AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREYCOUNTYWEEKLY.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT CSUMB’S FAILURES ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT 10 | PARKS FOR ALL 15 | ART FOR THE DIGITAL AGE 30 CULTURAL CONTEXT The Old Pacific Capital, Part 2 During his 1879 visit to Monterey, author Robert Louis Stevenson penned a literary snapshot of the Peninsula’s geography, and also its people and quickly changing culture. p. 20 By Robert Louis Stevenson
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Classic Motorsports Pacific Grove Kickoff Car Show & Cruise Tuesday, August 15 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM, Lighthouse Avenue 13th Annual The Little Car Show Wednesday, August 16 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Lighthouse Avenue Legends of the Autobahn West Thursday, August 17 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, Pacific Grove Golf Links 29th Annual Pacific Grove Rotary Concours Auto Rally Friday, August 18 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Lighthouse Avenue Join us for a week of free-to-spectator events in beautiful Pacific Grove! 2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 Online family class series Ohana believes that mental illness can often be prevented, and that mental fitness can be developed and sustained. Ohana is committed to putting prevention into practice and is providing a series of online classes to promote optimal mental health. Classes are for parents, children, and adolescents. Building mental fitness Sign up for online classes about ways to help youth thrive and build optimal mental fitness These FREE classes include: z Family nutrition and mental health z Physical activity and mental health z Resilience z Mental fitness during pregnancy and postpartum z Youth drug and alcohol prevention z And more Registration required. Scan the QR code or visit montagehealth.org/ohanaclasses A link will be sent to those who register at least one business day in advance of the class.
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com august 3-9, 2023 • ISSUE #1827 • Established in 1988 Lara Pierson (Samsung S22) A sunny Sunday lights up the water at Carmel Beach with sparkles. Monterey County photo of the week Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Jules Simoneau, shown circa 1895, owned a restaurant in downtown Monterey, at the location now known as Simoneau Plaza. R.L. Stevenson boarded at the nearby French Hotel, and was a regular at Simoneau’s establishment. They became close friends, and exchanged letters for years after Stevenson left Monterey. Cover photo Courtesy of Monterey County Historical Society’s Pat Hathaway Collection. 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, Jeff Rothal, Jacqueline Weixel 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. SIGN UP NOW Sign up today at montereycountyweekly.com/mcnow
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 If you live in the Central Coast, you probably get your electricity from 3CE. We’re a not-for-profit made up of community members who are committed to using power for good. Rather than pocket the profits, we use it to fund new ways to source renewable energy–like building a binary geothermal power plant. And you’re helping. Just by making toast. DOES YOUR TOAST TASTE LIKE REDUCED EMISSIONS? Cuz it should. Scan to find out more 3cenergy.org
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY August 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH As we reported on July 26, the Monterey County Weekly has joined the legal battle seeking to unseal reports by neutral, third-party monitors detailing conditions inside Monterey County Jail. The Weekly, alongside the First Amendment Coalition and the families of two men who died in the jail, are seeking status as intervenors in the ongoing federal class-action case between jail inmates and the County of Monterey (as well as the jail’s health care provider, Wellpath). After U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled on July 21 to unseal the reports, the county and Wellpath filed a notice to take their case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and also a motion for a stay, seeking to block their release pending a potential appellate decision. A week later, on July 28, Freeman ruled to deny the county and Wellpath’s motion for a stay. But she also extended the date by which plaintiffs’ attorneys are to file over 30 reports in the publicly viewable court record until Aug. 10, giving the defendants time to seek a stay with the Court of Appeals. That means the fight to bring public transparency to conditions inside the jail may drag on a while longer. Good: No need to travel far to see one of the top 20 barrel racers in the world, not after Delaney Fowler of Royal Oaks finished 16th at the 75th annual National High School Rodeo finals, held last month in Gillette, Wyoming. The 16-yearold—and her appropriately named horse, Goodwin—powered through the course with a time of 18.3 seconds to reach the elite class. Fowler described the feeling as “surreal.” She was the only barrel racer from California to advance to the final round, which took place on July 22. “I felt so much pride to represent the state of California,” she said in a press statement. The annual event pitted cowboys and cowgirls from across the country, neighboring Canada and Mexico, and as far overseas as Australia. Fowler is also the reigning California High School Rodeo Association Queen, representing District 4, which includes Monterey County. GREAT: There is hope for at least one Salinas couple—and over a million others nationwide—when it comes to Social Security Disability Insurance and marriage status. Lori Long and Mark Contreras got engaged in 2016, only to learn that Long, who has been disabled since childhood, would lose a critical benefit if she marries a non-disabled person. She successfully lobbied U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, to take up her cause, and last year, he introduced the Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act. That bill stalled, but on July 27, during Disability Pride Month, he reintroduced it. The bill would eliminate the requirement that people with childhood disabilities be unmarried in order to continue receiving SSDI benefits, as well as update Social Security rules on common law marriages. “Current law is forcing Americans to choose between their happiness and health care,” Panetta said. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY The total number of books and other materials circulated by the Pacific Grove Public Library in fiscal year 2022-2023. The library had over 60,600 visits and librarians answered over 34,000 reference questions. Source: Pacific Grove Public Library July 2023 newsletter 219,391 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “There’s a lot of potential.” -Baker Otto Kramm talking about his new lease for Otto’s Bread in a 1,500-square-foot space in Salinas. He is transitioning out of baking in his studio apartment, and envisions eventually offering grab-and-go options and maybe cafe seating (see story, mcweekly.com). *Terms and conditions apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of May 30, 2023. The Dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The APY is based on the assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces the earnings and there are penalties for early withdrawal. The minimum deposit for this 12-month certificate is $1,000.00. Does not Automatically renew. NMLS# 786119 Members Save More! Certificate Special At CCFCU, Membership Means More Become a Member Today 4.10% APY* 18-Month Term *offer limited to new deposits of $10,000+ *Terms and conditions apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of January 17, 2023. The Dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The APY is based on the assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces the earnings and there are penalties for early withdrawals. The minimum deposit for this 18-month certificate is $10,000.00. Does not automatically renew. Call 831-393-3480 or visit your local CCFCU branch to take advantage of our Special Certificate rate. Seaside: 4242 Gigling Rd. | Salinas: 900 S. Main St. | Soledad: 315 Gabilan Rd. | King City: 510 Canal St. centcoastfcu.com NMLS# 786119 Members Save More! Certificate Special At CCFCU, Membership Means More Become a Member Today 4.10% APY* 18-Month Term *offer limited to new deposits of $10,000+ *Terms and conditions apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of January 17, 2023. The Dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The APY is based on the assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces the earnings and there are penalties for early withdrawals. The minimum deposit for this 18-month certificate is $10,000.00. Does not automatically renew. Call 831-393-3480 or visit your local CCFCU branch to take advantage of our Special Certificate rate. Seaside: 4242 Gigling Rd. | Salinas: 900 S. Main St. | Soledad: 315 Gabilan Rd. | King City: 510 Canal St. centcoastfcu.com NMLS# 786119 Certificate Special At CCFCU, Membership Means More Become a Member Today *offer limited to new deposits of $10,000+ *Terms and conditions apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of January 17, 2023. The Dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The APY is based on the assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces the earnings and there are penalties for early withdrawals. The minimum deposit for this 18-month certificate is $10,000.00. Does not automatically renew. Call 831-393-3480 or visit your local CCFCU branch to take advantage of our Special Certificate rate. Seaside: 4242 Gigling Rd. | Salinas: 900 S. Main St. | Soledad: 315 Gabilan Rd. | King City: 510 Canal St. centcoastfcu.com NMLS# 786119 Members Save More! Certificate Special At CCFCU, Membership Means More Become a Member Today 4.10% APY* 18-Month Term *offer limited to new deposits of $10,000+ *Terms and conditions apply. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of January 17, 2023. The Dividend rate and APY may change at any time. The APY is based on the assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal, or transfer reduces the earnings and there are penalties for early withdrawals. The minimum deposit for this 18-month certificate is $10,000.00. Does not automatically renew. Call 831-393-3480 or visit your local CCFCU branch to take advantage of our Special Certificate rate. Seaside: 4242 Gigling Rd. | Salinas: 900 S. Main St. | Soledad: 315 Gabilan Rd. | King City: 510 Canal St. centcoastfcu.com Call 831-393-3480 or visit your local CCFCU branch to take advantage of our Special Certificate rate. Seaside: 4242 Gigling Rd. | Salinas: 1141 S Main St. | Soledad: 315 Gabilan Dr. | King City: 510 Canal St. centcoastfcu.com Certificate Special Become a Member Today 5.00% APY* 12-Month Term Offer limited to new deposits of $1,000.00+ AUG 2023 COMMUNITY FORUMS to receive public input and provide additional info are planned in English and Spanish. Start Time: 6:00 pm Accessible in person, online, or via phone Marina: Marina Library, 190 Seaside Cir Tuesday, August 1, 2023 (English) Wednesday, August 2, 2023 (Spanish) Salinas: El Gabilan Library, 1400 North Main St Thursday, August 3, 2023 (English) Monday, August 7, 2023 (Spanish) Seaside: City Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave Tuesday, August 22, 2023 (English) Thursday, August 24, 2023 (Spanish) Zoom/Phone: Available for all dates Visit montereyonewater.org/zoom-forum for phone details or to join virtually Presentation will be the same at each forum Customer Service: 831-372-2385 or 831-449-6366 Proposed Billing Change Monterey One Water is considering a change to its wastewater billing process to address customer feedback. If approved, bi-monthly billing will cease on July 1, 2024 and a fee for wastewater service will be included on a parcel’s annual Property Tax Bill.
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 911
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Where most people might place a big-screen TV in their living room, Adam Jenson has a big-screenlike 180-gallon aquarium sitting inside his Las Lomas home, where brightly colored tropical fish dart about. Considering Jenson is founder and owner of Tiger Lily’s House of Fish, a successful retail ornamental fish and aquarium-keeping business, it’s not surprising. Yet while others might focus on the fish, for Jenson it’s what’s in the background that fascinates. What dominates the tank is an array of what Jenson estimates are 60-80 different species of corals in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes—animals that descend from those found in oceans around the globe. There are hard corals and soft corals and corals that look like trees. Joining them are a few swaying sea anemones, related to corals, in the same class called Anthozoa. Jenson has carefully propagated them in tanks in a basement space—a different sort of farm in North County’s agricultural region. Jenson’s personal collection is just a sliver of the estimated 6,000 different species of coral in the world, a fact that captivates Jenson, a walking encyclopedia of coral knowledge he’s eager to share. The ocean and all its creatures hold sway with Jenson, who refers to an original quote from a personal hero, ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” “I’m so passionate about the aquatic world,” Jenson says. “The corals are absolutely outstanding—the textures and the flow to them. The fish are brilliant, absolutely brilliant, but when you get into the different aspects of coral reefs…it’s just mind-boggling.” Jenson began keeping aquariums of tropical fish as a child, and later began breeding the fish, eventually taking his stock to tropical fish stores to sell. At The Ultimate Aquarium in Monterey, owner Larry Procida became Jenson’s mentor. (The Ultimate Aquarium closed in 2022.) He showed Jenson how to propagate corals. Jenson bought an aquarium off of Craigslist to house his corals. “One aquarium turned into 15,” Jenson says. Along with an $850 electric bill, Tiger Lily’s House of Fish became an official business in 2017. He remembers his supportive wife, Jessica Sharkey, telling him, “fix it,” as she handed him the eye-popping bill. Fix it Jenson did, by turning his hobby into a business, selling fish and corals online, as well as installing and caring for the aquariums inside private homes and businesses. At first Jenson was selling online to people around the country as well as locally, until things got chaotic. The pandemic coincided with the birth of the family’s second child. Jenson was so busy that his downstairs tanks got out of chemical balance, and he experienced an aquarist’s biggest enemy—a die-off, in which everything inside an aquarium perishes. As an essential business during the pandemic due to the fact that he was caring for the live animals of his clients, Tiger Lily’s was able to survive the shutdown, and the die-off. Since then, as he’s rebuilt his stock, he’s limited sales to customers within California. One of his core aquarium clients is the memory care unit at Aegis Living in Aptos—aquariums improve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and reducing patients’ stress, according to medical research. Jenson set up a donated tank for Aegis and from the existing corals inside that tank, he’s been able to seed other aquariums. “That aspect of being able to be almost like a co-op has been fantastic,” he says, including the fact that it’s utilizing a captive-raised animal, as opposed to depleting ocean populations. Each aquarium is like a seed-bank for others, including organizations that are utilizing aquarists’ collections to replenish threatened coral reefs in other parts of the world. Jenson’s business doesn’t afford him time to help repopulate reefs—yet—but he continues to populate other aquariums, even sharing corals with other aquarists for free, who in turn share their stock with him. Currently in his propagation tanks, a new population of corals is growing, ready to be shipped to a new home. Coral King In agricultural Las Lomas, a hobbyist-turned-businessman works a farm of the seas. By Pam Marino Adam Jenson cares for and propagates dozens of species of corals, both for his business, Tiger Lily’s House of Fish, and for his own personal home aquarium. “One aquarium turned into 15.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS PRESENTED BY WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2023 PORTOLA HOTEL & SPA • 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM $75 MEMBERS • $90 PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS INCLUDES LUNCH Join us for lunch as an impressive panel of federal, state and local elected officials cover topics such as: new projects taking place in their jurisdictions, new business coming to the region and important issues that have impacts on the future viability of our economy. REGISTER NOW AT MONTEREYCHAMBER.COM
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 FINAL VOTING OPEN MCWEEKLY.COM/BESTOF PACKAGED LOCALLY SINCE 1988 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® ’23
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news Decades ago, two buildings—one from 1968 and one from the mid-1970s—were joined to form Salinas City Hall. Now, the property is getting renovated, with construction set to begin as early as Aug. 15. “The building hasn’t had any renovation in many decades,” Assistant City Manager Jim Pia notes. The original price tag was $646,271 for emergency roof repair and to prevent further damage. “With the extensive winter rain this season, the urgency to get the roof repaired has turned into a significant emergency,” according to a staff report on the project. The repair also includes safety and heating upgrades, as well as updates to ventilation and air conditioning systems. Upon inspection, FC & Sons Roofing, a roofing contractor from Bell Gardens, found asbestos below the roof deck and suggested its removal as a first step, bringing the total budget to over $1 million. The work is expected to take several months, and the main City Hall entrance on Lincoln Avenue will remain closed. City staff will continue to provide services, and the public can access the building from Church Street. (The main entrance has already been closed for a couple of weeks to accommodate moving furniture and equipment.) On July 13, the Salinas Traffic and Transportation Commission approved street parking time limits of two hours on West Gabilan Street between Lincoln Avenue and Church Street, since they expect an influx of vehicles at the temporary entrance. City Council will consider the two-hour parking restriction on Aug. 8. The old police station next door is not part of this project. SPD still uses its old headquarters for training. Build Back City of Salinas begins a $1 million renovation project at City Hall. By Celia Jiménez For two years, CSU Monterey Bay’s office of Title IX/ Discrimination, Retaliation and Harassment conducted no formal investigations or hearings. Students reported never receiving acknowledgment of the complaints they filed. Some waited months or as much as a year to hear how a complaint was resolved. Student distrust, combined with interpersonal “oil and water” conflicts between administrators, led to a dysfunctional office that ceased to fulfill its original purpose to help students, faculty and staff feel safe and welcome. Those are just a few of the issues uncovered by the Cozen O’Connor Institutional Response Group, consultants hired by California State University to assess all 23 of its campuses, including CSUMB, in the wake of sexual harassment scandals at other campuses that revealed serious gaps in the CSU’s handling of such issues. CSUMB is not alone in the problems the consultants uncovered, but they did find problems unique to the campus. They reported CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones is taking steps to address the problems less than a year into her position, after replacing retired president Eduardo Ochoa. “Quiñones inherited [a Title IX/ DHR office] that was, in many ways, broken and nonfunctional and has prioritized institutional efforts to address these deficiencies,” the Cozen O’Connor report states. It said the current office is in a “state of flux” and is improving under the interim leadership of Title IX/DHR Senior Administrator Raquel Bonilla. The office was overseen by senior administrator Wendy Smith, who, on Feb. 24, Quiñones announced was “no longer with the university,” just one week after consultants completed interviews with numerous students, faculty and staff. Without referring to her by name, consultants noted that in the last couple of years of her tenure, which began in 2014, Smith was often on personal leave or working part time. The office was already under-resourced and understaffed, they said, describing it as essentially an “office of one.” In a letter to the campus community, Quiñones said she agreed that the consultants’ findings were “serious in nature.” She listed a number of actions taken since the consultants’ visit, including restructuring the Title IX office and hiring an ombudsperson, who will start in September. The ombudsperson was described as an additional resource to help with conflict resolution and managing what is referred to as “conduct of concern,” which doesn’t rise to the level of violating regulations. Consultants said CSUMB and other campuses were lacking in ways to handle such conduct. In addition, Bonilla has recently embarked on a listening tour with the campus community through Zoom meetings. The report echoed the experience of a group of students who alleged a Liberal Studies professor, Miguel Lopez, was violating harassment and discrimination regulations. They conducted an academic study of their peers’ experiences with Lopez and presented their findings to Smith and another administrator in October 2022. They went public with their research out of frustration not long before Smith left. The students say they’ve been told there is an investigation underway. A CSUMB spokesperson says they cannot talk about personnel issues, but confirms Lopez is not scheduled to teach this fall. In a letter to the campus community, CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones wrote, “we must do better to ensure we have an inclusive and welcome community for all.” Failing Grade A report finds CSUMB’s office in charge of investigating sexual harassment to be ‘broken and nonfunctional.’ By Pam Marino The roof of Salinas City Hall experienced over a dozen leaks during the 2022-23 winter storms, impacting employees and work spaces. “[The office] was, in many ways, broken and nonfunctional.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 JOIN US FOR A FREE CONSERVATION WEBINAR Join us for a free, interactive workshop in August, presented by Green Gardens Group via Zoom. The Monterey Peninsula is a leader in water conservation. Thank you for your commitment to being water wise! Learn more at: montereywaterinfo.org/events Wednesday, August 16 Weed & Pest Management 6 p.m.–7 p.m. Apply in person at Pebble Beach Human Resources Offices Monday – Friday 9A.M. – 4P.M. 2790 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach (Next to Pacific Grove Gate) Interviews on the spot These opportunities are for the period of August 14 - 20. Hiring for all areas Servers, bartenders, bussers, barbacks, cashiers, cooks, housekeepers, stewards, and valets. Special event applications will be available on-site. Questions: (831) 649-7657 Please come prepared to provide proof of employment eligibility. We are hiring for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com For five months, representatives of Salinas Valley Health and insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross negotiated a new contract. And for five months, they failed to reach an agreement. As July 31, the last day of their contract, approached, officials at Salinas Valley Health decided to notify Anthem patients of what would be a sudden change: Effective Aug. 1, they would be out-of-network. “For months, Anthem, which is among the largest and most profitable insurance companies in the country, has refused to pay us fairly for the services we provide, using its size and power to insist that we accept an unfair contract,” Salinas Valley Health CEO Pete Delgado wrote in a letter to patients on July 27. “Stand up to Anthem and urge them to put patients first. Call the number on the back of your insurance card and request they maintain in-network access to Salinas Valley Health.” Some large employers that use Anthem insurance accepted Delgado’s invitation. Monterey County is one such employer, and County Supervisor Luis Alejo wrote a letter on behalf of the Board of Supervisors, urging Anthem to reconsider. But the July 31 deadline came and went. As of Aug. 1, Anthem patients are out-of-network at Salinas Valley Health. While neither side provided the Weekly with specific numbers, they say the crux of the disagreement concerns the rates at which Anthem reimburses SVH for care. (Health providers see patients, and then bill the patient’s insurance and the patient, depending on their health plan.) An Anthem Blue Cross spokesperson says SVH was asking for too much: “The increases being sought by Salinas Valley Health are unsustainable and will lead to significant cost increases and result in higher premiums, deductibles and copays.” Meanwhile, Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange established by the Affordable Care Act, has opened enrollment for next year. The exchange announces Anthem’s premiums are rising by 11 percent on average. Alejo wrote in his letter: “Where are the increased premium dollars going if not to the health systems providing care to those paying the premiums?” Salinas Valley Health has committed to continuing to give Anthem Blue Cross patients in-network pricing for the time being, although they have not indicated how long that offer will last; Delgado says, “It is not a long-term solution.” Carmel’s tab for the seven months its former police chief, Alan Ward, worked is a big one: It cost the city more than an estimated $286,600. That includes the cost of a nationwide search, Ward’s salary for the year he was on the city’s payroll—including five months on paid leave—the city’s pension obligation and the investigation into what it was that Ward did that got him suspended in December 2022 until he retired on June 16. Whatever it was that he said or did before he was put on leave, city officials aren’t saying. City Attorney Brian Pierik denied the Weekly’s Public Records Act request to see a report by a law firm that conducted the investigation, despite the fact that the public, in this case Carmel residents, paid for it. Pierik did not confirm or deny a report existed, only stating that “any investigation report would be exempt” from being made public under two California codes, one covering attorney-client privilege and another concerning the release of information about police officers. Under recent changes in California law, information about allegations against a police officer could be subject to disclosure if the investigation found that allegations against the officer were sustained. Pierik did not respond to a question specifically asking if any allegations were sustained. Ward was hired from the Merced Police Department after a nationwide search by the firm Bob Murray and Associates at a cost of $22,610. He was paid $221,618, and the city’s CalPERS retirement obligation was $32,387. Based on city check register reports, the city paid Sloan, Sakai, Yeung & Wong—a California law firm that includes in its practice employee investigations for government agencies—a little over $10,000 for work completed between December and May. Ward now works for the Naval Support Activity Monterey Police Department, according to a spokesperson for NSAM. He was sworn in as a lieutenant during a ceremony on July 7. Not a Bluff Insurance standoff puts thousands out-of-network at Salinas Valley Health. By Sara Rubin news Updating History The City of Monterey wants to hear input from the community about updating its Path of History to be more inclusive of all people who made history there. There will be a public meeting followed by two guided walks of potential new sites to be added to the pathway in the Pearl District and in an area from the Presidio to New Monterey. Meeting: 6pm Thursday, Aug. 3 at the Japanese American Citizens League Hall, 424 Adams St., Monterey. Pearl District walk: 10am Friday, Aug. 4, starting at the intersection of East Franklin and Washington streets. Presidio/New Monterey walk: 1pm Friday, Aug. 4, starting outside the Heritage Harbor parking garage, 100 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.org. Preowned Paperbacks Monterey Public Library Friends and Foundation is hosting a booth at the 831 Night Market in Sand City. The booth features a used book sale in addition to kid-friendly activities and giveaways. All proceeds directly benefit the library, and if you want to help out there’s still time to sign up and volunteer. 5pm Friday, Aug. 4. Sand City Art Park, 525 Ortiz Ave., Sand City. Free. 6465602, bit.ly/MPLBookBooth. Realignment Tactics Bike repairs are coming to Greenfield in the form of a bike repair workshop, offering free tuneup and repair services. Bring in your bicycle and be guided through multiple repairs like fixing flat tires, adjusting gears and replacing chains. If you don’t have a bike, you can still stop by. There will be used bikes to fix and take home. You can also bring in a bike to donate, even if it needs repairs. 4-7pm Friday, Aug. 4. Greenfield Community Science Workshop, 45 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Free. 2338335, ci.greenfield.ca.us. Name Game Help the City of Salinas name a new park. The city acquired a 73-acre property at Carr Lake back in 2017 as an initial step toward transforming a portion of it into an open community space. Construction is expected to start as early as November, and now it’s time to name the park. Salinas residents are encouraged to invite friends, neighbors and community members to participate and submit a name suggestion. Name suggestions will be collected until Aug. 31. Free. 625-5523, bit.ly/ CarrLake_Naming. Hard Cash Carmel refuses to release a report detailing its former police chief’s short tenure. By Pam Marino About 11,000 Anthem Blue Cross-insured patients visited Salinas Valley Health’s hospital and clinics last year. Negotiations continue even after the contract ended. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “Stand up to Anthem and urge them to put patients first.” Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com AUGUST 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Friday, August 11 5:00-7:00 pm Alvarado Street, Downtown Monterey FLEXIBILITY “I knew I wanted to create a fund and specify the areas I wanted to support. A flexible fund like this allows me to change my giving according to future needs.” – Leslie Mulford, Leslie Mulford Fund of the CFMC Leslie used her IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) to benefit her areas of interest: at risk youth, elderly services, music in schools, literacy and disaster relief. Design your giving plan. We can help. Donor Advised Funds • Charitable Estate Planning • Charitable Gift Annuities • Charitable Remainder Trusts • IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions • Family Philanthropy Scholarships & More Read her story: cfmco.org/Mulford 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org |
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com District 5 residents finally had a chance to turn out and speak their minds about Monterey County’s housing plans— including the controversial, state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) that will require the county to significantly bolster its housing stock over the next eight years. Around 100 people filled the library at the Del Mesa Carmel gated community in Carmel Valley on Thursday, July 27, to hear County Supervisor Mary Adams and staffers from the county’s Housing and Community Development department provide an update on the process. It was the first in-person opportunity for residents to make their voices heard about the plans for their area, with District 5—dubbed a “high-resource area” with more amenities, infrastructure and jobs compared to elsewhere in the county—accounting for 2,100 of the 5,121 units drawn up for the unincorporated county by 2031. Adams, however, insisted that the meeting was about clarifying the process, rather than concerns over the merits of the housing plan itself. As HCD officials outlined in a PowerPoint presentation, the county’s housing crisis has only amplified since the last housing element process eight years ago; on average, rents have climbed 65 percent while home prices have increased 93 percent, with 1 in 3 households deemed “cost-burdened” (more than 30 percent of income spent on housing) and around 1 in 6 “severely cost-burdened” (more than 50 percent of income spent on housing). More housing, Adams explained to the mostly older crowd, is meant to address “everything from homelessness to your own children, who are unable to come back and buy a home.” No plans have yet been finalized, she noted, with the county continuing to receive public feedback ahead of issuing a draft housing element by late summer or early fall. That feedback has already included strong opposition to 251 units planned for a site in Mid Valley north of Carmel Valley Road, behind the Carmel Valley Manor community, which will likely see that site excluded from the draft, HCD principal planner Melanie Beretti said. But the residents in attendance had more questions still. One man expressed concern about whether the additional housing will congest existing fire evacuation routes in Carmel Valley. (Beretti said the county will update its safety element to account for the fire and public safety needs of a larger population.) Another, referring to new residents who would be moving into the area, asked Adams, “Are you vetting these people?” “These are people who live here, work here, pay taxes here,” Adams shot back. “I’m not entertaining these questions any further.” Those at the town hall were also provided with yellow and red stickers, and encouraged to place them on maps of the proposed housing sites perched around the room—with yellow signaling an “OK” and red indicating a “no.” “I’d like to know where Mary Adams lives,” said one woman huddled at a map. “I’d love to put a yellow [sticker] by her house.” Housing Huddle Carmel Valley residents turned out in numbers for a town hall on the county’s housing plans. By Rey Mashayekhi While Monterey County only needs to plan for 3,764 new housing units per the state’s RHNA guidelines, officials have drawn up a more robust “buffer” of 5,121 units to account for projects falling through. NEWS “Are you vetting these people?” REY MASHAYEKHI PRESENTED BY
www.montereycountyweekly.com August 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 After a year of construction, a new park with a goal of serving children of all abilities is getting ready to open in Soledad. That year followed four years of members of the community actively participating in meetings, surveys and a naming competition. In the end, the park will keep the name it is already known for: Orchard Lane Park. The 3.5-acre park will offer different amenities, including picnic tables, a skate park, free Wi-Fi, a splash area, and multiple play areas designed to be accessible for kids with disabilities. The park is located behind Hartnell College’s Soledad Education Center, and within walking distance from Gavilan and San Vicente elementary schools. “It’s really going to be accessible to a lot of our community,” says Jessica Potts, recreation manager for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Potts notes that Soledad is growing and there will be more neighborhoods eventually built out near the park. Mayor Anna Velazquez says this park is a testament to community engagement. People actively made suggestions on the type of equipment they wanted. For Velazquez, the project is personal; her younger sister Rosa has a disability, and she knows what it means for kids of different abilities to go to a playground. She also remembers when Orchard Lane Park was a field of sugar beets. Now, it has grassy areas and colorful swings and playgrounds. She notes there aren’t many accessible parks in Monterey County. The cost of the Orchard Lane Park project was $7.7 million, and it was funded with state money from Proposition 68, a $4 billion bond that passed in 2018 and allocated money for park, flood protection and water infrastructure projects. Orchard Lane joins Tatum’s Garden in Salinas as the second inclusive playground in Monterey County. “The only [inclusive] park that we have is in Salinas, so being able to bring that here to our families was really important,” Velazquez highlights. Tatum’s Garden Foundation is at work on its second park, called Tatum’s Treehouse, at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center (located at Carmel Valley Community Park). It is a collaboration between the two nonprofits. The dream, Tatum’s Garden Foundation boardmember Sam Spadoni says, is to “transform the park into a fully accessible park.” For now, fundraising continues and he says they hope to bring a design team on board by the end of 2023. He also highlights the need for more inclusive parks throughout the county. Tatum’s Garden opened in 2013, and before that it was not uncommon for families to travel up to two or three hours to playgrounds designed to be accessible to their children. An opening ceremony for Orchard Lane Park will be held at 10am on Saturday, Aug. 19 near the intersection of Orchard Lane and Metz Road in Soledad. Shared Joy Soledad is getting ready to open the first inclusive park in South County. By Celia Jiménez Orchard Lane Park has two playgrounds— one for older and the other for younger kids. The one for 5- to 12-year-olds has slides, an accessible ramp, a climbing area and play panels. NEWS “It’s really going to be accessible to a lot of our community.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ LOCATED BEHIND THE PORTOLA HOTEL & SPA | COMPLIMENTARY PARKING (831) 649-2699 | PETERBSBREWPUB.COM AWARD-WINNING CRAFT BEER BREWED ON-SITE | SEASONAL MENU 18 HDTV’S | NEW FIRE PITS & PET-FRIENDLY PATIO HAPPY HOUR 4PM TO 6PM & 9PM TO 10PM 8.9 Daniel Cortes 8.16 Coastal Commission 8.23 Reija Massey 8.30 Coastal Commission WED NIGHTS LIVE MUSIC PETER B’S BEER GARDEN 6PM TO 9PM
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Keeping Secrets Your story on the secrecy of reports on compliance with the conditions in the Monterey County Jail is a perfect example of the importance of a free press in our system (“Reports on conditions at the Monterey County Jail remain secret. It’s past time to change that,” posted July 26). Sadly, this necessity has been diluted via political manipulations with “alternative facts” and outlets that portray opinions as facts and then hide behind a legal shield claiming they are entertainment. I wonder what Wellpath is afraid of, spending its resources to push against releasing these reports. Most of us would not even know this was happening without your work (and the work of other honest news agencies). Thank you to you and the rest of the staff at the Monterey County Weekly. Your work has never been more important as the institutions and policies that ultimately protect our freedom in this country are (sadly) sailing dangerous waters these days. Berj Amir | Seaside Thank you to the Weekly for your involvement in this important case (“A court battle over sealed reports detailing conditions at Monterey County Jail escalates,” July 27-Aug. 2). Great to have you recognizing how important individual rights and transparency are! Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts | Carmel Leadership Change I don’t know what was going on with Ben Harvey, but I have to admit, I am not a fan (“The Pacific Grove City Council and its city manager agree to part ways,” posted July 28). Pacific Grove residents were overwhelmingly against putting cannabis dispensaries in the city. The City Council voted the idea down multiple times. And yet, somehow, Ben Harvey kept resurrecting it, presenting it as a revenue opportunity. Meanwhile, it was obvious that a) dispensaries would be a threat to P.G. children; b) no one is going to come to P.G. dispensaries from out of town when other cities are more freeway-accessible; and c) the dispensaries would be a threat to public safety as they would attract crime. As for the revenue opportunity, surely P.G. can do better than stores that dispense drugs and alcohol. I’m happy to see Harvey go, but I wish we didn’t have to pay him $400K on the way out. I hope the next city manager is better. Rich Smith | Pacific Grove Your blatant bias in favor of Harvey does not become you, Pam [Marino]! Reporter? I think not! We Pagrovians finally elected a City Council that ended this farce of a self-serving city manager. Inge Lorentzen Daumer | Pacific Grove This breaks my heart. From my point of view, he was totally bullied out of Pacific Grove. Kelsea Richmond | Pacific Grove Rent Rising The July 18 Marina City Council meeting proposal to raise rents on Preston and Abrams long-term residents who are likely seniors, retirees and working-class families to match the regional egregiously high rents is disgraceful (“Marina City Council raises rents at city-owned housing complexes, and opens the door for more,” July 27-Aug. 2). Per the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Monterey County rents have increased by an average of 48 percent over the last two years while the Consumer Price Index increased only by 10.5 percent in the same period. This clearly shows that rent increases are not about owners recouping increased costs, or a fair rate of return, but is due instead to pure greed that pushes people into homelessness. Evidently, the City of Marina wants to match that greed and create even more unhoused. Paula Pelot | Marina Note: Pelot is a member of the Preston & Abrams Parks Tenants Association. Shame on Marina City Council for contemplating not being part of the solution but rather contributing to homelessness and workers leaving the region. Making hundreds of residents in these subdivisions worry if they will be priced out is deplorable. If the city isn’t spending its budget smartly, that burden is not to be placed on these residents as they continue to add million-dollar, market-priced homes like The Dunes. Esther Malkin | Monterey Note: Malkin is founder of Monterey County Renters United. Unhealthy Relationship I call bullshit (“Salinas Valley Health and Anthem Blue Cross, at a negotiation stalemate, prepare thousands of patients to go out-of-network,” posted July 27). Anthem Blue Cross putting the squeeze on our local healthcare providers is typical of the corporate profiteering, and puts lives at risk. We see what they are paying out to our doctors when we receive an explanation of benefits. They aren’t dealing in good faith. Trish Sohlé | via social media Policing the Police I’m all for this much-needed oversight committee, mostly because I feel it will help provide transparency and direct communication between the agency and the community (“The public weighs in to support the creation of a sheriff’s oversight committee,” posted July 28). Derek Dean | via web Thank you for reporting this accurately and with sensitivity and discretion. Anabel Chavez | Watsonville Let Them Eat Cake That’s a great story (“Cake4Kids delivers their 1,000th cake, a reminder that everyone deserves to celebrate their birthday,” posted July 25). Thank you very much. Stanley Mellin | via email Clarification A caption on The Buzz Page (“Weekly Tally,” July 20-26) implied that the entire cost of agreement was just the pay increase. Per the city of Monterey’s MOU with the Monterey Police Association, the city pays $7.8 million in year one and $8.2 million in year two for all salaries, including 4-percent increases each year—those dollar amounts are totals, not just the raises. 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 august 3-9, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 Aug. 6 and 9 mark 78 years since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Maybe the severity of those atrocities has faded from memory. Or maybe people are confronted with too many existential threats to really focus on it. But not everybody is too tired to think about the reality of nuclear warfare or disinterested in doing something to prevent it from ever happening again. Some of those people, students at high schools in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Wisconsin, Philadelphia and Monterey, presented at a nuclear disarmament conference at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. “Since it is the only country where nuclear weapons were dropped, you’d think: Oh, teenagers would be interested,” Yuka Miyahara, a third-year student at Soka Senior High School in Tokyo, said in a presentation on Friday, July 28. “From our perspective, hardly anyone is, except in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We would like to present on the results of our research: What type of education is effective?” Miyahara and her classmate Saki Negishi—along with other students in their Critical Issues Forum group—gamified the idea of nuclear abolition. They developed a card game with trivia. (“Which country became the 50th to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?” one card asks. Answer: Honduras.) But the shortcomings of a card game were immediately apparent. “It is difficult to convey the inhumanity in just a card game, so next is posters showing relationships between health and well-being and nuclear weapons,” Miyahara said. They surveyed students and found that the most effective way to engage them was the card game and posters combined, rather than one or the other. “We feel that it is our responsibility to take action toward the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Negishi said. It’s an impressive level of creativity, innovation and detail-oriented data analysis from anyone, let alone teenagers. But that was the theme of the day—good ideas from smart people. The group at Monterey High School similarly combined creativity with science. A mural-sized mosaic with a dove is nearing completion, meant to inspire and move people. Students are also developing a curriculum that will incorporate nuclear chemistry. “Peace is our number one priority,” said Dante Zanger, a rising senior. Masako Toki runs the Critical Issues Forum at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at MIIS. (Students from Russia used to participate alongside Japanese and American students, but for obvious reasons—that themselves prove the continuing urgency of the need to engage in a global strategy toward disarmament—they were not part of the 2023 gathering.) “It’s important to educate the next generation,” Toki says. I asked the students why they got interested in this topic, given the scale of other existential threats. Some liked hanging out with their peers or a particular teacher. Miyahara’s answer especially struck me, for her combination of optimism and practicality. “It’s very strange to say, but one of my dreams is to live to 120 years old,” she responded. “I considered the risks—disease, cancer—and I thought the nuclear weapons threat is the biggest. It’s very important to remove this from my life.” While she and her teenage classmates are looking forward, there is also an upcoming invitation to look back. The local branch of the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom hosts its annual HiroshimaNagasaki remembrance ceremony from 7-9pm on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. The evening kicks off with lantern-making and a taiko drumming performance. Then comes music, poetry and messages about peace, with remarks from physicist Sharat Lin. At 8:15pm, they’ll launch peace lanterns to be floated around by kayak. It’s a lovely ceremony, one that invites reflection and grief for the destruction nuclear weapons have wrought. But more importantly, like the students’ presentations, there is also a call to action. Specifically, 68 nations have ratified the international Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that went into effect in 2021. The U.S. has yet to do so. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. Dreams Not Bombs High schoolers commit to tackling the existential threat of nuclear war. By Sara Rubin Ad Hominem…Squid sometimes uses court documents as a sleep aid—half the words are in Latin, and if you don’t have a J.D., it can be pretty dry reading. But sometimes, Squid reads something straight out of a contemporary drama, and Squid perks up. So it is with the rapid-fire, back-and-forth filings in a 2013 federal case against the County of Monterey and Wellpath, its contractor providing medical care in the county jail. The class-action suit was filed by inmates seeking adequate conditions. Per a 2015 settlement, the county and Wellpath are supposed to be doing a bunch of stuff to make things better and safer in there, but plaintiffs’ attorneys claim that isn’t happening. It’s hard to know, because the 30-plus reports that illuminate the details are kept under seal and out of sight from the public, including Squid. The latest chapter in this drama is a legal battle over whether to unseal those reports. Plaintiffs (and the Weekly—see “Free Speech,” p. 6) say yes; the county and Wellpath say no way. Meanwhile, Chief Assistant County Counsel Susan Blitch and plaintiffs’ attorney Van Swearingen are fighting about who said what when. Allegedly, per documents filed by Blitch, Swearingen agreed during a 2020 meeting to keep the reports secret. Then the accusatory emails start flying: “I am very disappointed to see the false statements that you made about me,” Swearingen wrote. Blitch responded: “I stand by my statement. You agreed to keep the reports confidential.” Of course, Squid has no way of knowing who really said what when, but does know this sounds like two kids yelling it out on the playground. Meanwhile, people are incarcerated and they and their families want to know: Are the county and Wellpath living up to their promises? Power Couple…As Squid oozes around Monterey County, Squid regularly observes influential people (and people who wish to be influential) rubbing elbows. So it’s not necessarily surprising to see Rebeca Andrade, the superintendent of Salinas City Elementary School District, and Steve Carrigan, the city manager of Salinas, dining together. What makes it look like something other than business is on the table is the little blue box that Tiffany is famous for, with diamond earrings inside. That’s not on the city/school district agenda…it’s just good, old-fashioned love. Carrigan tells Squid’s colleague that he and Andrade are smitten with each other. They met via Zoom when Carrigan was brand new to Salinas and hosted a meeting with all four Salinas school district superintendents; when she logged in, meeting attendees say, he got a little googly-eyed. It all sounds much more romantic than love in the world of cephalopods, and Squid wishes them the best. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “Peace is our number one priority.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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