10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 16-22, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Monday, Oct. 13 that will give MontereySalinas Transit a chance to ask voters for more money, and shore up the agency’s projected revenue stream into the next decade. Assembly Bill 761, introduced by Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, authorizes the MST board—by a two-thirds vote—to propose a ballot measure for a sales tax of up to $0.25. This comes as MST’s Measure Q, a 2014 ballot measure that imposed a one-eighth-cent sales tax in Monterey County to fund transportation services for seniors, veterans and those with disabilities, expires in 2030. Measure Q was the first-ever countywide sales tax measure dedicated to public transit, and passed with 72 percent of the vote; currently, its revenues exceed $13 million annually and make up about a quarter of MST’s budget. MST General Manager Carl Sedoryk says challenges loom ahead because federal and state gas tax revenues are declining with the increasing adoption of electric vehicles. Sedoryk says increased revenues are critical in order to achieve the state’s mandated goal that 100-percent of MST’s fleet be zero-emission by 2040. He estimates that it will cost at least $130 million; in MST’s fleet of 163 buses, just four are currently electric. He adds there is currently no tax to fund MST fixed routes—which serve about 90 percent of its ridership—and that those are dependent entirely on state and federal sources. “We may need a local source to expand [that network], and this will allow us to make that ask, to start the climb.” Sedoryk sees two windows to potentially float another ballot measure or extension of Measure Q—in November 2026 or 2028— and says MST will conduct polling in the coming months to see where voters are. “We’re only going to put it on the ballot if we think we’re going to win,” he says. Green Light A new state bill paves the way for Monterey-Salinas Transit to ask voters for more money. By David Schmalz In late 2024, Monterey planning officials internally approved a gun shop at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Third Street, as it checked all the boxes of the city’s zoning code, which doesn’t regulate such businesses. After hearing of this decision, neighbors and other residents went to the City Council in February 2025 to oppose the shop, contending its location near homes and a preschool wasn’t appropriate. The council adopted an emergency ordinance that temporarily halted new licenses for firearms businesses until city staff could research the matter. The results of that research came into view on Tuesday, Oct. 14, when the Monterey Planning Commission recommended the council adopt an ordinance that prohibits gun shops in most areas of the city. The commission split 3-2 on the recommendation, with Commissioners Mike Brassfield and Mike Dawson dissenting. Under the proposed ordinance, new businesses would only be allowed in areas zoned for industrial uses, which is near the Monterey Regional Airport and Ryan Ranch. Those businesses would require a public hearing before they are approved, and must be at least 600 feet away from a school, residential zone, liquor store, park or other specific uses. There are currently four firearm and ammunition businesses licensed in the city. L&B Firearms, whose approval sparked the emergency ordinance, is not yet operational, and the proposed ordinance would limit the business’ existence to three years. Big 5 Sporting Goods and Gallagher Ammunition Sales only sell ammunition, and would not be allowed to expand by selling guns, according to the ordinance. JC Firearms and Ammo will be grandfathered in as a “legal nonconforming use,” as it is located within 600 feet of a daycare. Proprietor Jeff Cecilio says he views the proposal as not an attack on firearms shops, but rather the city’s effort to find a “happy medium” between allowing businesses to operate and addressing concerns from residents. The ordinance would prohibit new firearm and ammunition businesses that operate out of homes. Monterey has one, Gallagher Ammunition, whose owner Colin Gallagher told the commissioners that his business is entirely online, with no inventory at his home. “I don’t think having a prohibitive policy that restricts who can or cannot have licenses in the future is a good idea,” he said. “It’s an example of Monterey’s ongoing restrictive policies that are anti-business in a nutshell.” Both Brassfield and Dawson said they didn’t see the need for the ordinance, with Brassfield adding that it takes away someone’s opportunity to make a living. Commissioner Terry Latasa noted the ordinance addresses a safety gap in the city’s zoning code. Prior to the emergency ordinance, city code treated gun and ammunition shops like any other retail store, with no setbacks or zoning restrictions. The ordinance will next head to the Monterey City Council for consideration at a date to be determined. Opposition over L&B Firearms’ plan to open in this building at 301 Ocean Ave. led to the City of Monterey temporarily prohibiting new gun shops. Pulling the Trigger Monterey outlines a plan to limit new gun shops after an earlier approval sparks outcry. By Erik Chalhoub Monterey-Salinas Transit operates a fleet of 163 buses. While the agency is doing well financially relative to some other public transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, the MST board may pursue a ballot measure asking for a sales tax of up to 25 cents. Prior, city code treated gun shops like any other retail store. DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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