JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT LOCAL FARMERS BRACE FOR IMPACT 10 | LIFE ON TWO WHEELS 34 | SMALL TREATS, BIG JOY 36 FIRST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • 2025 CA JOURNALISM AWARDS • The Carmel Bach Festival continues to pay homage to a golden era of music. p. 18 IN FUGUE
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 Like a lot of you, we were born at Community Hospital. montagehealth.org It was the doctors at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula that brought Montage Health into the world. Our goal was to deliver exceptional care to more people, more effectively, by expanding beyond the hospital and into the community. Today, we’re much more than a hospital. We’re urgent care centers, wellness centers, primary care doctors, health insurance plans, and a groundbreaking mental health program for youth. Community Hospital is still our beating heart and a great place to be born.
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com JULY 10-16, 2025 • ISSUE #1928 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Diane Grindol (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300) Black oystercatchers call Monterey Bay home year-round, foraging on intertidal macroinvertebrates such as limpets and mussels. This adult feeds two chicks along the Pacific Grove coast. MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@montereycountynow.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: The Carmel Bach Festival involves 340 people— including 150 musicians, 24 support staff, 16 administrators and 150 volunteers—across 11 different venues for the two-week event. Cover Photo: Daniel Dreifuss etc. Copyright © 2025 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $300 yearly, prepaid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountynow. com. Audited by CVC. FOUNDER & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@montereycountynow.com (x103) PUBLISHER Erik Cushman erik@montereycountynow.com (x125) EDITORIAL EDITOR Sara Rubin sara@montereycountynow.com (x120) ASSOCIATE EDITOR Erik Chalhoub ec@montereycountynow.com (x135) FEATURES EDITOR Dave Faries dfaries@montereycountynow.com (x110) STAFF WRITER Celia Jiménez celia@montereycountynow.com (x145) STAFF WRITER Pam Marino pam@montereycountynow.com (x106) STAFF WRITER Agata Pope¸da (x138) aga@montereycountynow.com STAFF WRITER Katie Rodriguez (California Local News Fellow) katie@montereycountynow.com (x102) STAFF WRITER David Schmalz david@montereycountynow.com (x104) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Daniel Dreifuss daniel@montereycountynow.com (x140) DIGITAL PRODUCER Sloan Campi sloan@montereycountynow.com (x105) CONTRIBUTORS Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Robert Daniels, Tonia Eaton, Paul Fried, Jesse Herwitz, Jacqueline Weixel, Paul Wilner CARTOONS Rob Rogers, Tom Tomorrow PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Loutzenheiser karen@montereycountynow.com (x108) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Jewell kevinj@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexis Estrada alexis@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lani Headley lani@montereycountynow.com (x114) SALES SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Diane Glim diane@montereycountynow.com (x124) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE George Kassal george@montereycountynow.com (x122) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Keith Bruecker keith@montereycountynow.com (x118) CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Keely Richter keely@montereycountynow.com (x123) DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Kevin Smith kevin@montereycountynow.com (x119) DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION AT Arts Co. atartsco@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION CONTROL Harry Neal BUSINESS/FRONT OFFICE OFFICE MANAGER Linda Maceira linda@montereycountynow.com (x101) BOOKKEEPING Rochelle Trawick 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, CA 93955 831-394-5656, (FAX) 831-394-2909 www.montereycountynow.com We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountynow.com. 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 JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 Salinas Valley Health Imaging | 559 Abbott Street, Salinas | 831-775-5200 Accepting New Patients! Call 831-757-DOCS or our clinic for more information. QUALITY HEALTHCARE DELIVERED LOCALLY FOR EVERYONE SalinasValleyHealth.com INTRODUCING JUAN RODRIGUEZ, MD Specializing in Interventional Radiology Dr. Rodriguez is at the forefront of developing innovative, minimally invasive treatments that have life-impacting results. • Expert in vascular and interventional radiology using image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases throughout the body • Highly involved in development and introduction of new procedures • Focused on maximizing results and minimizing complications FELLOWSHIP UCSF Medical Center San Francisco, CA RESIDENCY LSU Health Science Center Shreveport, LA INTERNSHIP LSU Health Science Center Shreveport, LA MEDICAL EDUCATION Universidad de Zaragoza School of Medicine Zaragoza, Spain Dr. Rodriguez and Salinas Valley Health’s interventional radiology team perform a radioembolization procedure known as “Y-90” that delivers targeted radiation directly to tumors in the liver.
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, announced July 2 that it decided to settle with President Donald Trump to the tune of $16 million, rather than defend its editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in October. Following the show’s airing, Trump sued CBS for $20 billion, claiming election interference. Freedom of the Press Foundation announced it intends to take legal action. “Each time a company cowers and surrenders to Trump’s demands, it only emboldens him to do it again,” FPF stated in a press release. “It will be remembered as one of the most shameful capitulations by the press to a president in history.” Senators, including Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, opened an investigation into Paramount to determine if Paramount’s negotiations with Trump amount to bribery, as the company is seeking federal approval for a merger with Skydance. Good: Monterey Peninsula Unified School District students wanting to be involved in their communities will soon have more opportunities to do so. The California Department of Education recently awarded the district $500,000 to expand service learning experiences through June 2027 that help students earn the State Seal of Civic Engagement. The California Serves grant will go toward adding new service learning courses for high school seniors, training teachers to help them design projects and hiring a coordinator to oversee implementation. “By integrating service learning into our high school curriculum, we’re not only enhancing instruction but also cultivating student agency, civic identity and community connection,” said Cresta McIntosh, associate superintendent of educational services. The program is expected to impact nearly 870 seniors for the upcoming school year. GREAT: Hartnell College theater students are taking their show on the road. After performing Get with the Times, Jane! in November in Salinas, the group of students are heading to Cleveland, Ohio to stage the bilingual play at the BorderLight Theatre Festival from July 17-19. The play tells the story of a proto-feminist from 1916 who travels forward in time to 2016 to both admire and condemn the current situation of women. Instructor River Navaille pitched the show to festivals across the nation, with BorderLight accepting. Hartnell’s GANAS program is paying for the students’ travel expenses with Hispanic Serving Institution grant funds. Before the students head to Ohio, they will stage a free performance at the Monterey County Office of Education’s Blackbox Theater, 901 Blanco Circle in Salinas, on Friday, July 11 at 7pm (see Hot Picks, p. 26). GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK 25 days, 2 hours and 21 minutes Team Swiss Raw set a new record in the World’s Toughest Row when it arrived in Hanalei Bay, Kaua’i in Hawaii on July 1 after setting off from Monterey on June 6. The four-man team shattered the previous record for the 2,800-mile trip by more than four days. Source: World’s Toughest Row THE WEEKLY TALLY QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Carmel is really about that understated elegance.” -Carmel City Councilmember Hans Buder, noting that valet parking, which was rejected by the council on July 1, doesn’t fit the town’s character (see story, montereycountynow.com). Voted Monterey County’s Best Antique Shop ’24 ♦ 3 Card Poker ♠ Century 21st No Bust Black Jack ♣ Texas Hold’em ♥ FULL BAR! BLACKJACK BONUS POINTS PAYS UP TO $20,000 SMALL TOWN BIG PAYOUTS! 1-800-Gambler • GEAR-000383, GEAR-000376, GEAR-000375 The Marina Club Casino ensures the safety and security of all guests and team members at all times, while providing exceptional service. 204 Carmel Ave. Marina 831-384-0925 casinomonterey.com ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ Just minutes from Downtown Monterey Where Monterey Comes To Play
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 25 PRIZES • Two High Efficiency Clothes Washers and a Dishwasher • iPads • Monterey Bay Aquarium Family Passes • Plant Nursery Gift Card • Visa Gift Cards! MontereyWaterInfo.org/WaterChallenge NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. The sweepstakes is open only to California-American Water Company water customers in the Monterey County District of California who complete and submit a Summer Splash Water Challenge Giveaway entry form (“gameboard”) with correct answers by mail by July 31, 2025, to MPWMD Summer Splash, P.O. Box 85, Monterey CA, 93942 or online at www.montereywaterinfo.org/waterchallenge by July 31, 2025 and who are at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry. Start: 12:01 a.m. PDT on 7/1/2025; deadline: 11:59 p.m. PDT on 7/31/2025. Two (2) Winners will receive a High Efficiency Clothes Washer (ARV $900), one (1) Winner will receive a High Efficiency Dishwasher (ARV $700), four (4) Winners will receive an Apple iPad (ARV $470), one (1) Winner will receive a $200 gift certificate/card to a local plant nursery (ARV $200), two (2) Winners will receive a Family Pack of Passes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (ARV $230), ten (10) Winners will receive a $100 Visa Gift Card (ARV $100), one (1) Winner will receive a Monterey Zoo Family Ticket (ARV $160), four (4) Winners will receive a Cinemark Movie Gift Card (ARV $50). OFFICIAL RULES: https://www.montereywaterinfo.org/water-challenge-rules / SPONSORS: The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, 5 Harris Ct, Building G, Monterey, CA 93940 and California-American Water Company, 511 Forest Lodge Road, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 When Blaise Skelton was hired to take over CSUMB’s Upward Bound program in April 2024, his new colleagues, they would later tell him, thought for sure he would fail, and that 2024 would be the program’s last year at the school. Only nine local high school students had signed up to take part in Upward Bound’s summer curriculum at CSUMB, where recently the number had been in the 20 to 30 range. Classes started in early June, so Skelton had just five weeks to turn things around. He clocked 178 hours of overtime, working from 6am to 11pm and meeting with parents of prospective students at night in Starbucks parking lots, selling the program and earning their trust—Upward Bound summer students spend five nights a week at CSUMB for five weeks, and parents needed to feel they would be in good hands. By the time classes started, Skelton had 37 students enrolled, and this summer, he’s got 60. Upward Bound is a federally funded program that’s been around since 1965 to provide select high school students with opportunities that will help them attend college. CSUMB’s funding— about $700,000 annually—allows its program to serve a total of 134 students from four specific high schools, selected for their low college attendance rates: Soledad, North Monterey County, Pajaro Valley and Watsonville. Eligible students must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA, a recommendation from a counselor and the sign-off from the principal. To complete the program, one must attend the CSUMB summer session twice in four years—during the school year, there are monthly workshops on things such as financial literacy. One of the core classes at CSUMB’s Upward Bound is learning to play guitar, an offering made possible by the program’s partnership with the local chapter of nonprofit Guitars Not Guns, whose teachers have been teaching classes at CSUMB since 2014. In watching students progress, one in particular amazed Skelton: “He was the shyest student in the world,” he says, but in the safe environment of the classes, he flourished, and when the Guitars Not Guns students graduated from the program in July and put on a concert, that shy student was exuding confidence, and put on a virtuoso solo performance that brought the house down. “The music was a vessel for that,” Skelton says. This year there are 23 students enrolled, and they’re in their second week of classes on a visit June 24, a Tuesday. All the guitar students gather in a theater before breaking up into three classrooms generally based on skill level. In one of those classrooms, just next door, intermediate students are practicing a blues pattern in the key of G. Omar Rodriguez, a 16-year-old rising junior at Watsonville High, saw the flyer for Upward Bound at school, and says before this class he’d only touched a guitar once. He wants to learn, he says, as a potential side hobby and to play for his family at special events. Has he progressed so far? “Definitely.” William Cruz, a 15-year-old rising sophomore from Pajaro Valley High, isn’t yet sure of all he’d like to do with a guitar, but knows he wants to learn how to play “Cinco Centavitos.” Off in a different group, volunteer instructor Jeff Richman is teaching three girls. Bianca Garcia, a 15-yearold rising sophomore from North Monterey County High, has always wanted to learn to play guitar. Garcia’s dad has long worked for Al Jardine, so she wants to learn Beach Boys songs, particularly “Don’t Worry Baby.” All the guitar students who complete the classes will have a graduation ceremony July 17, where Guitars Not Guns will provide each of them with a free Yamaha acoustic guitar, a Gator bag and a tuner, gifts all made possible by the work of Steve Vagnini, who founded the local chapter in 2009. The nonprofit continues to work elsewhere in the county, giving lessons and handing out guitars—600 total to local students in the last two years—but Vagnini is thrilled Skelton has brought Upward Bound back on the upswing. “It’s such a great program,” Vagnini says. Tuning In At CSUMB’s Upward Bound program, guitars can be instrumental in more ways than one. By David Schmalz High school students from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties learn how to play guitar as part of CSUMB’s Upward Bound program. At a July 17 graduation ceremony, students will get a chance to perform and show what they’ve learned over the summer. “It’s such a great program.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS There’s Value in Membership! Membership with the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce means increased visibility, trusted credibility, and deeper community connections. Whether you're looking to expand, collaborate, or simply make a difference, the Chamber is here to help your business thrive. We invite you to be part of our award-winning business community. Join the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce today! Join Today! • montereychamber.com • info@montereychamber.com • 831.648.5350 JOIN TODAY!
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 FARID EDWAR / Shutterstock.com THE ORIGINAL SINCE 1988 Best of Monterey County® NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN MontereyCountyNow.com/BestOf ’25 PUZZLE ME THIS. WHO’S THE BEST? WWW.SUNSTREETCENTERS.ORG PREVENTION•EDUCATION TREATMENT•RECOVERY SHARING OR TAKING SOMEONE ELSE’S MEDICATION CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE. MAKE SMART CHOICES. DISPOSE OF UNUSED OR EXPIRED MEDICATIONS BY VISITING A LOCAL PHARMACY. Mike Haynes gives back through his donor advised fund at the CFMC to support youth and local causes. Create your giving plan. We can help. Donor Advised Funds • IRA Charitable Distributions • Charitable Estate Planning (CGAs, CRTs) • Family Philanthropy • Scholarships & More 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org/GiveBack | SIMPLIFY Your Giving I have peace of mind and can focus on giving. It’s seamless.” – Mike Haynes, Haynes Charitable Foundation Fund
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS A decade ago, in 2015, CSU Monterey Bay acquired the National Steinbeck Center in downtown Salinas with optimism. The $3 million purchase gave the university inroads into the county’s most-populated city. “This is our front door to Salinas and we’re going to use this as a way to connect to the community,” then-CSUMB president Eduardo Ochoa said at the time. It was also good news for the seller, the nonprofit Steinbeck Center, which stayed on as a tenant with an 80-year lease. One pandemic and about six years later, in 2022, CSUMB put the building on the market. Officials announced on Wednesday, July 9, that CSUMB is selling the center to the Hartnell College Foundation and the National Steinbeck Center. (A price has not yet been disclosed. The nonprofits credit philanthropic support from Taylor Farms, the Harden Foundation, D’Arrigo Charitable Trust and Hartnell College Foundation board.) The property will be renamed One Main Street and the new owners envision a variety of functions, including Hartnell’s K-12 STEM programs such as robotics and coding; Bright Futures, which implements the CalKIDS cradle-to-career initiative; El Pájaro Community Development Corporation’s kitchen incubator; Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce events; a community biotech lab in the long term; and more. The Steinbeck Center plans on offering an enhanced bookstore and museum, plus expanded programming. “We have big dreams for One Main Street,” Jackie Cruz, executive director of the Hartnell College Foundation, said in a statement. “We’re planting the seeds for regional economic vitality.” Full Circle Steinbeck Center and Hartnell Foundation are acquiring a downtown Salinas hub from CSUMB. By Sara Rubin One day after the U.S. Senate passed the reconciliation bill in a “vote-a-rama”—a process that lasted more than 26 hours—a bleary-eyed Senator Adam Schiff visited farms across Salinas and Soledad on Wednesday, July 2, to discuss concerns and needs from the county’s agriculture industry. “[The bill] makes massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program,” Schiff says. “But it’s also going to mean a lot less demand for agriculture by the federal government.” He adds that the bill will cut back programs that provide fresh produce to schools and food banks, and it “is going to deeply impact mostly small- or mid-sized farms.” Two days later, on July 4, President Donald Trump signed the reconciliation bill—also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—into law. Local agricultural leaders are still trying to decipher what it means for farmers and farmworkers in Monterey County, as well as what it will mean for the upcoming Farm Bill—a legislative package passed every five years that allocates billions of dollars in federal spending for nutrition, conservation and farm subsidies. “There are a lot of unanswered questions,” says Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau. “Everyone is, at this point, waiting to see how it all falls out, where those dollars are going to, and what the overall implications are for the agricultural labor force.” Immigration enforcement is the biggest concern, Groot says. The bill allocates nearly $30 billion to ICE’s enforcement and deportation operations, $45 billion for new immigration detention centers, and over $6 billion to hire new ICE officers through 2029. While the bill largely supports traditional commodity crops, it does include investments that could bode well for Monterey County farmers. That includes the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, which would increase funding for specialty crop research from $80 million to $175 million in fiscal year 2026. The bill also authorizes $125 million per year from 2026-2030 for the construction, modernization and repair of USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities. However, that support contrasts recent setbacks, including USDA workforce cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency, reductions in grant funding streams, and the termination of leases for nine USDA offices in California. Eight of those closures were rescinded—including the one in Salinas—but the disruption remains fresh for many. Mark Bolda, a farm adviser for strawberries and caneberries across Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, says ongoing workforce instability has driven away some of their most talented researchers, and made it harder to apply for and execute new research grants. “Quite frankly, I think the USDA is being looked at as being a poor employer,” he says. “Science is a very slow process. Because of some vacillation, you have all this uncertainty on whether they’ll commit to the [work]. To really get it complete, some of the larger items are going to take five, six years.” Senator Adam Schiff, the first California senator to serve on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry in over 30 years, tours Tanimura & Antle farm on July 2 to discuss concerns from the agriculture community. Ag Reckoning The One Big Beautiful Bill passed, leaving local ag leaders trying to figure out what’s next. By Katie Rodriguez From left: Emmett Linder, Jackie Cruz, Vanya Quiñones and Michael Gutierrez celebrate the transfer of the Steinbeck Center in Salinas on July 9. “There are a lot of unanswered questions.” OFFICE OF SENATOR ADAM SCHIFF DANIEL DREIFUSS
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12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com When Gonzales voters passed Measure K in 2020, a $37 million bond to fund school facilities upgrades at Gonzales Unified School District, it added an extra line on property tax bills. Property owners were set to pay $60 per every $100,000 in assessed value. Four years passed. Then in January 2025, the Monterey County AuditorController’s Office found a tax collection error, with hundreds of properties across the school district either being overcharged or undercharged. “I am perplexed that this was not brought to light earlier,” County Supervisor Chris Lopez said in a statement. “We will work with those that need assistance to understand the changes to their property tax bills.” That work began at a town hall meeting on Tuesday night, July 8 at Fairview Middle School’s gym in Gonzales. County staff reached out to the property owners in English and Spanish and held a talk followed by a Q&A. About two dozen people showed up, including City Manager Carmen Gil, City Councilmember Maria Orozco and GUSD Superintendent Joey Adame. Attendees shared their frustration and concerns during the meeting. They also asked about payment plans, refunds and impacts to rent on properties on the outskirts of Gonzales, including Chualar. “We are taking all the necessary steps to establish procedures and accountability,” said County Auditor-Controller Rupa Shah. She noted future rates were adjusted and they have established measures to prevent future errors, including retraining staff and reviewing the bond tax calculation process. According to a report prepared by the Auditor-Controller’s Office, the error impacted nearly 3,000 properties. Of those, Shah says that about 850 parcels were undercharged while nearly 2,100 were overcharged for the past four fiscal years between 2021-2025. The County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office expects to recoup $1.8 million in underpayments and return $485,000 to property owners. Property owners who overpaid will receive automatic refunds by August; those with underpayments have been receiving bills since June to pay the difference. Estimated amounts annually range from $150 to $1,000 per parcel. Taxpayers with a debt of $500 or more per fiscal year may qualify for a repayment plan starting in April 2026 and ending in 2030. If properties changed ownership during 2021-2025, the current and previous owners will get a prorated amount. On June 3, the Salinas City Council voted 5-2 to rescind four housing-related ordinances approved by their predecessors, including a 2.75-percent cap on annual rent increases. The vote was met with cheers by property owners, and dissatisfaction by renters. The latter fueled a referendum effort seeking to overturn the decision. Two days after the vote, Mayor Dennis Donohue announced a four-step plan to address the housing crisis: creating a multi-year rental assistance program for renters in need, hosting a housing summit in the fall, expanding tenant-mediation services and a tenant rights and resources communication campaign. Meanwhile, Protect Salinas Renters, a coalition of doctors, teachers, students and others, had already started gathering signatures for a referendum. In 30 days, they say they obtained more than 10,000 signatures, exceeding the 6,998 needed. More than 200 volunteers worked against the clock to gather signatures. They knocked on doors and tabled outside of businesses like the Cherry Bean Coffee Roasting Co. and Las Palmas Furniture and at farmers markets. Among the volunteers were councilmembers Tony Barrera and Andrew Sandoval, the two opposing votes, as well as former councilmember Orlando Osornio, who voted in favor of the prior ordinances. On July 3, the group submitted the signatures to the City Clerk, which referred them to the Monterey County Elections Department. Elections officials have 30 business days (until Aug. 15) to verify the signatures are from nonduplicative registered voters in the city. If the signatures are verified, the council would have three options: revoke their previous decision, call for a special election or include a referendum on the 2026 ballot. According to County Elections, a standalone election would cost the city between $16-$24 per registered voter, about $1.1 to $1.7 million; adding the referendum to the 2026 ballot would cost between $489,895 to $699,850. Wrong Bill Four years into a Gonzales school bond, county auditor discovers hundreds of under- and overpayments. By Celia Jiménez NEWS MEET THE TEAM Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute hosts an open house, welcoming the public inside to meet the scientists who work there. The event includes exhibits, demonstrations, presentations and more. Noon-5pm Saturday, July 12. MBARI, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing. Free. mbari.org/OpenHouse. ON THE DAIS Monterey City Council meets and accepts public comment. Tell your elected officials what they are doing well and what you think they can do better. 4pm Tuesday, July 15. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.gov. SIGN UP The Castroville Community Services District Board of Directors meets to consider the future use of the historic “Artichoke Center of the World” Merritt Street sign that was replaced recently. Other district business will also be discussed. 4:30pm Tuesday, July 15. District Board Room, 11499 Geil St., Castroville. Free. 633-2560, castrovillecsd.org. CODE CONVERSATION Sand City Council meets to consider amending the city’s municipal code to implement policies from its housing element. Public comment is accepted. 5:30pm Tuesday, July 15. City Hall, 1 Pendergrass Way, Sand City. Free. 3946700, sandcity.org. PUBLIC FACING Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church hosts a town hall meeting for Pajaro and Las Lomas residents. Church, along with guests from the County of Monterey and local agencies, will be on hand to hear questions and concerns. 5:30-7pm Wednesday, July 16. Pajaro Middle School cafeteria, 250 Salinas Road, Pajaro. Free. 755-5022, glennchurch.com. ON STAFF Pacific Grove City Council meets to discuss staffing vacancies and retention efforts. Public comment is accepted. 6pm Wednesday, July 16. City Hall, 300 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 6483100, cityofpacificgrove.gov. IN FOCUS Seaside City Council meets to consider standards for firearm sales and storage. Public feedback is welcomed. 5pm Thursday, July 17. City Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6700, ci.seaside.ca.us. Swing Back A referendum effort means Salinas residents could vote on rent stabilization. By Celia Jiménez Gonzales resident Roman Barba (center) attended a town hall meeting at Fairview Middle School on July 8 to share concerns about tax payments on a property he sold. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “I am perplexed that this was not brought to light earlier.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 It’s been nearly six months to the day since a Jan. 16 fire consumed Vistra’s 300 megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) in Moss Landing, a facility known as Moss 300. Since that time, about 60 percent of the remaining batteries have been “de-linked”—disconnected to reduce their risk of igniting—while the rest remain too dangerous to safely access. The plan to deal with them is being worked on by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Vistra, and involves stabilizing the remaining structure to delink all the batteries still connected. At the heart of the plan is an agreement still being hashed out between the EPA and Vistra called an “administrative settlement agreement and order on consent” (ASAOC), commonly referred to as “the order.” The order will dictate both EPA’s and Vistra’s respective responsibilities in safely removing and disposing of the batteries, which are damaged to varying degrees. On May 20, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors sent two letters— one to the EPA, one to Vistra—with a handful of requests to each. Of the EPA, the supervisors asked for clearer communication about the work being done and to collaborate with county staff to give residents trusted data. The supervisors asked Vistra to expedite cleanup, collaborate better with county staff and be respectful of the community. Vistra responded with a letter reiterating its commitment to the cleanup, while officials from the EPA responded saying, essentially, that the agency’s enforcement agreement with Vistra— the order still being negotiated—is “forthcoming” and will be included on a website devoted solely to the site’s cleanup. It’s a website that, like the order itself, is still in the works. EPA’s response letter also clarified that the agency’s role going forward was “limited to overseeing on-site activities associated with battery removal.” Kelsey Scanlon, director of the county’s Department of Emergency Management, says the county has struggled to communicate just how complicated and nuanced it has been to plan for the removal of those batteries. It remains unknown how long the cleanup will take—the sheer quantity of the batteries is unprecedented. “I anticipate just the battery removal part will take 10 to 12 months, best-case,” Scanlon says. She doesn’t know how long any additional cleanup might last. More recently, the county health department sent letters on June 27 to Vistra and on July 3 to PG&E—which owns and operates the Elkhorn BESS in Moss Landing—asking that each update the emergency action plans on file with the county before taking their facilities back online. Nicki Fowler, the county’s health program coordinator working on the cleanup, says all the state’s soil testing data and analysis of the surrounding area should be done sometime in August, while the water and marsh sediment data and analysis is expected in November. An inclusive assessment of how harmful the site and area remain from a human health perspective, she says, should be done in December. Hot Mess Nearly six months since the Vistra fire ignited in Moss Landing, cleanup has yet to begin. By David Schmalz When it came online in 2020, Vistra’s Moss Landing battery plant was the largest in the world, housing nearly 100,000 battery modules. They were destroyed in a fire that started on Jan. 16. NEWS “The battery removal part will take 10 to 12 months, best-case.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Quality feed & pet supplies • DIY dog & cat vaccines • Premium hay at great prices Low cost vaccination clinic for dogs & cats. Microchipping. Prescription flea/tick medication. Open every Saturday 1:30pm-4:30pm. 101 W. LAUREL DR, SALINAS • (831)443-6161 Mon-Sat 9am-6pm Sun 10am-5pm $5 OFF Any purchase of $25 or more $20 OFF Any purchase of $100 or more DIVERSIFY YOUR FLOCK! $10 OFF Any purchase of $50 or more CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS. LIMIT 1 COUPON PER CUSTOMER. NOT VALID ON HAY, SHAVINGS, PETLOCK, ADVANTAGE/ADVANTIX, OR SERESTO COLLARS. MUST PRESENT ENTIRE PHYSICAL COUPON AT TIME OF PURCHASE. COME GET YOUR CHICKS, DUCKLINGS, AND BABY TURKEYS! CORNISH CROSS: PULLET CHICKS: MALE DUCKLINGS: FEMALE DUCKLINGS: WHITE TURKEYS: BRONZE TURKEYS: $4.00 $7.00 $13.00 $20.00 $17.00 $23.00
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com SKY HIGH I really appreciate your story about Seaside’s fireworks (“As Fourth of July celebrations wind down, Seaside is ‘on the right track’ with illegal fireworks enforcement,” posted July 7). I live in Prunedale, and every year it is like a war zone. I wish the County would do some enforcement. The lack of enforcement just enforces the culture of impunity we seem to be cultivating. Patty Nicely | Prunedale The number of illegal fireworks were down a bit from previous years; however, Salinas has a long way to go. I still had to administer CBD to mellow my dogs, which did little to alleviate their anxiety. One trembled, barked and growled based on the noise. The other dog was panting so hard I thought he may have a heart attack. My one cat barfed, while the other paced. My 97-year-old neighbor called a few years ago in a panic as a couple of years ago they were so bad here they were rattling her windows and with mild dementia she had forgotten it was the Fourth of July. Cheryl Darlington | Salinas The city’s efforts at suppressing illegal fireworks seems to have had a positive effect. This year, the duration and intensity were reduced. In our North Salinas neighborhood, the majority of fireworks ended at about 10:30pm. The second year of the Compass Church-sponsored and city-sanctioned fireworks show at the rodeo fairgrounds also helped by most likely reducing fireworks being shot at home privately. The city’s illegal firework suppression plan relies heavily on warning letters mailed to homes. Many of the recipients end up engaging with the city and thus the word is spread: Don’t risk $1,500 per citation. Salinas limits the issuance of citations to only those cases where high-quality evidence will overcome any challenge in an administrative hearing. I wish Salinas would be far more aggressive. Citations have a ripple effect. You don’t need to cite everyone, just a few in each neighborhood where illegal activity is known to occur. That being said, it was nice to enjoy my own home, mostly, on the Fourth of July. Last year, I spent the night at a hotel in fireworks-free Monterey, which was heavenly. Peter Szalai | Salinas Unfortunately, I could not see any improvement in Marina: Drunk idiots were noisy in big numbers and obviously unmolested by police until well beyond midnight as is usual in Marina, year after year, despite protests. Jerry Juskie | Marina COMBO MOVE The existential question of whether or not Carmel should continue to operate its own police department is a question that should extend to all Peninsula cities (“Carmel leads the way in sharing services. It makes sense for local cities,” June 26-July 2). Quite frankly in this era of ever-increasing costs of operations, it should be incumbent upon every city council to examine whether an independent police agency in their cities is a necessary and proper use of taxpayer dollars. I’m not advocating dispensing with police services altogether—that would be irresponsible. However, our cities should explore the consolidation of all police and fire services. From Carmel to Marina the population of the Monterey Peninsula cities is 101,711. Salinas’ population is 156,916. If a city of that size can operate with a single police agency, it would seem that seven cities with a combined population that is two-thirds the size should be able to get by with one consolidated police and one consolidated fire department. Mark Carbonaro | Monterey SUPPLY V. DEMAND I didn’t realize that a bad decision by the California Public Utilities Commission is better than no decision in terms of lifting the cease-anddesist order with the State Water Resources Control Board (“CPUC delays a decision on the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply and future demand,” posted June 25). Regardless of projections, it doesn’t make too much sense. If the Peninsula is now under 9,000 acre-feet per year and will be producing 25-percent more than that (12,000 AFY) and storing the excess in the Seaside Aquifer, then the SWRCB should lift the CDO regardless of the CPUC determination. The fact that Cal Am has ex parte communications with four of the five commissioners just points to the unequal playing field. Cal Am has paid lobbyists, while the ratepayers pay for those lobbyists to advocate against their interests, while having no lobbyists of their own. Glad that State Sen. John Laird wrote a letter of support which may have been the reason the decision was delayed again. Perhaps he is lobbying for us, but who knows. Michael Baer | San Jose AMERICA FIRST Your Fourth of July message cheered me on this day when I feel so much grief for what is happening in our country (“Happy Birthday to the United States of America,” posted July 4). It’s good to be reminded of the good that we represent as a people and as a country, even as we struggle to take care of one another and not be devastated by some of the changes that are causing people harm. Your message truly made a difference in my day. Susannah McNamara | Prunedale PEOPLE POWER We protest against a man representing a political party whose goal appears to be the consolidation of power in the executive branch. A man whose blatant disregard for our constitutional system of government, which enshrines the concept of checks and balances over nearly all other governing concepts. This system was a direct response to the unchecked abuses of a corrupt and mentally compromised monarch. “No Kings” means exactly that. Power should never be consolidated in one branch of government. If Robert McGregor has a hard time understanding this, perhaps he himself should return to the constitution and read it (“Letters,” June 26-July 2). Jim Affinito | Salinas 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 JULY 10-16, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Dereld Balesteri had a special way of communicating based on his love of movies. He would play segments on repeat to convey certain messages. There was a scene in Babe, when the namesake pig assures Maa, “It’s for the best.” (Balesteri might’ve used the same language as Maa when describing his seizure medication: “It’s horrible stuff.”) Balesteri expressed affection with touch—a photograph on the wall in his mother’s Salinas apartment shows him leaning in cheek-to-cheek with his grandma—and he was fond of playing the scene in Tombstone when Sam Elliott says, “I still got one good arm to hold you with.” He had limited language skills, but his mom, Katrina Balesteri, learned to understand a range of messages. Dereld saved to-go cups from his favorite restaurants; if he wanted to eat somewhere, he’d bring a cup to the calendar. He loved puzzles, and if he wanted a puzzle partner while she was chatting with a friend in the living room, he’d make himself seen. “I called him ‘the little foreman,’” Katrina Balesteri says. She began learning his unique language not long after he was born in 1993. By his first birthday, Katrina started asking questions about developmental milestones. Her son was slow to speak; she wondered if it was a hearing or attention issue. He began a pattern of repetitively tapping his hand on his forehead, something that he continued to do into adulthood. Medical professionals evaluated him and gave a diagnosis of autism. By age 3, Dereld was assigned to receive services through the California Department of Developmental Services, instead of entering into the public school system. “I did everything I believed a mom should’ve done, seeing the delays in my child,” Balesteri says. “You trust the teachers, the therapists, the doctors—they went to school for this. I’m just the mom trying to learn my child.” Over years, she grew less trusting. Dereld died abruptly on May 17, at home in his bed following a seizure. Katrina found him and called 911, but paramedics were unable to revive him. Dereld was 32. Katrina is awaiting the results of an independent autopsy and also poring over medical records that go back to Dereld’s newborn screening, which suggested he should be tested for Hemoglobin H disease, a form of alpha thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder. It was only years later, however, that Katrina learned she is a carrier for alpha thalassemia, and that Dereld’s dad has a history of sickle cell anemia in his family. Hemoglobin H patients can suffer from iron overload, but Katrina remembers doctors suggesting she treat her baby for anemia, giving him formula with iron when she should’ve been avoiding it. She’s searching for an attorney and considering legal action over Dereld’s medical history. But in the throes of grief—she lost her mom in January, then her son in May—Balesteri is also facing other ways in which her life has been upended. “When my son passed, I lost not just my son but my job,” she says. When Dereld was young, she worked other jobs, most recently a graveyard shift in a Monterey hotel; her late father would help take care of his grandson during the day. In 2011, she became a full-time aide to Dereld through In-Home Supportive Services, a government program to compensate caregivers. Her IHSS job ended the day Dereld died, raising even more complications. She lost her IHSS health insurance. Without her son, she lost Section 8 eligibility; the monthly rent she pays for her North Salinas apartment went from $226 to $2,000. “What happens in special needs families when a child dies first?” says Maiaika Velazquez, a friend who calls herself Dereld’s auntie. “Families are left high and dry.” For now, Balesteri is dipping into her retirement savings to pay the bills, including Dereld’s burial and autopsy. (A GoFundMe has raised about $5,000.) She’s looking for a job. She lost her income, her housing assistance, her health insurance and of course her son, but Balesteri says she lost something more after spending decades as a caregiver—her sense of self. “I couldn’t even tell you who Katrina is or where to search for her,” she says. She does know who Dereld was: A happy young man who loved movies, puzzles and bowling. He also loved special outfits and was buried in his Woody hat and T-shirt from Toy Story. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Grief Compounded A mom lost her special needs son. But that was just the beginning. By Sara Rubin POPULARITY CONTEST…Like many creatures, Squid hustled last week to get things done before the July Fourth holiday—deadlines don’t take a day off—and so too did Republicans in Washington, despite having no deadline. Nonetheless, they hustled hard for nights on end, striking countless backdoor deals to secure the necessary votes to pass an absolute dumpster fire of a budget reconciliation bill, one that will inflict great harm upon Americans for years to come. The One Big Beautiful Bill, as the turd burger is called, saddles future generations with another $3 trillion in debt, makes disastrous cuts to countless government agencies and programs, kicks millions off their health care (after the 2026 midterm elections), incentivizes fossil fuels while penalizing renewables and, of course, extends the Trump tax cuts for the megarich. Squid knows Democrats in Washington had zero say in the bill—and that polls show Americans hate it—so Squid was curious how Dems would message around it. Well, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, sent out a campaign fundraising email in the wake of the bill’s passage, highlighting its drawbacks. It opens with the obvious: “The Big ‘Beautiful’ Bill is deeply unpopular.” Really? “Deeply unpopular”? Storm the Bastille! Squid’s colleague reached out to Panetta to see if he’d like to further elaborate on that message, and he did. “The more people learn about the law…the more they dislike [it],” he says. “That means we are doing our job, and that’s how we win in 2026.” Popularity contests are one thing, especially in easy-to-win, safely blue districts; calling it like it is is another. STAR POWER…Speaking of popularity contests, translucent Squid mostly works out of sight. But even Squid thinks Squidself deserves a little recognition now and then. So Squid nominated Squidself—not for the first time—for a Seaside Star, hoping to be forever immortalized on the sidewalk on Broadway in the city that is home to Squid’s HQ. “Squid has applied for this honorable distinction but has not yet been recognized, perhaps due to a pro-human or anti-cephalopod bias, but Squid hopes this year can be different,” Squid wrote. Alas, it was all for naught. Squid received a letter dated June 25 from Seaside Assistant City Manager Dan Meewis delivering the bummer news on behalf of the Seaside Stars Ad Hoc Committee: “We regret to inform you…” Of eight submissions this year, Meewis added, the committee selected four humans (or cephalopods, species not defined) to be honored in “this important community recognition effort.” He encouraged Squid to try again. Maybe Squid just isn’t cut out for the limelight, and will go back to quietly oozing around. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “Families are left high and dry.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 10-16, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com War from Within Missiles and headlines come and go. But Iran’s repressive regime continues to endure. By Ava Homa FORUM As missiles lit up the skies between Tel Aviv and Tehran this June, the world turned its attention to the specter of another Middle Eastern war. Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” struck deep inside Iran, killing top commanders and damaging nuclear sites. Iran retaliated with dozens of missiles. The headlines surged. Then, predictably, they moved on. But for Iran’s 91 million civilians, especially women and ethnic minorities, the war is not over. It never was. In the days since the strikes began, the Islamic Republic has escalated its internal war on dissent. The regime has intensified crackdowns, particularly in Kurdish regions, with reports of mass arrests and executions. More than 700 people have been detained. At least three Kurds were executed in Urmia. The international community looks outward, to missiles and diplomacy. But within Iran, the real violence is quieter: mass surveillance, midnight raids, silenced journalists and grieving families. Whenever we speak of Iran, we must ask a simple but urgent question: Are we referring to the Islamic Republic, or to the civilians forced to live under its rule? Without that distinction, public discourse becomes muddled, and those most impacted—especially women and minorities—are erased. I was born in Iranian Kurdistan. I taught literature at Azad University. Today, I teach in exile. From this dual vantage point, I have seen how the regime survives not through strength but through fracture, pitting Persians against Kurds, men against women, rich against poor. Each uprising, from the student movement of 1999 to the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests of 2022, has been violently crushed, but not erased. Courage has outlived repression. In 2022, when Kurds marched despite bullets and ambulances being blocked from reaching the wounded, a new kind of solidarity was born. Still, the price was high: blinded protesters, jailed artists, broken families. Iran’s future will not be secured by replacing one strongman with another. True change requires dismantling the roots of injustice, patriarchy, ethnic supremacy and systemic inequality. That work must come from within. But it cannot happen if the world keeps mistaking ruin for rebirth, bombs for liberation. Silence is not neutrality. When the spotlight dims, solidarity matters more, not in hashtags, but in asylum policies, media attention and moral clarity. People are not nuclear enrichment. They are not threats or headlines. They are teachers, artists, mothers and sons, trying, against all odds, to live with dignity. What Iran’s civilians need is not Western saviors, but space to breathe, organize and survive. They need protection for hospitals, refuge for those being hunted, and the world’s refusal to legitimize a regime that burns its own children. Solidarity does not mean picking sides in a geopolitical game. It means standing with the people who have no weapons but truth. Ava Homa is the award-winning author of Daughters of Smoke and Fire and a lecturer at CSU Monterey Bay. OPINION “The war is not over. It never was.” I TRADED MY QUIET RETIREMENT IN CARMEL FOR A VIBRANT SOCIAL LIFE IN A 55+ RESORT COMMUNITY THIS IS AN ADVERTORIAL BASED ON ACTUAL CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FOR TRILOGY SAN JUAN OAKS After owning a thriving scrapbook store and scrapbook retreat company, I sold the business and retired in 2023. I had been living in Carmel for years, and after retiring, I knew I wanted a more active lifestyle. Carmel is beautiful, but it’s a little quieter than what I was looking for. When I first visited a Shea Homes Trilogy community in La Quinta, where my daughter lives, I loved the whole vibe and what they offered. The facilities were beautiful, and everything was maintained so well. It was clear the people who lived there had a zest for life and wanted to get out, do things, and have fun— which is easy because at Trilogy communities, they bring the entertainment to you! So, after retiring, I was sitting in my condo in Carmel, and I thought; let me see what Shea Homes is doing around here. When I discovered Trilogy San Juan Oaks, I knew it was where I needed to be. I moved into my new home in December 2024, and I am loving life. I’m less than an hour from the ocean, and it’s easy to visit and see my friends there. But I’ve met so many new friends here too. And now I’m bringing so many people out to look at the community, to hopefully join me out here! I’ve truly found a community of people with a zest for life, in a similar age group (I’m 61). Last year Shea did a welcome dinner for a group of us who bought the first 24 homes. I first met other homeowners here at a dinner for new members, and found we had similar interests, and were at similar stages in our lives. Several of us stayed in touch through the whole build process. We would meet for dinner, and some even invited me and the construction crew for dinner. It was great going through the process together. Everyone is super friendly. I recently saw a new neighbor and pulled over to introduce myself out the car window, because I know what it’s like to be a new homeowner! Life here is only going to get better. My home is important, but to me, my life outside the home is even more important. I encourage anyone—singles, couples, those looking for a rich and full life in their retired years to check out Shea Homes Trilogy communities. And if you end up at Trilogy San Juan Oaks, I look forward to welcoming you! To learn more about this community visit Trilogy55Monterey.com or call 831-784-8872. Sales: Shea Homes Marketing Company (CalDRE #01378646); Construction: SHALC GC, INC. (CSLB #1062050). Homes at Trilogy® San Juan Oaks 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.
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