8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 12-18, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news Like every other city locally, Del Rey Oaks is hustling to complete a draft of its housing element by a mid-December deadline from the state. It’s the state’s sixth cycle of a process to meet its housing goals. But unlike other cities, Del Rey Oaks still hasn’t completed its fifth cycle update, which the Planning Commission will consider approving Oct. 11, after the Weekly’s deadline. (City Council is set to vote on it on Oct. 18.) This comes after Del Rey Oaks City Council initially approved the document on Dec. 17, 2019 to meet the state’s Dec. 31 deadline that year; also on Dec. 31, land use nonprofit Landwatch sued Del Rey Oaks, contending that the plan lacked sufficient analysis of water supply, as required by state law, for the land that the city would rezone for housing. In a March 2020 letter to Del Rey Oaks—just as Covid was coming to the fore—the state Department of Housing and Community Development agreed with Landwatch’s comments, and told Del Rey Oaks to go back to the drawing board; Landwatch dropped its lawsuit a few months later. In the final environmental impact report for the fifth cycle update, water supply concerns are addressed with a master response that says, essentially, that residential uses on the city’s former Fort Ord land—currently zoned for commercial use—would require less water than was envisioned (golf course, resort hotel, etc.) in the city’s general plan and the Fort Ord Base Reuse Plan, both of which were adopted in 1997 and have approved EIRs. Jurisdictions are required by the state to prepare housing elements every eight years, laying out where housing units could be built based on population projections. Fifth Element Del Rey Oaks is racing to complete both its sixth—and fifth—updates to its housing element. By David Schmalz The trial of Gustavo Morales— who is accused of shooting and killing Salinas Police Department officer Jorge “JD” Alvarado in February 2022—commenced on Monday, Oct. 9, with opening statements from the prosecution and defense, as well as testimonies from bystanders at the incident, several of Alvarado’s colleagues and a criminologist who analyzed the crime scene. Morales, 32, is charged with murdering the 30-year-old Alvarado on the evening of Feb. 25, 2022, after the officer pulled him over during a traffic stop near the intersection of Griffin and East Market streets in Salinas. Prosecutors claim that Morales walked up to Alvarado’s patrol car and shot him multiple times; Alvarado died at the scene. Morales was arrested later that night at Salinas Valley Health hospital, where he had sought treatment for a gunshot wound to the hand allegedly sustained when Alvarado fired back at him. In his opening statements, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Christopher Puck told the jury that Morales, who was on probation at the time, was driving drunk with a suspended license while also carrying a firearm, and that he shot and killed Alvarado before fleeing the scene (and briefly considering an escape to Mexico) in an attempt to avoid arrest and jail time. Morales’ attorney, Michael Belter, argued that his client’s background—including as a victim of police brutality and gang violence—had skewed his state of mind and led him to fear for his life that evening. Morales, who is being held at Monterey County Jail without bail, sat hunched over next to his counsel, dressed in a black polo shirt. Also in the courtroom were several members of Alvarado’s family, many dressed in black, observing the proceedings solemnly and occasionally in tears. (Alvarado’s older brother, fellow Salinas police officer Jorge Ernesto Alvarado, died unexpectedly last month while off-duty.) Salinas Mayor Kimbley Craig also attended. Over the course of the day, the prosecution set about procedurally establishing the facts of what occurred on the night of Alvarado’s shooting while seeking to connect Morales to the crime. Puck called as witnesses members of the public who were in close proximity to the incident—including a delivery driver who testified that he saw Morales shoot at Alvarado, and attempted to prevent him from fleeing the scene by unsuccessfully blocking his car’s path with his delivery van. Multiple Salinas police officers were also called to testify, including several who tearfully recounted arriving at the scene and efforts to save Alvarado’s life. Others detailed their involvement in the search of Morales’ Salinas residence, which located the alleged murder weapon and his title for the blood-stained 1986 Honda Accord that Morales was allegedly driving that night. The jury also viewed footage from Alvarado’s body camera, in which gunshots are heard as he falls to the ground. Laura Lee, a criminologist at the California Department of Justice’s Watsonville laboratory who processed the crime scene, also walked the jury through the evidence that she found. Prosecutors are not pursuing the death penalty for Morales, who faces life in prison. Multiple agencies helped investigate the crime scene on Feb. 26, 2022. “A tragedy such as this takes a huge toll on a police department,” DA Jeannine Pacioni said. On Trial Arguments began in the murder trial of Gustavo Morales, charged with killing a Salinas police officer. By Rey Mashayekhi The blue area represents former Fort Ord land within Del Rey Oaks’ boundaries. The city is proposing to rezone the portion with crosshatch marks—250 acres—for residential use. Officers tearfully recounted efforts to save Alvarado’s life. Daniel Dreifuss City of Del Rey Oaks
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