8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 12-18, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Every late fall along the California coast, hundreds of trained volunteers crane their necks to look up into trees and count a precious pollinator, western monarch butterflies. This year’s 29th annual count, led by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, yielded the third-lowest tally since counting began in 1997, with 12,260 monarchs across 249 sites during the peak overwintering period, between late November and early December. In “Butterfly Town,” Pacific Grove, the official number was 188 inside the city’s Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, down from 228 in 2024 and 6,508 in 2023. One week later, on Dec. 12, the sanctuary peaked at 226, reports Natalie Johnston, education manager at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. Johnston says the hope was for a rebound this year, similar to 2021 when numbers in P.G. jumped to over 13,000, a year after the count was zero. Monarch populations can be “bouncy,” she says, but this year the bounce for P.G. didn’t happen. A Xerces biologist signaled an alarm on Jan. 29. “Western monarchs are in serious trouble. The migration is collapsing,” Emma Pelton, senior conservation biologist with Xerces, said in a statement. Scientists believe pesticides and destruction of overwintering habitats are contributing to low numbers. More than 60 overwintering sites have been destroyed since 1997, according to Xerces—three in the last year were damaged through tree removal. Two years ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was preparing to list western monarchs as a threatened species which would have brought protection. That decision is now on hold under the Trump Administration. Numbers Crunch Low counts of overwintering monarchs trouble experts who see a potential species collapse. By Pam Marino There are 12 weeks until ballots are mailed for the primary election, when registered voters will cast their votes in several races, including Monterey County supervisor for Districts 2 and 3. While three candidates have so far filed papers to enter the District 2 race— including incumbent Supervisor Glenn Church—information about the two challengers and their reasons for running remains slim. According to campaign filings, the candidates running against Church to represent North County are Derek Satterlee, a technician at Vistra’s Moss Landing Power Plant, and Ramon Gomez, chief of staff for Santa Cruz County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, whose district includes most of Pajaro Valley and the city of Watsonville. Gomez also serves on the North Monterey County Fire District board and on the Monterey County Planning Commission. The Board of Supervisors reappointed him on Feb. 10 as planning commissioner to a four-year term through 2030. “I’ve always figured there’s going to be opposition,” Church says. “It’s a district that has a lot of political activism, and that’s a good thing.” Candidates will face several hot-button issues, including future plans for battery energy storage at Moss Landing following the fire in January 2025. Flooding in Pajaro has complicated efforts to expand affordable housing while levee work continues, and wildfire risk remains a concern. Among these, Church sees water as a top priority. “There are some expensive projects coming down, and I’m really concerned about the affordability of it, for the entire county,” he says. According to a biography provided to the Board of Supervisors, Gomez lives in Prunedale with his wife and children and was raised in North Monterey County and Watsonville. He earned degrees in economics and history from UC Santa Cruz, and served as president of the board of directors of the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. He’s also served on Watsonville City Council and has been involved with North County Parks and Recreation District, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Manzanita Little League, among other organizations. Gomez did not respond to requests for comment. Satterlee is a Prunedale resident, according to campaign statements. He began working for Vistra in 2024 and recently applied to be appointed to the Monterey County Regional Fire District board. (His application was denied because his residence is located outside MCRFD territory.) Satterlee launched a GoFundMe campaign in December and has raised more than $2,000 for Monterey County election filing fees. He wrote: “I’m running for Monterey County District 2 Supervisor to build economic progress, strong communities, and protect individual freedom.” Satterlee declined to be interviewed. “From the input I have from the community, I feel pretty good about things. I really don’t know the issues that either one of them is running on,” Church says, “so it’s kind of hard to know what the criticism is.” In South County’s District 3, no challengers have filed; incumbent Chris Lopez is so far unopposed. The filing deadline for the June 2 election is March 6. As of Dec. 31, Lopez reported a formidable campaign fund balance of $138,000. Church had $43,000. Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church is seeking a second term. So far, two challengers have filed papers to run to represent North County’s District 2. Quiet Campaign The race for District 2 county supervisor has begun, but challengers remain elusive. By Katie Rodriguez Natalie Johnston of the P.G. Museum of Natural History says more residents are pledging to forgo pesticides and advocate for monarchs. “I’m really proud of our local community,” she says. “I’ve always figured there’s going to be opposition.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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