14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECEMBER 18-24, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Some employees at Premier Hyundai of Seaside say they were only given a couple of days’ notice that they were losing their jobs since the dealership was closing its doors. The dealership’s final day was Friday, Dec. 12, as employees drove the last vehicles out of the showroom that morning and workers removed signage from the building on Heitzinger Plaza. The inventory headed to the nearest Hyundai dealership in Gilroy, where some workers also found a new job. Others were not sure of their next steps. A longtime employee named Robert, who declined to give his last name, says it was a sad day for the staffers. “It’s just unfortunate,” he says. “I love this dealership.” Louisiana-based Premier Automotive purchased the Hyundai and Chevrolet/Cadillac dealerships in 2019 after they were shuttered by their previous Texas-based owner. The neighboring Chevrolet dealership moved to a new location in Seaside’s auto mall under new ownership earlier this year. A representative from Premier Automotive did not respond to an inquiry on the reasoning behind the closure. Employees, though, said the dealership’s sales plummeted this year. “We’ve seen the writing on the wall,” Robert says, noting a variety of factors may have played a role, from federal policies such as tariffs and eliminating the electric vehicle incentive to the fact that the dealership is located in an area that prefers luxury brands. Seaside’s budget reports appear to back up this latter point. Of the top 25 sales tax generators in the city for 2023, the most recent data available, 12 are auto dealerships, and seven of those could be considered high-end brands such as Porsche and Jaguar. Premier Hyundai is not on the list. Still, the closure of Premier Hyundai will “have a measurable impact on the City’s budget,” Seaside City Manager Greg McDanel says. Auto sales make up 45 percent of Seaside’s sales tax revenue. Such revenue went down during the previous fiscal year, with city staff attributing it to declining auto sales. “While we plan conservatively and do not rely on any single business, the loss of a major auto dealer is not insignificant and will require close monitoring of revenues in the coming fiscal year,” he says. To offset declining sales taxes, Seaside’s 2025-26 budget report points to upcoming developments such as the Grand Hyatt hotel and Campus Town as a way to bring in new tax revenue. CSU Monterey Bay Liberal Studies Professor Miguel Lopez was placed on paid administrative leave in early 2023, after students complained to the university’s Title IX Office that Lopez made inappropriate comments in an online class regarding race, gender and disabilities, as well as giving preferential treatment to some students based on race and gender. Over two years later, he’s back. If there was an investigation, no results were disclosed to the public due to it being a personnel matter. According to a current student in one of the three classes he taught over the fall semester that ended Dec. 12, Lopez explained his absence by saying he took leave to care of his mother. It didn’t take long for new complaints to arise. Some student concerns echo earlier allegations, including that Lopez showed favoritism toward Latina students. In the past he reportedly had a group he called his “comadres” that met separately outside of class and were given extra instruction and assignments not available to others. A Latina student this fall reported that she felt “upset, uncomfortable and angry,” after he asked to meet with her privately, during which he told her if she met with him for extra help she could get an A in the class but she could not tell anyone, adding that he had “gotten in trouble for doing this kind of thing before,” according to a letter she wrote to administrators anonymously out of fear of retaliation. She declined his offer. A group of students met with administrators in late November and were told that an administrator would be monitoring Lopez’s classes for the rest of the semester. A student says she and others have already switched out of Lopez’s spring semester classes in case he returns. The Weekly was unable to reach Lopez for comment. A written statement from a CSUMB spokesperson said they “cannot share additional information about the status of his employment as this is a personnel matter.” Going Flat Seaside’s Hyundai dealership suddenly closes, as the city faces slumping auto sales. By Erik Chalhoub NEWS COMMUNITY BENEFITS City of Soledad and Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey host a CalFresh and Medi-Cal application workshop. Drop in to get assistance on completing the application. Bring basic identification documents. 10am-6pm Thursday, Dec. 18. Soledad City Council Chambers, 248 Main St., Soledad. Free. (831) 393-3110, catholiccharitiesdom.org. PARK PATROL Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District seeks applicants to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors. Ward 2 includes Seaside, northern Sand City and the southern area of the former Fort Ord. Applications due Tuesday, Dec. 30. Free. (831) 372-3196, ext. 107, clerk@ mprpd.org. GIVE BACK It is now the final two weeks of Monterey County Gives! Read about the Big Ideas of 213 local nonprofits and donate to help their efforts to make the community a better place. Donations accepted through midnight on Dec. 31 at montereycountygives. com. OFFER WARMTH Closer Walk, an outreach center that serves unhoused people, is in need of clothing donations. Donate new or gently used clothing for those in need. 9-11am weekdays. Closer Walk, 22 Soledad St., Salinas. (831) 595-3165. BOOK SMART Salinas Public Library seeks input from the public to help shape its future programming and offerings. Share your thoughts through a survey. Survey ongoing at bit.ly/ SalinasLibrarySurvey2025. COMMUNITY POLICING Monterey’s Community Police Academy is now taking applications. The academy begins Feb. 4 and runs weekly for 11 weeks, giving Monterey residents an interactive overview of policing. Apply at (831) 646-3805, montereypolice.org. SAFETY SKILLS The City of Monterey offers emergency skills training over three days in February. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is open to residents of Monterey and adjacent communities. Enroll by writing with your contact information to certmonterey@gmail. com. Free. Rinse, Repeat A CSUMB professor who spent over two years on paid leave for problematic behavior returns. By Pam Marino Employees watch as the final vehicle is driven out of the showroom at Premier Hyundai of Seaside on Friday, Dec. 12, the day the dealership closed. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “We’ve seen the writing on the wall.” ERIK CHALHOUB
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