10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY august 22-28, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Jean Jacques, 96, heard a knock on her apartment door inside Pacific Grove Senior Living on Friday, Aug. 16. It was the manager, delivering a “nasty letter,” Jacques says, a three-day “pay or quit” eviction notice from the owner, Pacifica Senior Living. The letter claimed that Jacques, a 22-year resident, owes them over $109,000 in back rent and fees. She doesn’t have it. “I’d be on the street. I wouldn’t even have a tent,” Jacques says, if Pacifica were successful in removing her. “I’d be in a bad way.” Jacques says she has a “life contract” from the property’s previous owner, California-Nevada Methodist Homes, which stipulates that she is entitled to be cared for until she dies. She paid a $249,000 entrance fee in 2002 and then approximately $5,000 a month until her savings ran out, 16 years after moving in. San Diego-based Pacifica purchased Forest Hill Manor from Methodist Homes in 2022 and renamed it Pacific Grove Senior Living. (The company also owns The Park Lane in Monterey.) The sale from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company was approved by California Attorney General Rob Bonta with numerous conditions, including that Pacifica must honor residents’ existing contracts. Several people and organizations are now helping Jacques, including Patricia McGinnis, founder of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, who retired recently but is working as an advocate. She describes Pacifica’s three-day notice as “grossly insufficient,” lacking certain requirements, such as a 30-day notice (Jacques’ contract stipulates 90 days), a court filing for unlawful detainer signed by a judge, facts explaining the reasons for eviction, and the effective date of the eviction. It also failed to inform Jacques of her right to file a complaint with the state Department of Social Services, or to provide contact information for the nearest office of community care licensing and the state ombudsman. “They haven’t followed any requirements of the law,” McGinnis says. Pacifica representatives did not respond to a request for comment by the Weekly’s deadline. “To do that to a 96-year-old woman…they should be ashamed of themselves,” McGinnis says. The plan is to get Jacques connected to a senior law attorney and contest the three-day notice in court. Jacques says she’s not going anywhere. “They’ll have to drag me out of here screaming and hollering,” she says. When Matt Wright, general manager of Monterey Fuel Co.— the parent company of Monterey Jet Center and Del Monte Aviation at the Monterey Airport—finally has a minute to chat on Monday, Aug. 19, after Car Week visitors have mostly left town, he says, “I’m finally just coming up for air.” And while he can’t speak to the event’s impact on air—whether from a greenhouse gas emissions standpoint or pollution from particulates in the air—he does have some useful data to share. Over the course of Car Week, he says, there were 675 private jet arrivals at MRY, 246 of which were parked at the airport for some time. Both numbers were slightly higher than last year, he says, but only by a negligible amount, maybe 1 percent. But in comparison to a normal summer week, he says, it’s a significant uptick—the usual is about 225 to 250 arrivals per week. So what happens to all the jets that aren’t parked? Wright says the majority of those flying privately do so with fractional jet ownership companies like Flexjet—a private jet timeshare in the sky—and when they drop their passengers at Monterey, they then depart to pick up somebody somewhere else. Wright thinks this year might have broken records for fractionally owned jet arrivals, but adds there is also a silver lining to it. Monterey Fuel Co. has become a pioneer in providing “sustainable” aviation fuel, aka SAF, which is a blend of petroleum-based jet fuel and up to 30 percent renewable fuel made of things like tallow or used cooking oil. And he says Flexjet, one of the biggest fractionally owned jet companies, has a policy to buy SAF whenever it’s available, so every time they refuel at MRY, those planes are getting SAF. “It is a commitment because it’s more expensive, and it’s still considered a boutique fuel,” Wright says. “But their ownership, strategically, thinks it’s smart, and the right thing to do.” Get Out P.G. Senior Living seeks to evict a 96-year-old tenant, despite her lifetime contract. By Pam Marino news Pasta with the Pastors Men and women experiencing homelessness tell their stories during Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program’s gathering. The event includes a dinner, auction and more. 5:30-8pm Thursday, Aug. 22. Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. $30. 251-8663, ihelpmontereybay.org. Rules of the Road B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) visits Monterey County to offer driver training sessions for teenagers, giving them behind-the-wheel instruction from professional trainers including current and former law enforcement officers and professional racing drivers. 8am-6pm Saturday, Aug. 24 and 8am-3pm Sunday, Aug. 25. WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas. Free; $99 refundable deposit to secure spot. putonthebrakes.org. Tackling Homelessness Monterey County Homelessness Committee meets to receive updates on various projects. 10:30am Monday, Aug. 26. County of Monterey Government Center, Monterey Room (second floor), 168 W. Alisal St., Salinas; District 4 Office, 2616 1st Ave., Marina; and via Zoom. Free. countyofmonterey.org. In Development Monterey Planning Commission meets to consider proposed development projects. 4pm Tuesday, Aug. 27. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3885, monterey.gov. Meet the Candidates Del Monte Beach Neighborhood Association presents a panel featuring candidates for Monterey mayor and city council. 6-8pm Tuesday, Aug. 27. Location to be announced; also livestreamed via Zoom. Free; registration required. bit. ly/DMBNApanel. Cop Talk Salinas Police Community Advisory Committee meets to update the city council and the public on the police department. 5pm Wednesday, Aug. 28. Salinas Rotunda, 200 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. cityofsalinas.org. Tax Survey The City of Gonzales asks residents for feedback on Measure S, a 0.5-percent sales tax that is on the November ballot. Funds from the measure, if passed by voters, would go to local infrastructure. Take the survey at surveymonkey. com/r/GCP9YSS. In the Air Car Week fuels an uptick in air and road travel, with three times more private jets than usual. By David Schmalz Jean Jacques, 96, has no family to help her. When she moved to what was then Forest Hill Manor, she signed a contract guaranteeing she’d be cared for until she dies. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “They should be ashamed of themselves.” Daniel Dreifuss
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