10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 15-21, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Concorso Italiano, a celebration of Italian cars and culture during Car Week, is still on mostly as scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17, despite almost being canceled due to lack of funds and a last-minute ownership shuffle. In April, longtime Concorso sponsor and participant Richard De Andrade took over ownership of the event, which marks its 39th year. During a June press conference in Milan, Italy, De Andrade said 2024 kicks off a five-year development plan to elevate Concorso—to be held at Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside— and its focus on providing an authentic Italian experience, centered around design, mobility and culture. But in recent weeks, bumps in the road turned into potholes, namely due to dwindling funds in order to put on the event at such a scale as envisioned. On Aug. 9, longtime Concorso volunteer Tanya Kosta says she signed on as owner and chair of the event, tasked with “making some hard decisions.” A gala event scheduled for the night before the show, including a performance by I Cantori Di Carmel, was canceled. The partnership with Eataly, a large Italian marketplace with a store in the Westfield Valley Fair mall in San Jose that was set to be Concorso’s food and beverage provider, was dropped, and other vendors were left unpaid. But Kosta says many vendors have been understanding of the situation, with some offering discounted fees and others waiving them entirely. Bayonet & Black Horse will be the event’s food and beverage provider. “The team is putting in so much love and effort,” Kosta says. “These people are heroes and they are saving the show.” De Andrade did not respond to a request for comment by press time. In an earlier interview with the Weekly, he called the event “an insane amount of work,” crediting his team for “moving mountains.” This year, the event benefits nonprofits that include All-In Monterey County and Rancho Cielo. Kosta, who is also the founder and executive director of All-In Monterey County, says she is the “limited edition chairwoman,” and doesn’t plan on being a car show owner in the near future. She adds the show has financial backers to take over ownership starting next year for its 40th anniversary, but she cannot say who they are. “This is a community effort; there are so many people that wanted to see this happen,” she says. “The car show is happening, and it’s going to be what it was in its heyday.” On July 23 at Del Rey Oaks City Hall, Mayor Scott Donaldson delivered the city’s first-ever “state of the city” address to a standing-room-only crowd, highlighting the progress the city is making on various fronts. And while Del Rey Oaks is a sleepy little city, there are some substantive updates. In late June, its City Council voted to put Measure R on the ballot, which would require a majority vote to pass, and would raise the city’s transient-occupancy tax from 10 percent to 12 percent, with the option for the council to later raise it to 14 percent. The city has no hotels, but it has 25 licensed short-term rentals. City Manager John Guertin says that such rentals are the fourth-leading source of revenue for the city, with $190,000 projected for the current fiscal year. Also in late June, the city entered into an exclusive right to negotiate agreement with developer City Ventures to assess the viability of developing the city’s vacant land on the former Fort Ord. This comes after, in February 2023, the city publicly noticed the availability of that land for sale, and while it also received interest from Big Sur Land Trust and the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, the city was obligated to negotiate with City Ventures pursuant to the state Surplus Land Act, as they were the only party interested in building housing. The agreement, which went into effect in July, lasts for six months with the potential for two threemonth extensions. The city has also begun planning efforts, both environmental and engineering, to realign the intersection of South Boundary Road and Gen. Jim Moore Boulevard, as well as widen and resurface South Boundary while also adding underground utilities, critical to any future development there. Guertin says the $8 million the city inherited from the defunct Fort Ord Reuse Authority for that purpose will be insufficient, and that the city is exploring grant opportunities to close the gap. Shift Gears Concorso Italiano hits potholes on the way to its 39th showing. By Erik Chalhoub news Update from the Bay Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary holds an advisory council meeting. Topics on the agenda include an update on offshore wind energy, deep sea mining, a presentation on kelp, ocean access and more. 9am-4:30pm Friday, Aug. 16. USGS Pacific Coastal & Marine Science Center, 2885 Mission Street Extension, Santa Cruz; and virtually via Google Meet. Free. 647-4206, montereybay. noaa.gov/sac/advisory.html. Housing Matters The County of Monterey released an updated draft of its Housing Element, a document that provides a blueprint for future housing growth, for public review. Review period ends Monday, Aug. 19. bit.ly/MontereyCountyHousingElement. Careers in Mail U.S. Postal Service hosts a hiring event to help future employees apply for jobs within the post office. Mail handlers, delivery drivers, maintenance workers and other positions are open. 10am-1pm Tuesday, Aug. 20. Post Office, 1011 Post Drive, Salinas. Free. usps.com. Job Hunt Monterey County Works hosts a job fair to give employers a chance to meet job seekers. 1-4pm Wednesday, Aug. 21. America’s Job Center, 344 Salinas St., Suites 205-206, Salinas. Free; registration required. 796-3335, montereycountyworks.com. In Review The 10-calendar day public review period for candidate statements and local measures has begun. The purpose of the review period is to give voters an opportunity to review and/ or challenge the language of a proposed ballot measure or candidate statement before it is published in the Voter Information Guide. Through Aug. 19: Review period of candidate statements and local measures on the ballot. Aug. 16-26: Review of primary arguments for or against a local measure. Aug. 23-Sept. 3: Review of rebuttal arguments. Monterey County Elections Department, 1441 Schilling Place, North Building, Salinas. Free. 796-1499, countyofmonterey.gov/ elections. Staying Active City of Salinas’ draft Active Transportation Plan is available for public review. The public is invited to give feedback. The plan is expected to be considered by the City Council on Sept. 24. Survey ends Friday, Aug. 30. Free. letsmodo.org/planning-safe-streets/ salinas. Small Ball Tiny Del Rey Oaks quietly pushes ahead toward some ambitious goals. By David Schmalz Nearly 1,000 Italian cars and motorcycles will take over the fairways at Bayonet & Black Horse for Concorso Italiano; the 2023 iteration is shown above. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “These people are heroes and they are saving the show.” steve souza Car Week
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