10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 1, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the U.S. Department of Education ended grants for HispanicServing Institutions and Minority-Serving Institutions, resulting in $350 million in cuts affecting 615 colleges and universities nationwide. That includes 167 colleges in California, the largest number in the country. In Monterey County, CSU Monterey Bay, Monterey Peninsula College and Hartnell College all hold this designation, with an over 50-percent Latino population at CSUMB and MPC and 83 percent at Hartnell. The HSI designation means that at least 25 percent of undergraduates are Hispanic or Latino, making institutions eligible to apply for federal grants aimed at increasing student support, scholarships and programs. Locally, HSI grants have provided stipends for STEM students to enroll in internship programs, increased dual enrollment and created pathways between community colleges and CSUMB facilitating a teacher career pipeline. “It would negatively impact our students, because state funding that the college receives doesn’t allow us to meet all of the needs and provide these types of creative and innovative programs and services that really address their needs outside the classroom,” says Beccie Michael, vice president of advancement at MPC and executive director of the MPC Foundation. The Trump administration claimed this funding was discriminatory. “To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release. While the grants had an HSI tagline, programs and funds benefited colleges and universities as a whole. CSUMB has five active HSI grants; two are in their final year and won’t be affected. At MPC, an E=MC2 STEM grant is still active; they are unsure whether they’ll receive the remaining $823,700. “We’ve been able to embed tutors in math classes—that obviously helps all students in those classes,” Michael adds. Hartnell has two active grants. Ganas—a five-year, $3 million grant focused on job placement and transfer opportunities—will continue; the Ánimo grant—aimed at improving student success—has been suspended, meaning $1.2 million will no longer come to Hartnell. There’s still no word about what’s going on with the next farm bill, even among those leading the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) and Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Monterey County’s local work group meeting on Sept. 18. Ramon Salazar, district conservationist with the NRCS, presented the priorities and programs funded by the 2018 Farm Bill, a major federal agricultural spending bill passed every five years. The most recent farm bill was extended for one year and is set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025. Under the current bill, a total of 209 contracts are funded in Monterey County, 149 of which are currently active. Over $11 million has been allocated to projects, with $4.5 million in active contracts. The work group’s aim is to flag the upcoming application deadline on Nov. 21 for federal assistance opportunities for the coming fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2025Sept. 30, 2026). NRCS programs funded by the farm bill include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, as well as conservation innovation grants. These programs prioritize funding projects to enhance and protect natural resources, typically through multi-year contracts that last around two to five years. EQIP is NRCS’ flagship conservation program, which aims to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation efforts into working ag lands, and it receives the largest share of the funding with more than $10 million from the current farm bill. Countywide, the top conservation practices by funding requests have been cover cropping, improving soil organic matter, irrigation, water quality and erosion control, Salazar told the group. “We’ve been getting a lot of requests for compost application for farmers to improve their soil quality,” he said. What will be prioritized in the next federal farm bill remains unknown. School Age Hispanic-Serving Institution grants are ended, impacting all colleges in the county. By Celia Jiménez NEWS IN REMEMBRANCE Seaside Police Department observes National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims with a community gathering. The event also supports surviving family members affected by violent crime. 6-8pm Thursday, Sept. 25. Oldemeyer Center, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6857, ci.seaside.ca.us. PUBLIC PROCESS The North Monterey County Unified School District Board of Trustees meets and accepts public comment. 6pm Thursday, Sept. 25. North Monterey County High School media center, 13990 Castroville Blvd., Castroville. Free. 633-3343, nmcusd. org. PEOPLE POWER The MEChA Club at Hartnell College hosts Union Remembrance Day, commemorating the 55th anniversary of the march to Hartnell led by Cesar Chavez. The event includes a march, art exhibits and speakers. 5-8pm Friday, Sept. 26. Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. mecha2025@gmail.com, bit.ly/ MEChA2025. BRIDGING THE GAP Dorothy’s Place and the Community Foundation for Monterey County present a screening of Beyond the Bridge. The documentary highlights approaches that communities across the country have taken to reduce homelessness. 5-8:30pm Tuesday, Sept. 30. Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. Free. RSVP at 578-4198 or bit.ly/ BeyondtheBridgeSept30. LOBO LEGENDS Monterey Peninsula College seeks nominations for the Lobo Hall of Fame Awards. The categories are Distinguished Alumni, Outstanding Alumni-Athlete, Distinguished Retiree and Rising Star. Nominations accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 30. mpcfoundation.org, MPCFoundationInfo@mpc.edu. DISCOUNTED WATER Qualifying seniors who live in the City of Gonzales can receive a 5-percent discount off their annual water bill. Deadline to apply is 5pm on Nov. 14. 675-5000, gonzalesca.gov. OUT WITH THE OLD Monterey Bay Air Resources District’s Wood Stove Change Out Program is now taking applications. The program gives residents cash incentives to replace wood-burning heating devices with cleaner alternatives. Funds available on a first-come, firstserved basis. 718-8030, mbard.org/ wscop. Farm Funds Local agricultural leaders gather to discuss future Farm Bill priorities. By Katie Rodriguez CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones notified the campus of the cuts by email. “The timing is especially disappointing as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” she wrote. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “It would negatively impact our students.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
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