JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT FIRE INSPECTORS HIT THE ROAD 14 | MONTEREY’S BIRTHDAY PARTY 34 | ALL INCLUSIVE 40 FIRST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • 2025 CA JOURNALISM AWARDS • Jack of All Trades HOW LAND BARON DAVID JACKS CAME TO CONTROL SO MUCH OF 19TH-CENTURY MONTEREY COUNTY. p. 22 By David Schmalz
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 MOTHER Ramy Brook SABLYN VERONICA BEARD Ulla Johnson Isabel Marant EQUIPMENT A.L.C. Rails Rag & Bone NILI LOTAN giada forte BROCHU WALKER VINCE Ganni alice + olivia Velvet IRO theory ELIZABETH and JAMES L’Agence Smythe HANDBAGS Jerome Dreyfuss Clare V. HENRY CUIR SHOES Isabel Marant VINCE Golden Goose ANINE BING Loeffler Randal pedro garcía Rag & Bone girl boy girl Mon-Th 11-6, Fri-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 Mission St. & 7th Avenue Carmel ~ 831-626-3368 COMPLIMENTARY PARKING paloosh Mon-Th 11-6, Fri-Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 Ocean Ave & Dolores St. Carmel ~ 831-626-2773 We’ve renovated the entire store, come see what’s new.
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 1688 North Main Street Salinas, CA 93906 (Harden Ranch Plaza) 831.444.8930 806 Playa Avenue Sand City, CA 93955 (across from Costco) 831.920.0930 8777 San Ysidro Avenue Gilroy, CA 95020 (across from Home Depot) 831.842.0024 $1099 Sofa $499 Sofa $399 *The sales tax is paid for you by Ashley Homestore in the form of a discount. Zero percent financing is with approved credit and 10 percent downpayment. See store for details. This sale is not in conjunction with any other offer. Photos are for illustration purposes only. As required by the Mattress Recycling Council, a $16.00 recycling fee is added to mattresses and foundations. Ashley stores are individually owned and operated. © 2025 Ashley Homestores Ltd. www.ashleyfurniture.com 7-piece Dining Set* *Includes Table and Six Side Chairs NO SALES TAX $699 TWO-PIECE SECTIONAL $999 $899 NO SALES TAX Leather Sofa with Nailhead Trim Leather Power Reclining Sofa NO SALES TAX NO SALES TAX Includes Counter-Height Storage Table and Four Stools Reclining Sofa $699 Sofa $499 Queen Size Bed* *Includes Headboard, Footboard, and Rails $299 Queen Size Bed* *Includes Headboard, Footboard, and Rails $339 NO SALES TAX NO SALES TAX *Includes Headboard, Footboard, and Rails Queen Size Bed* $399 NO SALES TAX 5-Piece CounterHeight Dining Set with Storage $799 NO SALES TAX sale UP TO50%OFF and FOR A YEAR!* YEAR!* 0% financing LAST WEEKEND! COME IN TODAY
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 READY, SET, SUMMER! Summer’s here! …But that doesn’t mean your kids need to stop learning. Check out these two unique educational opportunities. MARK VELCOFF, MD ASTHMA CAMP One week camp July 21-25 | Ages: 6 to 12 Children with asthma have a unique opportunity to learn how to manage their condition while enjoying a summer camp environment. The week is filled with outdoor adventures such as hiking, swimming, soccer and more. The immersive camp is both educational and fun. Campers learn about asthma triggers, the importance of their medications and how asthma affects their bodies. To learn more, scan the QR code, call 831-759-1890 or email healthpromotion@SalinasValleyHealth.com. *Physician referral required. MEDICAL ADVENTURE CAMP Two week camp July 21-August 1 | Grades: 4th - 6th This day camp, sponsored by the Salinas Valley Health Service League Volunteers, provides an up-close and personal look at the many disciplines in the medical field. Established in 2001, Medical Adventure Camp introduces campers to medicine and health careers in a fun and interactive way. Student volunteers help guide the campers while medical center staff and physicians present the lessons and activities. To learn more, scan the QR code, call 831-755-0772 or email volunteer@SalinasValleyHealth.com. SalinasValleyHealth.com
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 • ISSUE #1923 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Todd Howerton (Canon Rebel, 55-250mm lens) A buck and a doe make it a multi-species audience watching squid fishing boats from Pacific Grove. MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@montereycountynow.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: In the latter half of the 19th century, David Jacks came to own tens of thousands of acres in Monterey County through a combination of luck, greed and cunning schemes. Cover Illustration: Map courtesy Library of Congress; David Jacks portrait from an archival collection viewed at the Green Library at Stanford University 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. Subscribe to the newsletter @ montereycountynow.com/subscribe Go to montereycountynow.com We Deliver… NEWS • ARTS • ENTERTAINMENT FOOD • DRINK • CALENDAR Local news everyday
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 Monterey Spine & Joint joins Montage Health montagehealth.org/mosm We’re excited to welcome Monterey Spine & Joint to the Montage Health family, now operating as Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. Together, we remain dedicated to providing expert orthopedic care, close to home.
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH Donald Trump may have won the national popular vote by a razor-thin margin of 1.5 percent, but in many counties, he won by an avalanche, averaging 54 percentage points. The one thing these counties all have in common: They are “news deserts,” lacking a professional source of local news. The recent findings by Medill Journalism School analyzed 193 counties it considers as news deserts, mostly in “red” states such as Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Montana and others. In the few counties where Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris won, her margin of victory was much smaller, averaging 18 points, according to the study. When people lack a local news source, they instead turn to national outlets, where they will find a candidate who shares their views on national issues, but they won’t find the local issues that affect their everyday lives, political scientist Danny Hayes told the journalism school. “The general argument is that local news encourages people to consider other dimensions of a candidate’s appeal besides whether they share the same partisanship,” Hayes said. Good: After two months of closure for renovations, the Monterey Sports Center’s indoor pool—known as a natatorium— has reopened. June 1 marked the 33rd anniversary since the center opened, and to celebrate the pool’s return, staff welcomed dozens of kids and families to enjoy the new pool deck with facepainting, vendors and live music. According to Sports Center staff, the renovations were long needed for the aging building to continue to serve nearly 1 million visitors each year. The pools have been replastered and the natatorium’s deck and coping have been redone; other upgrades include a new large digital clock for lap swimming and a new dehumidifier system for the natatorium building. More upgrades are on the way for the rest of the facility, with new saunas arriving on the pool deck and a new state-of-the-art cycling studio to be delivered and completed in the coming weeks. GREAT: The County of Monterey Elections Office recently received a national award for its innovative Books & Ballots program that brought voter registration and information directly to voters inside rural libraries during the 2024 election year. Called the Clearing House Award, it came from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, awarded for “Innovations or New Practices in Election Administration.” The Books & Ballots program, a partnership between the Elections Office and Monterey County Free Libraries, sought to increase voting access in rural and underserved areas by setting up voter information and registration tables inside South County libraries. They also provided access for candidate and campaign filing. The program demonstrated how leveraging community resources can improve democratic participation while managing costs, according to the Elections Office. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY That’s how much federal funding was zeroed out by the Trump Administration for the $599 million Pajaro River levee project. The funds were intended for construction on the next phase of the project, which may be in jeopardy if federal funding is not secured in the future. Source: Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency $38.5 million QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We could totally frustrate the president’s dirty energy goals.” -Das Williams, senior advisor for Central Coast Community Energy, encouraging customers to take advantage of electrification rebates before they go away under a proposed federal bill (see story, montereycountynow.com). HEATABLE EATABLES! ELROY’S PRESENTS @ELROYSFINEFOODS WWW.ELROYSFINEFOODS.COM 15 SOLEDAD DRIVE (831) 373-3737 MONTEREY, CA 93940 PUNJAB ON A PLATE 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 All items will also be available à la carte for purchase at the Prepared Foods counter on Thursday, 6/26 until sold out! *ORDER BY: THURSDAY, JUNE 19TH PICK UP: THURSDAY, JUNE 26TH NEXT MONTH: CHEW THROUGH PERU * ALOO TIKI savory potato pancakes served with tamarind chutney (GF, VEGAN) PANEER TIKKA marinated & grilled cheese skewers served with a mint chutney (VEGETARIAN, GF, CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) SARSON KA SAAG stewed mustard greens cooked down with spices (VEGETARIAN, GF, CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) DAL MAKHANI creamy, smokey, lentil curry (VEGETARIAN, GF, CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) CHOLE MASALA tangy tomato-based chickpea curry (VEGETARIAN, GF, CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) TANDOORI CHICKEN marinated in yogurt & spices and cooked on our wood fired grill (CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) BUTTER CHICKEN a punjabi classic of chicken simmered in a rich, creamy tomato curry (GF, CONTAINS: DAIRY, SOY) RICE KHEER a saffron & coconut rice pudding topped with candied citrus & toasted pistachio (GF, DF, CONTAINS: NUTS)
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 What are you doing this Summer? Join the White Stag Leadership Adventure! Fun outdoor camping experience. Learn leadership skills while gaining confidence, independence, and learning responsibility. Ages 10-17 years. Week-long sleepover camp. Save $200 Use coupon code 2025mtrywkly www.whitestagmonterey.com What are you doing this Summer? Join the White Stag Leadership Adventure! Fun outdoor camping experience. Learn leadership skills while gaining confidence, independence, and learning responsibility. Ages 10-17 years. sleepover camp. Save $200 Use coupon code 2025mtrywkly www.whitestagmonterey.com What are you doing this Summer? Join the White Stag Leadership Adventure! Fun outdoor camping experience. Learn leadership skills while gaining confidence, independence, and learning responsibility. Ages 10-17 years. Week-long sleepover camp. Save $200 Use coupon code 2025mtrywkly www.whitestagmonterey.com What are you doing this Summer? Join the White Stag Leadership Adventure! Fun outdoor camping experience. Learn leadership skills while gaining confidence, independence, and learning responsibility. Ages 10-17 years. Week-long sleepover camp. Save $200 Use coupon code 2025mtrywkly www.whitestagmonterey.com What are you doing this Summer? Join the White Stag Leadership Adventure! Fun outdoor camping experience. Learn leadership skills while gaining confidence, independence, and learning responsibility. Ages 10-17 years. Week-long sleepover camp. Save $200 Use coupon code 2025mtrywkly www.whitestagmonterey.com Life doesn’t have to be a struggle. Breakthrough offers tools that help men live with more clarity, connection, and purpose. You can create the life you want. It starts here. Transform Your Life with Breakthrough Men’s Community Summer 2025 Workshops – In-Person & Online In-person starts June 18 / Online starts June 18 Monterey, CA & Virtual Worldwide Financial aid available “This group has been life-changing for me. I'm so glad I tried it.” – Eric Ferguson. Registration closes soon! Sign up at: breakthroughformen.org
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Planet earth has a lot to offer in terms of amorphous material, usually by way of heat to make glass. But when artificial glass gets caught in the cold dynamism of the ocean, sea glass hunters rejoice at the prospect of finding and collecting treasure on the beaches. There’s a signature to the sea glass found on Monterey County beaches. Just ask sea glass hunter Carrie McWithey. She has been creating wearable jewelry pieces made of sea glass she has found for over four years and sells her creations via Etsy and through her website Nautilus and Sway. She’s been a resident of Monterey County for 14 years, but has always been a self-described “collector of things.” She grew up on Lake Michigan where she would hunt for fossils and “beach glass,” but when the Covid-19 pandemic descended upon her home in Monterey, she found her escape was finding sea glass at the beach, since she had to be away from people. “I just started hauling it in and it was everywhere,” McWithey says. During that time, McWithey would mostly hunt for sea glass at Del Monte Beach in Monterey, and she says her success depends on a few factors, like if it was low tide or after a recent storm. But those rarely determine if she is able to find sea glass or not. “I feel like I could find a piece every time I was on the beach. At least one piece, if not hundreds,” she says. Experienced hunters have some terminology for the places to find sea glass. McWithey says you can generally find pieces where rocks are present, which she and other hunters call “the gravel.” Another geographic factor is slope—for instance, a place in Sand City north of Tioga Avenue has a steep slope where sea glass can wash ashore and tumble down in a pile. As ubiquitous as sea glass is, McWithey says the surprise moments are finding it in rarer colors. “I do remember the very first time I found a red, which is super rare and everyone talked about it,” McWithey recalls. “I had probably been searching for a couple of years in Monterey and I found it right by Fisherman’s Wharf.” According to her, the rarest color to find is orange because it was not a high-demand color for objects through the 1950s. Because of the presence of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Salinas, common colors of sea glass are mostly sea foam greens and blues, but cobalt blues and even lavender purple are also found. Sea glass itself is essentially trash, which McWithey endearingly refers to as “treasure trash.” Prior to the proliferation of plastic found in most trash today, the most common material for objects was glass and porcelain. Those materials are naturally tumbled between 10-80 years before it becomes the frosty sea glass that hunters look for. For a purist like McWithey, though, the ocean provides the only processing that she needs to create jewelry pieces. “There is something more authentic about something the ocean already created perfectly,” she says. “There’s no beauty in plastic.” McWithey isn’t the only one hunting sea glass. Repeat beachgoers are out in the same spots on a regular basis. There are also one-time visitors and anybody can become a sea glass hunter on just one visit to the beach. Also, one doesn’t have to be a jewelry-maker or collector to appreciate a piece of sea glass that the ocean has formed over time—just a bowl of a handful of pieces can become its own type of art. McWithey’s sea glass jewelry features large, colorful pieces on wire hoops as earrings, or on chains as necklaces, filtering the light. “I think people who appreciate sea glass jewelery are already their own kind of amateur or avid sea glass collectors so they have this nostalgia,” she says. “They want to remember their own experiences and they find a piece that represents that for them.” Carrie McWithey‘s work is sold at boutiques around Monterey County, including The Phoenix Shop at Nepenthe, Big Sur Lodge and Esselen Institute. Nautilus and Sway is her online retail shop and can be found at nautilusandsway.com. Multi-Colored Glasses A sea glass hunter creates jewelry by letting the ocean do the refining. By Sloan Campi Most of Carrie McWithey’s creative process involves sorting the mounds of sea glass she hauls up. If there’s a good series of low tides, she’ll be out hunting nearly every day with crab rakes in the water. “There’s no beauty in plastic.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Visitors are ready to spend MAP • RECREATION • ARTS EVENTS • GOLF • DRINKS BEACHES • RESTAURANTS Published by BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® Visitors GUIDE FREE 2024-2025 cover_vg24.indd 1 6/20/24 3:25 PM Invite them to your business in the Best of Monterey Bay® Visitors Guide, the go-to source for everything local COMING JUNE 2025 AD SUBMISSION DEADLINE JUNE 9 FOR MORE INFO: 831-394-5656 sales@montereycountynow.com
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS At the gateway to Pacific Grove from Monterey, as well as to Cannery Row, near one of the busiest intersections on the Peninsula, stands an unintentional tourist destination. The burned-out husk of the Carl’s Jr. building on the corner of Lighthouse and David avenues draws passersby with their phones out, snapping photos of the pile of rubble that neighbors the Pacific Grove Tourist Information Center and is a stone’s throw from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The building has remained that way since the morning of April 3, when a fire tore through the attic and eventually spread throughout, leaving it a complete loss. No injuries or damage to nearby buildings were reported. Monterey’s Chief Building Official Lori Lynn Williamson says a few days after the fire, city officials had a team meeting with the owners of the building, Riversidebased DMF Restaurants LLC, and their contractor to outline the permitting process to clean up the property as well as to rebuild the restaurant. There are no applications for demolition permits as of yet, according to Williamson. Monterey Fire Division Chief Justin Cooper says insurance investigators are still combing the property to try to determine the cause of the fire, which remains unknown. Due to the severity of the damage, the cause may never be discovered, but Cooper says it doesn’t appear the fire was set intentionally. The building underwent a major exterior renovation in 2024, after receiving approval from the city’s Architectural Review Committee in 2023. Employees were transferred to Carl’s Jr.’s Seaside location. Not So Fast Investigators continue to search for the reason why Carl’s Jr. went up in flames. By Erik Chalhoub A vote by Salinas City Council on Tuesday night to repeal four housing-related ordinances was by now expected. The council had previously voted twice to take this action, and the June 3 vote was the final step to authorize the direction. But this time, the discussion did not draw hundreds of people to City Hall, nor the signs for or against that have filled the chamber previously. But just minutes after the vote, a small crowd gathered outside clapping and chanting: “¿Qué queremos? Justicia! ¿Cuándo? ¡Ahora!” and “¡Sí, se puede!” The group, called Protect Salinas Renters, is a coalition of doctors, teachers, students and more. Their goal: To launch a referendum campaign to repeal the council’s decision. They aim to collect 10,000 signatures of registered voters within 30 days. (For a referendum, they need signatures from 10 percent of the number of registered voters. In the previous election there were 68,878 registered voters, which would amount to 6,888 signatures.) “We feel like there’s a window here to bypass city council and go directly to the people,” says John Silva, a member of Protect Salinas Renters. “I was disappointed that all that hard work was erased for ideological moneyed interests.” “It seems that our voices have become invisible. Our people are no longer being heard,” says Sabino Lopez, with the Center for Community Advocacy. (Lopez believes people didn’t show up because they were discouraged by previous outcomes.) The 5-2 vote on June 3 repeals four ordinances: rent stabilization, with an annual 2.75-percent rent increase limit; a tenant protection and just cause eviction policy stricter than the state’s; and an anti-harassment ordinance that all took effect Jan. 1. It also repeals a rental registry ordinance that took effect in 2023. Council also voted to explore a rental assistance program, at the direction of Councilmember José Luis Barajas. None of the council members who voted in favor of the repeal delivered any final comments. During a previous discussion on May 13, Mayor Dennis Donohue said, “Good policy has to work over the course of time. In my mind, it was clear this was not a sustainable policy, and that it was important to be addressed sooner rather than later.” Members of Protect Salinas Renters have argued the City should let the ordinances play out and adjust them as needed. “You can make amendments or corrections to that rental stabilization ordinance,” Silva says. He notes the rent stabilization ordinance included a provision where landlords can request higher increases to obtain a “fair return on investment.” The coalition began organizing for a referendum in May, after the council’s previous vote to repeal. Since then, they say they have recruited over 80 volunteers. If they succeed in gathering enough signatures, the June 3 repeal ordinance will be paused. According to Elections Code, council then has three options: Put the decision to the voters on the next general election ballot next June; put it to a special election; or repeal the ordinance themselves. In the first two options, the voters could choose to uphold or overturn council’s decision. If they do not get enough support for a referendum, the ordinance takes effect in 30 days. Supporters (shown above) and opponents of overturning Salinas’ renter protection ordinances packed previous council meetings, like this one on April 22. Housing First Salinas residents launch a referendum to bring back repealed tenant protection ordinances. By Celia Jiménez Two months after a fire ravaged the Carl’s Jr. restaurant at 902 Lighthouse Ave. in Monterey, the building remains a pile of rubble as investigators sift through the wreckage. “There’s a window here to go directly to the people.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 THE CITY OF MONTEREY BEST SUMMER EVER!2025 SUMMER REGISTRATION IS OPEN! We are offering the following camps and programs plus much more. Follow Monterey Recreation on Facebook and Instagram or online at monterey.gov/rec for updates and program information. REGISTER ONLINE NOW! Flag Football Camp (7–14 yrs.) June 16–20 Imagine Dance Camp (4–8 yrs.) June 2–6, June 9–13, June 23–27, June 30 – July 3, July 7–11 Summer Fun Playground Program (5–10 yrs.) Offered M–F from 9am–4pm and located at neighborhood parks. June 16 – August 1 (7-week program) Whispering Pines Day Camp (5–9 yrs.) Weekly sessions offered M–F, June 16 – August 1 Camp Quien Sabe Youth Overnight Camp (7–15 yrs.) Weekly sessions offered M–F, June 23 – August 1 Tiny Tots Summer Camp (3–5 yrs.) Monday–Friday, 3 hours per day June 2–27, June 30 – July 25 Playwell LEGO® Camps (5–12 yrs.) June 16–20, July 21–25, July 28 – August 1 Summer Art Camp (7–13 yrs.) June 23–25, June 30 – July 2, July 7–9, July 14–16 Beach Volleyball (9–18 yrs.) June 9–13, June 16–20, June 23–27, July 7–11 Challenger International Soccer (7–14 yrs.) June 9–13, June 23–27, July 7–11, July 21–25 Track and Field Camp (7–13 yrs.) July 14–18 Basketball Camp (7–13 yrs.) July 21–25 REGISTER NOW! SCAN ME! to register on Amilia FOR MORE INFO + REGISTRATION MONTEREY.GOV/REC Registration is available online 24/7 at monterey.gov/rec. Full program information is posted on the Monterey Recreation registration website at monterey.gov/rec. Questions? Email: montereyrecreation@monterey.gov. In-person or virtual visits at Pediatrics – Monterey genpeds.stanfordchildrens.org Kid-sized care for kid-sized people.
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Alarm bells began ringing across the state in the wake of the devastation of the Los Angeles County fires. Suddenly it became evident that even communities thought to be “safe” from wildfires were vulnerable. The CalFire Hazard Severity Maps were updated and on March 10, neighborhoods in Monterey County found themselves newly coded bright red for very high risk, orange for high risk or yellow for moderate risk for wildfires. The new designation comes with new regulations, including neighborhoods in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, where within about three years structures will be required to have a defensible space, including a 5-foot space with no vegetation or debris. Large trees will have to be trimmed back. For now it’s all about education, says Jennifer Valdez, fire inspector and fire mitigation specialist with the Monterey Fire Department, which covers all three cities. “Our bottom line is we don’t want people to panic,” she says. “We are here to work with you.” The department mobilized after the maps were released to hire and train six new defensible space inspectors, joining one existing inspector. The three-week training was completed at the end of May. Over the next few months the inspectors will be going out across the cities, first to inspect vacant lots, regardless of what wildfire zone they’re in. Property owners are notified if debris needs to be removed or vegetation cut back. Next they will visit homes in the very high-risk areas, followed by high-risk then moderate-risk neighborhoods. They hope to be done by September. Inspectors will first take a look at any structural weaknesses—wood shake roofs, single-paned windows, for example—and make recommendations for home hardening improvements. Next they will look at surrounding vegetation and advise on what needs to be removed to comply with upcoming regulations. Part of the goal is to prevent homeowners from making costly landscaping decisions and other changes that would later have to be removed once enforcement begins. The inspectors will also be looking at homes that are in violation of an existing ordinance that took effect Jan. 1, 2023. That ordinance requires people to remove “combustible vegetation” from within 100 feet, or to the property line, from structures, whichever is closer. Division Chief Justin Cooper says they are looking for tall weeds, leaves collecting on rooftops and other debris that could result in a fire, among other risk factors. Delays, design constraints and cost are all-too-familiar factors cited as obstacles to creating affordable housing. Such is the case of Soledad’s 132-unit Miravale housing project, which has been in the works since 2003 and was approved by the City in 2019 on the condition that developer HMBY, LP provide 52 affordable units—24 moderate-income for-sale units and 28 rental units for low- and very low-income households. The rental portion of the project is in the process of being transferred to Eden Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer that HMBY partnered with in 2013. Eden Housing was granted a density bonus, which will allow them to increase the number of affordable rental units from 28 to 39, plus one non-deed-restricted manager’s unit. “I can’t tell you how valuable that is,” says Megan Hunter, Soledad city manager. She adds that the nonprofit has invested roughly $1 million to facilitate the project. While HMBY remains on the hook for the remaining for-sale units, the developer has told city leaders that negotiating with a builder to construct the moderate-income homes has been challenging. So the developer proposed a new plan: reduce the number of moderate-income homes from 24 to one, pay the city a $460,000 in-lieu fee to cover the remaining units, and donate a 16,000-square-foot parcel of land (valued at $218,000) for a future affordable housing development. Soledad City Council was set to discuss the proposed amendments on Wednesday, June 4, after the Weekly’s deadline. Hunter says this will protect homebuyers, as the units will have deed restrictions that go beyond the initial sale—preventing buyers from immediately reselling at market rate—in addition to city oversight. She believes the project will be more attractive for moderate-income housing developers if offered at low cost, subsidized by HMBY’s new plan. “We have a few infill projects left,” Hunter says, “and we’re laser focused on getting those developed.” Fire Safe Inspectors are going door to door to educate property owners on wildfire risk. By Pam Marino NEWS COMMUNITY BOOST The City of Seaside has prepared a draft plan for its Community Development Block Grant Program, which determines how the city will use federal funds to support housing, infrastructure and other services that benefit low- and moderate-income households. Public comment is accepted. 5pm Thursday, June 5 and Tuesday, June 24. City Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 8996726, ci.seaside.ca.us/CDBG. SARDINE EMPIRE Historian Tim Thomas leads a walking tour focused on Monterey’s sardine industry, hosted by the Fisherman’s Wharf Association. 10am Saturday, June 7. Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Free. Reserve a space at 646-3933, monterey.gov/library/events. WATERSHED MOMENT Share your thoughts on how best to manage the Pajaro River Watershed in light of the growing number of climate-fueled disasters. The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency hosts a workshop to gather feedback on a future plan. 9am-noon Tuesday, June 10. Online via Zoom. Free. RSVP at bit.ly/ PVWaterJune10. 722-9292, pvwater. org/prwrp. ON THE DAIS The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education meets and accepts public comment. 6:30pm Tuesday, June 10. District office, 540 Canyon Del Rey, Del Rey Oaks. Free. 645-1200, mpusd.net. STUDENT SUCCESS Salinas Union High School District holds a public hearing to receive input on its Local Control Accountability Plan, determining how state funding is allocated. 6:30pm Tuesday, June 10. District office, 431 W. Alisal St., Salinas. Free. 796-7000, salinasuhsd.org. PLANNING MATTERS Monterey County Planning Commission meets to discuss various development projects, including the construction of accessory dwelling units at two homes in Carmel. 9am Wednesday, June 11. Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, 168 W. Alisal St., Salinas. Free. 755-5025, countyofmonterey.gov. SETTING FEES The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board of Directors meets to consider setting groundwater sustainability fees for the upcoming year. Public comment is accepted. 3pm Thursday, June 12. City Hall, 200 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. 471-7519, svbgsa.org/fy-2026-fee. Housing Swap Years after project approval, a developer in Soledad asks to revise affordable housing plan. By Katie Rodriguez Monterey Fire interns Cindy Williams (left) and Ava Valdez walk up a driveway in Monterey to talk with the owners as they conduct defensible space inspections. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “We don’t want people to panic.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Sales: Shea Homes Marketing Company (CalDRE #01378646); Construction: SHALC GC, INC. (CSLB #1062050). Homes at Nevina, A Trilogy® Boutique Community® are intended for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older, with certain exceptions for younger persons as provided by law and the governing covenants, conditions and restrictions. This is not an offer of real estate for sale, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, to residents of any state or province in which registration and other legal requirements have not been fulfilled. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Equal Housing Opportunity. Models are not an indication of racial preference.
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Before the Spanish built the mission system over 250 years ago, Indigenous people lived in villages across Monterey County, including what is today Monterey. One of these sites is the 600 block of Dutra Street, a longtime home to Esselen/ Southern Ohlone families. Since 1959, the site has been known as El Cuartel, or the Monterey Police and Fire Public Safety Complex. Made into a parking lot during the City’s expansion in the 1950s, the block was never recognized as Indigenous, but that may be about to change. On June 17, the Monterey City Council is scheduled to vote on a proclamation “apologizing to the Indigenous people of Monterey” and acknowledging “historic injustices toward Native American populations.” Details about more specific language are still being negotiated. While the Dutra Street site has been permanently altered, Karen Brown, a retired Monterey librarian, had an idea how to correct the past and in May 2024 submitted her research to the Council, suggesting some form of reparations. She identifies Dutra Street as perhaps a remnant of the Esselen village of Achasta, “the last refuge.” Brown was able to document “official ownership of property in the 600 block of Dutra Street next to Hartnell Creek by Indigenous people for over 100 years, beginning in the 1840s (back when it was still legal to enslave Native Americans), through 1956 and ’57 when the City of Monterey urban renewal efforts took the property.” Under the authority of the City Council, the land was taken by eminent domain to put in the police and fire stations, and parking. Acquired primarily through inheritance and gifts, particularly from women married to early settlers like De La Torre, Dutra and Machado, the land comprised numerous residences leased to both relatives and other families. In 1956, the Machado and Torres families, along with their descendants, were bought out, directly impacting approximately 50 Indigenous individuals. (Records lack details regarding those who were displaced.) Rudy Rosales grew up on Dutra Street and was displaced in the city’s eminent domain proceedings. Former chair of the Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation, Rosales has long been advocating for a plaque describing the history of the site and the families that once lived there. To Rosales, the formal apology ends a year of effort to recognize sites in Monterey that used to be home to Indigenous people. “I’m happy with the proclamation,” he says. That said, Brown and another person engaged in the effort, anthropologist Philip Laverty, would like to push for further edits of the text, which was originally scheduled for a vote on June 3. Laverty, whose doctoral dissertation was on the displacement of local Indigenous people in the 1950s, hoped the proclamation would concentrate more on displacement through eminent domain and the specific event in 19561957. “It’s profoundly significant that those communities survived,” he says. “Apology is a good place to start.” History, Revisited Monterey City Council to consider a formal apology to Indigenous communities. By Agata Popęda Rudy Rosales grew up in a house on Dutra Street in Monterey, part of what anthropologists say was a 20th-century Indigenous village. He and others were removed via eminent domain. NEWS “It’s profoundly significant that these communities survived.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Seaside’s Premier European Auto Service Experts and Dealership Alternative (831) 230-8031 Monday – Friday 8:00am - 5:30pm 684 Ponderosa St, Seaside, CA 93955 www.MarlowMotorWerks.com Proudly servicing Mercedes, Sprinter, BMW, Audi and Land Rover with precision and passion! Bring in this ad for a FREE WASH & DRY! *ONE PER HOUSEHOLD = 30 LB WASHER AND DRYER EXP. 06/30/25 SELF SERVICE & WASH-DRY-FOLD SAVE MONEY, TIME, WATER & ENERGY! New High Efficiency Washers and Dryers Free Wi-Fi ’14-’24 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK - 8AM-8PM #201 Mid Valley Center, Carmel Valley (near Safeway) Telephone: 831-250-7511 Visit our website: sudzcyberlaundry.com NOW IN CARMEL VALLEY BEST LAUNDROMAT IN MONTEREY COUNTY
www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 In the 1990s, the ailing Carmel River, long tamed by two dams and overpumping, flashed its wild side: The Highway 1 bridge over the river was swept out to sea by floodwaters. A similar flooding event occurred in 1998—minus the bridge failing—causing even costlier damage to homes in the lower valley. It was the cumulation of those two floods that planted the seeds for the nonprofit Big Sur Land Trust’s Carmel River FREE project, a “green” infrastructure project on 128 acres that will restore part of the historic floodplain in the lower valley, creating a second point where water can flow under the highway as well as numerous side channels that will direct rising waters into a floodplain rather than a neighborhood. It’s been a project that, from the outset, has received widespread community and governmental support—including a pending $27 million FEMA grant—but over the past decade has been delayed by one setback after another. Now, the project is in its final stages: public comment closed May 30 on its federal environmental review. For the grant money to then be unlocked, there will be a “large project” notification to Congress. What happens then is somewhat of an unknown. “There’s a lot going on,” notes Rachel Saunders, BSLT’s vice president of conservation. She adds that the $27 million is still there and allocated, and BSLT hasn’t heard otherwise. Meanwhile, just east and upriver, an entirely different floodplain restoration project is getting started on around 40 acres at Palo Corona Regional Park. The Rancho Cañada Floodplain Restoration Project will restore a milelong section of the Carmel River by excavating and lowering the landscape around the river, letting water flow into its historic riparian footprint. The project is fully funded with $35 million from state and federal sources, and unlike FREE, was able to take advantage of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Cutting Green Tape” program, which was launched in 2021 and removes red tape for habitat restoration projects. Now begun, the project will take until roughly fall 2027 to complete. The first phase, this summer and into the fall, will be excavation and revegetation on the western portion of the riparian corridor, which will close off that section of the park. The Rancho Cañada project will involve moving an extraordinary amount of dirt: Excavating along the one-mile section of riparian corridor, mostly on the south side of the river, will create 667,000 cubic yards of fill. That fill will then be moved to various places on the property to provide visual and sound barriers, including for a wildlife corridor that will be created where the existing cross country course is located. Jake Smith, Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District’s planning and conservation program manager, says he’s always dreamed about doing a restoration project, and he’s thrilled to help return the land to its natural state and let the river take it from there. “The river will do what it wants to do, eventually,” he says. Off, On Two floodplain restoration projects on the lower Carmel River have had different fortunes. By David Schmalz Jake Smith, MPRPD’s planning and conservation manager, says 4,000 pounds of seeds will be planted in Rancho Cañada’s restored floodplain. NEWS “The river will do what it wants to do, eventually.” DANIEL DREIFUSS The Peninsula’s Downtown Shops, restaurants, hotels and businesses Spend some time with us Downtown… oldmonterey.org 11:30am-close, 10am Sat & Sun 484 Washington Street Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 www.melvilletav.com WOOD FIRED PIZZAS, BURGERS, PASTA, SAlADS & SANDWICHES INDOOR, PATIO DINING & TAKEOUT HAPPY HOUR FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS SUN-tHUR 4-6PM wEEKEND BRUNCH Reflections Elegante Gallery 271 Alvarado Mall, 831.238.3125 Across from Portola Hotel and Spa reflectionselegantegallery.com Visit Reflections Elegante Fine Art Gallery to be enchanted by stunning artwork by 30 talented local artists. New Beautiful Artwork: Folk Art, Alcohol Ink and Collage Acrylic 44 447 Alvarado St • Monterey • 375-5332 www.gaspersjewelers.com 20 years Voted Monterey’s Best Jewelry Store GRADS & DADS BULOVA’S AUTOMATIC COLLECTION Monterey One Water • ReGen Monterey • Southern Monterey Bay Dischargers Group GREEN CART Food scraps without a bag TRASH Cooking oil and grease Good kitchen habits protect the environment and public health from sewer overflows! CLEAN PIPE SPECIAL www.ClogBusters.org
18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com COME ACROSS How clever of Squid to reassure us that the rainbow crosswalk will be “straight” (“Squid Fry: Divide and Conquer,” May 29-June 4). Puns are fun, but they don’t change the fact that Monterey’s proposed rainbow crosswalk is a public endorsement of one specific group’s social and political identity—under the guise of inclusivity—while others are left standing at the curb. If rainbow crosswalks are allowed as official city speech, then what about Thin Blue Line crosswalks in honor of law enforcement? Or red, white and blue crosswalks for Independence Day? Or even a gold and white one for local veterans? The answer, of course, is they would be denied—as they already have been. Which means this isn’t about inclusivity; it’s about exclusivity disguised as virtue. The rainbow crosswalk isn’t neutral or whimsical. It’s a political message, and when government chooses to promote one identity group over others, it’s not “welcoming”—it’s discriminatory. Equality under the law means treating all groups equally, not giving special privileges to a select few because it’s fashionable this month. Rosemarie Barnard | Monterey KEEP POLITICS OUT OF IT Interesting being a tourist reading your take on politics of the 100-dayold administration vs. four years of the Politburo (“Squid Fry: Pot, Kettle,” May 22-28). I’m sure the trillions in spending the past four years had nothing to do with the Moody’s downgrade. Besides the politics, your community is awesome!! Thanks for sharing it. Evan Fishman | via email POWERED UP I took advantage of the incentives to get an e-bike in 2020 or 2021 and it has made a huge difference (“Alternative energy incentives are in danger. The coming months may be the time to act,” posted May 29). The bike still cost more than my car (says more about my car, a 31-year-old jalopy, than the bike) but the rebate brought it within range. Having the e-bike made the difference between biking to work a few times a year and biking to work 70-80 percent of the time, since I no longer had to worry about whether I would be able to make it home against the wind. Applying for the rebates was a little difficult to navigate, and it took almost three months to actually receive the funds, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Without the incentives, I would not have even considered getting an e-bike and I’m so glad I did. Nona Childress | Salinas It’s pretty clear that most of the country is not in love with EVs. If rebates are the only incentive to buy them, I think that says a lot. Terry Kosaka | Los Angeles IN THE EVENT OF The reason why the Artichoke Festival failed was because they moved it out of Castroville! (“Financial and volunteer challenges are pushing out small to mid-size community events,” May 29-June 4.) Part of the allure was being in the same area as the artichoke fields themselves, the Giant Artichoke and other Castroville sights. Imagine if they took the Gilroy Garlic Festival out of Gilroy! Dan Herkimer | via web Awwww. I hope everyone enjoys their break of events, recovers and recomposes. These are all wonderful community events. Perhaps there are chefs who are unaware of the available vendor spots available to promote their business while participating in community gatherings. Diane Carmack | via social media ALL’S WELL There’s something rare and hopeful in this moment: cooperation (“In an effort to bring Salinas Valley groundwater into sustainability, annual well fees are coming,” May 22-28). Agencies long operating in silos are moving together, not apart. That’s what progress looks like—optimization not just of well fees, but of purpose. The monitoring gaps remain real. Extending the Upper Valley to the County line surfaced new voids. Mismatched maps between Bulletin 118 and Zone 2C only deepened them. But closing these isn’t just technical work—it’s moral work. It fulfills the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency charge to account for all six subbasins. All means all. No one wants state control—not even the state. But the path to retaining local stewardship runs through discipline. This article focuses on a fee. Necessary, yes. But the deeper matter is seawater intrusion, pushing into the 180 and 400-foot aquifers, inching toward Salinas. We are stewards, not owners. We inherit the ground we stand on, and we are charged to leave it better than we found it. The aquifers don’t care about our deadlines. But the people who depend on them do. Time is short. Tempers may rise. But grace will carry the day, if we let it. Keep eyes on the prize. Do the work. Hold each other to account. And don’t look away. Bill Lipe | Salinas FUNDING FRENZY Social Security isn’t a handout; it’s a promise that millions of us “older Americans” have paid into with every paycheck (“Federal cuts are just too big for personal philanthropy to offset the damage,” posted May 27). The current administration is dismantling an essential public program, closing offices, cutting hotlines, and spreading misinformation to justify these attacks. As elders, we deserve dignity, not broken promises. I encourage everyone—not just us old folks—to speak out against the gutting of a system that has worked well for 90 years, with exceptionally little loss due to waste or fraud. Stop the erosion of Social Security! Joy Rubey | Salinas ROOTS OF IT It was a great weekend at Cali Roots. Thanks Monterey County for the many years of hosting this festival (“From a one-day event, Cali Roots quickly became a festival—with some familiar faces,” posted May 25). Darren Aliga | via social media 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 JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 The annual budget of a government agency is built through spreadsheets. But it’s also built through a certain amount of discussion, some of it as rehearsed as theater. In the County of Monterey, department leaders make their case to the Board of Supervisors, each taking a few minutes to advocate for their slice of the pie. Given that normal modus operandi, I found it unsurprising that Sheriff Tina Nieto wrote an email to the entire Sheriff’s Office staff urging them to advocate for her request of a $6.4 million augmentation beyond what County finance staff were recommending ($171.8 million for fiscal year 2025-26, which begins July 1). “The following are the noted job classifications and number of positions at this time that may be impacted if we are not provided the augmentation requested,” she wrote. What followed was a bullet point list—deputy sheriff enforcement (34 positions), deputy sheriff corrections (13), and so on, for a total of 78. “Each of you has the right to speak in person or by Zoom to advocate for the Sheriff’s Office to receive the funding it needs,” Nieto wrote. What was surprising was when leadership from two unions broke ranks and instead told the supervisors they could not support the proposal. The boards of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA) and County of Monterey Patrol Association (COMPA) voted unanimously to sign on, describing Nieto’s request as “coercive” for stating “they will be ‘forced to cut’ [employees]. No mention of fleet cost reductions, vendor contract renegotiations, program pauses furloughs, or any other cost-saving measure was proposed,” the unions wrote. COMPA and DSA leaders read the letter aloud to the Board of Supervisors. Nieto followed up with her own press release. “As your elected sheriff, I am making our communities aware that the currently proposed budget cuts will not allow us to maintain the level of service that is expected of our residents,” she wrote. “The cost of everything has gone up,” Nieto says. “I’m not a miracle worker and I don’t print money. I am hoping not to lay off anybody. But when you don’t have the money to pay people, how do you get by without doing that?” (In an interview, she calls layoffs a “last resort.”) Nieto and Undersheriff Keith Boyd were back in the supervisors’ chambers less than a week later, on June 3, seeking authorization to recode $4.2 million that had been wrongly classified, and also for an appropriation of $2.75 million out of the contingency fund to make payroll for the remainder of this fiscal year (which ends on June 30) because of going over budget. As to the first item of changing an accounting code error, Supervisor Luis Alejo wanted to know: “How could such an error occur with such a big price tag and such a big consequence?” Then he referenced the battle of the press releases the week prior: “You can’t blame us if your office is coming in with millions of dollars in overruns.” The supervisors expressed vigorous and unanimous support for making sure everyone gets paid, so they approved the appropriation—and they also directed an audit of the Sheriff’s Office. “I’d like some more transparency around where the dollars are going,” said Supervisor Chris Lopez. A lot of that money (this year, $4.3 million) goes to overtime, which is a problem with no end in sight. Less staff means more overtime. Last year, the Sheriff’s Office had finally filled its ranks, training 24 new deputies. That coincided with a countywide hiring freeze—so they have 24 new deputies still waiting in the wings, but another 25 have since left or retired. The SWAT Team is down to 13 personnel, although according to the department website it’s a 24-member team. (“I am actively trying to recruit,” says Cmdr. Andy Rosas.) Meanwhile, the County issued a quiet mea culpa, although technically speaking, there was no admission of wrongdoing. Sgt. Bryan Hoskins was terminated in 2023 after revelations he had earned $263,996 in overtime— more than double his regular pay. He sued the County for wrongful termination; they settled in 2024. Hoskins was rehired and received $212,213 in backpay and $350,000 in damages. Hoskins was at the Board of Supervisors meeting on May 28 representing COMPA, where he recited the law enforcement code of ethics. “My fundamental duty is to serve mankind, to save lives and property,” he said. “I will keep my life unsullied as an example to all.” Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Vibe Shift Funding requests from the sheriff prompt questions, and an audit. By Sara Rubin GOLD PLATED…As a translucent cephalopod, Squid is good at blending in. That doesn’t mean Squid wouldn’t appreciate some recognition (see: Squid’s self-nomination to receive a Seaside Star). What seems even more clear is that Squid’s beloved bulldog, Roscoe P. Coltrane, deserves some public appreciation. But even Roscoe got snubbed in a dog-positive town that is elevating another breed. The Labrador retriever is being immortalized in the form of 12 fiberglass statues on display throughout Carmel-bythe-Sea businesses. The Carmel Chamber of Commerce enlisted local artists to paint and stylize each one. The pooch at Fourtané, named Coco, happens to be covered head to tail in pearls and 24-karat gold jewels, for example. Coco should fetch a high price when she’s auctioned off online between Aug. 28 and Sept. 4; 20 percent of proceeds will go to the nonprofit Animal Friends Rescue Project this year, while the rest goes back to the Chamber of Commerce, responsible for promoting local businesses, pup-friendly or otherwise. Maybe Squid will grab a few buckets of paint and decorate Roscoe to see how much Squid’s beloved pet is worth—or just enjoy the cuddles that Roscoe offers for free. WORK FOR IT…When executive coaching and career development firm Careerminds did a survey of 3,007 workers about how “a growing number of Americans are stepping off the career treadmill earlier,” they did not survey Squid. How much ink must Squid expend before Squid will have saved up enough for a “micro-retirement”? Sounds like a new-fangled word for some time off between gigs, when you might need to live cheaply, maybe move into Stevie the Sea Star’s basement, under a rocky ledge, for a few months— there are no deadlines there, and also no rent. “Not everyone is waiting until 65 to hit pause on work,” Careerminds offers. (Maybe that’s a good idea for Squid given the life expectancy of most cephalopods.) But the survey respondents obviously had a different budget in mind. The top 10 destinations for micro-retirements include Big Sur (No. 4) and Carmel-by-the-Sea (No. 9). “You don’t come to Big Sur to be busy. You come to listen to the ocean, to the wind through the redwoods, to your thoughts,” according to the May report. “Fairytale world” Carmel encourages people to “create a lifestyle centered on peace, creativity and inspiration.” The list in full reads like a real estate guide for people with money to burn while they listen to their thoughts. Until Squid’s macro-retirement, Squid will be writing down Squid’s thoughts and saving up for the future. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “You can’t blame us.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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