16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 17-23, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com rev up Worst week of the year (“Car Week gets underway. Here’s a glance at 10 days full of events,” Aug. 10-16). Mike McDaniel | via social media The worst week for locals. Mike Gash | via social media Actually it’s one of the best weeks for many locals, especially those who work in hospitality or guest services. Many who work in low-wage jobs count on Car Week for huge tips. Many nonprofits and community organizations count on the dollars generated to fund their operations throughout the year. Bryan Flores | Salinas I appreciate your listing of benefits. I agree, it’s something many people enjoy and it’s an economic boon to some. However, it is also important to honestly acknowledge the very real costs Car Week levies. Traffic from these events can add hours to commute times for essential workers who cannot choose alternate routes or travel times. (The “plan your travel around the event” message feels pretty darn entitled, since many working people simply do not have these choices. It really means “give us your time for free.”) Yes, there are many economic benefits. I am however not convinced that the full costs are being acknowledged. Nor do I think those paying more than their share of the costs are necessarily those getting more than their share of the benefits. Martha Diehl | Big Sur Bully Pulpit It is very disappointing that Pacific Grove City Council did not honor the term contract that was signed with Ben Harvey (“The ouster of Pacific Grove’s city manager empowers the bullies,” Aug. 10-16). Not only did we have to pay for the bad behavior of Councilmember Luke Coletti, but his bad behavior was also rewarded by placing him on the subcommittee to find our next city manager. What message are we sending here? Give the reins to the bully? As a resident, I want to show gratitude to councilmembers Chaps Poduri and Joe Amelio for questioning this action. It is obvious that the problems plaguing our city government remain intact. Colleen Ingram | Pacific Grove Loved the “Local Spin” column, a voice of reason. We live in paradise, but some people have to nitpick everything to death—guess they are bored. Sharon Miller | Pacific Grove A City Story My wife and I have lived in Del Rey Oaks for eight years, and in Monterey County for 40 years. We have long enjoyed the Monterey County Weekly and the solid journalism. We want to commend you for the well researched and well written article on Del Rey Oaks and Sand City (“The story of how—and why—Del Rey Oaks and Sand City exist,” Aug. 9-16). We spend much time in both these wonderful communities, and now have been enlightened to the history behind them. Thanks for a job well done! Jim and Jeri Vanderzwaan | Del Rey Oaks And every few years, DRO will ask its voters to yet again extend the special parcel tax in order to keep the city going. Del Rey Oaks will likely never have a commercial sector and the city’s existence will always be a burden on its property owners. It should eventually be absorbed by either Monterey or Seaside. Mark Carbonaro | Monterey Build Up I’m glad the Weekly is following the housing issue and reporting on public meetings and events concerning it, but I was disappointed by the slant of the article reporting on Mary Adams’ meeting at Del Mesa Carmel (“Carmel Valley residents turned out in numbers for a town hall on the county’s housing plans,” Aug. 3-9). Unfortunately the reporter chose to highlight two negative comments by attendees rather than reporting more fully on what Adams had to say. It is true that Del Mesa is a “gated community,” but I’m sure there are many Del Mesa residents like me who recognize the importance of affordable housing. It saddens me to see further development in Carmel Valley, but it saddens me even more to know that so many people who work here cannot afford to live here. Healthy, vibrant communities are made up of residents who work and live in them, who live side-by-side with their employers, clients and patrons. We need to solve our critical housing shortage, and one way to do that is to make sure that we are all aware of the problem and what is being done to address it. We don’t need articles that put undue emphasis on the mean-spirited comments of those opposed to affordable housing. Deborah Sharp | Carmel Bombs Away It was gratifying to learn that high school students from here and around the world understand the urgency of eliminating nuclear weapons and are taking action (“High schoolers commit to tackling the existential threat of nuclear war,” Aug. 3-9). Thank you for shining some light on this critical issue and for drawing a thread from their advocacy to our 19th Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance event. We had a strong turnout, despite the chilly weather. We so appreciate the Weekly’s coverage of our event. Catherine Crockett | Seaside Note: Crockett is president of the Monterey Peace and Justice Center. Game Time Having worked on both the Tron and Star Wars games, I’m thrilled that these are their favorites (“A couple dedicated to preserving favorite ’80s arcade games opens a space in Monterey,” Aug. 3-9). I side with Meg in preferring Star Wars. I look forward to seeing the new arcade! Earl Vickers | Seaside Curtain Call I just listened to Agata Popeda’s interview with Tom, and both did so well (“Podcast, Mic’d Up at the Press Club—Playwright and producer Tom Parks talks about his most recent play,” posted Aug. 3). You had to spend time doing research for it, which shows in the interview itself. Phyllis Theroux | Ashland, Virginia 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.
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