12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 10-16, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com “DANGER…KEEP OUT,” reads a notice posted to the front door of Apartment #1 at the complex at 359 Larkin St., in Monterey’s Old Town neighborhood. Piles of personal belongings, dishes left in the kitchen sink and food left on countertops are visible through the windows. It’s as if the people who lived there left suddenly, never to return. Another tenant offers a clue: The former tenants told him before they moved that broken pipes under the apartment led to mold, contaminating everything. One by one, six of the 11 permitted units in the complex, built in 1932, have been deemed uninhabitable by Monterey code enforcement officers since last December, after the city received numerous complaints from residents. Problems include mold, a hole in the ceiling of one unit, broken heaters, broken windows, disintegrating roofing and more. One bright red notice states that mold and blood were found inside. City officials wait for tenants to move out and then quickly “red tag” each unit before anyone can move in. Officials have stopped short of condemning the entire small complex, which would force all tenants out. One 20-year resident, Derek Dean, says his studio apartment has no issues. “I just love living here. I’m two blocks from the ocean and two blocks from downtown,” he says. “It’s just been like a little piece of heaven living here.” In addition to blighted conditions with other units, inspectors found three unpermitted units in addition to the 11. “We’re not sure how they added more units but that’s something we’re investigating as well,” Monterey Chief Building Official Lori L. Williamson says. Williamson adds they’ve been attempting to work with property owner and Monterey resident Leslie J. Flores since December to make improvements to the apartment complex and bring units back up to code, but Flores has been unresponsive. She says a contractor contacted the city in July about possibly making repairs. (Flores did not respond to the Weekly.) “Ultimately, if the owner doesn’t do anything, then we have to go through other means to abate that, and it’s not easy and it’s not quick,” Williamson says. Under California law, the process for municipalities to abate blighted and unsafe properties is a lengthy one involving multiple notices and hearings. The city could ultimately do the repairs and place a lien on the property to recoup expenses. For students in the Carmel Unified School District, life has moved on since March 31. They took final exams, had summer vacation and returned to a new school year that started Aug. 9. For Superintendent Ted Knight, it’s been over four months of waiting. The board of trustees placed Knight on leave on March 31 pending the outcome of a third-party investigation into his actions related to his removal of the former Carmel High School principal. It remains unclear whether the investigation by School & College Legal Services has been completed. Meanwhile, Knight remains on leave; Sharon Ofek, formerly the deputy superintendent, remains acting superintendent. In Knight’s absence, he’s been seeking a paper trail about some of what transpired leading to his departure. Representing Knight, attorney Gregory Rolen of the San Francisco firm Haight, Brown & Bonesteel submitted a request to CUSD on April 28 seeking documents under the California Public Records Act, including text messages and emails exchanged with board trustees; documents related to a sexual harassment survey; and communications pertaining to Knight’s resignation. (Knight has not resigned.) CUSD had produced some records in response to Rolen’s request, mostly calendar invitations, group emails and a copy of a lawsuit filed by a parent; district officials have indicated that they intend to hand over more documents. But for Knight’s legal team, it’s been too slow, and they believe a “vast number” of documents should be turned over. “It appears that the district is stalling,” attorney Donald Velez, Rolen’s colleague, wrote in a July 20 email to Erin Dervin, an attorney representing CUSD. Knight sued the district on July 24 in Monterey County Superior Court, seeking a court order forcing CUSD to produce more records. District officials declined to comment, but in an email to Knight’s legal team, Dervin wrote: “The district is surprised at your litigious stance.” Red Tag One by one, officials condemn blighted Monterey apartments. By Pam Marino news Coast with the Most Los Padres National Forest officials host a workshop to discuss potential management strategies in the Monterey Ranger District to address recreation and visitor use of the Big Sur coastal areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service along Highway 1. Members of the public are invited to attend to share ideas. 3pm-6pm Thursday, Aug. 10. Pacific Valley School, 69325 Highway 1, Big Sur. Free. 385-5434. Open House Residents of Monterey County’s District 3 are invited to an annual open house. Meet Supervisor Chris Lopez and his staff, and celebrate the winners of this year’s “We Are Southern Monterey County” painting and photography competition. 5-6:30pm Thursday, Aug. 10. Civic Center, 599 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Free. 784-5729, district3@co.monterey. ca.us. Meet the Neighbors A community meet-n-greet welcomes constituents in the city of Greenfield’s District 3. Gather with your neighbors and City Councilmember Rachel Ortiz. 10am-noon Saturday, Aug. 12. Parkside Court Neighborhood Park, 328 Parkside Court, Greenfield. Free. 6745591, ci.greenfield.ca.us. Lead by Example Monterey City Council meets and, as always, accepts public comment. Tell your council members what you think they are doing well and what they can do better. 4pm and 7pm Tuesday, Aug. 15. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.org. with the flow The Monterey County Water Resources Agency hosts a stakeholder workshop for the Salinas River Habitat Conservation Plan. This is a hybrid meeting with in-person and virtual participation. 10am Wednesday, Aug. 16. Cinnamon Room, 1441 Schilling Place, Salinas. Or via Zoom using meeting ID 978 3786 5982 and password 288325 at montereycty.zoom.us. Free. salinasriverHCP@icf.com, salinasrivermanagementprogram.org. every vote counts Volunteers are needed to get Monterey County voters ready for the March 5, 2024 presidential primary election. Members of the community who are passionate about democracy are encouraged to apply to work with the Elections Department. The outreach team will table events and provide nonpartisan information on election dates and voter registration. Ongoing. Free. 796-1499, mce.outreach@co.monterey.ca.us. School Dues Carmel Unified superintendent, still on leave after four months, sues over public records. By Sara Rubin Landscapers once visited every week and the apartments at 359 Larkin St., in Monterey, were well maintained, a 20-year tenant says. A new owner took over in 2017. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX Six of 11 permitted units have been deemed uninhabitable. Daniel Dreifuss
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