6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY DECMBER 25-31, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS A lot has happened since an owner of Blue Fox Cellars filed a complaint against their Carmel Valley landlord and neighbor, Pelio Estate— although none of it has taken place in a courtroom. Blue Fox began moving equipment and other items from the tasting room in late November, also advertising an “everything must go” sale on social media Nov. 22 and listing some items on Facebook Marketplace. The process was not without acrimony, although again not from Blue Fox’s Carmel Valley landlord. On Dec. 5, a man purporting to be the owner of the moving company took to online sites with detailed posts alleging that owners Julia Keller and Edward Lovaas had paid only a portion of what was owed for his crew’s services. Junk—storage bins, buckets, kitchen and winery appliances, signs and more—began piling up on the grounds and porch of Blue Fox’s Monterey tasting room on Wave Street near Cannery Row. On Dec. 23, an apparent note to the owners of Blue Fox was taped inside the window of the front door declaring, in part, “We are enjoying some family time.” Blue Fox’s Keller and co-plaintiff DrJChardonnay filed suit in Monterey County Superior Court in October alleging that Pelio and Pilot Road—an entity established by Pelio to maintain the lease with Blue Fox—acted to “strangle plaintiffs’ business.” Calls and messages to both Blue Fox and Pelio were not been returned by deadline. Real estate attorney Brian Liddicoat, representing Blue Fox in the Carmel Valley case, says he is unaware of anything to do with the Monterey tasting room. A court hearing regarding the complaint is scheduled for Feb. 24. Blue Notes After filing a lawsuit, a winery leaves Carmel Valley as junk accumulates at its Monterey space. By Dave Faries Right before winter break, more than 100 people showed up at a meeting of the Monterey County Office of Education Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Dec. 17 for a hearing on a proposed countywide charter school. Roughly three-quarters of the 40 people who spoke were opposed, including many who work in education. Opponents argued a countywide charter school would further segregate kids across the county. Others noted the proposal doesn’t bring innovative services and that it is already advertised as “coming soon” on its website before its approval. “They really don’t have anything new to offer,” Oscar Ramos, a longtime elementary school teacher, told the MCOE board, adding the Salinas City Elementary School District (where he works) and other districts “already offer robust, innovative and successful programs.” “Charter schools [are] trying to usurp the local control because they feel they have a better chance at going at the county rather than the local level,” says PK Diffenbaugh, superintendent of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, noting the decision will be up to MCOE’s board, rather than MPUSD and others. In October, the MCOE received an application from Navigator Charter Schools, a network of public charter schools based in Hollister, to create Monterey County Prep, which would have three TK-12 charter schools serving Salinas, Marina/Seaside and Soledad/Greenfield, starting in the 2026-27 school year. Navigator, which currently operates charter schools in cities including Hollister, Gilroy and Watsonville, reports it has $18 million in grants to launch locally. In a decade, its intent is to serve 3,300 students divided among the three campuses. “Our goal is to provide a high-quality opportunity for all of those students to have an education that will allow them to go to college,” says Navigator Superintendent Caprice Young. They selected the areas based on low test scores and that have a large population of low-income and English learners, Young says. California’s funding for public schools is based on students’ attendance. Fewer pupils mean less money coming in, especially for those that are primarily funded by the state. (Seventy-four percent, or $131.2 million, of MPUSD’s budget and 71 percent, or $112.8 million of SCESD’s come from the Local Control Funding Formula or daily student attendance.) If the Navigator petition is approved and moves forward, MPUSD and SCESD are projected to lose $12 million and $9 million, respectively. “That would be devastating,” Diffenbaugh says. It could translate to losing 120 teacher positions at MPUSD. SCESD Superintendent Rebeca Andrade says, “If that happens, that means that we will have to close programs. There will be less staff, there will be less opportunities than we already are providing.” In a comment letter she submitted to the MCOE board, Andrade added, “This proposal is not a grassroots effort driven by local need; rather, it reflects the expansion efforts of a growing charter management organization seeking to extend its corporate footprint at the expense of existing public schools and the students we currently serve.” The MCOE board will vote on the petition on Wednesday, Jan. 14. MPUSD Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh was one of many educators who spoke to the MCOE board expressing opposition to a three-campus charter school proposal. Inter District County Office of Education to decide on a countywide charter school proposal. By Celia Jiménez In December, crates, boxes, appliances and other items began appearing on the lawn, porch and back areas of 499 Wave St. in Monterey, the location of Blue Fox Cellars’ tasting room. “They really don’t have anything new to offer.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ DANIEL DREIFUSS
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