14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com ALL AGES I wanted to compliment you on an excellent article—well researched and written, on a very timely subject (“The need for senior living and care is increasing, but quality is decreasing,” Feb. 6-12). As a senior, I especially appreciate this kind of in-depth and thoughtful reporting. Bill Fuerst | Prunedale Just like with affordable housing, big pharma and food, corporations are increasingly taking over entire industries that provide the basic necessities of life. This affects all phases of life. Putting profits before people does real damage to society as a whole. Esther Malkin | Monterey How a country treats its children, sick and elderly is the metric on “greatness.” We have a long way to go. Mike Gash | San Diego MILITARY MIGHT Of course, the study paid for by the local [Monterey Bay Defense Alliance] paints a rosy picture of the DoD’s impact (“Defense spending nears $5 billion in local economic benefit, according to a new study,” Feb. 6-12). But what are the costs, especially the long-term societal ones? Families are cycled out every two years. Local rent costs are pegged at the amount of bloated housing stipends. Temporary residents with license plates and bumper stickers from other states shape local and state elections and policy. Pretty arrogant stance to think that their absence in the wake of a BRAC closure that Fort Hunter Liggett couldn’t be designated camping or parkland instead of live fire ranges, that [NPS] couldn’t be repurposed back to Hotel Del Monte or even housing, and that their absence wouldn’t immediately be backfilled with full-time, long-term residents eager for a beautiful place to live and call home. Jim Daniels | Monterey WHOSE HOME? Thank you for the great reporting (“Monterey County protesters join a nationwide movement to show the power of immigrants,” posted Feb. 3). I passed the protest and it was nice to see the energy! Lisa Martin | Seaside Our immigrants are a vital asset to our community. In California alone, in 2024, undocumented residents paid close to $8.5 billion in taxes for social services for which they are ineligible. Federally, undocumented immigrants contribute to the solvency of Social Security, contributing over $25.7 billion annually toward benefits that they are ineligible to claim. Immigrants work in agriculture, construction, restaurants, food processing, transportation and health care and are an integral part of our country. We are all immigrants from somewhere (“Letters,” Feb. 6-12). So, Ms. Cooper, unless you are descended from the Indigenous people of the Americas, I will hope you take your hateful comment to heart and feel free to “NOW GO HOME.” Marta Kraftzeck | Monterey Immigration policy is, at its core, about our own humanity and how we treat one another. Mass deportation would cut the GDP by as much as 7.4 percent and drive prices 9.1-percent higher by 2028, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Many people will lose their jobs, their businesses, their homes. Billions of dollars spent for unchecked immigration enforcement is at the expense of our country’s everyday needs for housing, healthcare, food for children and low-income families. The United States needs a migration system that centers on empathy, safety and efficiency. That starts with honoring the light in every individual. Please urge our local, state and national leaders to work toward common-sense, humane border policies and legal pathways to citizenship. Lauren Keenan | Salinas Keenan is writing on behalf of the Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Monterey Peninsula. TIMES A’CHANGING I will miss this place (“Carmel’s iconic Forge in the Forest restaurant is closing,” posted Jan. 31). Marco Hebbe-Zubiate | via social media Property owner Patrice Pastor, a billionaire from Monaco, has spent over $100 million on properties in Carmel in the last decade. He’s ruining the town. Paige Hufford | via social media It may be unavoidable. Many building owners in Carmel may have to sell off their properties in order to stay solvent with the current extortion tactics by insurance companies. We have a fourth-generation family-owned Carmel-by-the-Sea building filled with residents and businesses. No mortgage is owed but the high property taxes, inflated repair costs, and now we have been slapped with a 250-percent increase in fire insurance fees. We feel terrible since many tenants will lose their long-term housing and business spaces. Karen Schofield | via social media PAY RAISE The Marina City Council stipend increases are excessive and are more in line with cities six to 11 times the size of Marina (“Squid Fry: Adds Up,” Feb. 6-12). The council repeatedly claims that they are doing this to encourage others to run for office but they would still prefer that it take effect now rather than after they have had to face elections, so it’s fair to question the sincerity of their intentions. A more sensible approach would be 1) setting council member stipends at $400/month and the mayor’s stipend at $500/month to immediately achieve regional pay parity; 2) implementing automatic annual adjustments to stipends based on the Consumer Price Index; and 3) putting the larger amount up for a vote in 2026. Hans Ongchua | Marina MIX IT UP Good mix. Good reads. Thanks (“The diversity of this week’s coverage of Monterey County hits many marks,” posted Feb. 1). Annie Notthoff | Pebble Beach 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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