AROUND TOWN because Penalver says she bases her approach to teaching on how she was treated while a first-generation college undergraduate and graduate student in the California State University system. “I relied on professors who took me under their wing,” she says. Her students are mostly first-generation college students themselves. “I see myself in them and I think they see themselves in me.” She gets to know her students, creates a community atmosphere in class and offers flexibility when life sometimes gets in the way of studies. She credits the students themselves for how they collaborate in the classroom atmosphere: “I’ve worked at a couple of different colleges in my career and these students are a shining light, for sure,” she says. BEST REAL ESTATE OFFICE Carmel Realty Company Dolores between 7th and 8th, Carmel (831) 622-1000, carmelrealtycompany. com In poker, or even Yahtzee, securing a full house is one of the most valuable moves possible. Carmel Realty Company continues to build a winning hand for Monterey County, filling some of the most high-end properties around. This firm’s portfolio showcases the area;s most in-demand Carmel and Pebble Beach homes and luxury vacation rentals. As the Best Real Estate Office for several years in a row, Carmel Realty Company continues to go all-in for their real estate clients. BEST REALTOR JR Rouse 574 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 318-3808, jrrouseproperties.com “Do you have any three bedrooms, two baths?” Trying to find the perfect home today can feel like solving the Rubik’s Cube before the solution was widely known. In searching for the right house, it’s difficult to get everything to line up. But Monterey County readers feel like Rubik’s champions when they consult JR Rouse. Clients say they were lured in by Rouse’s organized and friendly home-buying and -selling experience, from moral support on the big questions to technical help on the deal-making. This group’s listings throughout the area help locals live the coastal California dream. Puzzle solved. BEST PLACE TO WORK Montage Health 23625 Holman Highway, Monterey (831) 624-5311, montagehealth.org In pursuit of trivia, here’s a bit about Montage Health, this year’s readers’ pick for Best Place to Work: Which workplace was voted best every year since 2012? If you said Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, you’d be right, but you’d also be right if you thought Montage, the parent nonprofit company of CHOMP. Montage encompasses not just the hospital, but Montage Medical Group, MoGo Urgent Care, Carol Hatton Breast Care Center, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health, Wellness Centers and more. Bonus question for extra points: What was the name of the hospital that is now Montage’s Hartnell Professional Center in downtown Monterey? Answer: Eskaton Monterey Hospital BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta District office: 1200 Aguajito Road, Suite 3, Monterey (831) 424-2229, panetta.house.gov Politics is a game not many have the stomach to play. But U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, has been in it for nearly a decade since getting elected to his seat in 2016 (and re-elected ever since) and witnessing firsthand the drama and turmoil that has gripped Washington, DC for most of that time. Panetta is one of those rare politicians who doesn’t believe in winners and losers, but instead looks for what is best for America, and his constituents, as a whole. BEST LOCAL BLOG BEST LOCAL WEBSITE Monterey County Now 668 Williams Ave., Seaside (831) 394-5656, montereycountynow.com Monterey County Weekly is printed each Thursday and available on newsstands in every corner of our county. What happens between Thursdays? Well, it’s like playing Musical Chairs. The music stops on Monday, there are stories. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday— there are more stories. Even on some Best Local Nonprofit, Best Place to Take Visitors | Monterey Bay Aquarium 16 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2025 montereycountynow.com/bestof
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