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2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com MARCH 13-19, 2025 • ISSUE #1911 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Daniel Dreifuss (Canon R5 Mark II 16mm 1/1600 at F3.5) Kai Nishihakamada kickflips over the stairs at Cutino Park in Seaside during the first-ever Monterey Bay Skate Fest on Saturday, March 8. About 100 skaters of all ages and skill levels participated. MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@montereycountynow.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: Laws like the U.S. Freedom of Information Act allow access to government records—but too often, agencies obstruct public access to those records. The annual Foilies Awards revisit some of the worst examples of obstruction in the past year. Cover photo: Shutterstock 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
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4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH In early 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic set in, everyone in the local press corps wanted to talk to County Health Officer Edward Moreno basically all the time, so County officials started hosting regular news briefings via Zoom. The County of Monterey communications team has continued providing weekly news briefings every Wednesday since, and the tradition is here to stay for the foreseeable future. “It will go on as long as it’s useful,” says County spokesperson Maia Carroll. What is new is a definition of who qualifies as press and may log into the Zoom. The County’s definition is quite general, requiring that the attendee is representing an organization that “broadcasts or publishes news and information locally, regionally or nationally,” and that adheres to a code of ethics. Carroll says the definition was introduced after several people who are not in the press corps got the Zoom link. Members of the public are able to stream the briefings on Facebook or YouTube (live or on demand). “I can’t facilitate a webinar for hundreds of people each week,” Carroll says. “We let our media corps ask the questions on behalf of the public—that’s part of their job.” For those who wish to make comments or ask questions, she suggests attending regular public meetings. Good: At 3pm on March 16, the Western Flyer, the now-restored fishing boat made famous by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts’ historic expedition in 1940 to the Sea of Cortés, aka Gulf of California, is being given a celebratory sendoff on Fisherman’s Wharf as the boat departs for its first trip back to the gulf in 85 years. The sendoff will come after festivities starting at 11am— including open house tours of the Flyer until 2pm—and is a milestone years in the making. It took quite some doing to restore an old, twice-sunk fishing boat. Over the next three months, the Flyer will be retracing the path it took on its 1940 voyage, making stops along the way in Baja and California as part of the Western Flyer Foundation’s vision to make the trip a mix of public events, education and scientific research, “sparking curiosity and inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards.” GREAT: The growing Salinas Regional Soccer Complex kicked off its season on March 9 with a full day of matches. Earlier this year, the soccer complex celebrated its expansion, which added two artificial turf fields, stadium lights, parking spaces and other amenities, setting the stage for year-round and evening use. On opening day, teams played for the first time on these new fields, in addition to the original grass fields. “Our goal is to provide a high-quality sports environment that promotes teamwork, wellness, and community spirit,” General Manager Jonathan De Anda said in a press release. The expanded facilities will allow for more leagues and tournaments to take place this season. But the buildout is not complete: planning is underway for further expansion that includes additional soccer fields, multi-purpose athletic areas, improved spectator seating and more. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY Passengers per hour in January on MontereySalinas Transit’s Line 40, which travels between Salinas and Rancho Cielo, making it MST’s most productive route in the very first month it launched. Source: MontereySalinas Transit 38.1 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “What this presidency demonstrates is that people still hate women.” -Monterey County Supervisor Kate Daniels, who attended a March 8 protest against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in Monterey (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 FRESH. LOCAL. TASTY. Fisherman’s Wharf FRESHEST SEAFOOD with PANORAMIC VIEWS Open Daily at 11:30am • At the end of Fisherman’s Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375
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6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Yearbooks are a glimpse into student life, offering a memory lane full of photos, highlights and stories showcasing the school experience. It’s a book some people treasure, while others might forget about it. In the case of one sociologist with local roots, it became a tool to learn about how society and student life have changed over the years. Inheriting dozens of old yearbooks after his father (a former Salinas High School basketball coach and teacher) triggered Michael Messner’s interest, starting him on a quest to investigate his alma mater, Salinas High, through El Gabilan yearbooks from 1903-2024. It inspired him to write The High School, a book that studies the content of Salinas High yearbooks and the stories they tell in an obvious or subtle way about society both inside and outside the school realm. In the early 2000s, Messner started looking through the yearbooks he inherited from his late father, and during a visit to Salinas he spent time looking at old yearbooks at the Salinas High library. “I took pictures of them, I took a few notes. I started developing ideas on how this could be a project for me,” Messner says. Messner is a sociologist who has penned several books and articles with a focus on gender and sports. (He taught sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California for more than 30 years.) Time went by and before retiring in 2023, he took on the project again. “How do we think about the history of schools? How do we think about the history of high schools? How does Salinas fit into that?” Messner says he asked himself during the process of piecing together what became his textbook-sized sociology book. “Access to citizenship rights and privileges and full participation of citizens, and organized sports, have long been a very key part of high school life,” he adds. “So I try to probe the ways in which the history of sports in American high schools is really a microcosm of the history of the United States in a lot of ways.” One of his favorite parts of the process were the photos and stories he found inside the yearbooks, especially the first two decades of the 20th century during the feminist movement. The erosion of the movement coincides with the decline of women in sports and its resurgence in the ’70s after Title IX, which prohibited sexbased discrimination in any educational program, including sports, that receives federal funding. It also shows the demographic shift in Salinas during World War II, when Japanese and Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps. Getting his hands on old yearbooks wasn’t easy. Over a span of 15 years, Messner received some donations and he bought others in local thrift stores or online. He has accumulated 100 yearbooks from a 101-year period. “The 1919 book is one that I do not own, and I would never be able to afford buying, because that was the senior year of John Steinbeck and he was very prominent in the yearbook,” Messner says. “But luckily, I was able to access one at the National Steinbeck Center.” Yearbooks offer a narrow historical view but there are “stories that are bubbling around the edges” that Messner researched from other sources, such as support and opposition for farmworker protests in the 1930s. “I can pull things from the books and then tell these broader stories that contextualize what’s missing,” he adds. Messner wants people to have conversations about collective memories and history, where they can reflect about the good, the bad and the ugly. “If we just look at it through rose-colored glasses, I think we make ourselves vulnerable to manipulation by commercial interests that might want to tell us that if you buy this product, your life is going to be good again,” he says. The High School was published on March 11 and is available for purchase on different platforms and for lending at local libraries. Michael Messner will be in various locations in Salinas from April 10-12 to promote his book. More at thehighschoolbook.com. School Spirit A Salinas High alum investigates the shifts of society by digging through decades of yearbooks. By Celia Jiménez Michael Messner, who now lives in New Mexico, spent years tracking down El Gabilan yearbooks for his book, The High School. He set alerts on eBay to make sure he wouldn’t miss yearbooks up for bid. “I would go in and try to ‘win it,’” Messner says. “Sports has long been a key part of high school life.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE PIERRETTE HONDAGNEU-SOTELO Look to Best Of Monterey Bay® Family magazine for insight and information. FOR MORE INFO: CALL: 831-394-5656 EMAIL: sales@montereycountynow.com PUBLISHING APRIL 3 AD DEADLINE MARCH 20 FamilyFREE 2024-2025 Published by Best of Monterey Bay® • SummER camp liStingS 2024 • KidS in thE KitchEn • KEEping mEntally Fit • advicE FRom SoccER pRoS cover_family_24.indd 1 3/21/24 3:05 PM SUMMER PLANNING FOR KIDS HAS STARTED. SUMMER CAMPS • ACTIVITIES • HEALTH • SCHOOLS
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8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Over the past five months, a small but significant slice of Del Rey Oaks has undergone a major transformation. (An unrelated project, the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway, broke ground last June and continues apace.) The transformation has been on the steep slope of Rosita Road south of Angelus Way, where the west side of Rosita has been rebuilt, the embankment down the hillside shored up and 22.56 acres of overgrown vegetation cleared, opening up sunlight onto properties that haven’t seen it in decades. The transformation was facilitated by two grants— one federal, one from Cal Fire—and underscores how critical grant funding is for a tiny city like Del Rey Oaks, which operates on a tight budget that leaves little to invest in capital projects. The federal grant, $546,733 from the Federal Highway Administration, was awarded in February 2024 after Rosita’s western lane along the hillside started to fail, slipping downhill. Ron Fucci, the city’s Public Works employee, says he’s been noting cracks along Rosita—a major neighborhood artery—since 2022, and that it started to get so bad that it kept him up at night. The repair was just completed after a month of construction. The road now provides a sweeping view of a different project long in the works: In 2023, Cal Fire awarded the city a $317,000 grant to clear vegetation along Rosita, but with bird nesting season from Jan. 15 to Sept. 15, work couldn’t get started until last fall; it wrapped up in January. Mostly, Fucci says, it was ivy and dead trees. “We ran into vines that were almost 18 inches wide because they’d been in there so long.” Looking Rosy Thanks to a windfall of grant funding, two critical projects are now done in Del Rey Oaks. By David Schmalz The city of Gonzales is set to grow exponentially. On Monday, March 10, the Planning Commission gave the green light on the Vista Lucia Project. It marked the first of several required approvals. The chamber was packed for the hearing, where commissioners approved six resolutions, including the environmental impact report, Vista Lucia Specific Plan, and a tentative map for the first phase of the project. The concept has been over 20 years in the making. The proposed master-planned community would be located on 771 acres of agricultural land east of Gonzales and would add up to 3,498 homes to the city over 30 years, more than doubling the number of homes. (According to the U.S. Census, the city of 8,300 now has 2,088 housing units.) Pembrook Development Group’s proposal offers different types of homes, including single-family and apartments (422 units would be deed-restricted affordable housing). The project would have two neighborhoods, Santa Lucia and Gabilan. The first phase, which encompasses 29 percent of the project, would include 211 income-restricted units (CHISPA, a local nonprofit developer, would be in charge of this section of the project). It also includes 96,000 square feet for retail, 79 acres of parks, a new fire station, two elementary schools and one middle school, and trails for bicyclists and pedestrians. The project also calls for a new exit to Highway 101 via Associated Lane, currently a farm road; it would be renamed Santa Lucia Parkway. Gonzales is a small community in the Salinas Valley surrounded by agricultural land. City staff say this project would provide needed opportunities for local commuters who work in the area to purchase a home. But some critics, including the nonprofit watchdog group LandWatch, raise concerns about the viability of that concept based on price. According to the Census, the median income in the city is about $76,060, meaning many locals wouldn’t be able to afford these homes. According to a letter from LandWatch, market-rate price points range from $555,000 to $650,000. Laura Davis, deputy director of LandWatch, told planning commissioners the city should focus on other alternatives. “Gonzales should approve higher-density [housing plans] if it wants to provide housing for the Gonzales community rather than a bedroom community for Silicon Valley,” Davis said. City Manager Carmen Gil says this project would enable employers to retain and attract workers to the city in different sectors—ag, local government and education. (About 80 percent of workers at the Gonzales Agricultural Business Park commute to the city; Gonzales City staff report one reason is a lack of housing locally.) A project at this scale is rare. “We don’t know when we’ll be able to provide [an] opportunity of this magnitude,” Gil adds. If the project moves forward as planned, construction could begin in spring 2026. The project is scheduled to come before the City Council for a vote on Monday, March 31. If approved, it would next go to the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County seeking approval to annex the project area. The yellow shaded area shows the current footprint of the city of Gonzales. The orange part to the northeast shows the proposed Vista Lucia community. Growth Plan The 771-acre Vista Lucia community gets approval from the Gonzales Planning Commission. By Celia Jiménez The western side of Rosita Road has been repaired, and the hillside beside it—now shored up and hydroseeded— opens up to newly cleared parkland. The concept has been 20 years in the making. COURTESY OF CITY OF GONZALES DANIEL DREIFUSS
www.montereycountynow.com MARCH 13-19, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 Federally Insured by NCUA | Equal Housing Lender 831.479.6000 or toll-free at 888.4BAYFED, ext. 8304 www.bayfed.com/HomeLoans *All loans are subject to approval of credit, income verification, assets, and property valuation. Bay Federal Credit Union membership required. For more information, visit any Bay Federal Credit Union branch or call a Bay Federal Home Loan Consultant at 831.479.6000, or toll-free at 888.4BAYFED, extension 8304. Bay Federal Credit Union is registered with the Nationwide Mortgage Lending System (NMLS). Bay Federal Credit Union ID #403635. No closing costs include lender fees, appraisal fees, title fees (excluding Owners Title Insurance) , and escrow fees. First-Time Homebuyer Program available to those that have not owned a property in the last three years. Offer valid on owner-occupied single-family residences. Offer applicable on purchase transactions in the State of California. Other restrictions may apply. Terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Closing Costs on Us! Bay Federal is here to support you in your journey to becoming a homeowner. Finance your first home with us and we’ll cover the closing costs and appraisal fee.* ITINs accepted on home loan applications. Apply today. 1524 N. Main Street | Salinas ’24 Voted Monterey County’s BEST VETERINARIAN Dr. Brynie Kaplan Dau, MS, DVM Surgery • Dermatology • Feline And Canine Medicine Preventative Care Regenerative Medicine, PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Laser Therapy • Exotics And Much More 1023 Austin Avenue, Pacific Grove • 831-318-0306 www.pacificgroveanimalhospital.com Four years in a row! We are honored and look forward to working with you to support your pets best health and quality of life. A Gold Certified Cat Friendly Practice 2020 INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS AND INTERVIEWS TO BE HELD AT 2:00 PM AT THESE LOCATIONS THE SUPERIOR COURT URGES YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN IMPROVING YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT! Greenfield Tuesday May 12 Monterey Wednesday May 13 www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/grandjury (831) 775-5400 Extension 3014 Salinas Thursday May 14 Monterey Courthouse Wednesday, May 7 at 2:00 pm Salinas Courthouse Thursday, May 8 at 2:00 pm King City Courthouse Friday, May 9 at 10:30 am www.monterey.courts.ca.gov/general-information/grand-jury (831) 775-5400 Extension 3014 The 2025–2026 Civil Grand Jury Needs You! 2025 INFORMATIONAL SESSION AND INTERVIEWS TO BE HELD AT THESE LOCATIONS
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com At its meeting April 14, the Monterey-Salinas Transit board is set to award a contract to a firm to conduct the Salinas Transit Center Relocation and East Alisal Bus Rapid Transit Planning Study. Word salad aside, it’s a kind of milestone, and begins the long-envisioned project to move the transit center closer to Alisal, where most of the agency’s customers live. The study is being funded by a $463,100 grant that Caltrans awarded MST last year, and is being matched by $20,000 each from MST, the City of Salinas and Taylor Farms. Along with planning a bus rapid transit corridor in East Alisal, that study will also look at potential locations for a new transit center. “We’ve just never had a viable place to go, and money to do the studies,” says Carl Sedoryk, MST’s general manager, who adds that building something else on the property—a hotel, perhaps, or housing—has been discussed for years. But MST’s L-shaped parcel is only 0.8 acres, and redeveloping it would likely require, according to a recent MST report, “assembling adjacent parcels.” The board is also set to award the final contract to construct the controversial SURF! Busway project, which Sedoryk says remains on schedule as the agency works through preconstruction conditions with the California Coastal Commission. “I’m not seeing anything that’s a showstopper,” he says. The project’s price tag—which last fall was pegged at just over $90 million—has been rising, however, and March 10, the board approved a $3.1 million addition to a $5.85 million contract with Accenture for construction oversight. Sedoryk says SURF! will be done by March 2028, despite two pending lawsuits against the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, which owns the easement where SURF! is planned to be built. Also notable on MST’s radar is that the agency is exploring the possibility of double-decker buses on Line 23 from Salinas to King City, as MST doesn’t allow passengers to stand when a bus is on Highway 101 due to safety concerns. There’s been a big boost of ridership on the line in the past year, which Sedoryk attributes to a boost in in-person enrollment at Hartnell College last year. Sedoryk says the hope is for the agency’s drivers to be able to test out one of the buses for a month sometime this spring, without paying passengers on board. Financial aid applications had a rough start last year for an application cycle that began on Dec. 1, with a twomonth delay to fix glitches in the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) platform. On Feb. 25, the California Student Aid Commission announced the financial aid deadline would be extended to April 2, an additional 30 days. According to CSAC, as of Feb. 9, statewide applications from high school seniors were fewer when compared to previous years. “Ensuring our students can access the aid they need is our highest priority, and we hope that this additional time allows every student to complete a financial aid application and make college more affordable,” said Daisy Gonzales, CSAC’s executive director. According to CSAC, last year, 3,885 students from Monterey County submitted FAFSA or California Dream Act (state financial aid for undocumented students) applications; this year, as of March 11, numbers are down, with just 3,019 applications so far. At CSU Monterey Bay, FAFSA application numbers are up with 8,240 new applications for the upcoming school year as of March 4, versus 7,668 from the 2024-25 school year. “We are pleased to report that students and families are successfully submitting their applications online, marking a significant improvement in the FAFSA process,” says Angeles Fuentes, CSUMB’s director of financial aid. Hartnell College last year received 12,502 applications for financial aid. As of March 3, they’ve only had 4,976 applicants, a significant decrease. Jessica Tovar, director of financial aid at Harnell, thinks there are two reasons why numbers are down. One is students experiencing technical issues with completing their 20252026 applications. The other is fear from students and parents about sharing information because of concerns about their immigration status. Students can apply until June, but if they miss the April 2 deadline, they may not receive financial aid from the state. Move On MST continues to take steps toward a regional bus rapid transit network. By David Schmalz NEWS NEWS FROM THE NORTH Monterey County District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church hosts a town hall meeting focused on the Oak Hills neighborhood. 6-7:30pm Thursday, March 13. North County Recreation and Parks District, 11261 Crane St., Castroville. Free. 755-5022, district2@countyofmonterey.gov. STEAM WORKS The STEAM Family Science Day showcases the world of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics through a series of competitions and other events. 10am-2pm Saturday, March 15. Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. 755-6810, hartnellfoundation.org. VALLEY VIEWS Carmel Valley Association’s annual meeting includes a Q&A session with Monterey County District 5 Supervisor Kate Daniels, a presentation by Jeff Ohlson of the Carmel Valley Historical Society and more. 3-5pm Sunday, March 16. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. carmelvalleyassociation.org. HELPING HANDS Alliance on Aging is searching for volunteers, and hosts an open house on its programs. 10am-2pm Wednesday, March 19. Alliance on Aging, 236 Monterey St., Salinas and 280 Dickman Ave., Monterey. Free. 655-1334, allianceonaging.org. TALENT ON TAP The Monterey County STEM Talent Expo is designed to connect leaders in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields to students and the public looking to explore careers in these areas. 1-5pm Wednesday, March 19. Hartnell College STEM Center lobby, 411 Central Ave., Building S, Salinas. Free. mcstemtalentexpo.com. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS The Monterey County Immigration Rights Ad Hoc Committee hosts an immigration forum plus a resource fair that includes attorneys, the Mexican Consul General and more. 5-6pm (resource fair), 6-7:30pm (speakers) Wednesday, March 19. Seaside High School, 2200 Noche Buena St., Seaside. Free. 726-6032. GET INVOLVED The City of Monterey seeks residents to fill vacancies on the Architectural Review Committee, Building and Housing Appeals Board and the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program Committee. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. 646-3935, monterey.gov/ bcc. College Fund Financial aid deadlines are extended because applications are down. By Celia Jiménez The existing Salinas Transit Center (above) is located in downtown Salinas. A relocation study would examine moving the hub to the Alisal, where more MST riders live. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “I’m not seeing anything that’s a showstopper.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Hops and Fog Brewing Co. owner Mike Durrant is part of downtown Pacific Grove’s nighttime renaissance from a sleepy business district to a place where music flows regularly from small bands or DJs. It’s attracting new patrons—and their wallets— to the city. “We’re changing. The town is coming to life for the first time ever,” Durrant says, adding that the music is drawing people from all over the county looking for entertainment. Durrant and his business partner, Ximena Waissbluth, opened the brewery last year, instantly becoming a hot spot. They regularly host music events, as well as gatherings that spread out across the downtown area, like the first-ever P.G. Santa Con in December, where people dressed in holiday attire and visited multiple businesses, and the upcoming Lepre-Con on Lighthouse on Saturday, March 15, where people are encouraged to sport Irish green for a pub crawl. While Durrant has good relationships with nearby Hops and Fog neighbors, other business owners he partners with for events have struggled with noise complaints. In the last six months there have been at least 12 code enforcement complaints related to downtown music, according to P.G. City Manager Matt Mogensen. Music was part of what helped downtown businesses stay afloat during the pandemic. The city allowed more outdoor music at the time to help draw customers to the outdoor dining parklets. More recently, noise complaints have become a bigger issue. Owners say the challenge is that the city’s code regarding music at establishments where alcohol is served limits noise to 70 decibels. It’s about the same level as a normal conversation. According to a decibel comparison chart by Yale Environmental Health and Safety, chamber music in a small auditorium rises to 75-85db. P.G. Councilmember Joe Amelio is proposing to raise the decibel level to 80; Durrant says he’d prefer 85-90. Amelio’s proposal is scheduled to be heard by the P.G. City Council at 6pm on Wednesday, March 19 at City Hall (and also online). The current P.G. ordinance sets an impossible standard for music venues to follow, says restaurateur Liz Jacobs, who co-owns Wild Fish with her husband Kelvin just up the block from Durrant. Up until last year their restaurant featured a jazz quartet outside in a parklet. The music drew numerous complaints over the last few years. “It’s impossible to stay at 70 decibels,” Jacobs says. “It’s setting up businesses to fail.” Last year, the P.G. City Council voted to switch from parklets to sidewalk dining, and the city extended some sidewalks and added low fences to enclose eating areas. The new setup doesn’t leave room for musicians. The problem, Jacobs says, is that a smaller group of people are demanding that P.G. remain quiet. “In downtown you don’t want it to be a boring suburb, you want it to be vibrant,” she says. A change in the ordinance would give businesses more leeway. Volume Up Pacific Grove business owners want an old law changed to allow for more music downtown. By Pam Marino The former parklet at Wild Fish on Lighthouse Avenue served as a jazz venue. The restaurant owners say a new sidewalk configuration, plus P.G.’s noise ordinance, make live music impossible. NEWS “The town is coming to life.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Donor Advised Funds • Charitable Estate Planning Charitable Gift Annuities and Charitable Remainder Trusts IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions Family Philanthropy • Scholarships & More 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org/Donors | Design your giving plan. We can help. No matter how much, it’s important to give back. I can’t imagine anything greater for John, than to continue his legacy of educating kids.” — Marti Myszak The John S. Myszak Scholarship for Future Teachers of the CFMC Read her story: cfmco.org/Myszak Marti Myszak Leaving a LEGACY PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES ALL YEAR LONG! THE CITY OF MONTEREY FOR MORE INFO + REGISTRATION MONTEREY.GOV/REC (831) 646-3866 SCAN ME! play! MONTEREY PRESCHOOL ADULT & SENIOR PROGRAMS ADULT SPORTS LEAGUES GYMNASTICS YOUTH DANCE CLASSES SCHOOL BREAK & SUMMER CAMPS YOUTH SPORTS LEAGUES & CAMPS AND MUCH MORE!
www.montereycountynow.com MARCH 13-19, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 In the latter half of 2024, Carmel resident Nicolas Salzano noticed something unusual appearing in the neighborhoods and parks around him: bobcats with patches of fur missing, their wrinkly skin inflamed and exposed. “Observing these animals in such poor shape, and in a constant state of scratching through open wounds—it’s just tough to watch,” Salzano says. He began taking photos and noting other observations. He saw that the bobcats were lethargic with a sickly appearance, their skin irritated and cracking, sometimes bleeding. Mange is the skin disease he was seeing, caused by parasitic mites. But what happens to infected animals, and how to determine whether it is unusual, remains a question mark. “Mange, unfortunately, is one of those things that is really difficult to catch and fix. It has to be pretty severe before we can actually step in to do anything about it,” says Ciera Duits-Cavanaugh, the Wildlife Center Manager with SPCA Monterey County. She adds that bobcats are relatively uncommon calls the center receives; they’ve rescued around 53 bobcats since 2013 and euthanized two in 2024. While mange is not uncommon, and is found on all kinds of animals, once an animal becomes infected, its pace slows down. That often means looking for food that’s easy to catch and wandering into human areas in order to do so. Zach Mills, a regional biologist for Monterey and San Benito counties with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, notes that while SPCA’s numbers are low, CDFW has noticed a hotspot of bobcat reports at the mouth of Carmel Valley. While the reason is not confirmed, historically, in various regions of California where mange has turned lethal, wildlife biologists have overwhelmingly found rodenticides in animals’ systems. Within urban and wild interfaces, there are homes and commercial properties that use rodenticides—bait traps which can leave poisoned rodents that are easier for a bobcat to catch. There are a number of ways to estimate disease prevalence, according to Mills. Camera traps can shed light on how dense a population is or provide insight into where groups of animals are moving. They also look to the SPCA for roadkill assessments or the number of bobcats captured. “I think that a big proponent of animals getting so severely affected by mange is very likely from rodenticide,” Cavanaugh says. “Education around using natural deterrents, like installing an owl box for rodent control, as well as how rodenticides make it to bobcats and coyotes up the food chain, is important.” Citizen scientists play a role in helping biologists understand threats to wildlife. For anyone who sees an animal that looks sick, Mills encourages the public to report it to the CDFW’s wildlife incident reporting platform. “Nick’s kind of exactly what you’re hoping for with the public: [people] that pay attention,” Mills says of Salzano. “The public really helps. They’re really the eyes and ears of wildlife management.” Bobbing for Info The occurrence of sickly bobcats in Carmel prompts local biologists to take a closer look. By Katie Rodriguez Nicolas Salzano photographed this bobcat with mange on five separate occasions in his Carmel backyard in November 2024. He documented patterns to identify different individuals. NEWS “They’re really the eyes and ears of wildlife management.” COURTESY OF NICOLAS SALZANO HEATABLE EATABLES! ELROY’S PRESENTS @ELROYSFINEFOODS WWW.ELROYSFINEFOODS.COM 15 SOLEDAD DRIVE (831) 373-3737 MONTEREY, CA 93940 JEWISH DELI CLASSICS TICKET=$140 EACH (1 TICKET SERVES TWO PEOPLE) To place your order visit www.elroysfinefoods.com or scan this QR CODE! Quantities are limited, so order soon! From Elroy’s Fine Foods Executive Chef & Culinary Director David Hardie A pre-ordered, fully prepared meal to heat & eat at home. Offered on the last Thursday of every month. GLOBALLY INSPIRED & LOCALLY SOURCED CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER Smokey & Savory Served with Rye Crackers and Assorted Pickles (GF, DF, CRACKERS CONTAIN GLUTEN) MATZO BALL SOUP Soft Dumplings in a Comforting Chicken Broth (CONTAINS GLUTEN & EGGS, DF) TZIMMES Carrots, Roots & Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Dried Fruit (GF, VEGAN) SWEET & SOUR STUFFED CABBAGES Braised Cabbage Stuffed with Beef & Rice, Topped with Tangy Tomato Sauce (GF, DF, CONTAINS EGGS) POTATO LATKES Crispy Fried Potato Pancakes Served with Applesauce & Sour Cream (VEGETARIAN, CONTAINS GLUTEN) PASTRAMI ON RYE House Smoked Wagyu Pastrami, with House Made Mustard on Marbled Rye Bread (GF, DF, BREAD CONTAINS GLUTEN) NOODLE KUGEL Sweet Egg Noodle Casserole Baked with Dried Fruit & Warm Spices (VEGETARIAN, CONTAINS GLUTEN, DAIRY, EGGS) All items will also be available à la carte for purchase at the Prepared Foods counter on Thursday, 3/27 until sold out! *ORDER BY: THURSDAY, MARCH 20TH PICK UP: THURSDAY, MARCH 27TH NEXT MONTH: ALOHA APRIL! A HAWAIIAN FEAST. *
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com SIGN’S UP I joined this protest! Women’s rights. No kings (“Hundreds gather in front of Monterey City Hall for International Women’s Day to protest the U.S. presidential administration,” posted March 10). Marissa Bishop Kobylenski | Pacific Grove I was there with my little girls! It was electrifying! Julia Triplett | via social media I was very happy to be there! Great turnout, women and men. Susan Harris | Carmel Valley Are they promoting the accomplishments of women? No, it’s more leftist propaganda to resist common sense. Thomas Muto | via social media What freedom looks like. Beautiful. Cheli Flores | via social media Thank you, Monterey County Weekly, for being one of the few covering the protests (“A local protest movement is getting organized to take on Trump 2.0,” posted March 5). Lisa Jensen | via social media There was a very successful rally at Window on the Bay in Monterey on Tuesday, March 4 with people lining both sides of the street. Unfortunately, there was no media. It’s important to know that many different people came together here in Monterey: for democracy, women’s rights, minority rights, immigrant rights, federal workers, Ukraine, antiDOGE, etc. Some brought uplifting signs, some were angry and brought more passionate ones. But it’s important to note that something’s afoot here. Sharon Miller | Pacific Grove JOB DUTY Thanks for your article concerning federal employees and their alleged low-productivity jobs (“Federal employees contend with an administration that doesn’t understand—or care about—their value,” posted March 3). As a retired career federal employee, I would like to say that this administration’s devaluation of the federal workforce also affects the morale of those of us who served in the past. To have the leaders of this country think so little of our contributions is indeed demoralizing, and factually wrong! James Trost | Monterey Our government is $36 trillion in debt and is spending $1.8 trillion more than it brings in from our taxes. If I or you were upside down in our finances and were borrowing money to pay bills, how long would this be sustainable? Our representatives and bureaucracy have failed us. They have known for years the debt is not sustainable and have done nothing to correct it. If the government were a company it would have filed bankruptcy, and new leadership would be hired. Oh, but we do this every two, four years. The difference this time is this president is not a politician and is relentless in correcting the issue. The cuts that are understandably hard for federal workers. Change is always hard when corrections are made. How many families lost their homes in 2008? No one came to bail them out. I was affected by the dotcom bust where 1 in 7 employees in Silicon Valley were laid off. No one bailed us out. We fixed up our resumes and worked hard to find work. Dwight Richardson | Salinas The Monterey office needs FOURTEEN meteorologists? (“At least six local NOAA employees are fired from the federal workforce,” posted March 6.) Seems like maybe there’s some bloat there. How about a little bit in the article questioning the need for 14, 12, or six, for that matter? A little balance would be refreshing. Marilyn Kay Flynn | Pacific Grove FLOWER POWER Loved the article on Second Bloom! (“Nonprofit Second Bloom repurposes fancy bouquets to uplift hospice patients and others,” March 6-12.) Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is a recipient of their arrangements, and I can’t begin to tell you what they mean to a homebound client who not only receives our nutritious food but a beautiful flower arrangement. These flowers bring joy and beauty. Susan Elwood | Monterey ON BOARD Great photos (“First-ever Monterey Bay Skate Fest draws about 100 skateboarders to Cutino Park in Seaside,” posted March 10). Paul Wetterau | via social media Dope! Helmets should be required for all participants though. Brains are important! Allison Bautista | via social media DRAIN GAME John Tilley’s letter reflects the dated view of a few who believe in Cal Am like a religion (“Letters,” Feb. 20-26). They never question. They believe Cal Am’s proposed desal plant is still needed. It’s not. They continue to question the source water for the Pure Water Monterey expansion. But Monterey One Water has repeatedly shown the source water is secure. M1W is the builder of the project, they have the records, they have the expertise, and they’ve had the vision to produce onethird of our water supply for the past three years. Why isn’t Tilley questioning Cal Am instead of M1W? Melodie Chrislock | Monterey Who pays the $3 million if it were to happen? (“A community outreach process in Marina, paid for by Cal Am, gets off to a rocky start,” March 6-12). Why, the ratepayers of the Monterey Peninsula of course. They pay for everything, including the propaganda efforts of EnviroGage. Michael Baer | San Jose PERFECT PAIR What an exquisite juxtaposition of Donna Gilmore’s letter and “This Modern World” (“Letters,” March 6-12). The former extolls the purported virtues of our newly unelected President Musk, whilst the latter brings us crashing down to the absurd reality of the situation. And congratulations to Squid for accomplishing five such important tasks, which is sure to please our new emperor if he happens to read the Weekly (“Squid Fry: Task Master,” March 6-12). Robin Clark | Carmel Valley 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 MARCH 13-19, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 When U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, hosted a town hall meeting at Monterey Peninsula College on Friday, March 7, he wanted to focus on cuts to Medicaid (in California, Medi-Cal). He invited three physicians to the stage to talk about how important the government-provided insurance is for people who cannot afford commercial insurance. More than 163,000 people in his District 19 are on Medi-Cal. But when it came time for audience questions, people in the room had other issues on their minds. The first person to get the mic wanted to know: If President Donald Trump defies court rulings, who is going to arrest him? Panetta responded with his belief that checks and balances will work, and that voters play a role in the next elections. The question-asker piped up: “Do you really think there’s going to be another election?” Panetta absolutely thinks so. He is an institutionalist—a bipartisan Democrat who believes reaching across the aisle is still an option. He also knows his party is losing. But he continues to deliver a long-game, optimistic take in town hall conversations with constituents. “When it comes to our courts, we are winning,” he said. I also attended a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, March 5 when Panetta spoke to 50-plus members of Indivisible, a progressive group that formed in response to Trump’s first term. Members were in agreement with Panetta about the substance of the issues—protecting the federal workforce, expressing solidarity with Ukraine, preserving Medi-Cal and Medicare. But some members wanted something less tangible—a bolder, more vocal leader. “We are looking to you to be more visible,” Angela Marshall from Santa Cruz said. “We want you to be getting on Rachel Maddow, we want you to be loud, we want you to speak up and speak out. We can’t wait for the next election.” Another constituent from San Jose expressed her disappointment that the night before, as Rep. Al Green of Texas was removed from the congressional chambers during Trump’s speech, nobody protested. “This just is not a time for silence,” she said. “This is a time for action.” Panetta heard the feedback, and he urged patience. “We’re not going to win tomorrow,” he said. “I understand the concern with Project 2025. My focus is on Project 2026.” He also promised to keep delivering constituent services, helping people who are stuck in the bureaucracy of processing immigration paperwork, veterans’ benefits and the like. “I’m not a performer, I’m a public servant that does the work,” Panetta said. “To me, good governing is good politics, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do.” Of course, the majority party appears utterly disinterested in good governing, and Republicans continue to enjoy political support (thanks partly to the part of politics that is performative). That makes good governing for Democrats difficult to impossible—the idea of negotiating across the aisle is anachronistic. Consider the potential impending government shutdown on March 14. (There was a negotiation underway to extend that timeline, but Trump and his righthand man Elon Musk last year urged Republican lawmakers to sink that deal. They did.) “I will not vote for a government shutdown, but I will not vote for a partisan budget,” Panetta said at MPC. Given the current climate, it seems unlikely he will have an alternative to vote for. Beyond the immediate shutdown deadline, budget negotiations look similarly bleak. Republicans have put $880 billion in cuts on the table from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which means cuts from Medicaid; they are asking for a $230 billion cut from agriculture, $10 billion from infrastructure, and so on. At MPC, Panetta invoked a Thomas Jefferson quote: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” Then he added: “We do not deserve this chaos. The question we have to answer going forward is, will our democracy withstand this chaos?” Panetta believes old-school good governance will see us through. An increasingly vocal group of constituents are rightly worried that it won’t. We don’t deserve chaos; we do deserve bold, outspoken leaders. Sara Rubin is the editor of the Weekly. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Leaning Left Constituents press U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta to be bolder. By Sara Rubin HALF-BAKED…Every now and then on Squid’s morning swims, Squid pops Squid’s head above the water along Monterey’s waterfront to check in on the derelict property at 484 Cannery Row, which still sits vacant despite at least 30 years of effort trying to develop it. The process has seen multiple lawsuits and continued resistance by the California Coastal Commission, but developer Bob Faulis, who’s been trying to push the project forward for the past seven years, believes the remaining issues with the agency will be settled come summer. Meanwhile, Faulis is hoping to make the property an asset, not an eyesore, while the litigation settles and funds are sought to build. To that end, he’s hoping to launch a flame-cooked pizza business on the property—not a brick-and-mortar joint, just an oven trailer and a wooden platform on the property with tables and chairs to sit. He’s even got a website—getfiredup.co—that claims the joint will be open in March 2025, despite most of the words on the site being written in Greek (as a placeholder). It promises “exceptional flavors” and 50-percent off of “Nulla fermentum lorem non magna accumsan.” And the pictures of food are mostly…not pizza. So Squid’s colleague caught up with Faulis to see what’s what. He says he hasn’t yet approached the city or the Coastal Commission with the project, but maintains the pies will be slinging by June. Good thing for Squid—being a cephalopod and all—is Squid won’t have to hold Squid’s breath. PLAY ON WORK…Even though cephalopods have no need for public parks—there are no fences in the sea—Squid can appreciate why they’re important to humans. So Squid always gets excited when new parks and trails get built. That’s why Squid’s long been a backer of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway, aka FORTAG, the first segment of which is now being built in Del Rey Oaks. And part of that segment cuts through Work Memorial Park, a slice of land behind the Safeway that stretches all the way to Rosita Road that was given to the city in 1953 by developer T.A. Work to be used as a park or for some other public benefit. Yet the land sat unused, except to be partially leased for a time to a driving range and now, to a landscaping business. It turns out the park is far bigger than Squid had known. Starting in mid-September, Cal Fire crews cleared over 20 acres of overgrown vegetation on the southern hillside of the park, stretching all the way to Monterey Regional Airport’s property. It’s like a whole new park opened up that residents didn’t even know they had. Now it just needs some trails and TLC. Hopefully this time around, it won’t take more than 70 years to get started. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “I’m not a performer, I’m a public servant.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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