4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 23-29, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH When the California Journalism Preservation Act, which would have required Big Tech to share profits to journalists, died in August, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, who introduced the bill, announced an agreement that some critics said was good for tech but bad for journalism. The agreement called for the creation of the News Transformation Fund, to be administered by the UC Berkeley School of Journalism that would distribute nearly $250 million to newsrooms over five years, as well as for artificial intelligence research. Now, that deal appears in limbo. Politico reported Jan. 16 that UC Berkeley would not host the program, as officials stated concerns that the university would not have the ability to determine how the money would be allocated. A spokesperson for Wicks said conversations are continuing with the university. Elena Conis, acting dean of UC Berkeley’s journalism school, told Politico the university is “fully committed” to infuse funds into California’s newsrooms. It currently hosts a state-funded journalism fellowship program that employs journalists and assigns them to newsrooms—including the Weekly. Good: As fires continue to rage in the Los Angeles area, local animal organizations are helping out to make sure four-legged residents are clear of the flames. SPCA Monterey County and Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) recently traveled to Los Angeles to take in animals housed at shelters in the area. So far, the SPCA welcomed 11 pets, including one cat, one kitten, five dogs and four puppies, while POMDR took in four dogs. “The fires in Los Angeles are devastating,” Scott Delucchi, SPCA Monterey County president and CEO, said in a press release. “We know all too well how disasters can impact pet owners given our recent experiences here, and we are here to do anything we can to help the shelters who are working so hard to rescue and care for animals. Our hearts are with everyone affected by this horrible disaster.” The animals will be put up for adoption. GREAT: On Jan. 8, Seaside Interim City Manager Craig Malin, a lover of nature and the High Sierra, had a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off-inspired outing with some of his staff. Having heard that some members of Seaside staff had never been to Yosemite National Park, or at least not since they were kids, he gave the city $200 for use of a city van for the day, and he and five other staff members took the day off and left City Hall at 6am to see the park’s splendor. He says they went to Tunnel View, saw all the waterfalls, and took a hike around Mirror Lake. Malin says the point of the outing was team building, and to that end, he gave everyone different colored beanies that read “Save Ferris” across the top. “Some of them had never seen the Valley, so they were knocked out,” Malin says. They got back to Seaside around 8:30pm, a lovely day for all. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY That’s the size of a grant the Salinasbased Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) received from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The funds will go toward ALBA’s program that educates Spanish-speaking farmers on soil fertility, plant nutrition and irrigation management techniques. Source: ALBA $225,000 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The Aquarium’s future is brighter than ever.” -Julie Packard, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s first and so far only executive director, announcing her retirement after 40 years on Jan. 15 (see story, montereycountynow.com). Special Limited Certificate APY= annual percentage yield. Minimum opening deposit $100,000. Maximum $999,999.99. Funds to open this certificate must be new to Monterey CU. New to Monterey CU means the funds must not have been on deposit with Monterey CU in the last six months. Limit to one promotional share certificate per member. Offer available for limited time starting 01/15/2025, and subject to change or cancellation without notice. Early withdrawal penalties apply. LIVE FULL For more information, visit us at www.motereycu.com or call us at 831.647.1000 or stop by a branch nearby Salinas | Monterey | Hollister | Carmel carmel plaza • carmel-by-the-sea khakisofcarmel • 831.625.8106 shop new arrivals selected sport coat reductions
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