12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 11-17, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com School Daze We should all be deeply troubled by your recent article exposing the culture of denial and silence within Carmel Unified School District regarding years of failure to address sexual misconduct (“After years of failures to address sexual misconduct, Carmel Unified School District tries to reset amid leadership turnover,” March 28-April 3). The trauma inflicted upon young women due to the disregard from district staff and leadership is heartbreaking. CUSD has unquestionably failed its students, parents, employees and the community at large. The lack of accountability and transparency surrounding the departure of former superintendent Ted Knight, along with his significant payout of $770,000, raises serious questions about the motives behind such decisions. The involvement of boardmembers Sara Hinds, Karl Pallastrini and Jason Remynse in approving this settlement begs the question of their suitability for their positions. Perhaps it is time for these members to consider resigning and allow the community to begin healing. Frances Dillard | Carmel Rental Lottery This pilot program raises questions about just how seriously elected officials are taking the housing crisis in our community (“The City of Monterey is moving forward with a pilot program to assist struggling renters,” March 28-April 3). The article states two-thirds of Monterey residents rent their homes, meaning there are tens of thousands of renters in the city. What fair and equitable selection process will the program use to choose the 50 or so lucky individuals who’ll receive a $5,000 subsidy? Second, if this pilot program were to be adopted at scale, wouldn’t it worsen the housing crisis? Government subsidy of a product with inelastic supply (like Monterey housing) increases prices in the long run. It’s disappointing to see politicians focused on what is popular and easy (throwing a little bit of taxpayer money at a massive problem) rather than the hard and crucial work of building new housing. Reid Norris | Carmel Valley Road Work Everyone that lives down here knows the importance of tourism to Big Sur and its economy. It’s just that many of us feel that Highway 1 may ultimately be non-sustainable with the projected growth of visitation in the future (“Can Big Sur strike a delicate balance between tourism and locals?” April 4-10). Estimates show it has basically doubled from 3 million to 6 million visitors in the past 25 years. Drive down on a busy weekend in the summer and imagine what Big Sur and its scenic highway would look like if visitation doubles again in 25 years. The Big Sur Land Use Plan limits destination commercial and residential development so as many people can enjoy access to the highway for recreational scenic driving, the primary activity for visitors. Sara Rubin is right that most places don’t stay as “pristine” as when you first arrive. But the Land Use Plan’s policies, if protected, are to keep Big Sur from changing and for it to stay pristine! Marcus Foster | Big Sur The author has it wrong. The issue is commercialization vs. nature. Has this author never seen Big Sur on any weekend? The Big Sur Land Use Plan was created to keep the Big Sur coast from being commercialized like so many other places. Over the years traffic has increased, and small quaint cabins have been bought up by out-of-state conglomerates who turn those cabins into luxury resorts. All of this has created a loss of campsites and affordable cabins for the average person. Keep Big Sur Wild seeks to preserve the natural beauty of Big Sur for ALL and for perpetuity. The Big Sur Land Use Plan needs to be enforced, not amended. Allowing expanded commercial development of the coast ruins its natural beauty, urbanizes its wild character and displaces the public. Keep Big Sur Wild is asking the County for a “hold” on new proposed luxury glamping and other proposed visitor-serving units until definitions about what constitutes a campsite versus a room are clarified. The concern is with affordability and commercialization. This is about money vs. nature, not local vs. visitors. Sharon Petrosino | Big Sur Cop to It Thank you for your excellent story on the lack of safety for personnel and the public at the Carmel police station (“Carmel’s police station is falling apart,” posted April 2). The citizens need to understand it’s a public resource that serves them, regardless of their opinion toward policing. So many times no one wants to fund a project until a tragedy occurs. That station is a disaster waiting to happen at best, and multiple lawsuits at worst. It’s not only officers who work in that building but records clerks, animal services, support staff, all toiling away in an antiquated dilapidated unsafe structure. It’s been that way for years. Hopefully your piece will shine light on this problem. Barb Patchin | Marina build up This is a huge improvement, that building was an eyesore for decades (“A complete makeover of a New Monterey building brings five new housing units,” posted March 30). Now this, with the other revitalization in the area, will make Lighthouse much nicer for all. Eric Gates | Marina Ugh, no charm at all! Colleen Green | via social media In The Chocolate Factory Monterey Peninsula College’s Theatre Arts chair, Todd Siff, picked a winner in presenting Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka as MPC’s first mainstage production since 2019. It is a blast, energizing both performers and audience! (“MPC’s Morgan Stock Stage is finally back in action, and its first production back is a big one,” April 4-10.) Scoop up a kid or just bring along your inner child and don’t miss this inspired renaissance of our beloved MPC Theatre. It shows until April 21. Roberta Myers | Montere Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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