16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 9-15, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com SHAKE UP Yay, amazing (“A new owner and new plan takes over on the Caruso’s Corner property in Monterey,” Sept. 25-Oct. 1). Rachel Rose Ann Crivello | Monterey Thank you to Chris Shake for this important investment in our city, especially in this long-blighted corner on such a busy intersection. I hope it inspires more investment in empty lots and aging buildings along Fremont. I do feel like Monterey County Weekly needs to give it a rest on criticism of the bike lane, as the paper knows well that it’s planned to be connected to the FORTAG trail. Eric Palmer Sr. | Monterey The Shakes are great guys, I worked at the Fish Hopper for several years. I wish them the best of luck with their new endeavors! James Ryan | Monterey The right guys for the job! Steve Wiley | Salinas OPEN AND SHUTDOWN It’s political brinksmanship (“Government shutdown puts airshow appearance of Blue Angels, military in doubt,” posted Oct. 1). Republicans are in control, yet refuse to compromise—at the expense of affordable healthcare for millions. The shutdown grounded the Blue Angels and stalled healthcare, a perfect snapshot of broken priorities. Each hour the jets fly burns 9,100 gallons of fuel and spews 96 tons of CO2 into an overheated planet. Our tax dollars should fund healthcare and climate solutions, not pollution and militarism. Catherine Crockett | Seaside All because Sen. Chuck Schumer and his cronies won’t vote for anything that appears to favor Trump (“‘Significant’ funding worth $14 million annually to Natividad hospital is on the line, partly due to federal shutdown,” posted Oct. 1). It’s the people be damned for them. They need to follow Sen. John Fetterman’s lead. Robert McGregor | Salinas RELIGIOUS FREEDOM “Amen” is hardly the correct response to an individual who perpetually uses public comment time for religious messaging at Salinas City Council meetings (“Salinas City Council uplifts community, not religion, in event sponsorships,” Sept. 25-Oct. 1). According to city council agendas, public comments are for “items…that are in the City of Salinas’ subject matter jurisdiction.” Because meetings tend to be well-attended with many wishing to provide input, the mayor has felt forced to limit public comment to 90 seconds for each speaker. The individual in question is the only person to misuse this valuable time to advance a personal agenda not germane to city business. According to Ecclesiastes 3, “There is a time for everything.” But not public comment time at council meetings. Peter Szalai | Salinas Congratulations on your fine report on the Salinas sponsorship program. You gave a fair, accurate assessment. I am a long-time ACLU member and have lectured on the history of separation of church and state in the U.S. for the Monterey Humanist Society. Keep up the good work. Steve Wiener | Pacific Grove As a conservative and a Christian, I don’t believe public funds should be used to fund anything to do with the church. Cliff Pilcher | via social media Do not say you are doing a free event for the community, virtue signal, then try to get it paid for on the back end. Community service should be community service. Jason Wayne Hough | Salinas WATERED DOWN This article continues a line of thought that has kept the Peninsula water deprived for decades now (“A recycled water expansion is coming soon to the Monterey Peninsula— desal, not so much,” Oct. 2-8). If you haven’t noticed, Sacramento does not buy it and continues to tell us so by their decisions saying desal is needed. Personally, I wish the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Marina Coast Water District, City of Marina and to an extent M1W would stop wasting public money on endless lawsuits and go about recognizing Sacramento does not buy their arguments so we can get to real water solutions. John Tilley | Pacific Grove PAGE BY PAGE By legislating a K-2 literacy screener, California has an essential piece of a comprehensive reading plan (“Younger students in California will have additional testing to address the literacy gap,” Sept. 18-24). But the state’s fragmented approach to curriculum blunts more progress and has produced unacceptable results. For example, in the latest edition of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (the “Nation’s Report Card”), only 28 percent of California’s Black fourth-graders scored at or above basic level in reading, compared to 52 percent in Mississippi. Shamefully, adult feelings about a bipartisan issue get in the way of the state effectively preparing future teachers; developing a curriculum that works; and refining systems based on assessment results. California’s piecemeal, hands-off approach is failing students. The state, perhaps through an unafraid leader, needs to develop a coherent strategy to protect literacy—it is a civil right, and our economy and democracy depend on it. Will Bans | Pacific Grove Note: Bans is a teacher in Carmel Unified School District. ROCK OUT They kicked butt! (“With a potent guitar sound, Katy Guillen & The Drive are a modern indie-rock throwback,” Sept. 25-Oct. 1.) Crystal Wilkins | via social media Saw these ladies in Monterey opening for Robin Trower. They were fantastic. Stephanie Williams on the drums and Katy Guillen’s vocals and guitar made the concert worth going to see. After, I downloaded some of their music. Loved “Good bye Charlie.” This duo was a very pleasant surprise. Lucky Turner | 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.
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