14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY december 21-27, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Along some rural Monterey County roads, you can smell trash even before you see it. Bags of household garbage, tires, furniture and kitchen appliances getting dumped on the sides of isolated roads has been a longstanding issue. For decades, the Illegal Dumping and Litter Abatement Task Force—which includes local cities, county departments, waste haulers and community members—has worked to reduce it. They’ve used educational programs, informing residents about vouchers available to dispose of trash properly, and organized quarterly cleanups across the county. Yet still: “We don’t have a shortage of hot spots,” says Maria Ferdin, a supervisor with the Environmental Health Department, noting dark and isolated places are favorites for illegal dumping. In a largely rural county, there are many such places. Illegal dumping is an expensive issue. Over a five-year period from 2017-2022, the County of Monterey spent $1.7 million on roadside cleanups, collecting 1,602,580 pounds of trash. “What else could we have used that money for?” Ferdin wonders. That’s where efforts at prevention come in. County officials are now looking to increasing fines as a deterrent. Current fines for illegal dumping range from $100 to $1,000 per offense. In neighboring San Benito County, fines increased in September from $100-$300 to $2,500 for the first offense, $5,000 for the second and $10,000 for a third offense. Concerned that higher fines there could drive more illegal dumping over the county border, Monterey County is seeking to mirror San Benito’s fines in the near future. Ferdin says it’s too early to tell if illegal dumping near San Benito County has increased, but that it makes sense for counties sharing a border to have the same fine schedule. In February, the Health Department brought the illegal dumping issue to the Monterey Board of Supervisors and proposed funding for a surveillance program, a pilot program in problematic areas and an illegal dumping study at a cost of $120,000—which was scrapped after the flooding in Pajaro. Environmental Health officials are currently working on a draft ordinance and a structure to implement penalties, especially because the Health Department would issue citations— not something typically part of their enforcement powers. Meanwhile, they continue looking for ways to effectively discourage illegal dumping. The proposed ordinance could be back in front of the Board of Supervisors as early as January. Over the years, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has received calls from parents inquiring about preschool programs in Monterey. Starting on Jan. 4, the district will open a program for kids ages 3-5 in the former Monte Vista School on Soledad Drive “This is the first subsidized program opening in Monterey that is connected to a district,” says Tia Robinson, MPUSD’s coordinator of early childhood education. The trigger to open a preschool center in Monterey was an assessment by Bright Beginnings, an early childhood development initiative of the County, United Way and Monterey County Office of Education. The assessment showed there was great interest in preschool programs in Monterey, especially subsidized programs. According to Bright Beginnings’ findings, the county has enough licensed spaces for just 26 percent of children under 5 years of age. The Monterey location will open two classrooms and will have 48 spots available. “We will expand once we get staffing, and we’re planning to expand to probably lower ages,” Robinson says. California has strict regulations for public preschool, including 35 square feet of indoor space per child, child-size furniture and more. Currently, MPUSD serves fewer than 400 preschool students combined in Marina and Seaside at its child development centers. If the Monterey location is closer to home or work for those families, parents can request transfers to Monterey. The program is state-funded and is open to families at all income levels. Qualifying families pay up to $82 per month. Those who don’t qualify for subsidies will pay $850 per month per child; MPUSD employees will have a discounted rate of $590. Kids enrolled in the program are expected to have a smooth transition to transitional kindergarten and beyond since they will already be in MPUSD’s preschool. Students will learn socio-emotional skills, language development, arts and crafts, and more. Dump Dive County Board of Supervisors will consider big increases to illegal dumping fees. By Celia Jiménez news ’Tis the Season The Food Bank for Monterey County is distributing pozole kits for the holiday season at different locations across the county. Kits include hominy, chilis and vegetables to make your own holiday stew. Pickups take place over two days. Thursday, Dec. 21 from 9-10am at 1122 E. Alisal St., Salinas and at 116 South Belden St., Gonzales; 10-11am at 504 N. 3rd St., King City; noon-1pm on Cattleman Road in San Ardo (for San Ardo and San Lucas residents). On Friday Dec. 22, from 9-10am at 11140 Preston St., Castroville. Free; bring proof of address for your pickup. 5781523, foodbankformontereycounty.org. Dollars and Sense Salinas City Council wants to know residents’ budget priorities. Take a survey, and sign up to receive updates on upcoming budget meetings in advance of the budgeting process for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Visit tinyurl.com/SalinasCaBudget to complete the survey. For more information, call 758-7381. Civic Service The City of Pacific Grove has several open volunteer positions on committees and commissions available, including the Planning Commission, Historic Resources Committee and Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Each body meets at least monthly; appointments will be made on Jan. 17. Deadline to apply is 5pm Thursday, Dec. 21. Applications and forms available at cityofpacificgrove.org or the City Clerk’s office at 300 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. For more information, email cityclerk@cityofpacificgrove.org or call 648-3100. Give to Gives Learn about the missions of 206 local nonprofits, and donate to support their efforts to make Monterey County a place where everyone can thrive. Midnight on Sunday, Dec. 31 is the deadline to donate. $5 minimum donation. 375-9712, montereycountygives. com. Donate online, or send checks to Community Foundation for Monterey County, Attn: MCGives!, 2354 Garden Road, Monterey, 93940. Tax time The Alliance on Aging seeks volunteers for its Tax Counseling for the Elderly program, helping seniors navigate their taxes in 2024. Tax preparation experience is required; additional training provided. Appointments are weekdays from 9am-3pm. Complete a volunteer application at allianceonaging.org. For more information, email rhill@allianceonaging.org or call 655-4242. Start Them Young Citing high demand, MPUSD will launch a preschool program in Monterey in January. By Celia Jiménez The Monterey County Public Works Department built an interactive map showing illegal dumping hot spots across largely rural Monterey County. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “We don’t have a shortage of hot spots.” Courtesy of Monterey County Public Works
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