16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECEMBER 11-17, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com MONTEREY’S MENSCH This man was such a special man who had a sparkle in his eye and kindness in his heart. What shocking news (“Seth Pollack, who led CSUMB’s Service Learning Institute for 25 years, dies in a bicycle crash,” posted Dec. 8). You are loved by many, Seth. You are a beautiful spirit, and I will miss you. Christian Mendelsohn | Seaside My heart is broken reading this. This is an absolutely tragic unimaginable loss for our county and I am devastated for Seth’s family and so many who loved him. He gave so much to our students and this county is a better place because of his leadership. Wendy Root Askew | Marina A sad day for our community. I am privileged to have worked with Dr. Pollack for a almost a decade representing the City of Salinas in Chinatown. We mastered the “town-gown” partnership and helped many people. He taught me the true meaning of public service. Don Reynolds | Salinas Note: Reynolds is a retired Salinas Public Works director. Seth was bigger than life and made such an impact in my life, this community and beyond. Rest in peace. Jessie Betancourt | Seaside Thank you for building the Service Learning Institute, Seth. Your legacy lives on in all of us who have found our life’s calling in service of others. Sending my condolences and love to his family. Rest in power, my friend. Marissa Serna | via social media Seth did so much good in this world and in our community. I had the good fortune to host and mentor many service learners, and witness firsthand the impact on students, as well as the organizations and communities where they served. I was very inspired by his recent work focused on the Israel/ Palestine conflict. Brett Melone | Prunedale I feel so angry that his life was cut short by such a horrible accident. What a wonderful human being he was. Karen Araujo | Salinas He will always be remembered for his passion for and dedication to making the world a better place. He left us too soon. Ellen Boudreau Collord | Monterey HOSPITAL STAY This appears to be an example that one cannot rest on the laurels of past accomplishments (“CHOMP leaders have more work to do after seeing a national safety rating grade drop,” Nov. 27-Dec. 3). I trust CHOMP administration will soon bring this back to the A grade. Walter Wagner | Salinas Not really surprised. Had some pretty bad experiences at this hospital. The staff always seemed super overworked and stressed too. Edward Selph | via social media Health care everywhere is horrible and out of control cost-wise. Janis Spencer | via social media SPLASH BACK The Weekly’s celebration of the inter-agency memorandum of understanding to monitor the deep aquifers ignores repeated failures to manage this resource (“A multi-agency agreement offers a hopeful moment for groundwater,” Dec. 4-10). The deep aquifers need pumping controls, not just more monitoring. Agency studies in 2003, 2017, 2020 and 2024 recommended pumping reductions and a moratorium on new deep aquifer wells. Despite this, since 2003 Monterey County permitted dozens of new agricultural wells in the deep aquifers while upper aquifer wells salted up from overpumping. Pumping tripled. Predictably, groundwater elevations fell. When the Groundwater Sustainability Agency staff presented the MOU at its November meeting, the board chair expressed frustration, not celebration, at the long history of management failure. Both the GSA and Monterey County have the responsibility and authority to limit pumping. When they do, that will be the time to celebrate. Agreeing to think about agreeing on an issue in the future isn’t action, it’s optics. Michael DeLapa | Carmel Valley Note: DeLapa is executive director of LandWatch Monterey County. PUPPY LOVE What a fantastic program! (“Service dogs trained through Canine Companions work for the District Attorney’s Office, helping victims of crime,” Dec. 4-10.) Susi Allen | via social media Great article! My fourth-grader kiddo, who’s not a big independent reader, picked up the Weekly this week to read the service dog story (we are raising a guide dog puppy) and also was delighted to see the article about sign language interpretation at PacRep shows (“ASL-interpreted performances at PacRep open the theater experience to new audiences,” Dec. 4-10). He’s in Rudolph! Kim Smith | Monterey GOLF GAME Mina was also in First Tee of Monterey County (“Monterey native Mina Harigae wins TaylorMade Invitational, setting a record along the way,” posted Nov. 24). This program takes kids from 4 to 18 years old and teaches them nine “core” life skills; at the golf course in Salinas, there are only nine holes, each named for one of the core life skills. It costs $20 a year for each kid. What a fabulous way to give a child the skills and guidance to be better people as they head into their future. Check it out! Lee Whitney | Monterey CORRECTION A story about heavy metals detected in Moss Landing after a battery energy storage system caught fire referred inaccurately to the agency that collected soil samples (“Moss Landing researchers release findings on heavy metals from battery fire,” Dec. 4-10). It was the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, not the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which handled air samples. 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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