8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY september 28-october 4, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news While they have no way of knowing it, southern sea otters—a threatened species once thought to be extinct— scored a big win last week. In February 2021, Jonathan Wood, counsel for both the California Sea Urchin Commission and Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to delist southern sea otters as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The crux of the petition’s argument was that otters are no longer in danger of extinction, in large part because of regulations put in place since they were listed in 1977 that reduced their potential mortality due to oil spill events. It also stated that “regulations resulting from the sea otter’s listing also interfere with sustainable harvest by exposing urchin divers to the threat of significant criminal and civil penalties should their activities disturb an otter.” In August 2022, USFW completed a 90-day finding suggesting that delisting otters may be warranted, which prompted an in-depth, 12-month review that relied on a wide array of scientific data about their current status and future threats. That review was published Sept. 19, and concluded that southern sea otters, which have rebounded from the brink of extinction and now number about 3,000, should remain listed as a threatened species for a host of reasons. Chief among them are climate change, which is expected to increase the otters’ exposure to harmful pathogens and algal blooms. Another key threat is shark bite mortality, which has limited the species’ ability to expand its current range to its historical range, which extended from Baja to Washington state. Threats Remain A coalition of fishermen tried to get protections for sea otters removed. They failed. By David Schmalz A long-ago dream to build Monterey Peninsula High School on 50 acres off of Highway 68 never materialized—but now the land that was purchased and set aside for the campus is being talked about as a village of teachers, nurses, doctors, scientists, technicians and other employees of the Peninsula’s largest employers, which are struggling to attract and retain workers due to the high cost of housing. The idea was broached in a discussion at the joint Monterey City Council and Planning Commission meeting on Sept. 19, as leaders took a look at possible amendments to the city’s housing element under California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements. Due to RHNA, the city must add to its housing plans the possibility of 3,654 new units between 2023 and 2031. To get to that number, planners are looking at every possibility, including infill sites, former Fort Ord land and “opportunity sites,” including locations like schools and churches. Consultant Andrew Hill of Dyett & Bhatia shared that some big employers—Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Montage Health and Monterey Bay Aquarium—have signaled interest in collaborating on employee housing. One site Hill pointed to was the 50 acres owned by MPUSD on the south side of Highway 68, east of Monterey Regional Airport, where approximately 300 units could conceivably be constructed. Concepts don’t always work into reality, however, and MPUSD Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh is not excited about the 50-acre site in Monterey for housing. “Of all the sites in the district, that would be the hardest to develop,” he says. Currently there is no infrastructure, plus water supply could be an issue. “There are other pieces of property that the district owns that are more feasible to take the next step with,” Diffenbaugh says—but they would not help Monterey with its RHNA goal. Those sites include one near Seaside Middle School between the school and Bayonet & Black Horse, and another by the Marina Child Development Center. Matt Morgan, vice president and chief financial officer for Montage (which operates Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula), says the nonprofit has engaged in conversations with other employers but “moving into something more tangible has been a little tougher.” Montage is not currently interested in becoming a developer or co-developer with others, he says. The nonprofit did get into real estate in recent years with the purchase of 70 units in Monterey for employee rentals. The Aquarium faces similar challenges in attracting and retaining employees, a spokesperson says. Although the nonprofit is exploring solutions, “we do not have plans for employee-sponsored housing.” Diffenbaugh, who says he’s worked for five years on the housing problem, remains open to a collaboration to create housing under the right circumstances. “The thought is that each of us brings different resources to the table and if it’s possible to develop a winwin-win situation to develop housing for our employees, that’s a goal we all share and want to pursue,” he says. “At this point [MPUSD] is open to all options, all ideas and collaborations, because we’re losing over 100 teachers a year and it’s not a sustainable situation for our district.” MPUSD Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh (above) says the district has land, water and the political will to house teachers. “The challenge has been finances,” he says. Company Town The Peninsula’s biggest employers contemplate collaboration for creating employee housing. By Pam Marino Once thought to be extinct, southern sea otters, a federally threatened species, now number about 3,000. Historically, there were between 150,000-300,000. “We’re losing over 100 teachers a year.” joel Angel Juárez nic coury
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