14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 7-13, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com The Next Election? Since Andrew Sandoval was elected to represent Salinas City Council District 5, he has worked hard for the interests of the residents of the district (“A recall effort emerges against midterm Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval,” Oct. 31-Nov. 6). Just the most recent has been that he pushed through funding to replace the long-dilapidated playground equipment in Northgate Park, a short distance from where I live. For the past several terms, District 5 has been represented by people more interested in things other than District 5. The result has been traffic issues, as well as other matters. Andrew is working to make our area better! A recall attempt funded by wealthy out-of-Salinas interests who want to control Salinas is, quite frankly, angering. We are quite capable of governing ourselves, and Andrew is a leader in that. Eric Petersen | Salinas As a constituent, I wholeheartedly endorse Sandoval’s advocacy for District 5. He is consistently responsive. He listens. He provides information and suggests ways for citizens to provide input. He expects city staff to engage with citizens. Sandoval has led on finally addressing neglected infrastructure. He’s also shone a bright light on how tax dollars have been spent. He is foremost a change agent, unafraid to ask necessary but sometimes unpopular questions. Holding city government to account and seeking transparency are indispensable in good governance. This is why he’s unfairly the target of a wholly unwarranted recall effort. Peter Szalai | Salinas I am writing this with a bit of schadenfreude mixed with disappointment after reading the article about the recall petition. The disappointment has to do with the coverage that the Weekly provided [in 2017-18] about the situation at Oasis Charter Public School and Mr. Sandoval’s role in it. Your paper took everything he said at face value. Was any mention made of the accusations being disproved? You may notice a similarity in Sandoval’s approach to City Council. File petitions, harass and bully people who disagree with him or in whom he finds a weakness he can exploit until they leave. It is hoped that you have a more critical eye toward this man and his attitude and tactics. Because the stakes here are much higher. It is a sad reality that journalists are stressed and overworked in this age of new media. I, and many others, often look to the Weekly for information I don’t find in other media. So my disappointment is twofold. Are we to consider ourselves well informed if we don’t get the full story? Can we count on you to get adequate coverage of this man, lauded by your paper for his confrontational attitude? Michael S. Roberts | Salinas The Rent Is Too Damn High The area’s “market rate” is going up for all renters, thanks to one-bedroom units at Seagrove starting at $3,796 (“Seaside voters are faced with candidates aware of the city’s challenges, if not how to fix them,” Oct. 24-30). Esther Malkin | Monterey It’s worth noting that Ascent [now named Seagrove] was specifically presented to the Planning Commission as a workforce housing project but now is being leased as “luxury coastal living.” Brian Cade | Monterey Wild World Thanks for your excellent report on the current invasion of the large schools of anchovies (“Massive numbers of anchovies show up in Monterey,” posted Oct. 28). As reported, this happens every so many years. It reminded me of Monterey sport fisherman, J. Parker Whitney, who wrote about his adventure fishing salmon on Monterey Bay in the late 19th century: “…coming in the summer and the early autumnal months into and adjoining Monterey for spawning are largely anchovies and sardines. These fishes are about the size of herrings, though there are two sizes of the sardines smaller than the regular full size. These come in countless numbers, as well as the anchovies, swimming near the surface, and often cover acres in extent…” In a later fishing trip to Carmel Bay in 1895, Mr. Whitney made this observation: “…the great body of anchovies moved on toward the beach shore of the bay, driven on by their relentless pursuers (salmon), followed by the circling clouds of shags, Muir’s and gulls…” Tim Thomas | Seaside Note: Thomas is a fisheries historian who leads regular tours on the wharf. To the Lighthouse I fully support retired Congressman Sam Farr’s recent piece, urging a national historic district designation for the Point Pinos Lighthouse area (“Giving a historic piece of Pacific Grove the designation it deserves will help preserve a unique legacy,” Oct. 17-23). The Pacific Grove City Council should throw its weight behind this designation without further delay. Dwight Palmer | Pacific Grove Put a Bird On It After seeing Martin Metzger’s lovely picture of an Anna’s Hummingbird as the Etc. Photo of the Day, I just wanted to say thank you for so often featuring birds as the subjects of these community pictures (“Etc. Photo,” posted Oct. 11). Birds give us an immediate and direct connection to nature, taking us out of our election-addled brains for a moment, and allowing us to feel wonder and amazement. We all know that being in nature improves our physical and mental health, and birds pop in randomly to say, “Hey, have you marveled at the beauty of nature today?” Thanks for another reminder about how amazing our planet is. Amanda Preece | Monterey Correction An article about a recall committee included the incorrect number of signatures needed to qualify for a recall election (“A recall effort emerges against midterm Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval,” Oct. 31-Nov. 6) It is 2,275, not 437; it is calculated based on the number of registered voters, not the number that participated in the last election. 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. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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