14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 3-9, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Campaign Cash I must take exception with your article (“Big business is spending big money on Salinas City Council elections,” Sept. 26-Oct. 2). Anyone who has attended Salinas City Council meetings over the past few years can attest to the chaos. One councilmember, Steve McShane, quit due to verbal harassment by fellow councilmembers. We have lost a city manager, a fire chief, a police chief and many other positions due to a very difficult council. I personally have three generations of my family who have lived and/or worked in Salinas. In 2023, Councilmember Carla Gonzalez yelled multiple expletives over a Ron DeSantis visit to Salinas. This is not the kind of leader I want representing our city. Councilmembers serve the public. I will donate to the challengers of this council because I want civility and respect for the community restored. Elections have consequences, and it takes money to win. Frank Saunders | Salinas Our current City Council has been unfairly smeared as “dysfunctional” by those steeped in the past, unaccustomed to challenge, and wedded to backslapping. Tilting resources toward the priorities of business has come at the expense and neglect of our neighborhoods. Just marvel at the revitalized and maintained downtown and compare that to the slum-ification of neighborhoods with deferred sidewalk and street repair, lack of fairly distributed code enforcement, and inadequate policing. Business should not purchase seats on the city council in a naked power grab in order to trample on the needs of the entire community. I’m supporting Chris Barrera for mayor. Peter Szalai | Salinas I think the current Salinas City Council doesn’t understand that the people of Salinas are tired of their dysfunctional behavior. That’s why we are overwhelmingly contributing to the other candidates. The current city council is rude to each other, rude to city staff, and rude to the public. We need to vote out people who can’t behave in a professional setting. Susan Marscellas | Salinas New Neighborhood We’ve got enough so-called “luxury” here (“Twenty years in the making, Marina’s Promenade development is finally coming to life,” posted Sept. 26). This is not and should not be a theme park for Silicon Valley wellheeled weekenders. Roger Kern | via social media OK so all this luxury housing—are these middle-class and rich people going to work the fields, restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations when we run out of workers? Joanna Konczal | via social media How utterly insulting. I am Montereyan, born and raised, first-generation from parents who came from East Tennessee during the last of the Depression. They were carpenters and helped build Fort Ord. My father and his father-in-law were contractors who built many homes in Seaside. Yet, I cannot purchase any home anywhere on the Peninsula. So, bragging about condos in Marina, throwing a bone to us poor folks by allowing us to share the outdoor space is beyond insensitive. Be ashamed. Be very ashamed. Susan O’Donnell | Salinas Life and Death Thank you to Pam Marino for her article regarding suicide at the DLI (“The Defense Language Institute continues to experience suicides, despite prevention efforts,” Sept. 26-Oct. 2). Resilience is a fine word and a powerful skill, however the term that comes to my mind is “cognitive dissonance.” This occurs when powerful core values conflict with real-world situations. Students (and staff) at the DLI no doubt deal with this to a much higher degree than we outside “the fortress.” Not everyone is cut out to be a warrior. Consider what the goals and outcomes are for intelligence gathering. The details of what these warriors are asked to do are hidden from us, but the despair that leads to suicide is a very telling sign. Dhana Owens | Monterey Garden Grow Living in the neighborhood, this garden brings me SO much joy. How awful (“A misdemeanor vandalism charge is filed over the destruction of a community garden,” Sept. 19-25). Miranda Taylor | Seaside To the Beat The Monterey Jazz Festival draws many big names and is importantly a showcase for new talent (“Pianist blends genres while celebrating her home country of Japan,” Sept. 26-Oct. 2). Two years ago I had the pleasure of catching that little-known singer Samara Joy. In that vein, I hope this year you catch Yoku Mabuchi. I heard her recently in a small club. She is the real deal! Jim White | via email I love the store this year, with vinyl and better merch (“Trailblazing Artistic Director Darin Atwater brings the 67th Monterey Jazz Festival to a new crescendo,” Sept. 26-Oct. 2). More seating might be helpful. I do love Big Band and New Orleans. Please don’t veer into other genres. Fun, swingy, energetic…more brass, please! Welcome, and thanks for your hard work! Claire Fay | Carmel Water Rate When will public entities like the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District learn that they need to follow their own ordinances? (“Squid Fry: Water Way,” Sept. 19-25.) Despite numerous attempts to get them to do so, they chose to take a very creative approach. It took the courts to bring them back to reality. Unfortunately that hubris costs the taxpayers in legal fees. Now they need to begin returning the millions they collected from taxpayers illegally. Rick Heuer | Monterey Heuer is president of the plaintiff in this case, the Monterey Peninsula Taxpayers Association. Next Gen This is a beautiful painting (“Visuals: Averil Mabry,” Sept. 12-18). Hopefully, it will keep undisturbed for years to come. Good job!! Rod Raudstein | via social media 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. 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