12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY June 27-July 3, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Marina Rising Thirty years of apartment living, looking at rotting military buildings wishing we could afford a house. Now they’re building them, and they’re not for us. Gentrification has arrived (“As Marina is growing, city leaders look for ways to give the old and the new a sense of place,” June 13-19). Alexandra Bee | via social media I just want to be able to buy a house. Not a $1.5 million luxury apartment that will inevitably be sold to some douche from the Bay as a vacation home. Just a regular home for regular people. Taylor Newberry | Marina Marina and Seaside, thanks to Fort Ord land, are the only spots on the Peninsula to grow and build. The growth was inevitable and won’t do anything for locals except bring more shopping and restaurants, which may cripple small businesses. Marina, like Seaside, will lose its flavor in favor of gentrification because that’s what happens when all you have for sale are homes over $800K. In theory growth is great, but our lack of infrastructure and care for those who work on the Peninsula and don’t make over $100,000 a year has made it abhorrent, just like everything else in California. For a state that loves equality so much, we sure do favor the wealthy, don’t we. Heather O’Donnell | Salinas I love it. It’s about time the land which hosts asbestos- and lead-laden barracks become useful again. David Slater | via social media It’s sad to see all resources are concentrated on new developments, but no money for repairs on streets in the old neighborhoods. Feels like we live in a third world country when you drive down the street full of potholes. Maria Enriquez | Marina This is not good for locals. Great for Bay Area people. All city parks are rusting and deteriorating. Maybe put some money into old Marina. Adam Helm | via social media It’s only growing because Bay Area people are moving in and buying the super-expensive homes. There are still no homes for local people who have regular jobs—it’s all for the rich Bay Area people. It’s sad local people are priced out of their hometowns. And traffic will be horrible once all these new houses are finished, just like San Jose. Thank you for ruining our beautiful little place. Tim Hassler | Pacific Grove The future of living on the coast is unfortunately a dream most cannot obtain. Most locals have been forced to move away, and developers are creating new housing developments. What will it become? Just a place for the rich to buy more VRBOs. Kathleen Eads | via social media Last Dance Terminating the contract and relationship with Joshua Alfaro was necessary as he posed a risk to the students at the Alisal Union School District (“Alisal Union suspends contract with after-school contractor after its founder is charged with child molestation,” posted May 31). Terminating the contract with Tonatiuh Danzantes del Quinto Sol was unnecessary as they provided the students an enriching educational experience (“Alisal Union ends a longtime relationship with folklórico contractor,” posted June 14). Tonatiuh was professional, consistent, and had expectations and experience teaching students at the elementary level. Our students deserve a quality program such as Tonatiuh Danzantes del Quinto Sol. [AUSD’s] reasoning for terminating the contract was inconsistent. The district has made a poor decision allowing one person to determine what programs are available to our students. Tonatiuh taught students to be courageous, to advocate for what they believe in. They created leaders! It’s unfortunate to see them go. Tanya Cabrera | Salinas Take the Train I’m with you on the train to San Francisco—if only! (“A proposed busway from Marina to Sand City has momentum, but its fate rests in the Coastal Commission,” posted June 17.) I live in downtown Monterey and usually my Prius is parked in a city garage, as I walk and take buses if need be. That justifies my car trips up to “the city” one or two times a month. Just this past Sunday I drove up. A wonderful day that would just be about perfect if I could take a train back and forth. Dhana Owens | Monterey I am restoring two old vehicles, live in Marina and periodically take the bus. At the hours I have ridden it there is virtually never a delay from Marina to Sand City. It is true that at times there are slight slowdowns coming into Sand City on the way into Monterey. I have sat down with a watch and calculator to figure out how much that delays me getting to my music store in Monterey. It comes out to 3 1/2 minutes, the times I have checked it. In addition, the bus is almost never at even half capacity at 1pm going into Monterey and coming back to Marina at 9pm. How is that worth any money for a project? I see no benefit at all for such a project. If that money could be spent on a trolley from Pacific Grove to Santa Cruz, wouldn’t that be something!? Kurt Heisig | Marina Behind Bars I know it’s your job and all that, but I think you were a very brave person to carry through on this terrible story (“Both the people incarcerated in and the people who work at Monterey County Jail deserve basic safety,” posted June 18). It’s hard to even think about. Thank you for your courage and tenderness—and your reporting, too! Marilyn Brown | Pacific Grove Correction A story about the costs of health care (“Hospitals in Monterey County are some of the most expensive in the state. Why?,” June 20-26) included a table that inaccurately reported the average payer mix in California hospitals. Average Medicare revenue is 40.7 percent, and Medi-Cal is 29.3 percent. That means the average combined is 70.1 percent, not 34.9 percent. Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@montereycountynow.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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