www.montereycountyweekly.com january 4-10, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 The violence that has happened in Israel and Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 is unthinkably horrific. The ever-growing death toll has not abated. Suffering continues. And here in the United States, a polarizing division continues to frame the way people think about this war. The high-profile fallout continues daily, with the announcement on Jan. 2 that Harvard President Claudine Gay would resign after the university’s leadership faced criticism— including grilling at a congressional hearing—over its response to anti-semitisim on campus. The narrative that has run throughout almost all of this discourse since the day of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israelis has been compelling us to pick a side. The idea I insist on clinging to—that I am on the side of life and humanity, that people of different origins who call a place home should be able to do so peacefully—gets dismissed as naive in conversation. Yet it is, as far as I can see, the only viable option. As a local newsperson in Monterey County, I am not here to offer my policy provisions on how to get there—plenty of other thinkers can explain. All I know is that the sanctity of human life has been utterly ignored in the us-vs.-them narrative. There has been pressure on individuals and organizations to issue statements, articulating which side they support. (A local reader created an anonymous email address to ask me which side I was on, then disabled the email account before my response was delivered.) The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, a nonprofit that supports economic development in the tri-county region, issued a position statement on the IsraelHamas War on Dec. 12, more than two months after it began, in support of diversity. “Leaders here in the Monterey Bay region and beyond are appealing to our better natures, reminding us that we are better than our disagreements and perceived divisions. We are connected, all of us—on a neighborhood, community, regional, and global level—and it’s important to remember that challenging times needn’t be polarizing,” the statement read in part. “It’s these moments when we must lean into our humanity and advocate for each other.” I agree. If we cannot see each other’s humanity in a time of crisis, we reduce each other to enemy status. And MBEP’s statement is shocking for its neutrality and its choice to value life over picking a side in a foreign policy crisis. “Talking with each other, breaking bread, getting to know ‘the other’—that’s where the solution is,” says Tahra Goraya, MBEP’s president and CEO. “As leaders and individuals, we show up with multiple identities.” Well before this war began, Goraya was experiencing life with an identity as a Muslim American woman, visible to all thanks to the headscarf she wears. She is also a mom and a nonprofit executive. As a Muslim living in a minority-Muslim community, she and others like her were working to create community. Goraya and Lynn Bentaleb, whose children are Muslim, started a Facebook group called Monterey Bay Muslim Neighbors to give Muslim residents a place to share ideas and find camaraderie. They did so not related to a war, but last year during Ramadan, when kids in school reported teachers saying condescending things, showing they did not really understand what it meant for kids to celebrate the holiday. (“It’s about joy,” Bentaleb says, noting the narrative of deprivation doesn’t capture the occasion.) Part of the goal of their virtual group was to build community among themselves. From there, it follows that they would build community with others. Muslims and Jews and Christians and a list of people of faiths too long to list here all live in Monterey County. It’s up to us to figure out how to do so as a community where all are safe. The war continues unabated and people are dying every day. But I hope the polarizing intensity in our own community has faded. Gone are the days of considering county resolutions in solidarity with Israel—organizations can now issue statements in support of humanity. Perhaps we can start to demonstrate a model for peaceful coexistence in our own small, community-scale way. As MBEP put it, “Peace and safety fuel thriving economies, locally and globally.” If empathy doesn’t call to you, try economic self-interest—it’s what’s best for all of us. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. One for All As war in Gaza continues, local leaders look for a way to say yes to life. By Sara Rubin Breaking Bread…Squid had a lovely New Year’s Eve in the lair, but it was nothing fancy, just a dinner with friends and then a bowl of shrimp-flavored popcorn, a good book and some reflection on the year gone by. One thing that made Squid smile was that on Dec. 14, Squid’s colleague crashed a party at the palatial home of Paul Bruno, head of local construction company Monterey Peninsula Engineering and vocal supporter of Cal Am, the investor-owned utility that serves water to the Peninsula’s taps. In fact, the party—which was ostensibly a Seaside Groundwater Basin Watermaster holiday affair—was co-sponsored by Bruno and Cal Am (both hold positions on the Watermaster board). There was valet parking, a wait staff serving hors d’oeuvres and Champagne, and two massive spreads of charcuterie and sushi. Upon arriving uninvited, Squid’s colleague quickly ran into people they knew—dozens of them, elected and not—grazing and drinking and talking, across enemy lines. For example, it was wild to see Rem Scherzinger, general manager of Marina Coast Water District, chopping it up with Kevin Tilden, head of Cal Am, while their respective employers are locked against each other in litigation. Bruno explains the point of the party, a December tradition: To bring people together who may have different views but that are all part of this community, and to maybe find out that if you remove this issue or that, they may have more in common than not. That’s a vibe we all need to carry into 2024—it’s gonna be a real one. For Rent…Squid is no math whiz, but Squid knows basic arithmetic. And Squid knows that 70 percent is equivalent to a C- grade. It’s certainly not what Squid would call “exceptionally high,” but that didn’t stop the marketing team behind The Dunes shopping center in Marina from sending a year-end push announcing plans for The Promenade in 2024. “Demand Exceptionally High,” they boasted. Exceptional, it turns out, means 70 percent of the retail space is accounted for—and that includes the Promenade’s anchor, the Cinemark Century Marina movie theater, already in operation at a massive 23,500 square feet. (Squid wore pink and went to see Barbie there on opening night in 2023.) Beer is slated to arrive this year in The Brass Tap, at 3,200 square feet. And a mysterious grocery store—identified as a “well-known specialty grocer not yet named”—is expected in a 12,500-square-foot spot. “This leaves just 12 retail units remaining in five buildings,” the chipper announcement reads. Just 12 units. That’s more businesses than Squid can run, even with 10 appendages to dip into the retail world. the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We must lean into our humanity.” Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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