14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 18-24, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com That’s Politics Steve McShane’s comments about dysfunction are just dishonest (“Fourth-term Salinas City Councilmember Steve McShane resigns,” posted April 10). The Salinas City Council is not dysfunctional, it is just dominated by a voting bloc that he is not a part of. It is very obvious what happened here: He made some comments that rightfully drew backlash from the community, council members rightfully sought to hold him accountable, and he finally decided he could not take the backlash and quit. But he can’t just say that, so instead he gaslights and basically cites the response to what he did as a sign that the council is somehow dysfunctional. Very weak all around from McShane. Damian Maldonado | Salinas more Politics Seaside City Council hires a capable city manager and an incapable city attorney, who doesn’t know her legal bounds (“Investigations of some Seaside city staff continue. Resignations, meanwhile, are piling up,” April 11-17). Then they can’t resolve the fight by focusing on the rights of city employees and the capabilities of their city manager. Roelof Wijbrandus | Seaside I know many city employees who have shared it’s been a nightmare since the city manager got hired. He brought in his crew and is running everybody out. The city attorney is only trying to clean his mess. Grazia Balisteri | Seaside Land Grant Thank you for this article (“Rana Creek Ranch—a vast, majestic property in Carmel Valley—is slated to become a recreational treasure,” March 28-April 3). One thing that was not mentioned is that the ranch and surrounding ranches have done a good job in managing for wildlife and habitat utilizing cattle grazing as a benefit to increase biodiversity. We have been beat up by environmental organizations for years because of lack of understanding on their part. Those of us in the private sector of land ownership have to manage for all aspects of the environment, but are never complimented for our actions. Yes, Rana Creek Ranch is biodiverse but let’s not turn it into an overgrown, unproductive landscape with the elimination of grazing. Scott Violini | Salinas Note: Violini is a fourth-generation livestock producer. Happy and sad. There’s going to be more traffic on Carmel Valley Road. Barry Kilzer | Carmel Valley Furry Friends Prior to the pandemic, there was a steadily increasing demand for primary, specialty and emergency veterinary care in the U.S. (“Los Coches Animal Hospital closes in Soledad, leaving fewer health options for pet owners,” April 4-10). With the rate of pet ownership increasing each year and pet owners investing more resources than ever in veterinary care, the infrastructure was already feeling the strain. During the Covid lockdown, over 23 million households acquired pets in the U.S. The subsequent surge in demand for veterinary care overwhelmed providers, and the need to deliver services curbside crippled their ability to effectively and efficiently serve sick and injured pets. Burnout surged among veterinary professionals. A significant percentage of veterinarians and veterinary technicians left the field entirely. Four years later, even as other industries have found ways to mostly recover from the pandemic, the veterinary industry continues to reel. As more clinics are bought by corporations like Mars, Inc. (BluePearl Monterey, for example, is owned by Mars Veterinary Health, a subsidiary of Mars, Inc., which also owns VCA, Banfield, and other veterinary clinics globally), those corporations are seeing unprecedented revenue growth. These corporations continue to raise the cost of services, making care inaccessible and cost-prohibitive for the majority of pet owners in the county. Prior to the pandemic, the crisis with veterinary healthcare was smoldering. Now, it is an inferno that will engulf the industry if meaningful changes are not made. Gianna Matthews | Salinas Note: Matthews is a registered veterinary technician at BluePearl Monterey. Take Flight Thank you so much David Schmalz for bringing attention to this wonderful film with sights most of us will never be able to see! (“A new documentary captures the complexities of condors,” posted April 11.) Audrey Morris | Carmel Picking Sides I had no doubt that some people would object to your article on Leon Panetta’s speech at the World Affairs Council of Monterey Bay and your expression of the damage Newt Gingrich and his ilk did, and perhaps even complain to the Weekly (“Letters,” April 4-10). But thank you for your courage to speak out and the eloquence with which you expressed yourself, and to the Weekly for printing it (“Leon Panetta speaks on world leadership in a time when democracy is under attack,” posted March 29). Maria Morgan | Pacific Grove Picture This I find the Monterey County Weekly informative on local issues and events. Your political cartoonist, Rob Rogers, has a bad case of TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). This only promotes division, hate and violence. At least half or more of American citizens believe the opposite of what this cartoonist promotes. To be a truly balanced, fair and truthful publication this needs to stop. As the last three years have shown under the current administration, we have our Department of Justice, the alphabet agencies and DAs going after conservatives without just cause but letting criminals run loose. Our country’s borders are being overrun by ten million migrants from over 170 countries, a weak military, compromised education system, paying personal debt with taxpayers’ money, and many more threats to our Constitutional Republic. Martie Thummel | Pacific Grove 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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