28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 17-23, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com “I really appreciated you writing an article about the opportunity to make Valentines. Although my husband and I no longer live in Pacific Grove, we continue to read the Monterey County Weekly online and as we appreciate it so much, we are Patron supporters. I mailed a package of 21 handmade Valentines to the Alliance on Aging last week. I would not have known about it if you hadn’t written that lovely article… “Thank you for writing about this particular need and for all of the wonderful community-minded journalism that the Monterey County Weekly is known for.” Report Card Today, Monterey County Weekly and our digital platforms, rebranded this year to Monterey County Now, cover more local news than at any time in our 36-year history. With a 10-person newsroom (thanks to our most recent addition from the California Local News Fellowship), we have our largest-ever editorial staff. And just a moment to brag: The work of the Weekly’s editors, reporters, photographers and designers has been recognized by journalism peers for more honors this past year than at any time in our history. A few members of our team attended the California Journalism Awards in Los Angeles in June, where we received awards for coverage of local government, environmental coverage, investigative reporting, feature writing, design, food writing, health reporting and our e-newsletter, recognized as the best in our class statewide. We also proudly took home first place for General Excellence. We are proud of our team, but we could not do any of this without you, our readers, and particularly our Weekly Insiders, who contribute directly to the mission. (Read more about how to join in—and get a pumpkin and a coffee on us—on p. 30.) I’ll also take a moment to invite you to join in our next big project designed to make a direct impact on the community: Our philanthropic Monterey County Gives! issue will be published on Nov. 14 and explicitly invites readers to participate. Thank you for reading. And as always, I welcome your feedback—positive and negative or anything in between. -Sara Rubin, editor impact report continued 58,872 readers per week 40.8% average open rate 88,917 average monthly unique visitors newsletter website 3,924 total number of Insiders INSIDER $11,921,495 total raised in 2023 monterey county gives! Local & Independent media montereycountynow.com 48.8 average new subscribers/week $8,150,170 donations from individuals 8,024 total number of donors 250 Goal for new Insiders in October 2024 $164/year average contribution level may 30-june 5, 2024 montereycountynow.com LocaL & InDePenDent GrowInG the art of bonsaI 6 | DramatIzInG a hate crIme 26 | oLD-worLD fLavor, new owner 32 The same scenery that makes Big Sur such an extraordinary place makes Highway 1 precarious. That is only going to get more extreme. p. 16 by sara rubin eDGe of the earth 20,323 average net circulation 2.7 readers per copy (CVC audit 3/31/22) 50% access via mobile phone 391,188 average monthly page views (Google analytics October 2024) 44,018 subscribers (MailChimp campaign report 5/1/24 - 5/31/24) (Campaign totals for 2023) Monterey County Gives! is a special project of Monterey County Weekly in partnership with the Community Foundation for Monterey County and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. Largest print audience in the market Without a paywall since 1996 50% greater than the industry average Over $68 million raised since 2009 the average contribution level is up 40% Print insiders august 22-28, 2024 montereycountynow.com LocaL & InDePenDent when gorDa was for saLe 6 | the rent Is too Damn hIgh 11 | fortune teLLers 33 | coffee to go 39 A century ago, Julia Platt—Pacific Grove’s first woman mayor—changed the city, and the Monterey Bay, forever. p. 14 By Pam marino fIrst LaDy West end Guide inside! march 28-april 3, 2024 montereycountyweekly.com local & inDepenDent rana creek ranch comes to life 8 | skating to a stop in pacific grove 12 | laugh out louD 38 culture of Denial Carmel Unified School District has a history of repressing sexual abuse allegations. Now on its seventh superintendent in nine years, many longtime leaders still act as if all is well. What needs to change? By sara rubin [p. 18]
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==