14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 17-23, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com RENT DUE The newly-elected majority on the Salinas City Council wasted little time to begin repealing last year’s rent control ordinance (“Salinas City Council revisits a rent stabilization ordinance passed last year, eyeing a repeal,” April 10-17). Sure, there are arguments against rent control efforts as they tend to suppress the availability of housing. However, with rent for a 370 square foot garage conversion ADU going for $2,300/month, it’s hard to be on the side of property owners. And, in the past few decades that Salinas did not have a rent control ordinance, why has there been no to little low- to moderate-income housing built to meet ample demand? The council should spend far more of its time and politics looking at what the city can do to encourage the building of more housing. Peter Szalai | Salinas Unbelievable. The council has yet to receive any significant quantitative data about these ordinances; instead, they are responding to narrative reports at council meetings from “surprised” non-complying landlords. One has to wonder if the council’s motives are ideological, overly pro-market-force remedies. This is the kind of thinking that has gotten working-class Salinas in trouble in the first place. To repeal these ordinances three months in would be a hasty, impatient rush to judgment, not consistent with modern leadership. John Silva | Salinas One interesting feature of the months of discussion is that owners of houses in Salinas now cannot sell a house if the tenant does not want to leave and the seller cannot find a buyer who wants a tenant. This now seriously limits the seller’s rights and first-time new home ownership as that home gets sold to an investor and as laws, rules, ordinances and regulations become more egregious/expensive, fewer small business/family property owners will remain in the market. Potential landlords have already indicated they do not see Salinas as a good or even viable investment, which will bode well for corporate ownership. Michael Bolinger | Salinas POWER POSITION Santa Cruz County Supervisor and California Coastal Commission Chair Dr. Justin Cummings is one-of-a-kind. No other candidate comes close to matching his level of expertise, experience, and environmental and social justice values (“Monterey County supervisors select nominees for a California Coastal Commission seat, April 10-16). Cummings was appointed to the Commission in 2023. With empathy and efficacy, he quickly focused on the need for more housing in the Coastal Zone. Cummings joins an extremely rare club of scientists who have served on the Coastal Commission. And as the only African American ecologist to have ever served on the Coastal Commission, he is in a club by himself. We urge Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas to reappoint one of the most qualified and committed Coastal Commissioners in the history of the Commission. Michael DeLapa | Carmel Valley Note: DeLapa is executive director of LandWatch Monterey County. PEDAL FORWARD Local officials and parks and land managers should take note—last week our hotels, restaurants, businesses and families thrived through mountain biking (“Preparing the trails for Sea Otter Classic’s 6,000-plus bikers is a never-ending process for volunteers,” April 10-16). This is a sport and community of outdoor recreationists recognized nationally for their contributions to community development and stewardship. But for Monterey County, thriving through mountain biking lasts only one week, then the Life Time Sea Otter Classic slalom course gets bulldozed and the downhill course closes to public access. Community input for new park spaces clearly show a population in favor of bike amenities, but the deciding boards continue voting against bikes. Even the Sierra Club has reframed its position on bike access, but here exclusion prevails over inclusion. Peter Berridge | Pacific Grove Note: Berridge is vice president of the Monterey Off Road Cycling Association. UP RISING I am disappointed that you didn’t take more pictures of the huge Hands Off! protest that happened at Window on the Bay (“Photos and Video: Thousands of demonstrators voice their opposition to Trump in Monterey; hundreds protest in Salinas,” posted April 5). Also, you should have mentioned the Hands Off! rally that happened at the same time in Watsonville. Thank you, however, for the coverage you did give to this event. Sidney Ramsden Scott | Pebble Beach Thousands of local residents protested over policies of the Trump administration (“A weekend protest draws thousands to decry the presidential administration—and perhaps marks an inflection point,” posted April 7). This was a countrywide event and there was not one bit of coverage of this event in the [print edition of Monterey County Weekly]. This deeply saddens me, and is very irresponsible of the Weekly. I did see some reporting online but nothing in the paper. Cara Weston | Monterey ROCK ON I want to urge everyone to attend MPC’s musical We Will Rock You (“Hot Picks,” April 10-16). The acting and singing talent is top notch, the set and costumes clever and inventive and the band amazing. It is a fun time and I hope that our community supports this amazing group of young people who have clearly put so much effort into this production. Sara Harnish | Carmel CORRECTIONS A column about Seaside City Council’s vote to give themselves raises (“Squid Fry: Pay Pals,” April 10-16) stated the vote inaccurately. It was 4-1, Dave Pacheco dissenting, not 5-0. A story about new rules for rental fees misstated where certain fees appeared (“A new law requires landlords to be upfront about charges and limits certain tenant fees,” April 3-9). An advertisement including a $308 “lease admin fee” did include the fee. LETTERS • COMMENTSOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@montereycountynow.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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