www.montereycountyweekly.com June 29-July 5, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 On July 4, we will celebrate Independence Day for the 247th time in this country’s history. It is a perfect day for barbecues, fireworks and family gatherings; it’s also an appropriate time to take stock of the freedoms we enjoy. We at the Weekly are putting the freedom of the press at the top of our list of things to celebrate. Valuing a free press was central to the formation of the United States. Thomas Paine, a rabble-rouser who earned his keep as pamphleteer, is credited in “Common Sense” as having first popularized the idea of independence from England in January of 1776. Ben Franklin, one of the principal authors of the Declaration of Independence—the document passed by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776—was himself owner and publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette in the early 1700s. The idea that an informed citizenry is the best way to advance democracy and ward off tyranny and corruption is deeply ingrained in this country’s history. A free press is as vital in 2023 as it was in 1776, but it is under a more direct threat today than ever. According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, newsroom jobs in the U.S. declined by 60 percent from 2006-2021. It hasn’t let up since; earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times laid off 14 percent of its newsroom employees— four weeks after having been awarded two Pulitzer prizes. Penelope Muse Abernathy is the Knight chair of journalism at University of North Carolina and the author of an ongoing study that tracks employment in journalism. She connects the dots in an ominous way when she writes: “Historically, strong local newspapers have created a sense of community and nurtured grassroots democracies. Through their journalism, newspapers helped set the agenda for debate of important local issues… Reduced staffing means fewer stories. Transparency and accountability suffer. When a regional daily newspaper lays off journalists, investigative pieces that expose corruption and wrongdoing aren’t written.” Monterey County Weekly is different. I’m writing with a publisher’s report about how we have made substantial investments in the newsroom at a time when most media is doing the opposite— and also to invite you, our readers, to contribute directly to supporting that effort. In the past year, the Weekly has increased its editorial team to 10 full-time staff. We have expanded our digital newsletters (under the banner of Monterey County NOW) and introduced a new magazine to our Best of Monterey Bay portfolio. It’s paying off. In my opinion, the quality of the journalism has never been better or more impactful. Experts agree: In May, the paper hauled in a slew of first- and secondplace plaques in the California Journalism Awards. Examples of great work are numerous. Two weeks ago, the paper published an analysis of the annual budgets of each of the 12 cities in Monterey County. If you want to see a side-by-side comparison of how much is spent on police and fire in Carmel or Soledad, there is only one place you’ll get that information. Transgender rights have been at the center of contemporary culture wars. Instead of putting them in the bull’s-eye, on June 22, the paper profiled four trans members of the Monterey County community with humanizing portraits. It turns out, however, that a free press is an expensive enterprise. While still free in print and online, the Weekly has successfully transitioned in the past three years to a business model that includes reader revenue. Today we are appealing directly to readers to help fund our newsgathering efforts. Please join over 3,000 of your neighbors by becoming a Weekly Insider. We are asking the people who appreciate our local and independent journalism to help fund it. (We designate all those who contribute as Insiders.) In honor of Independence Day, the Weekly is offering an Insider incentive program. If you sign up by midnight on July Fourth to give $10/month, or a one-time contribution of $100 or more, we’ll send you a handydandy Weekly “Totally Locally” tote bag. Please support local and independent journalism this Independence Day. Erik Cushman is the Weekly’s publisher. Reach him at erik@mcweekly.com. To become a Weekly Insider, go to mcweekly.com/insider. A Free Press Isn’t Free The Weekly expands while other media contracts. Here’s how you can help. By Erik Cushman Sand Dollars…Squid would like to extend hearty congratulations to the budget directors in each of Monterey County’s 12 cities for a job well done—each city has a shiny new budget prepared for the start of the 2023-24 fiscal year on July 1…Wait. Make that 11 of 12. Marina still does not have a budget. Instead, as other councils were making final adjustments and approving budgets, on June 20, Marina City Council adopted a resolution to “p ermit the city to continue to provide city services, pay city obligations and continue approved capital projects at the level established for the fiscal year 2022-23 amended budget until adoption of fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 budget.” In other words, the resolution will allow Marina to keep operating until a budget is presented and adopted. It reminds Squid of all the debt ceiling drama in Washington; will they or won’t they be able to keep the lights on? City Manager Layne Long tells Squid’s colleague that this is “not typical.” Long adds that a budget is expected July 5—five days after the start of the new fiscal year, but who’s counting? As a professional ink-slinger, Squid is familiar with the concept of missed deadlines. Happens to the best of us! But when a city with a population of 22,000 and a staff of 89 is counting on you to meet your deadline…well, Squid’s glad that’s not Squid’s job. The Rent is Too Damn High… Squid has it easy—the lair requires no cash payments, just an occasional battle in the predator-eat-predator world that is Squid’s habitat. Not so for land-dwelling humans, who need to fork over U.S. dollars every month for their piece of the American Dream. A new analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition puts that hardship in perspective. The annual income needed to afford a studio in Monterey County is $84,480; a three-bedroom, $151,600. To be able to afford a one-bedroom (fair market rent of $2,194/month), you’d have to work 109 hours a week at a minimum-wage job. Squid cannot work 109 hours a week due to Squid’s sleeping and daydreaming requirements. Too bad for Squid’s human colleagues then that Monterey County made the list of the most expensive jurisdictions in the entire country—it’s the fourth most costly place to live, exceeded only by San Jose, San Francisco and Santa Cruz. To all of the NIMBYs who got their piece of property then did their damndest to make life difficult for everyone else, Squid gets it—you’d do well in predatory, undersea living—but Squid has an idea. Open your spare rooms (and second and third homes) to roommates. Squid will move in, and bring a lot of shrimp-flavored popcorn as a thank you. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “Local newspapers created a sense of community.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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