26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 10-16, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com measure argue banning these smaller fireworks is the only way to enable law enforcement to locate illegal fireworks and adequately crack down. Given that increased patrol officers and drones in recent years have been insufficient, they are probably right. Give pets, people with PTSD and firefighters a break and vote yes on Measure CC—and then we hope you urge Seaside City Council to bring back a proper city-sponsored fireworks show for all to enjoy. Countywide and Special Districts Yes on Measure AA The County Board of Supervisors voted to put this 1-percent sales tax increase on the ballot, which would impact transactions in unincorporated Monterey County, bringing the total sales tax to 8.75 percent. (For comparison, the sales tax rate in the cities of Monterey and Salinas is 9.25 percent.) It would generate an estimated $29 million per year. When the supervisors approved a $2 billion budget for fiscal year 2024-25, they decided to temporarily suspend a $10.4 million contribution to a trust fund for future unfunded pension liabilities—but those liabilities don’t magically go away. The county needs a way to get ahead before tougher budget years that are in the forecast, and this is a smart and simple way to do that. Yes on Measure DD Measure DD is an effort by cannabis business leaders to repeal what is effectively a special tax for the Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District. Cannabis representatives have been asking for breaks on taxes and fees for years now to help the struggling industry, and we don’t expect that repealing this tax will be the change that makes it suddenly pencil out. But we do think cannabis was unfairly saddled with becoming a major revenue source for MCRFD, which perhaps should be more widely spread among taxpayers. The tax, approved by voters in 2018, is paid by cannabis operations based on size, with yearly payments ranging from $2,000 to $42,000. It generates about $450,000 annually in revenue for the district, but we are not persuaded the presence of the cannabis industry requires $450,000 worth of attention from fire safety officials. Monterey Peninsula Airport District Jonathan Ahmadi for District 1 Uwe Grobecker for District 3 This election is not simply about airport oversight, as District 3 incumbent Mary Ann Leffel has shown; she holds a powerful appointed role as a commissioner on LAFCO, a regional body with a mission that includes oversight of land use and annexations, with the stated goal to preserve agricultural land and discourage urban sprawl. As for MRY, it has been growing rapidly, with daily flights to SFO, LAX, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle and Dallas. With larger Boeing 737s and Airbus A319s arriving daily, a new terminal expected to open in 2029, sustainable aviation fuel for sale to private jets since 2022, a new fire station and hangars for private propeller aircraft on the north side, plus Woody’s restaurant (the Reuben rules) there’s much to be excited about. Yet on Sept. 24, the district announced the airport manager is retiring next June. The new board will have a big responsibility to hire the right person to keep the new terminal on track, and on budget. We think two new board members would be the best choice to lead those changes. In District 3, Leffel has been increasingly under fire, and deservedly so. The airport board approved a master plan with a new entrance, a plan so controversial and misguided that the city of Monterey immediately sued and won, costing the district hundreds of thousands of dollars (plus inciting a grand jury report). There was a halfhearted recall attempt against Leffel not for her MRY decisions, but her LAFCO decision to obstruct the next steps in the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s public buyout proceeding against Cal Am. Her vote there (along with a majority of commissioners) was effectively a middle finger to local voters’ clear intent, and led to a lawsuit filed by the water district—which also prevailed, costing taxpayers nearly $600,000 in legal fees. On LAFCO, Leffel has repeatedly voted on the wrong side. She is out-of-step with voters and the airport district seat is her runway for regional power. Her challenger, Uwe Grobecker, would be new to public service and expresses more NIMBY tendencies than we’d like, with a focus on airport noise. But we cannot support Leffel for reelection; the time for change is overdue. In District 1, we are excited for Jonathan Ahmadi’s candidacy. He has an aeronautical engineering degree from UCLA, is thoughtful in his analysis of the current board (and critical of their relationship with the community) and will be a fresh, intelligent voice. His interest in running for a public position was catalyzed by the election of Trump in 2016, when he decided he needed to be more active in good government. Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Rebeca Lindor for Division 3 Amy Anderson for Division 5 The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District is in the middle of multiple politically charged processes. Its current board voted to proceed with a takeover of private utility California American Water (an idea we support, that will ultimately be decided by the courts). That means MPWMD could find itself as a utility in the coming years, responsible for actually delivering water to some 100,000 customers via 40,000 connections. The board has been an antagonist to Cal Am when it comes to planning for the region’s future water demand, arguing there will be no need for desalination for decades, which would keep the buyout price much lower. (The California Public Utilities Commission is set to deliver a third-party view on how much water the Peninsula really needs—the real number is probably somewhere in between.) The next MPWMD board will take on these issues, and more. In Division 4, Karen Paull is pursuing a second term unopposed. In Carmel Valley’s Division 5, we recommend reelecting Amy Anderson for a second term— she’s been even-keeled and consistent and wants to see the big initiatives (public buyout) through to completion. Her challenger, Jessica Hartzell, is unable to differentiate her platform from Anderson’s. In the open seat for Monterey’s Division 3, outgoing board director Marc Eisenhart is endorsing Rebecca Lindor as his successor. Given the significance of the public buyout process that is currently underway and Lindor’s support for that continued effort, we agree. A word about challenger Kevin Dayton, who promises, “I could take a blank piece of paper and from my head draw a schematic map of the drinking, irrigation, and wastewater flow for Monterey County, with its current and planned infrastructure projects.” We do not doubt that is true. Dayton is smart and a critical thinker, and we respect his engagement in local government issues. He works for taxpayer groups and chambers of commerce but presents himself as a more open-minded person than those organizations may imply. We think his tendency to swim against the tide of the current board could serve MPWMD well. State Water Board officials have indicated that lifting the cease-and-desist order is contingent on some local consensus-building, and that requires business interests to come to the table, not just public water proponents who are hostile to Cal Am. While we think Dayton could bring diversity of opinion to THE ENDORSEMENT Edition 2024 Shanda LeBoeuf for Seaside City Council
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