12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY January 16-22, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Cost of Goods Kudos to Erik Cushman for tracking the costs of key consumer goods to measure the real world impact of Trump’s economic policies (“A new year and new president present a chance to measure policy impacts,” Jan. 2-8). My suggestion is not to focus only on the costs of imports, but also on prices of staples produced domestically (indeed, in California— maybe even locally). These prices are also poised to jump, if this witch’s brew (apologies to witches, no guilt by association intended) of tariffs and deportations is implemented. Ben Slay | Marina Impressive piece. I, for one, am looking forward to following you on this. Thank you for your thoughtful journalism. Mike McGirr | Salinas Maybe you should add almonds, pistachios and beef to your list of items that you will be monitoring. All three are products that are exported to other countries. Kevin Kreyenhagen | Carmel Valley Learning Loss How about we try it. Let’s cut till it hurts and find out what we truly need, instead of what the self-perpetuating government tells us we need (“As Donald Trump pledges to eliminate the Department of Ed, local educators brace for impact,” Jan. 2-8). Cliff Pilcher | via social media The grifters and charlatans don’t want the people educated. It’s easier to get them to agree to anything that’s actually against their own self-interest. Joe Wassmann | Monterey Burning Up Just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your brother and his family losing their home (“The devastation of the Los Angeles fires hits home,” posted Jan. 9). Your piece made me truly feel the preciousness of the home they built and have now lost. I live in Tarzana (an LA suburb) and have been fortunate enough to have bought a second home in Carmel 20 years ago. Going back and forth, I feel both places are home. I am currently in Tarzana, with an emergency bag packed, as fire conditions in LA change by the hour. I wish your family all the best. Amy Krivis | Tarzana and Carmel Your closing question brings to mind a song my friend, Pete Seeger, wrote back in 1955. The song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone” ends with the line: “When will they ever learn, when will we ever learn?” In the almost 70 years since it was written mankind hasn’t made much progress in answering that question. But like Pete, those of us who pay attention to the world around us and have learned a bit, need to stay positive and focused on the goals we find essential for the future of us all on the planet. I am sorry to hear of your brother’s loss. I have a feeling that we are going to hear thousands of stories like that in the coming days. Your family and all those affected by this catastrophic fire are in my thoughts. Kevin Maypother | Monmouth County, New Jersey Coverage of the LA fires has focused on the loss of lives and the loss of tens of thousands of homes. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones and their homes (“Monterey County firefighters support Los Angeles firefight, plus ways you can help,” posted Jan. 13). Thousands of immigrant workers have also lost their jobs. Gardeners, home cleaners, nannies, elder and disabled care providers have abruptly lost their means of income and family support. Many will not be eligible to seek unemployment insurance benefits if they were not covered as employees. Perhaps the Trump administration can adapt its immigration policies to create a new visa for immigrant workers to be employed in the clean-up and rebuilding of the lost homes and communities. Bill Monning | Carmel True or False Thank you for writing about the Facebook post (“How a piece of misinformation quickly gains a life of its own,” Jan. 9-15). I saw the original post after the police responded to it and was disheartened to see that the post hadn’t been edited to include a correction or apology. As a trained librarian who used to teach information literacy to high schoolers, I grow more and more concerned as misinformation becomes more common. People are becoming more aware of the problems at a national and worldwide level, but there’s still a lot of misinformation on a local level. Many local Facebook groups in our area are rife with scams, rumors and falsehoods. Failing to recognize misinformation on a local level may seem inconsequential, but when left unchecked it grows and becomes more insidious. Thank you for speaking out against it and for calling out the fact that the original post remains. Lisa Newton | Marina We were surprised to read your report about cars being towed on New Year’s Eve without mention of First Night Monterey’s extensive planning and coordination efforts. As the event organizers, we work closely with the city and police to ensure public awareness and minimize disruption. For context, First Night Monterey obtains permits to close streets and rents parking spaces (for the day) well in advance. These spaces are critical for staging equipment like generators and stages, which are brought in early on the day of the event. Despite our efforts, issues still arise, such as cars parked in rented spaces or signage being moved, which complicate our setup and can jeopardize safety and the success of the event. While we strive to avoid inconveniencing anyone, especially the downtown businesses and their patrons, towing is sometimes an unfortunate necessity to ensure the event runs smoothly and safely. Ellen Martin and Michael Clark | via email Note: Martin is executive director and Clark is president of the board of First Night Monterey. Take out the trash It’s a legitimate monopoly (“Trash service for residents across the county increases monthly fees,” Jan. 9-15). Cameron Barfield | via social media 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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