4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 5-11, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH The term “news desert” is familiar to most. But in Los Angeles, the opposite is happening: a news “superbloom.” Over the past year, five outlets have gone live in the city—many sprouting up due to the downsizing of the Los Angeles Times—including a digital startup and the California Post, the New York Post’s venture into the West Coast. Online outlet L.A. Reported’s staff includes Karin Klein as the editor, who was previously on the Times’ editorial board but left after owner Patrick Soon-Shiong pulled the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris as president in 2024. “Jeff Bezos (the owner of the Washington Post) and Patrick Soon-Shiong have not been the model of billionaire ownership that I think is going to lead to great, sustainable, really ethical journalism in the future,” Klein told the nonprofit outlet Poynter. Other outlets have relied on philanthropy. LA Local, a website that launched in early January, reported it raised $19 million. USA Today Co., meanwhile, which owns the Salinas Californian, launched its Today Californian newsletter in January, staffed by a team of six reporters. Good: Beginning Feb. 1, ReGen Monterey, a publicly owned waste management agency, began supplying power to Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), a community aggregator that supplies renewable energy to more than 1 million customers across five counties on the Central Coast. ReGen and 3CE approved a three-year contract under which 3CE will pay up to $5 million to purchase the power generated from ReGen’s landfills. Since the 1980s, ReGen has generated renewable energy by capturing methane, a byproduct of landfills, and turning it into electricity. Under the agreement, 3CE will purchase 3 megawatts of electricity from ReGen, power that 3CE sees as more reliable than other forms of renewables such as wind and solar. For ReGen, the contract provides a steady revenue stream to potentially expand or upgrade its landfill gas-to-energy facilities. GREAT: The nonprofit Osio Arts Foundation took a step toward reviving operations at the Osio Theater, which has been shuttered since 2020. Eight of the nine nonprofit board members met on Feb. 2 at the Osio in downtown Monterey to vote on a letter of intent from Green Valley Corporation—the landlord of the building—to decide if terms for a lease were agreeable to them. They unanimously decided to move forward, meaning that an operational lease will be drafted in the coming weeks. Board president Sam Al-Maqtari has a vision to revive the space as an arthouse theater and develop partnerships with other arts organizations. Once a lease is agreed upon and signed, the foundation will become an operator and can begin structural renovations to the building, which they expect will cost upward of $300,000. The group is fundraising for that, as well as upgrades of projector equipment. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY That’s the initial tally of how many Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula nurses voted in favor of joining a union. There were 750 eligible voters during the Jan. 28-30 voting period. Hospital executives have recognized the vote to unionize. Source: National Labor Relations Board QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The East side doesn’t need symbolism.” -Chris Barrera, president of LULAC Council #2055, speaking against a proposed arch for the Alisal neighborhood before the Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to allocate $100,000 of District 1 discretionary funds for the project (see story, montereycountynow.com/ news). 479 Happy Valentine’s Day From Gathering for Women - Monterey gatheringforwomen.org ~ 831-241-6154 #gatheringforwomen We’re sending love to all of our supporters! Your generosity, whether through donations or volunteering, helps us spread joy and care to the women we serve.
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