8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 31-AUGUST 6, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com When Marco Chavelas purchased Lugano Swiss Bistro in the Barnyard in 2019, he already knew the restaurant well. He had been working there since 1995 and had gotten to know many customers on a firstname basis. He’d entertain them with magic tricks. Tips were great, and business was booming. The restaurant also had a relationship with touring agencies, cutting a deal with groups from Germany, Switzerland, France, Argentina and Canada. Tour buses would bring visitors to Lugano where they were offered a robust meal— including coffee, soup, a main course and dessert—for around $18-$20 a person. Shortly after he purchased the business and made renovations to the kitchen, dining area and walk-in fridge, the pandemic arrived. “We used to have 10 buses a day between 11am and 4pm,” Chavelas says. “After Covid, there’s only a few a year.” Compounding this loss of business, Chavelas faced rising labor and supply costs, as well as an increase in rent through Common Area Maintenance fees, paid by tenants to landlords to cover overhead and operating expenses. The Barnyard Shopping Village was acquired by Barnyard Carmel, LLC—owned by Sidney Family Limited Partnership in Manhattan Beach—in 2023 for $23 million. He says his monthly dues doubled, from around $6,500 per month prior to the pandemic. After falling behind on rent payments, he put up Lugano for sale for an asking price of $99,000 with the rent listed at $12,500/month. Recent changes in the Barnyard suggest Lugano is not alone. Another restaurant in Barnyard, whose name is not publicly disclosed, is listed for sale with an asking price of $250,000. In the last year-and-a-half, Robata Grill & Sake Bar and the Noodle Palace closed. Two years after purchasing Robata, Josie Sinkler, one of the owners, posted on Nextdoor on Nov. 5, 2024: “EVERYTHING in the restaurant must go.” The Noodle Palace reportedly closed in September, and has remained empty since. Lugano is expected to sell in about a month-and-a-half, says Chavelas, who’s working multiple jobs to stay afloat. He is the general manager at Round Table in Seaside, owns multiple food trucks and runs food tents for special events. To repay rent debt and loans from buying the business, he put up his house for sale. Sidney Family Partnership did not respond to a request for comment. After weeks of uncertainty, the U.S. Department of Education announced on July 25 that it would release billions of dollars it withheld from school districts in Monterey County and across the nation. In California alone, that sum is about $900 million; it’s over $25 million for the Monterey County Office of Education. “This administration deserves absolutely no credit for that decision. It was this administration that averted that crisis, that they themselves set in motion,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, during a press conference on July 28. Deneen Guss, MCOE’s superintendent of schools, says education shouldn’t be political, but rather about making sure students get the education they need in school to succeed. On July 10, the Trump Administration barred undocumented immigrants from Head Start, a program for low-income families that offers free food, preschool and basic medical services for kids under 5. “What’s to say that next [they] are not going to come after other federally funded programs? Where does it stop?” Guss says. They highlighted the continuing battle to keep key programs like migrant education, English language acquisition, afterschool programs, adult education and others. School district officials were working against the clock to devise a plan to either keep programs or seek alternatives such as using general funds or reserves to cover costs temporarily. It also impacted staffing; MCOE sent layoff notices to 30 migrant education workers, set to become effective on Sept. 7. The chaos isn’t over, however, and those layoff notices have not been rescinded; school districts still don’t know when they will receive the funds or if they will be paid in full. For the upcoming fiscal year, Trump’s proposed budget includes reducing K-12 education funding by 15 percent. For now, MCOE is sending letters weekly to lawmakers to advocate for maintaining funding for the 2026-27 school year. Barn Door Restaurants are struggling to stay in business at Carmel’s Barnyard Shopping Village. By Katie Rodriguez NEWS BLOOD DRIVE The American Red Cross seeks eligible donors to give blood. Type O blood donors are especially needed. 9am-2pm Friday, Aug. 1. Compass Church, 1044 S. Main St., Salinas. 10am-3pm Wednesday, Aug. 6. Veterans Memorial Building, 90 Fifth St., Spreckels. Free. Make an appointment at redcrossblood.org, (800) 7332767. COMMUNITY INVESTMENT Nonprofits that serve the Salinas community are invited to apply for the City of Salinas’ Community Sponsorship Program. Applicants can receive up to $50,000 per fiscal year. Deadline to apply is 5pm Saturday, Aug. 2. 758-7201, communitysponsorship@ ci.salinas.ca.us. PUBLIC PROCESS 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, Aug. 5. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.gov. HIGHER ED Hartnell College Board of Trustees meets to discuss college business and accept public comments. 5:30pm Tuesday, Aug. 5. Hartnell College, Steinbeck Hall, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. hartnell.edu/about/ hccdgb. ON THE MOVE Monterey County Works hosts a job fair to connect local employers in the transportation industry with job seekers. Attendees are encouraged to bring their résumés and dress to impress. 1:30-4pm Wednesday, Aug. 6. Career Center, 344 Salinas St., Suite 203, Salinas. Free. 796-3335. Register at montereycountyworks.com. IN THEIR ELEMENT Staff from Pacific Grove’s Community Development Department will be on hand to chat about the city’s draft Housing Element. Find out what happens next in the state-mandated process. 4-6pm Wednesday, Aug. 6. Chautauqua Hall, 162 16th St., Pacific Grove. Free. 648-3183, cityofpacificgrove.gov. MAYOR MOMENT The mayors of the Salinas Valley cities speak during a Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce event. A networking mixer precedes the panel discussion. 3:30-5:30pm Thursday, Aug. 7. Braga Barn, 33750 Moranda Road, Soledad. $35/general public, $25/chamber members. 751-7725, salinaschamber. com. School Bell Federal reversal is good news for school funding, but doubts remain. By Celia Jiménez “I try to keep a good attitude and keep my mind positive,” says Marco Chavelas of selling Lugano Swiss Bistro. “I’m just trying to pay my debts.” E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX He says his monthly dues doubled, from $6,500 per month. DANIEL DREIFUSS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==