8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com The California Roots Music and Arts Festival has come a long way from humble beginnings in 2010. “When it first started it was meant to just be your backyard barbecue type of event,” says founder Jeff Monser, who lived in Santa Cruz at the time. He started first with a clothing line, then live music. “It turned into a festival—a lifestyle, you could say.” In 2012, its third year, producer Dan Sheehan joined the team and took the festival to another level. It continued to grow from there, regularly drawing big crowds for three or four days around Memorial Day to the Monterey County Fairgrounds. It also draws big musical acts; this year’s lineup from May 23-25 includes Rebelution, T-Pain, Buju Banton (“a big one for us,” Sheehan says) and Atmosphere and more headliner-worthy names in hip-hop, roots and reggae. During the pandemic, Cali Roots offered online music, keeping fans connected. Along the way, things between co-producers Monser and Sheehan took a turn for the worse. Eventually, they saw an opportunity to sell their successful festival to a big producer. In 2023, Sheehan was in talks with representatives of entertainment company LiveCo. Discussions priced Cali Roots as high as $13 million. In April, Sheehan bought out Monser’s 50 percent stake for over $1.6 million, and says he then expected to sell Cali Roots to LiveCo. But the sale to LiveCo fell through after the 2023 festival lost money, following a post-Covid resurgence in 2022—a disappointment to Sheehan, as he tells it. “Jeff got his money from us, we were left holding the bag on a festival that lost a whole bunch of money.” But Monser tells a different story. He thought he’d sold to LiveCo, and didn’t realize it was Sheehan who bought him out; it was only the next year during the 2024 festival that he says he realized that the deal to LiveCo never materialized—and he believes Sheehan never expected it to. In June 2024, Monser filed a lawsuit against Sheehan (and his wife, Amy Sheehan, and their company Good Vibez Presents) then filed a renewed complaint in January 2025. Monser, who now lives in the East Bay and runs the Brentwood Emporium, alleges Sheehan never intended to close the sale, and used a fake email address to docu-sign documents on Monser’s behalf. He is seeking at least $1 million in damages and renewed ownership of Cali Roots. The parties are in settlement talks, with a trial date set for June 8, 2026. Isaura Arreguin says she had her two daughters in mind, as well as many other Latina girls and young women, when she applied to fulfill an unexpired elected term on the Salinas Valley Health Board of Directors. “My goal is to lead by example,” she says. On March 20, the board chose Arreguin over two other candidates to take over the seat for Zone 3, which covers much of North Salinas, with a large Latino population. She steps into the position previously held by Juan Cabrera, who was elected in 2018 and again in 2022. He resigned in February citing personal reasons. The term ends in December 2026. “Ms. Arreguin brings fresh perspective and a wealth of community experience to the role,” an announcement from the SVH board and CEO Allen Radner to staff states. “Her professional career has focused on community development, program development, grant writing and management, with a commitment to her Latina heritage and community engagement.” Arreguin is the development director for the Salinas Community Science Workshop. She also serves as president of Latina Professionals Central Valley. She worked for over 10 years in different positions at Hartnell College. Coming to the U.S. from Mexico at age 17, Arreguin says she had to navigate both the education system and the medical system, which is inspiring her to bring greater awareness of SVH and its services to her constituents during her term. “I want to ensure that, especially since I’m representing District 3, that the community has access to all of [SVH’s] services,” she says. Arreguin will be sworn in at an SVH board meeting at 4pm Thursday, March 27, in the Downing Resource Center, Salinas Valley Health Medical Center, 450 E. Romie Lane, Salinas. Instructions for attending virtually are available at salinasvalleyhealth.com/ virtualboardmeeting. She asked Soledad Mayor Anna Velazquez, another Latina leader, to swear her in. Roots Bind After a failed sale of Cali Roots to a big producer, the founder sues, alleging fraud. By Sara Rubin NEWS FIND A SPOT The City of Monterey seeks feedback on its residential parking program. Residents are encouraged to share their input. 5:30pm Thursday, March 27. Monterey City Council Chamber, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3953, monterey. gov/parking. WITH OPEN EARS Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez hosts a listening session to hear thoughts and concerns from Lockwood residents. 6pm Thursday, March 27. Lockwood Community Center, 65951 LockwoodJolon Road, Lockwood. Free. 755-5033, district3@countyofmonterey.gov. DIVVY UP The City of Marina seeks input on how to spend a potential $3 million. The funds may be available to the city if Cal Am’s desalination project is built, part of a set of conditions for its approval. 10am-noon Saturday, March 29. Marina City Council Chambers, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. cityofmarina.org/ ForMarinaByMarina. GREEN THUMBS The public is invited to a community gardening day organized by the City of Gonzales and other organizations. No experience is required. 10am-noon Saturday, March 29. Gonzales Community Garden, corner of Elko Street and Fairview Drive, Gonzales. Free. (541) 778-4243, amanda@savethewhales.org. HEALTHY CHECK-UP Salinas Valley Health hosts a community health event during the Marina Farmers’ Market, offering free health screenings and flu shots. 10am-2pm Sunday, March 30. Marina Farmers Market, 215 Reservation Road, Marina. Free. bit.ly/ MarinaHealthDay. PROJECT PLANNING The Salinas Planning Commission meets to discuss various community development projects. Public input is accepted. 4pm Wednesday, April 2. City Hall Rotunda, 200 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. 758-7381, cityofsalinas.org. LAST HOMETOWN The Pacific Grove City Council meets and, as always, welcomes public comment. 6pm Wednesday, April 2. City Hall, 300 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 6483100, cityofpacificgrove.gov. A CLOSE EYE Volunteers are encouraged to apply for the County of Monterey’s Civil Grand Jury. The grand jury serves as a watchdog over local agencies. The next term runs June 13-30. Deadline to apply is May 2. bit.ly/ MCGrandJury. Role Model Isaura Arreguin steps up to represent her community on the Salinas Valley Health board. By Pam Marino Dan and Amy Sheehan’s company, Good Vibez Presents, hosts events including Cali Roots, Sand City First Fridays and Holo Holo in San Diego, Las Vegas and Sacramento. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “We were left holding the bag on a festival that lost money.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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