8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 23-29, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS In a world where fewer and fewer people carry cash, Salinas United Business Association has distributed dozens of wireless Square card readers for free to small businesses that have outdated equipment or were cash-only. SUBA received 90 Square readers from Negozee, a Spanishspeaking platform that aids Latino entrepreneurs and businesses. It has distributed 35 devices among SUBA members and other businesses in Salinas, and set aside 22 for South County. SUBA partnered with the Soledad Chamber of Commerce and Central Coast Small Business Development Center to distribute them there, and will partner with Pajaro businesses to distribute them in that North County community as well. The Soledad Chamber has so far received 10 applications from different types of businesses including restaurants, food trucks and retail. “It’s a win-win for both the businesses and the community,” says Tencia Vargas, Soledad’s economic development coordinator, noting it stands to increase sales and growth among small businesses. The technology offers some perks for business owners including sales reports and a chat function to communicate to customers. “It’s a safe and secure way of taking payments,” says Maria Corralejo, executive director of the Soledad Chamber. Since online reviews can make or break a business, Corralejo says having a chat to contact customers is vital. In Soledad, many small businesses currently accept mobile payments via Zelle or Venmo in addition to cash. “I think this is going to make things a little bit easier, where now they could tap or swipe,” Corralejo adds. Payment Plan Local business organizations are distributing card readers for free in the Salinas Valley. By Celia Jiménez Questions continue to emerge after a fire broke out on Thursday, Jan. 16 at the Vistra battery plant in Moss Landing, and not just about how the fire started, or what kind of pollutants it put into the environment, but about whether such battery plants can operate with a guarantee of safety to local residents. Officials issued an evacuation order to nearby communities lasting about 24 hours, and Highway 1 in Moss Landing remained closed until 5pm Sunday, three days after the fire began. County officials have been providing regular updates to the public, with near-daily press conferences. On Saturday afternoon outside the Power Plant cafe in Moss Landing, officials from the County of Monterey, Vistra and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addressed the media and public. At the time, the fire was still burning, as lithium ion battery fires can’t be extinguished with water, so firefighters can only just watch and monitor the situation until it burns itself out. (Remaining batteries in the facility began combusting around noon on Friday, generating more flames and smoke.) There have been two previous incidents at the Vistra plant in the past four years, but in those cases, the water suppression systems worked as intended to cool overheating batteries before they burst into flames; in 2022, there was a fire at the adjacent PG&E battery plant. That fire did not spread like this one did. “Safety is Vistra’s top priority,” Vistra spokesperson Brad Watson said. “We’re focused on the safety of the people who live around the plant, and we’re sorry they’ve had their lives impacted.” The Texas-based company spent about $1 billion on the facility. County Supervisor Glenn Church, who represents District 2 which includes Moss Landing, said, “This is the future. We want it to be safe, we want it to be secure, we want it to be effective.” Church joined Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, in requesting the plant remain offline until, Addis said in a press conference on Jan. 17, it’s “guaranteed as safe.” The primary, most dangerous pollutant created by lithium ion battery fires is hydrogen flouride, or HF, which is an acidic gas. Olivia Trombadore of the EPA said that starting late Thursday, EPA’s response included setting up nine specialized air monitoring stations, two inside the plant property and seven around it. None of them showed levels of HF that pose harm to the public, she says, with the exception of the two inside the plant. In response to the fire, a group of local residents formed the Moss Landing Community Response Group, which held its first meeting at the Prunedale Grange Hall on Monday, Jan. 20, four days after the fire began. Church spoke to the packed room near the start of the meeting, saying, “What’s happened here in the last four days should never have happened at all, and it can’t happen again.” He called on the community to unite. “This is going to be a real David and Goliath battle,” he said. “We need new and effective regulations. All building should be paused.” Also on Jan. 20, the law firm Singleton Schreiber met virtually with area residents to talk about potential litigation. The fire began at 3pm on Thursday, Jan. 16. At 5:35pm, flames were reported to have spread to the roof, escalating safety concerns and prompting evacuation orders. Power Struggle Residents and electeds are seeking answers around the battery fire at Vistra’s Moss Landing plant. By David Schmalz As local associations distribute Square card readers to small local businesses, they point to several potential benefits for business owners, including the ability to track sales. “This is the future. We want it to be safe.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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