6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY December 14-20, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH That the business model for journalism is struggling is not new. What is new is a serious exploration by lawmakers as to how they can implement policies to help. The latest statewide effort is Assembly Bill 886, known as the California Journalism Preservation Act, introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland. The California Senate Judiciary Committee held an informational hearing on “The Importance of Journalism in the Digital Age” on Dec. 5 in anticipation of considering the bill in the next legislative session. The bill would require Big Tech platforms such as Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) and Google to pay news publishers a “journalism usage fee” (an amount to be determined) for the use of their content; 70 percent of that revenue must be used directly for journalism staff. “Every day, journalism plays an essential role in California and in local communities, and the ability of local news organizations to continue to provide the public with critical information about their communities and enabling publishers to receive fair market value for their content that is used by others will preserve and ensure the sustainability of local and diverse news outlets,” according to the text of the bill. It passed 55-6 on the Assembly floor in June. Good: For those who look to food trucks for sustenance—or food proprietors who make a living by selling from a mobile restaurant—there’s good news in Marina. On Dec. 5, the Marina City Council approved an ordinance that will allow mobile food vending in the city, whether that be a food truck or a sidewalk vendor. This comes after the city put out a public opinion survey a few months back, and of the 202 responses received, 94 percent were in favor of allowing food trucks. The operators will be required to get a license from the city, which must be renewed annually and that expires every June 30. Vendors will be prohibited from setting up shop along Del Monte Boulevard and Reservation Road, and will not be allowed to obstruct any bike lanes. The allowed hours of operation will be between 7am and 11pm. GREAT: Great news for the Big Sur Health Center comes with hiring a new staff physician, Dr. Margaret Simon, before the retiring staff physician wraps up on Dec. 31. A staff physician is required for licensing reasons to keep seeing patients. “I was losing a lot of sleep,” Executive Director Sharen Carey says. “It’s a wonderful way to end the year, finding our new physician.” The search was long and slow as Carey learned from recruiters that the nonprofit was not competitive in its salary offering. A story ran in the Weekly in October detailing the challenging search; a reader, whose late parents received care at the Health Center, learned about the issue and donated $33,000 to support the new physician’s salary. Simon has been practicing for 13 years and completed her residency at Natividad in Salinas. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Length of the mediated negotiating session between Hartnell Community College District and Hartnell College Faculty Association, which started on Dec. 7 and concluded at 1am on Friday, Dec. 8 with a tentative contract that includes raises. Source: Hartnell Community College District 16 hours QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The City expresses its gratitude to Chief Panholzer.” -A statement from Monterey city officials announcing the retirement of Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer, effective Dec. 30. The announcement came just weeks after the firefighters’ union said they’d cast a vote of no confidence in their leadership (see story, mcweekly.com). • Over 100 dealers 21,000 square feet The Largest AnTiques And COLLeCTibLes MALL on the Central Coast ’23 Voted Monterey County's Best Antique Shop 471 WAVE STREET MONTEREY (831) 655-0264 P M canneryrowantiquemall.com Holiday shopping? Come by to find a vintage treasure! Open Daily 11am-6pm sPeCiAL HOLidAY HOuRs CLOSED Christmas & New Year’s Day OPEN 11am -3pm Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve ♦ 3 Card Poker ♠ Century 21st No Bust Black Jack ♣ Texas Hold’em ♥ Baccarat FULL BAR! BLACKJACK BONUS POINTS PAYS UP TO $20,000 SMALL TOWN BIG PAYOUTS! 1-800-Gambler • Gega-003846, Gega-Gega-003703, Gega-000889 Gega-000891 Gega-002838 The Marina Club Casino ensures the safety and security of all guests and team members at all times, while providing exceptional service. 204 Carmel Ave. Marina 831-384-0925 casinomonterey.com ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ Just minutes from Downtown Monterey Where Monterey Comes To Play
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