefs by an ill and violent transgender youth (no doubt inflamed by the hate publications such as yours publish), twisting that abomination into some sort of racist and bigoted action by the Tennessee House who responded to and suffered a violent insurrectional attack upon their very chambers while in session is sick (“A Uniquely American Plague” by Rob Rodgers, posted April 23). The attack upon democracy in Tennessee led by radical ideologues and their zealots who believe that free speech is violent dissent and megaphones to deny discourse, discussion and debate. I had thought you were better than that, but I guess I’m wrong. David Fairhurst | Carmel Valley Party On I always enjoy your writing, but I especially enjoyed your reporting on this amazing Monterey Museum of Art event (“The Monterey Museum of Art’s inaugural block party was a swinging good time,” posted April 17). Executive Director Corey Madden has brought vision and energy to the arts community. So proud of our museum. Lila Staples Thorsen | Pacific Grove Note: Thorsen serves on the board of the Monterey Museum of Art. A great time. [At the Carl Cherry Center’s] poetry booth , four old-time typewriters attracted young ones who had never experienced one—lots of enthusiastic future poets. My husband, Jeff Houseman, even tried his hand at it: “Keys snap against plates. Drums sounding in the distance, envelop long-time dear friends gathered to invite young imaginations to commit to their own words, ones carefully considered one letter at a time. Will they learn that perhaps learning life doesn’t allow for control-alt-delete? Moving ahead, leaving mistakes behind, visible to see but not limiting their future. We all learn this at some moment. Ancient typewriters were the unexpected means.” Mary Liz Houseman | Carmel 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 april 27-may 3, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 It was before dawn on Monday morning, April 24, when 52 people gathered in a Salinas parking lot at 5:30 to board a bus bound for Sacramento. The coalition of community members came from Salinas, Greenfield, Seaside, Marina and more, and they came from different walks of life, but went to lobby at the State Capitol for the day with a shared message: Housing is a human right. More specifically, the local group—organized by nonprofits Building Healthy Communities and the Center for Community Advocacy—joined hundreds of activists to urge lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 567, which would update provisions from the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (Assembly Bill 1482), which sunsets in 2030. Importantly, the 2019 law caps annual rent increases at 10 percent, and SB 567 would cap them at 5 percent. According to a bill analysis prepared for a State Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on April 25, the 2019 law has not fixed the housing crisis. “The premise behind this bill is that while the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 offered some important support to tenants caught up in California’s housing affordability crisis, experience and reflection have revealed ways in which the Act needs to be strengthened if it is to provide genuine protection against heavy rent burdens and families falling into homelessness,” the analysis states. “In the time since AB 1482 passed, rental housing affordability in California has not improved and homelessness has continued to grow. The two things are highly correlated.” Of course, you didn’t need to read a legislative brief to know that things have not gotten better for renters—the power of observation is more than enough. But maybe it’s hitting bottom that is motivating tenants to organize like never before. The list of organizations supporting SB 567 is at least 50 long. The short list of opponents includes the state Apartment Association, Association of Realtors and Mortgage Bankers Association. The Center for Community Advocacy’s executive director, Natalie Herendeen, says 52 people were motivated to board a bus at 5:30am to lobby for renters’ rights because things have gotten so bad on so many levels. “Ten years ago you could find reasonable rent,” she says. Now, housing is prohibitively expensive, and even expensive housing is in terrible condition; CCA organizers hear complaints about mold and lead paint. And rental housing at any price point and in any condition is hard to find. With inflation, even tenants who get annual raises at work are finding it hard to keep up with rising rent, even under the protections of AB 1482 and its 10-percent cap. “People from San Jose are coming down, but it’s not their fault—nurses and teachers are being priced out of San Jose,” Herendeen says. “It’s a multitude of factors, all compounding. It’s a perfect storm. People are pissed off because all their money is going to live in a dump.” In Sacramento, the Monterey County cohort split up to meet with various lawmakers. Herendeen’s team met with staff of State Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, Assemblymember Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria, D-Fresno. Herendeen was encouraged by those meetings, and is hopeful about a comprehensive housing solution that builds upon AB 1492. There is good cause to be hopeful. On April 25, the Senate Judiciary Committee (of which Laird is a member) passed SB 567, albeit in a stripped-down form without the 5-percent rent cap. The fight will continue. The local group was invited to Sacramento by Housing Now, a coalition of over 150 organizations. They also rallied in support of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 10, which would declare housing as a right. There is movement locally too. The coalition that went to Sacramento included Tony Barrera and Orlando Osornio, both members of Salinas City Council, which on April 4 became the first city in Monterey County to approve a residential rent registry. On April 18, Monterey City Council voted 4-1 to pursue a similar registry and explore rent stabilization. Each of these measures, at a local and state level, is just part of the solution, and each will be negotiated (as SB 567 already has been in committee). But if the emerging coalition of tenants stays energized, there is real hope for real change. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. House and Home As state lawmakers rethink tenants’ rights, renters get organized. By Sara Rubin Clam Chatter…Squid has enough to worry about, so Squid has tried in vain to ignore the rise of artificial intelligence. Squid covered Squid’s statocysts (akin to human ears) and sang “la, la, la” loudly when the results of a survey of AI experts was released in March, giving humanity a 1-in-10 chance against AI taking over and causing its extinction. (The study did not explore the odds for cephalopods in this hypothetical future scenario.) Squid does know something about AI chatbots, which is why Squid became suspicious of an article published April 24 on California.com, a privately owned website, about living in and visiting Monterey. The introduction boldly states: “From majestic ocean views to world-class aquariums, Monterey’s charm is undeniable.” Aquariums, plural? Squid supposes one could say that technically there are multiple aquariums within the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but no one living talks like that. The article goes on to talk about “Monterey” while swerving in and out of Pacific Grove. To test Squid’s theory, Squid used an online tool to check the article and it came back as likely written by AI. (Squid cross-checked a recent column of Squid’s own, which was detected as likely written by a human—Squid is trying not to be offended.) Squid really knew something was awry when the article listed as a “delicious culinary delight” a slice of clam pizza. Squid regularly indulges in clams, but even Squid knows clams on pizza is a bad idea. Silly robot. BE LIKE A TREE…If a tree falls, but nobody expected the tree to fall, then is anyone responsible for the tree falling? Squid has thought this riddle over for days now in the hope of reaching some kind of enlightenment, yet the answer remains elusive. This is the same riddle that Monterey County posed to Carmel property owner Gary Bruner. In January, Bruner filed a claim against the county after winter storms caused a large tree branch—located across the street from his property, on unincorporated county land—to fall on his backyard fence, flattening it. Bruner was left to fork over $500 to repair the damage, according to his claim—not a bad deal counting labor and materials, if you ask Squid, but a decent chunk of change regardless. Bruner’s claim was denied by the county, he tells Squid’s colleague, on the grounds that “there was no previous notification of the tree that fell on my property having a potential of falling.” Squid can see the legal reasoning behind this argument: That the county is only liable for fallen trees that were deemed a potential hazard yet not dealt with. But the riddle gets more complicated, because isn’t that pretty much every tree, everywhere? Squid is left to ponder this mystery, one as deep as the Monterey Bay Canyon. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “It’s a perfect storm.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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