FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT GAME TIME 5 | BLACK LIVES IN PHOTOS 26 | PIZZA ON WHEELS 32 | A DINNER FIT FOR JOHN STEINBECK 34 FIRST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • 2024 CA JOURNALISM AWARDS • Christine Davi released a Monterey police report about allegations of sexual assault by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. p. 16 By Sara Rubin THE CITY ATTORNEY WHO PROTECTED THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 • ISSUE #1908 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Erik Chalhoub (iPhone 16 Pro) A bluff on Trail 76 in Fort Ord National Monument overlooks Merrill Ranch, as seen from a mountain bike. MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@montereycountynow.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Monterey City Attorney Christine Davi found herself in the middle of a national news story when she released a redacted 2017 police report investigation of now-Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for an alleged rape in Monterey. Her office handled 66 related California Public Records Act requests (not including follow-ups) between Nov. 14-Dec. 20, 2024. Cover photo: Daniel Dreifuss etc. Copyright © 2025 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $300 yearly, prepaid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountynow. com. Audited by CVC. FOUNDER & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@montereycountynow.com (x103) PUBLISHER Erik Cushman erik@montereycountynow.com (x125) EDITORIAL EDITOR Sara Rubin sara@montereycountynow.com (x120) ASSOCIATE EDITOR Erik Chalhoub ec@montereycountynow.com (x135) FEATURES EDITOR Dave Faries dfaries@montereycountynow.com (x110) STAFF WRITER Celia Jiménez celia@montereycountynow.com (x145) STAFF WRITER Pam Marino pam@montereycountynow.com (x106) STAFF WRITER Agata Pope¸da (x138) aga@montereycountynow.com STAFF WRITER Katie Rodriguez (California Local News Fellow) katie@montereycountynow.com (x102) STAFF WRITER David Schmalz david@montereycountynow.com (x104) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Daniel Dreifuss daniel@montereycountynow.com (x140) DIGITAL PRODUCER Sloan Campi sloan@montereycountynow.com (x105) CONTRIBUTORS Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Robert Daniels, Tonia Eaton, Paul Fried, Jesse Herwitz, Jacqueline Weixel, Paul Wilner CARTOONS Rob Rogers, Tom Tomorrow PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Loutzenheiser karen@montereycountynow.com (x108) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Jewell kevinj@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexis Estrada alexis@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lani Headley lani@montereycountynow.com (x114) SALES SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Diane Glim diane@montereycountynow.com (x124) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE George Kassal george@montereycountynow.com (x122) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Keith Bruecker keith@montereycountynow.com (x118) CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Keely Richter keely@montereycountynow.com (x123) DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Kevin Smith kevin@montereycountynow.com (x119) DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION AT Arts Co. atartsco@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION CONTROL Harry Neal BUSINESS/FRONT OFFICE OFFICE MANAGER Linda Maceira linda@montereycountynow.com (x101) BOOKKEEPING Rochelle Trawick 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, CA 93955 831-394-5656, (FAX) 831-394-2909 www.montereycountynow.com We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountynow.com. now [nou] adverb at the present time or moment Monterey County Now Local news, arts and entertainment, food and drink, calendar and daily newsletter. Subscribe to the newsletter: www.montereycountynow.com/subscribe Find us online: www.montereycountynow.com
www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 When it comes to your heart health, trust Salinas Valley Health to provide the expert care, advanced technology and personalized support you deserve. Join our Ask The Experts presentation to gain insightful knowledge that empowers you to live well and prioritize your heart’s health. Learn about: • Atrial Fibrillation, Ablations and the WATCHMAN™ Device • Peripheral Vascular and Venous Disease • Structural Heart Intervention Newest Advancements in Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Care FREE COMMUNITY EVENT Jamil Matthews, MD Vascular & Endovascular Surgery Panelists Wednesday, February 26, 2025 5 Lower Ragsdale Drive Monterey 5pm Reception Community health and resource tables, appetizers and beverages 6pm Presentation Harlan Grogin, MD Cardiac Electrophysiology Rikin Kadakia, MD Interventional Cardiology Moderator Tim Albert, MD, MHCM Chief Clinical Officer Seating is limited. Register now by scanning the QR code. For more information, email cotero@SalinasValleyHealth.com
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH What’s in a name? It depends who is doing the naming, and how much power they wield. In this case, we’re talking about the Gulf of Mexico, an international body of water for which President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of America. (The gulf shares borders with Mexico and the U.S.) How should reporters refer to this geographic feature? According to the Associated Press Stylebook (which the Weekly follows), “The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. Refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.” In retaliation, Trump blocked two AP reporters from covering White House events on Feb. 11. In a Feb. 12 letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace wrote, “The actions taken by the White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech.” Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said, “This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.” Good: How about a coffee in the AOA Memory Café @ The Hub? Alliance on Aging presents a new community space to support individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. The Hub is located at the back of the AOA office in Salinas. The cafe aims to provide a warm environment to foster meaningful connections, offer resources and encourage participation in activities, according to AOA. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy healthy food and beverages, participate in such activities as “chair yoga,” healthy cooking demonstrations, art, music and games. A grand opening event will take place 10am-noon on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 236 Monterey St., Salinas. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature guest speakers as well as informational brochures on dementia-related topics and memory care resources. GREAT: It was a great week for baseball fans as the Pecos League has reached the on-deck circle. On Wednesday, Feb. 12 the Monterey Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to approve the return of the Monterey Amberjacks for the 2025 season. The proposal now moves to the City Council for a final decision. If approved, the team would play home games on weekends at Sollecito Ballpark in Monterey from May through July, with the home opener scheduled for May 25 against the San Rafael Pacifics. The Amberjacks called Monterey home from 2017-2023, with a one-year break due to Covid. After the previous contract expired, the city and the independent minor league could not come to terms for 2024, with negotiations stalling over insurance and security issues. These have reportedly been resolved. The current proposal is for a one-year contract, with a multi-year agreement possible afterward. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY That’s how many years since Graniterock’s founding as a granite quarry in Aromas on Feb. 14, 1900. Graniterock has grown into one of the largest construction materials and contracting companies in California, with more than 900 employees. Source: Graniterock 125 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Many in the disability community feel like we have frontrow seats to the chaos.” -Lori Long, speaking on her lobbying efforts to update a Social Security regulation on marriage. A reintroduced bill would allow disabled people to continue receiving benefits if they marry a non-disabled person (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.montereycu.com or call us at 831.647.1000 or stop by a branch nearby Salinas | Monterey | Hollister | Carmel “I brought my Subaru to Hartzel on advice of a friend and I was so pleased with the service & attention I got from them. Not only finished on time, but under the estimate I was given. Very rare these days. So pleased with the whole experience & great peace of mind knowing it was done correctly. Highly recommend this guy.” —David F., Seaside 2/14/19 510 California Avenue | Sand City | 394.6002 hartzelautomotive.com EXPERT SERVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT. Subaru Mazda Lexus Infiniti Saab vintage MG SCHEDULE YOUR NEXT SERVICE ONLINE TODAY
www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 831 A group of adults sits around a table inside a downtown Monterey building that is adorned with a bright blue and red facade, surrounded by a twisting slide, colorful stuffed animals and plenty of whimsical balloons. The woman at the head of the table picks up a card, reading triumphantly: “full-frontal nudity.” The group cheers and claps as the next round of Cards Against Humanity is set to begin. Further into the building, two adults sit cramped inside a miniature ambulance playing Battleship, while others grab a beer from Alvarado Street Brewery as well as some candied bacon a few booths over. A DJ remixes tunes popular from the 1980s into the aughts, as tiny superhero costumes hang on a wall. As people check in, ducking inside the building to escape a brief surprise rainstorm, they are given two tickets, good for one drink each. Bottles of wine are also available for $25 a pop. Is this a regular Friday night at a local bar? Or maybe an adults-only birthday party at someone’s house? If you answered with “MY Museum,” a place filled with activities for toddlers up to elementary schoolaged children, no one would believe you. Unless they were actually there. And many were. MY Museum’s annual Fun & Games Night returned Jan. 25, a 21-and-over event where the kids-at-heart had a chance to play classic board and card games (Scrabble, Uno), while also learning some new ones (who knew Taco Bell made a card game?), all at the same time raising funds for the museum, now in its 28th year. Executive Director Lauren Cohen says 120 people showed up to the 10th annual event, which typically generates more than $10,000 for the museum. It’s the one time of the year where you will see adults, but no children, in the museum—typically, adults are not allowed inside if they don’t have a child with them, although they are welcome to a tour with a staff member. (The flip side is true also: no kids without an accompanying adult.) It’s also a great way for adults whose children have aged out of the museum to check out what’s new— “There are a lot of families that come to the event and say their kids are in college now,” Cohen says. “It’s a nice way for adults to enjoy the museum.” Fun & Games Night is the first fundraiser of the year for MY Museum, which will hold a number of other fundraising events in the coming months, including an online auction in the spring. “We really want to raise money to do the good things with our mission, which is to provide an environment where children and adults can learn through experience,” she says. Those funds are used to constantly refresh and replace the museum’s various attractions, because “as you can imagine at a children’s museum, there’s so much wear and tear,” Cohen notes. Upgrades at the museum in recent months include a refurbishment of the house exhibit, where the young attendees can try their hand at building a structure, as well as a new grass sensory wall and bubble tube that has a calming effect on children. Looking forward, Cohen says the goal is to reach more families in South County. To that end, the hope is to attract a large traveling exhibit in 2026, similar to 2023, when the museum set up a space in the Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey that was based on the book series Potter the Otter. “Next year we hope to do something big in South County,” she says. The goal also extends to meeting families who may not have the financial means to take part in a variety of activities that challenge both the brain and the body. MY Museum can be seen as a one-stop-shop, with its weekly offerings of gymnastics and activities in the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) realm. “We have a lot of families who maybe can’t afford to put their children in multiple programs, so they join the museum for $125 and can be engaged in gymnastics, STEAM activities and arts and crafts,” Cohen says. MY Museum 425 Washington St., Monterey. $10/daily admission; free/children under 24 months. 649-6444, mymuseum.org. Fun-Forward MY Museum’s adults-only fundraiser kicks off a year of activities for the family space. By Erik Chalhoub MY Museum’s Fun & Games Night was all for the adults, who gathered in spaces typically reserved for families throughout the downtown Monterey museum to play a slew of board and card games. “It’s a nice way for adults to enjoy the museum.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE ERIK CHALHOUB Presented By montereychamber.com In CelebrationOf: 2024 Citizen of the Year Jeff Davi The Monterey Peninsula Home Team and A.G. Davi, Ltd 2024 Ruth Vreeland Memorial Public Official of the Year Mary Ann Carbone Mayor City of Sand City 2024 Robert C. Littlefield Award for Lifetime Achievement Shawn Adams Owner, Monterey Signs 2024 Community Impact Award Sandra Button Chairman, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance Business of the Year Award To Be Announced During the Event GET TICKETS!
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Thinking outside the box and turning dreams into tangible objects is one guiding principle for artist Mai Ryuno. Now, the artist and educator is combining her skills to create a microschool where high school students can apply what they learn in math, science or English into creative projects at Play Full Ground in Monterey, which Ryuno founded in 2017. “I wanted to create this place to be a community of learning. Not just so much academics like math or science, but those subjects are everywhere—things like cooking require some knowledge about science and math,” Ryuno says. The same, she adds, can be true for art. The number of microschools with fewer than five students in California doubled in the 2023-2024 school year compared to prepandemic numbers, reaching nearly 30,000 students, according to data from the California Department of Education. (Only one is currently registered in Monterey County.) Ryuno hopes to attract students who are interested in alternative private education, or who are homeschooled. Students will be enrolled in an asynchronous online school where they will learn the required curriculum. Ryuno will guide them to create topically related projects. Students will make projects from scratch. “We’re going to connect the knowledge to some real projects through the principles of art and design,” Ryuno says. She adds that creative thinking is a process that can be applied to any subject—engineering, chemistry, math, etc.—beyond what is conventionally understood as “art.” The school is expected to open in fall of 2025, with help from Kaipod Catalyst Program, for up to 10 students in grades 9-12. Creative Thinking Play Full Ground is set to open a creative microschool for high school students. By Celia Jiménez Approximately 2,500 Monterey County residents with Anthem Blue Cross HMO medical insurance got a shock earlier this month when they found out they will no longer have access to medical providers within the county as of March 1, about a month after Anthem announced it was terminating its relationship with Aspire Health Plan. Officials from both Aspire and Anthem confirmed the termination. Those Anthem customers are now being reassigned to providers in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. The only exceptions are for people who are currently pregnant or undergoing treatment for serious illnesses like cancer. “That’s a lot of people who have to drive an hour or more to get health care,” says Judith Canner, who works at CSU Monterey Bay as chair of the Mathematics Department. She was recently informed that her new primary care physician will be located in Gilroy, a 50-minute drive from her home. “I had just finally been able to establish with a new [local] primary care provider,” she says. “I learned there are literally no doctors available [in Monterey County].” Tyler Munson, CEO of Aspire Health, said in a written statement that Aspire “provided a limited set of administrative services for this product,” since 2018. He cited “ongoing challenges in achieving long-term sustainability” leading to the termination by Anthem. A written statement from an Anthem spokesperson states that anyone impacted was notified in advance “ensuring a smooth transition to alternate participating medical groups,” and that members who are not matched to current providers are being matched to a participating medical group “near their home.” The statement said that all benefits to members remain unchanged. Canner’s insurance is made available through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), which negotiates health insurance and retirement for state employees. Anthem Blue Cross, with Aspire administering the insurance, was one of her options during open enrollment last fall. Within days of the insurance taking effect on Jan. 1, Canner and others received a letter from Anthem dated Dec. 31 stating that it was ending its relationship with Aspire. “We understand the importance of maintaining the patient/doctor relationship,” the letter stated. “Every effort will be made to keep you assigned with your current primary care physician if he or she practices with another Anthem Blue Cross participating medical group. Otherwise, you will be assigned to a new participating primary care physician and medical group.” The rub for Monterey County Anthem customers through Aspire is that there are no other participating groups. (Aspire is a partnership between Montage Health and Salinas Valley Health to provide Medicare and HMO plans.) Canner was told by an Anthem representative that in an emergency she can go to a hospital in the county, but ongoing aftercare would have to be out of the county. CalPERS officials said the employees’ only recourse was to write a “letter of consideration” to the agency to ask for permission to change insurance plans. Aspire Health Plan has been administering an Anthem Blue Cross HMO plan in Monterey County since 2018. Anthem is ending the partnership, effective March 1. Access Denied Anthem ends relationship with Aspire Health, leaving 2,500 customers without local providers. By Pam Marino Mai Ryuno, who has experience teaching at Hartnell and Monterey Peninsula College, will launch an arts-oriented microschool for high school students in fall 2025 at Play Full Ground. “There are literally no doctors available.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com In 2019, the Pebble Beach Company gave the City of Monterey the Old Capitol Site, a 135-acre property south of Highway 1 opposite the Del Monte Center. Subsequently, the city rezoned the land—a mostly pristine forest of Monterey pines— from low-density residential to parks and open space. Yet five-plus years later, and after the city has spent about $1.2 million in fuel reduction projects and clearing homeless encampments—some of which were so entrenched that they had two stories—it’s fair to ask: Is the property an asset for the city, or a liability? It’s become clear that opening the land to the public is going to be a high hurdle to clear. Over several months last year, the city conducted outreach to gauge what the public would like to see on the property, and local mountain bikers saw an opportunity. There are no trails in Monterey where it’s legal to ride bikes, and the Old Capitol Site seemed like a perfect way to remedy that. Online surveys reflected popular support for the concept. But after considering the options from all the angles—environmental, legal and financial—city staff, on Feb. 12, presented their findings to the Parks and Recreation Commission, and recommended a preferred concept for the park that would only include hiking trails with no bike access to minimize environmental impact. The site is one of the world’s few places home to the federally endangered Yadon’s rein orchid, which are only known to grow—worldwide—in five habitats from the Monterey Peninsula to Moss Landing. The Parks and Rec Commission approved that recommendation, which will come before City Council in the coming months. But even if it is approved, commissioners suggested— per staff’s recommendation—putting the preferred park concept on the shelf for now, as the estimated price tag to build it is nearly $13 million. The city’s current budget shortfall to fix its aging infrastructure over the next five years is about $40.6 million. “When the city has other priorities, other existing infrastructure to maintain, it is a challenge,” says Recreation Manager Shannon Leon, who presented the concept to the commission. “But it is a beautiful space.” The preferred concept for the park would impact eight acres, and to mitigate that impact per state law, Leon adds, the city would have to acquire 16 acres of habitat elsewhere to put into preservation. In April 2023, the Carmel City Council approved a two-year contract with Flock Safety, a manufacturer and operator of surveillance systems, to install 30 license plate reader cameras. The cameras, installed around the perimeter of the city, in town, and in some residential areas, alert police officers to suspicious activity based on flagged vehicles. But just how many cameras were necessary, as well as concerns over privacy and aesthetics, prompted the creation of an ad hoc committee. The committee met several times over the past year to address concerns about the company and review language in the contract. Now, with the contract set to expire on March 30, the Carmel City Council met to discuss how to approach the new contract based on the findings from the committee and recommendations from Police Chief Paul Tomasi. On Feb. 4, the council voted 4-1 to approve the recommendation from the Carmel Police Department, which includes reducing the number of leased cameras from 30 to six, with a provision to add up to six more cameras during the term of the contract, and limit spending to $30,000 over the two-year term. However, concerns remain. “Everything I’m hearing about Flock doesn’t sound right,” said City Councilmember Bob Delves, who suggested the city explore alternatives to using the company’s surveillance cameras. Flock, a $4 billion startup with cameras in more than 4,000 cities across 42 states, has faced multiple lawsuits for Fourth Amendment violations related to warrantless government surveillance, according to findings from the ad hoc committee. “Everybody already uses Flock,” said Councilmember Jeff Baron, the sole dissenter of the motion, questioning whether an alternative exists, and if it does, whether it would be different. “I share the concerns raised about the company, but I have to start by saying we are where we are,” Delves said. “It’s tempting to throw the whole thing out and start over, but I don’t want to take away the tool.” In Park Monterey’s Old Capitol Site is slated for hiking trails, if the city can ever afford them. By David Schmalz NEWS SCHOOL WORK The Monterey County Office of Education hosts a job fair featuring representatives from various school districts in the county. 9am-noon Saturday, Feb. 22. Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. 755-0379, bit.ly/MCOEjobfair. WHAT’S IN THE WATER Join fellow “water warriors” to test water quality of the Salinas River. Breakfast is provided. 10:30am-1pm Saturday, Feb. 22. San Lorenzo County Park, 1160 Broadway St., King City. Free. 204-1381, montereywaterkeeper.org. FIX YOUR STUFF Repair Cafe Monterey helps the public fix items to keep them in use and out of the landfill. 11am-3pm Saturday, Feb. 22. Old Town Hall, 999 Angelus Way, Del Rey Oaks. Free. bit.ly/RepairCafeMonterey. FIND A JOB Monterey County Works hosts a job fair to connect local employers with job seekers. Attendees are encouraged to bring their résumés and dress to impress. 1-4pm Wednesday, Feb. 26. Career Center, 344 Salinas St., Salinas. Free. Register at montereycountyworks.com/ february-26-2025-job-fair. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORT The City of Marina seeks public input on environmental justice policy ideas. This workshop is part of a series of events for the city’s General Plan update. 4-6pm Wednesday, Feb. 26. Vince DiMaggio Park Community Building, 3200 Del Monte Blvd., Marina. Free. ahunter@cityofmarina.org, marina2045.org. BUDGET IN FOCUS The City of Salinas holds a budget meeting to gather feedback from residents on their priorities. 6-8pm Wednesday, Feb. 26. Salinas PAL, 100 Howard St., Salinas. Free. 758-7381, cityofsalinas.org/ News/2025-2026-Budget. ROUNDABOUT REVIEW The County of Monterey proposes adding a roundabout at the intersection of Castroville Boulevard and San Miguel Canyon Road in Prunedale. A study on the project is now available for public review and comments. Review period ends at 5pm March 17. Study available at bit.ly/MCprojects or in-person at Public Works Department, 1441 Schilling Place, second floor, Salinas; Prunedale library, 17822 Moro Road, Prunedale; Castroville library, 11160 Speegle St., Castroville. Mail comments to Maribel Ramos-Peredia, County of Monterey, 1441 Schilling Place, Salinas, CA 93901, or email to Ramos-PerediaM@countyofmonterey. gov. 755-4800, PWFPSupportStaff@ countyofmonterey.gov. Flock Flyaways Carmel City Council decides to move forward with Flock cameras, with a caveat. By Katie Rodriguez A rendering shows a possible trail design through the Old Capitol Site, a 135-acre, treefilled property that was given to the City of Monterey by Pebble Beach Co. in 2019. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “The city has other priorities. But it is a beautiful place.” BFS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
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10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Until recently, the County of Monterey took a fragmented approach to homeless encampment cleanups in unincorporated areas. Sometimes Public Works responded, sometimes the Sheriff’s Office. Their actions were generally compassionate, says Director of Homeless Services Roxanne Wilson. She thought it was time to put it in writing. “The spirit of compassion has always been there for the County of Monterey,” she says. “I found it was important to memorialize it in writing, not just for us but for the unsheltered community.” On Jan. 28 the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 on a new policy that runs all encampment cleanups through Wilson’s office, as well as provides guidelines on how to conduct them. It was modeled after a policy adopted by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year outlining how to approach encampment cleanups on state-owned properties. The policy includes creating an Encampment Assessment Team when a location is identified, made up of county agencies and community nonprofit partners relevant to the needs of a specific location. Outreach to encampment residents would be the first step, unless in an emergency, as well as identifying available shelter beds. The initial goal would be to encourage people to voluntarily leave. If that’s not possible, there would be 72 hours’ notice. The county is offering storage of personal belongings for up to 90 days. “There are ways and strategies we can employ whenever possible to get folks to move on their own, or provide ways to do their own cleanup,” Wilson says. In her presentation to the board, she said the policy acknowledges cleanups are a “very complex situation. We do not have enough housing, we do not have enough shelter beds but what we do have is compassion.” She said the policy is embedded with practices that include housing first—a state law that places an importance on providing housing for those who are unsheltered—as well as trauma-informed care and harm-reduction strategies. “If we don’t provide an alternative place to go we will see them return in the future,” she says. The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with Access Support Network—a nonprofit that provides naloxone, needle collection and distribution—for one year to assess and track encampment occupants’ prescription medication needs. ASN will also do outreach ahead of cleanups and help those who lose medications get new prescriptions. Currently there are three large encampments in unincorporated areas in Pajaro, Soledad and outside of Salinas. A fourth in King City was moved to a local hotel after a fire in 2022 at the encampment. The move was facilitated with a $6.4 million state grant. Another grant of $4.7 million went toward Soledad. A project to provide tiny homes to Pajaro occupants in Watsonville using an $8 million grant is on hold, pending an appeal by neighbors. Home Camp The County balances health and safety with compassion in new encampment cleanup policy. By Pam Marino Crews work to clean up a homeless encampment along Soledad Street in Salinas in 2021. A new county policy aims to streamline procedures for such sweeps in unincorporated Monterey County. NEWS “If we don’t provide a place to go we will see them return.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Monterey County Bank’s 12-month CD Offering Grow your savings with a secure 12-month Certificate of Deposit at 4% Interest Rate. 4% Interest Rate / 4.07% APY* Minimum Deposit: $100,000 Opening Your CD Is Easy! Visit any of our locations or call our branch managers for assistance: Carmel Valley: Nam Nguyen, Branch Manager Salinas: Diana McColl, Branch Manager Monterey: Karen Speed, Branch Manager Pacific Grove: Simi Johnson, Branch Manager montereycountybank.com *APY info: The annual percentage yield assumes interest will remain on deposit until maturity. A withdrawal will reduce earnings. Early Withdrawal Penalty: If your Account has not matured, any withdrawal of all or part of the funds from your Account may result in an early withdrawal penalty. Available to new funds only. Annual Percentage Yield is accurate as of 2/18/2025. Prevention•Education•Treatment•Recovery Preventing alcohol and drug addiction by offering education, prevention, treatment and recovery to individuals and families regardless of income level. TOGETHER WE CAN #EndOverdose No one should stand alone in our fight to end overdose. Our collective voices are stronger, louder, and the most impactful When brought together. Support youth prevention services! www.SunStreetCenters.org
www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 The dangers of fentanyl and other opioids are well chronicled—in Monterey County, there were 138 deaths related to overdose in 2023, according to the most recent data available from the California Department of Public Health. It’s well known thanks to the efforts of many people and organizations in the community, including Sun Street Centers, whose substance abuse prevention staff is spread out across 26 schools, among other places, throughout Monterey County. These staff mentor high school leaders on the consequences of fentanyl and other drugs, who in turn share that information with their peers. The program provided prevention services to 8,169 young people in 2023. For its efforts, Sun Street Centers received the Ingenuity Award in 2024’s Monterey County Gives! campaign, adding an additional $2,500 to the $58,650 it raised during the annual campaign for its prevention programs. Sun Street Centers raised a record amount in Monterey County Gives! for its organization out of all the years it’s been participating in the campaign, CEO Anna Foglia says. Here’s another record: For 2024, Monterey County Gives! generated $14,278,798 for 206 local nonprofits, a 19-percent increase over the previous record-setting year in 2023. The campaign, conceived by the Monterey County Weekly in association with the Community Foundation for Monterey County and Monterey Peninsula Foundation, ran from Nov. 14-Dec. 31. The results were announced in a Zoom meeting with more than 200 nonprofit representatives and others on Thursday, Feb. 13. “We don’t ever expect that it can keep getting bigger,” said Dan Baldwin, president/CEO of the Community Foundation. “It really raises the profile of philanthropy. The idea of a community coming together and supporting one another has never been more important. Monterey County Gives! is a really fantastic barometer of that.” Individual donations from 7,982 people totaled nearly $9.7 million, an 18.5-percent increase over 2023. In another all-time high, nonprofits received a match of over 18 percent (for the first $75,000 they raised). Also important for Monterey County Gives! organizers is the increase in young donors (ages 18-35 years old), to 507. Weekly Founder and CEO Bradley Zeve says getting the next generation of donors active is critical to the future of philanthropy. “The program has been a great success, beyond our wildest expectations,” he says. “It continues to grow as a result of our partners and the growing overall Match Fund, nonprofits’ increasing skills to generate support in the form of Challenge Gifts, and increasing donations from participants. Win, win, win.” Foglia says Monterey County Gives! helps Sun Street Centers reach new donors who may not have been familiar with the organization before. “I’m really proud of the Ingenuity Award,” she says. “Our students are ingenious. We are able to empower them to create their own solutions.” Giving Gains Monterey County Gives! sets another record year of fundraising. By Erik Chalhoub Sun Street Centers staff with a Narcan distribution box. “Opioid overdoses are never going to go away, but we just try to make a difference,” says CEO Anna Foglia (right). “I know we are saving lives.” NEWS “It raises the profile of philanthropy.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com TAKE THE LEAD We are living in dangerous and uncertain times and we deserve a representative that understands the moment and is willing and able to meet it (“Your leaders in Washington, D.C. want to hear from you,” posted Feb. 12). Constituents are seeking assurances from their representatives that they understand we are in unchartered territory and that this moment requires bold action—not platitudes and paternalistic responses. Unfortunately for California’s 19th District, platitudes and paternalistic responses are all we got at Wednesday’s town hall. One constituent asked Rep. Jimmy Panetta whether he would commit to withholding any and all support during budget and debt ceiling negotiations until the Democrats receive tangible deliverables that allow for meaningful oversight and accountability with respect to all actions being taken by Elon Musk and DOGE. Panetta’s answer was a resounding NO, though he assured this constituent that he understood such an “emotional” request. He implied that she was asking him to shut down the government. She was not. She was seeking his assurance that he would stand up for the Constitution and not give away the little power he does have in the false spirit of “bipartisanship” and “responsible government.” Rep. Panetta still has time to reconsider his position and stand up for the Constitution. If he doesn’t, he may find his path to 2026 is more fraught than he expects it to be. Lisel Scannell | Monterey SYSTEM PREFERENCES We broke it, we own it. We made our bed, now we must sleep in it. We are reaping what we sowed (“The court system is not enough to stop the Donald Trump-Elon Musk coup,” Feb. 13-19). Pandora is out of the box. And the kraken has been released. So, batten down the hatches, and pass the Dramamine! Helen Ogden | Pacific Grove All Americans who love democracy must meet the moment. We are witnessing a coup in progress. With the continuous roll out of executive orders, President Trump’s plan to shred the Constitution becomes obvious. His goal is to acquire unrestrained power. For Trump, democratic ideals, Christian ethics and human empathy are meaningless. They play no part in his life. This soulless man even rejects objective truths. No wonder he can so easily lie, blame others and exploit racial hatred. His “tear it down” governance will be corrupt, lawless and terrorize Americans. Nazario Martinez | Prunedale WATER WEIGHT If you think the Pure Water Monterey expansion is going to happen and solve our water problems, then you haven’t seen the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District meeting from Jan. 27, 2025 (“The perceived divide between the Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula is on display in the most unlikely of places,” posted Feb. 10). I do not know how it could be said clearer, “You do not have water for the expansion.” When the general manager was asked to explain he was not able to do so and ended up saying essentially, we think we have the source waters because [Monterey One Water] says we do. Some of us have for years warned M1W to prove they have source waters before they spend public funds on the expansion. Time for some sincere honesty from MPWMD and M1W about where we are with future water supplies. John Tilley | Pacific Grove LEADING BY EXAMPLE Butch, you are missed by the entire community (“Butch Kronlund, a longtime force in Big Sur, dies at 70,” posted Feb. 10). I am grateful for the time spent working with you to work through issues. I considered you a mentor via your “get it done” attitude. Thank you! Aengus Jeffers | Monterey LOVE IS LOVE Thanks for elevating Lori Long’s continuing plight, especially on the holiday set aside to celebrate love (“Happy Valentine’s Day to a local woman who’s been fighting for years for the right to get married,” posted Feb. 14). We can’t pierce and constructively resolve the obvious unfairness of denying benefits to disabled persons when they marry? If family values really matter, why not? These days, there are more indignities on the way, as we seem to be condemned to living in an epidemic of intentionally forced chaos and rank cruelty. The need to press for rational and compassionate changes has never been more urgent. Rick Applegate | Tucson, Ariz. SPEEDING UP Cheers and applause for Dwight Stump for his persistent work to keep roadway roundabouts off of Highway 68 (“The Buzz: Good Week,” Feb. 6-12). They would have been very unsightly and taken up a lot of land, especially with so many of them. Now we will have a far simpler and straightforward solution with adaptive traffic signals. Thank you to [Transportation Agency for Monterey County] and Caltrans for agreeing to give them a try. Gail Bower | Carmel MILITARY HISTORY The military—U.S., Spanish and Mexican—has historically had a significant impact on Monterey (“A report measuring the local economic impact of the military shows it’s bigger than you think,” posted Feb. 4). The area surrounding the Cathedral was the original military presence in Monterey, 1770, until it moved to the current Presidio of Monterey. The U.S. Army took it over in 1846 but abandoned it after the Civil War. In 1903, the Presidio was reactivated in the wake of the Spanish-American War and was a large presence until Fort Ord was built in the build-up to World War II. The military history of Monterey is available for free at the Lower Presidio Museum in Monterey. It is operated by the City of Monterey and staffed by volunteers. It is worth a visit. Jim Tarhalla | Las Palmas 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.
www.montereycountynow.com FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 The perils of losing local journalists are well documented, such as a decline in civic engagement and more government dysfunction. Also well documented is the steep decline of local journalism. Since 2005, according to a 2024 report by the Medill School for Journalism, more than 3,200 newspapers have vanished. The pace of closures was worse than previously anticipated. “In our 2022 report, the State of Local News Project predicted that by the end of 2025, the United States would have lost one-third of its print newspapers over the past two decades. In this year’s report, we found that the country has already exceeded that mark. A little fewer than 5,600 newspapers remain,” per the 2024 follow-up. From 2022-2023, newspaper jobs in the U.S. decreased by 7,000. This precarious landscape has prompted a growing number of advocates to search for solutions to staunch the bleeding. Ultimately, those solutions come down to money. Questions about who pays, how much and how that money is spent—the details—are at the heart of upcoming negotiations. Last year, state lawmakers, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Google executives announced they had reached an agreement to create the News Transformation Fund. The state agreed to drop Assembly Bill 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act, under fierce pressure from Google. It was a big win for Big Tech—instead of platforms paying a “link tax” for journalism they are stealing, Google and the State of California would put a collective $250 million into newsrooms. Now budget season is beginning, and Newsom is proposing $30 million in state funds to kickstart the concept. But negotiations about how the fund will run, who will run it and how to fund it are ongoing. Matt Pearce, president of Media Guild of the West, wrote to Newsom and legislative leaders in January, urging them to rethink the concept for more long-term, consistent revenue from Big Tech platforms. “We need a law, not annual lobbying mayhem,” Pearce wrote. Budget season is lobbying mayhem season, however, even when it comes to extending existing, successful, proven programs. One success story in the rather bleak landscape of the journalism industry is the California Local News Fellowship, funded as a one-time, $25 million state budget allocation in 2022. (The Weekly is proud to be participating in this program, with Staff Writer Katie Rodriguez nearly six months into her fellowship.) But as the fellowship enters its third cohort, it will reach its end. “The simple fact is without a new budget allocation, the program will go away,” Steven Glazer, a retired California State Senator who is now a senior adviser to the nonprofit Rebuild Local News, told a group of journalists in a Zoom meeting on Friday, Feb. 14. Glazer is pitching a $15 million annual budget allocation to extend the fellowship and to add a management and editing training component. Combined, he’s calling it the California Propel Local News Initiative. In the scheme of California’s $322 billion total budget, Glazer said, “It would be referred to as budget dust.” It’s relatively little money for a lot of gain, serving the dual goals of workforce development and rebuilding newsrooms. In the win-win-win proponents of the fellowship love to talk about, Rodriguez adds capacity to our newsroom while getting handson experience to develop in her career. Most importantly, it benefits our readers, thanks to more stories reported and published. “Fellows are winning, newsrooms are winning, communities are winning,” said Christa Scharfenberg, fellowship director. The fellowship program just released its first impact, showing that 76 fellows in newsrooms across the state are producing over 100 stories every week. Those are 100 stories that deserve to be told, and 76 fellows on career paths in an industry that needs them—but they need a place to work, during the two-year fellowship and after it is over. That’s where the News Transformation Fund is critical. Especially when entire programs can be viewed as “budget dust,” we need all of the initiatives we can fund to bolster journalism. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycounytnow.com. Deadline Driven The rubber meets the road for California to fund journalism. By Sara Rubin SECOND STRIKE…Squid knows that sequels always bring mixed feelings. Was it better or worse than the original? In the case of a recall attempt to remove Andrew Sandoval from his position representing District 5 on Salinas City Council, the first episode was a bust. The original proponent, Tyler Burrola, tells Squid’s colleague via email that his effort is kaput: “I have ended all involvement with the recall and am unaware of any ongoing efforts.” But Squid is getting ready with a big bucket of shrimp-flavored popcorn for a sequel, because a group of Big Ag companies including Taylor Farms, Tanimura & Antle and Premium Packing donated $69,500 combined to Citizens Supporting the Recall of Andrew Sandoval in 2024, according to the latest campaign finance forms. It makes Squid think they are just gearing up for the sequel. (As of Feb. 14, there is no second attempt yet underway; Salinas City Clerk Patricia Barajas says nobody has filed a fresh recall petition at City Hall.) Meanwhile, Sandoval is working on his own follow-up with TikTok videos mocking the big bucks. He buys the company’s salad mix for his kids, he says, with a tone of fake disbelief: “Oh, no! I’m paying for my own recall!” Given that Taylor Farms has so far given $49,000 to the cause, that’s a lot of lettuce. SAFETY SIXTH…Squid has been checking out some new businesses lately, including Monterey’s first cannabis dispensary, which opened nine years after California voters legalized it. It’s far easier to open a gun shop. Just last week, Squid wrote about L&B Firearm Solutions, set to open in Monterey’s Oak Grove neighborhood, a quiet residential area with a few spots zoned for commercial use. Upon discovering that the shop was set to open, local residents aired their concerns to the Monterey City Council, arguing such a use was incompatible with a sleepy residential neighborhood. But the die had already been cast—the city granted L&B its business license late last year—and Squid wrote of the residents’ efforts, “Resistance is futile.” It turns out, Squid was at least partly wrong about that: On Feb. 18, after Squid’s deadline, council considered an urgency ordinance to temporarily put a hold on licensing new retail businesses that sell firearms and/or ammunition—L&B brings the total in the city to five—while staff reexamines the city’s zoning codes to prevent “a proliferation of firearm business locations in the City without regard to the appropriateness of their location.” Considering that Monterey Police seized 20 firearms from a convicted felon on Feb. 12, which they discovered while investigating an unrelated crime involving an e-motorcycle chase, suggests this ordinance is long overdue. But hey—at least cannabis is finally allowed. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “We need a law, not annual lobbying mayhem.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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