14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 2-8, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Help On the Way It appears that 10 percent of the money spent went for administration, which seems high, particularly when it is not being administered quickly enough (“A year after the County approved $10 million for Pajaro aid, just $2.6 million has been spent,” Dec. 19-25). They need their money now, not years from now. Walter Wagner | Salinas Thanks to Celia Jiménez for her piece on the exceptionally poor progress being made in disaster relief distribution for residents of Pajaro fully two years after the flood! Reading the Bureaucratic Speak excuses (i.e., BS) from Department of Emergency Management Director Kelsey Scanlon was enraging. Here is an idea to get the process moving: Residents in Pajaro can temporarily switch housing accommodations with Scanlon and she can go live there. She might then be able to be even more “very mindful about the time and attention necessary to get these families back on their feet.” Michael Baer | San Jose Whose Country? This nonsense talk on mass deportation needs to stop, which is causing panic and fear (“In his final days in office, President Joe Biden should defend Donald Trump’s most vulnerable targets,” Dec. 12-18). Trump is looking to deport people who will do harm and are not in the USA to be part of the American dream. Marilyn Galli | Carmel Celebrating Squidmas You nailed the year from your first paragraph to the very last word (“Squid Fry: Naughty or Nice,” Dec. 19-25). Actually put me in a much better mood after reading. Thank you. Barbara Perry | Pacific Grove Made me smile, OK chortle, OK maybe a little laugh! Happy holidays/solstice! James C. Jeffery III | Carmel Valley Squid, you have it completely wrong. I have shopped at Trader Joe’s at least six times since the opening and there is always plenty of parking available. During the first week, yes, it was a challenge getting into the parking lot because there were only two ways in. The other access roads were not yet open because of the construction. And the traffic lights at 2nd and 10th had not been turned on. Since that time, more access has opened up. This TJ’s has far more parking spots than either the Pacific Grove or Monterey stores. Plus, the building is large, the aisles are wider, and the staff is excellent. Kathy Gallagher | Marina All very good. Clever gifting to the recipients, and to Squid readers. Thanks much. Barbara Cole | via email In Deep Beautiful story on tidepools (“There’s magic to be found in tidepools—if you look closely and slow down,” posted Dec. 10). Many years ago I was with a friend exploring some excellent tidepools in Southern California. I was careful to stay only where the huge flat rock I was on was dry, so I knew (I thought) no waves would come over. As I was staring down I heard my friend yell and looked up to see a huge wave approaching that was clearly going to wash over us. I had time to lay down flat, put my head down, and get a really good hold on some big bunches of mussels. When the wave hit it peeled me off that rock like a wet rag. I remember being upside down in an area next to the rock, in turbulent water, with no control over where I went and no idea which way was up. My head went into the sand, and when I came up my ears were full of sand. Had my head hit a rock instead of sand I would not be writing this. My back was bloody as it had been raked by sharp mussel shells, but other than that, I was OK. When I read stories like yours, I think you should also let people know that sleeper waves are a real danger and can do them harm, and that as beautiful as tidepools are, they need to pay attention to waves at all times. Best is to go with at least one other person. Michael Caplin | Big Sur Power Up I understand your frustration (“PG&E fails this community yet again, and nobody seems willing or able to change it,” Dec. 26-Jan. 1). No one seems to think about their electricity very much until the lights don’t come on as expected when you flip the switch first thing in the morning. No one wants that, including PG&E. I can tell you that the men and women who work for PG&E put in a lot of time and effort to make their infrastructure dependable and resilient. They respond to outages as quickly as possible and with as much equipment and manpower as necessary to get the power restored. There is no one at PG&E who doesn’t care about your electricity being out. Some of the things that contribute to outages are high winds, trees falling into lines, animals and birds getting into lines and equipment, vehicles hitting poles and wildfires. I would highly recommend buying a generator. Portable generators capable of powering lights plus your refrigerator and freezer cost less than $1,000, and are simple to operate. I look at having electricity in my home as a privilege instead of a guarantee. No matter how much money you pay and no matter where you live, no one can guarantee you will never have an outage. William Fisher | via web Missing the Mark Prior to the Sunday, Dec. 15 matinee of the 65th Nutcracker Ballet in King City, Mayor Mike LeBarre praised Sloan Campi’s article (“The Nutcracker returns to King City for its 65th year of celebrating the holiday season,” Dec. 5-11) about such a milestone and suggested we submit letters to the editor also in praise of his words. I cannot do that. I know Mrs. Sterelli, who is quoted in the article, and am assured she told your reporter about the founding of the Pauline Hall Dancers in 1959 and how her daughter Jan Harkness is now artistic director of the Monterey County Dance Theatre, but no mention of these important figures in King City dance history appeared. Either the reporter failed to understand the importance of these two individuals, or the article fell victim to an overzealous editor; either way it was not as informative as it should have been. Steve Wilson | King City 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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