12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY december 7-13, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news Emergency calls generate a reaction from first responders wherever you are and whether or not you have a roof over your head. Every month, Salinas police and fire departments respond to about 1,200 calls to aid unhoused individuals. In an effort to get the response that is needed and to minimize that number of calls, on Tuesday, Dec. 5, the Salinas City Council voted 6-0 to approve a mobile crisis services pilot program. A mobile crisis unit will respond to calls to provide services like risk assessments and follow up afterward, rather than generating a police or fire call when unnecessary. “The pilot program aims to improve community wellness, reduce the need for restrictive services, and provide crisis intervention services,” according to a report from Salinas Fire Chief Sam Klemek to City Council. Council approved a twoyear agreement for up to $390,000 with the County of Monterey, which will manage nonprofit Sierra Mental Wellness Group, the contractor operating the mobile unit, starting on Dec. 31. The contract will be in effect for two years, through 2025. Two fulltime staff will operate the unit with days and hours of operation expected to vary based on community need. The team will provide face-to-face assessments, a follow-up in the first three days, and referrals to relevant service organizations. Since 2015, the County has offered mobile crisis services and is working to expand them. A new state mandate means counties must provide mobile crisis intervention services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries by Dec. 31. The County-Salinas partnership will provide the first unit serving the city. On the Move Salinas approves a pilot for a mobile clinic to reach unhoused people where they are. By Celia Jiménez California State Parks, the Monterey Museum of Art and the City of Monterey are working together to bring a concept they call The Island of Adobes to downtown Monterey, turning the historic district into a hub for arts and culture. The State Parks-owned Casa Gutierrez Adobe, at 590 Calle Principal in Monterey, is set to become an art gallery in 2025. The building is adjacent to the Miller Adobe, which MMA purchased in July, after making a decision to stay on Pacific Street in downtown Monterey, its home since 1969. State Parks will start work on Casa Gutierrez as early as January 2024. The building has not been open on any consistent basis in recent years, according to Interpretive Program Manager Lisa Maldonado Bradford from the Monterey District of California State Parks. Bradford wanted to change this, and applied for an Arts in State Parks grant, and was awarded the $120,000 needed for an update. “Things are moving quicker than expected,” Bradford says. Soon, Casa Gutierrez will be updated in preparation to showcase artwork (with new lighting and more). The space will be available to use for free for exhibits by various nonprofit groups, changing a few times each year. After almost a decade of indecision, nonprofit MMA announced it will be staying downtown. The Island of Adobes project helped with that decision. This community transformation of downtown Monterey also includes partnerships with Monterey Public Library and Youth Arts Collective, according to MMA’s director of marketing and communications, Candace Christiansen. The Miller Adobe, purchased by MMA for $1.28 million from Raven’s Path LLC, will be used for administrative offices rather than as exhibit space. That will free up space in the museum (at 559 Pacific St.) for “more mission-oriented purposes,” Christiansen adds. Remaining on Pacific Street, in the property leased from the City of Monterey, will necessitate a major renovation; MMA anticipates developing a phased approach to fundraising and construction. It also wants to make sure the streetscape connecting MMA Pacific Street and Miller Adobe is inspiring and accessible. There’s also resolution for MMA as to what to do with its La Mirada location, as well as an adjacent parcel of land on Perry Lane, that the museum purchased in 2020 with the possibility of constructing an entirely new facility there. But consultants Lord Cultural Resources and HMC Architects, hired by the museum to conduct a facilities study, advised them to keep Pacific Street as a homebase, turning La Mirada location into an Institute for California Art, where the museum’s permanent collection and archives can be researched and studied. Long-term plans for La Mirada include offering adult art instruction, seasonal public programming, community partnerships and site rentals. The other property on Perry Lane will be sold. Casa Gutierrez was completed in 1846, before California became part of the United States, for Joaquin Gutierrez from Mexico, a soldier who settled down in Monterey and married a daughter of the old Escobar family; they needed space for their 15 children. Son-in-law John W. Miller built the Miller Adobe next door, at 580 Calle Principal, in 1874. California State Parks officials plan to convert Casa Gutierrez into an art exhibition space for organizations that need a venue to hang creative work. Brick by Brick Monterey Museum of Art and government agencies partner in a vision to expand an art footprint downtown. By Agata Pop˛eda Salinas Fire Chief Sam Klemek hopes a mobile crisis unit helps firefighters cut down on calls to respond to unhoused people, only some of which require a fire department response. “Things are moving quicker than expected.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
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