12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 25-31, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s board voted 6-1, Tuesday, July 23 to include a $340 million bond measure on the November ballot to fund teachers’ housing and facilities upgrades. Trustee Tom Jennings was the dissenting vote. The goal is to provide a competitive edge for MPUSD to hire and retain staff. “This would make a tremendous investment into below-market rate rental housing so that teachers can stay on the Peninsula and build their careers within the district,” Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh says. Every year, MPUSD loses about 20 percent of its teachers, or up to 100 teachers. Teacher retention is a nationwide crisis and it worsens in high-cost living areas such as the Central Coast. Several districts across California— including Salinas Union High School and Soledad Union School districts— have decided to provide staff/teacher housing. Last year, SUHSD opened its workforce housing of 50 units on Abbott Street in Salinas, offering them at a below-market rate. Soledad Union is in the process of acquiring the land to build 20 units for staff housing; if the purchase moves forward, the project will break ground in August. In 2020, SUHSD, Soledad Union and MPUSD considered adding a housing measure to the ballot. Soledad Union and SUHSD moved forward and voters passed both with over 60 percent of the votes; while MPUSD’s board decided against it. Previously, voters passed two bond measures to upgrade MPUSD’s facilities: the $110 million Measure P in 2010 and the $213 million Measure I in 2018. Some residents are against this measure because the district has already passed two bond measures before and both have included similar language. Those against have also noted the bond proposed in 2020 was significantly lower at $60 million, or less than 18 percent of the measure that will be on the November ballot (the previous measure was focused on teacher housing). “It’s important to understand that the district’s newest school was built in 1960,” Diffenbaugh says, noting the district didn’t pass a bond measure for about 50 years prior to Measure P. “That’s about 50 years of deferred maintenance built up.” The $340 million bond measure is intended to provide staff housing, expand facilities and upgrade schools. It would cost $50 per each $100,000 of a property’s assessed value. The measure needs 55 percent of the votes to pass. To say things got testy at a July 18 joint special meeting with the Monterey City Council and the Neighborhood Community Improvement Program Committee might be understating it. At the heart of the discussion—and it was only that, nothing was being voted on—was the possibility of the city siphoning off some of NCIP’s funds to maintain already built NCIP projects. Currently, pursuant to a city charter amendment enacted in the mid-1980s, at least 16 percent of transient occupancy tax revenues are put into a pot to fund NCIP projects. What city officials are considering, and asking, is to potentially set aside some of that money to maintain the city’s existing, aging infrastructure. In his presentation, City Manager Hans Uslar repeated a line he’s used before—that the city doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. Then Uslar threw down the gauntlet, as every NCIP Committee member was seated around a rectangular set of tables, facing him. “NCIP is the only challenging board or commission we have in the city,” Uslar said. “There’s not a single staffer who is happy to get assigned to NCIP. Why is that?” Uslar then went on to describe what a former NCIP coordinator said to him, “Every time I go to the NCIP, it’s like standing in front of a firing squad.” Then Uslar offered a conciliatory note: “We have to look at ourselves and find a way to come together as a community.” The meeting quickly took a turn from there, and many on the committee pushed back on Uslar’s comments, with which they were none too pleased. Jean Rasch, who’s long been active with NCIP, and who’s running for city council, said in public comment that if the city has capital improvement or maintenance projects it would like to pursue, it should apply to the NCIP just like anyone else. “We’ve always been collaborative,” Rasch said. “Don’t tell me we aren’t collaborative…Please, just respect the process.” At Home MPUSD board votes to add a bond measure for staff housing on the ballot. By Celia Jiménez news Public Service Seaside City Council meets and accepts public comment. Tell your elected officials what they are doing well and what you think they can do better. 5pm Thursday, July 25. Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6700, ci.seaside.ca.us. Human Needs The Monterey County Health, Housing and Human Services Committee meets to conduct regular business, as well as discuss the county’s efforts to comply with Assembly Bill 1466, which requires the county recorder to redact unlawfully restrictive covenants from property records. 9am Friday, July 26. County of Monterey Government Center, Monterey Room, 168 West Alisal St., second floor, Salinas; District 3 Office, 599 El Camino Real, Greenfield; or Zoom. Free. countyofmonterey.gov. A New Home SPCA Monterey County allows adopters to name their price to adopt kittens and puppies. All other pets are free, thanks to the contributions of donors. Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28. SPCA Monterey County, 1002 Highway 68, Salinas. 373-2631, spcamc.org. Big Ideas Monterey County Works invites those between the ages of 18 and 24 with a business idea to apply for the Future Innovators Cadre. Participants will go through a twoweek training program and receive a certificate, followed by eight weeks of entrepreneurial mentoring. Participants will be paid $18 per hour during the course. Deadline to apply is July 26. 796-6434, montereycountyworks.com. Planning Matters Monterey County Planning Commission meets to consider adjusting the lines of a group of properties in Big Sur, as well as a permit on a short-term rental in Carmel. Public comment will be accepted on those items and other issues not on the agenda. 9am Wednesday, July 31. Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, 168 West Alisal St., Salinas; and virtual. Free. 755-5025, countyofmonterey.gov. Neighborhood Pride Salinas residents, groups and organizations are encouraged to apply for a Neighborhood Beautification Grant. Eligible projects to receive funding include those that focus on beautification and neighborhood improvements. Deadline to apply is Monday, Aug. 26. 758-7166, cityofsalinas.org. Signs of Age As Monterey tightens its belt, it’s looking to ensure funding to maintain what’s already built. By David Schmalz The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s board agreed to put a bond measure on the November ballot that, if it passes, would fund teachers’ housing and school upgrades. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “This would make a tremendous investment.” Daniel Dreifuss
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