24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY december 19-25, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com and federal agencies worked together on the investigation, which included serving more than 80 search warrants and following up on nearly 300 investigative leads. March 4 This date marks the sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, of Salinas’ incorporation as a city. What is now Monterey County’s largest city was once a swamp, inhabited by the Ohlone people who thrived off of the abundance in the area before they were ripped from their homes. The year was a time to look back on the people and industries that made Salinas what it is today. March 5 Kate Daniels clinches a decisive victory in the primary election for a seat representing District 5 on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. She previously worked for retiring supervisor Mary Adams, who endorsed Daniels to replace her. Daniels also secured endorsements from supervisors Glenn Church, Wendy Root Askew and Chris Lopez. With 59 percent of the vote in a three-way race, Daniels avoids a November runoff. In District 1, Supervisor Luis Alejo faced no challenger, and Askew was reelected with 78 percent of the vote. March 7 Fireworks have long been a polarizing issue among Seaside residents, and City Council unanimously approves putting a measure on the ballot to ask voters if they want to ban the sale and use of so-called “safe and sane” fireworks in the city. Come November, the measure is defeated, so the status quo remains. March 16 Wendi Kirby Music in Monterey has been giving occasional concerts since November 2023, but the official opening concert takes place. Creator Wendi Kirby is a pianist, composer and lifelong piano teacher. The surprisingly large performing arts space seems hidden from view, in a suite inside the Paseo Zabala building. It fits a grand piano and audiences, with additional seating in a second-floor balcony. March 30 A slip-out on Highway 1 near Rocky Creek in Big Sur takes out a chunk of the southbound lane, prompting officials to close it indefinitely, with about 1,600 visitors stuck south of the closure. In an assessment in the immediate aftermath, Caltrans engineers determined the northbound lane was still stable enough to safely support traffic, and convoys were initiated April 1 to allow alternating groups of northbound and southbound cars to pass through on the northbound lane twice daily on a limited schedule. On May 17, one lane was opened to 24/7 traffic with a signal light. The highway remains closed for ongoing work at Regent’s Slide, about 25 miles to the south. That slide is now expected to reopen sometime in 2025. April April 4 After a four-year hiatus, Pebble Beach Food & Wine returned April 4-7, draped in even greater culinary regalia than the past. Thanks to a partnership with the James Beard Foundation—and the allure of Pebble Beach—the likes of Maneet Chauhan, Andrew Zimmern and Scott Conant took part. To meet demand, organizers added 30,000 square feet to the grand tasting pavilion. The Pebble Beach Company Foundation took over the event for the first time. They teamed with the Roots Fund, an organization dedicated to providing young people of color entry into the world of fine wine. April 7 A 23-year-old Fresno man, who was later arrested for driving under the influence, tries to evade Monterey Police. With three passengers in his truck, he drives off the end of Wharf 2. Officers, approaching the end of the wharf with caution as they’d lost sight of the truck, and assumed it was hiding behind buildings, realized the truck was no longer on the wharf—they came upon four people in the water, who were all successfully rescued. April 9 Salinas City Councilmember Steve McShane announces his resignation halfway through his fourth term, effective May 10. “I can no longer be effective in this environment as an elected leader,” McShane said. He found himself often bickering on the dais with his council colleagues, and increasingly on the losing 5-2 end of a shrinking faction. He cited family obligations and “dysfunctional leadership” as the reasons for his departure. Remaining council members considered 11 applicants to the vacant seat, and in May, appointed Jesus Valenzuela to serve until December 2024. The remaining two years of the District 3 term then appeared on the ballot in November; Valenzuela was the third-place finisher in a four-way race. The election went to Margaret D’Arrigo, previously a Hartnell College trustee. April 11 The California Coastal Commission voted 9-1 in favor of a luxury hotel project at the site of the American Tin Cannery in Pacific Grove. Approval of the project by the Pacific Grove City Council in 2022 was appealed by two commissioners, as well as a residents’ group. Developer Comstock Development worked for over a year with Coastal Commission staff to amend the hotel plans, reducing its size by 85,000 square feet, increasing public access and adding in low-cost hotel rooms. In October, P.G. City Council voted 7-0 to vacate Sloat Street and sell it, allowing the project to move forward. May May 2 Hundreds of law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies converge before dawn in Salinas to serve 12 search warrants. In total, 12 people are arrested on federal charges connected to a series of street gang crimes, including eight murders, six attempted murders and shooting at least three additional people, including a woman who was caught in the crossfire in her apartment in 2023 and paralyzed. Speaking at a press conference in Salinas, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail Ramsey said, “We have seen enough.” May 3 A beloved community institution, Big Sur Bakery, burns down in a kitchen fire. Big Sur Fire firefighters smelled the smoke even before a call came in, thanks to their station location just above the Loma Vista Gardens property where the restaurant was Chef Todd Fisher shares a laugh with a guest as he serves Wagyu steak at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, back in April after a four-year hiatus. Nonprofit Pacific Repertory Theatre completed a years-long construction project to remodel the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel. The stage opened in September. year in news
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