8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 4, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS About 200 people showed up on Tuesday, Feb. 24, to a meeting of the Salinas Union High School District board of trustees. The crowd was there to protest the elimination of 14 staff positions, including the director of communications, director of health and wellness, and 12 restorative justice facilitators. Despite community objections, the board unanimously approved terminating the positions, but never specified how much money they expect to save. The vote, finally taken after 10pm, left the crowd in low spirits after many people spoke in support of Carissa Purnell, SUHSD’s director of health and wellness, and Marcos Cabrera, director of communications, as well as the restorative justice facilitators. “There was zero communication, zero transparency. We parents weren’t informed of anything at all,” said Alma Loredo. She and others collected over 250 signatures of community members who opposed the staff reduction. “It was a really big injustice to the people,” says Athena Vazquez Curiel, 17, a senior at Salinas High. She says working with a restorative justice facilitator has helped her with her mental health and trust in the school. SUHSD is not alone in cutting staff, joining Pajaro Valley, Monterey Peninsula and Pacific Grove, among others, in exploring reductions. Other districts, however, have hosted community forums seeking public input. Superintendent Zandra Jo Galvan said the restorative justice facilitators were grant-funded positions, which were cut because that funding dried up. Galvan added they are looking for resources to restore or reimagine these roles. The positions will phase out by July 1. Reduction in Force Salinas Union High School board terminates 14 positions, despite community outcry. By Celia Jiménez Following years of lawsuits and failed negotiations, the development of a roughly 60-acre ice-plant-laden property on the former Fort Ord, known as Main Gate, is moving forward again, with KB Bakewell Seaside Venture II taking the lead. KB Bakewell is the development group that built the Seaside Highlands project and is currently developing the 122-acre Campus Town property, next door to Main Gate. Comparing the Main Gate project—which will include a hotel and a new Monterey County Superior Courthouse—to their other projects in Seaside, the father-and-son team of Danny Bakewell Sr. and Danny Bakewell Jr. outline their vision for the properties. “Campus Town is more of a housing-driven development,” says Bakewell Jr., company president. “Although it is mixed-use, with retail components and office components as well. This one is similar, but the real driving force is going to be the retail and office space, and the housing will enhance that.” In June 2025, the City of Seaside put out a nationwide call for a master developer to take on the Main Gate site and four applicants answered the call: Shea Homes, which is building out a commercial and residential project nearby on the former Fort Ord in Marina, Montierre Development, City Ventures and KB Bakewell. A nine-person committee consisting of the former Fort Ord Reuse Authority director and representatives from the City of Seaside, CSU Monterey Bay and Monterey County Economic Development, recommended that KB Bakewell take on the project. The Seaside City Council unanimously approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with KB Bakewell on Thursday, Feb. 19. At the meeting, Seaside City Council and community members praised the development team. Councilmember Alex Miller stated that he would’ve liked to see all four proposals presented in a public hearing. Councilmember David Pacheco followed Miller’s comments by saying that KB Bakewell “won the gold medal.” “We were delighted to say the least,” says Bakewell Sr. “It’s a testimony to the work that we put into it and we understand the importance of that project to the City of Seaside.” As part of a 2018 legal settlement, Marina Coast Water District—the water utility for the area—agreed to cap the number of new residential groundwater hookups on the former Fort Ord at 6,160. Watchdog group LandWatch Monterey County notes that Campus Town accounts for all but 10 of those 6,160 connections, and in a letter to Seaside City Council, asserts the need “to find a source of potable water supply that does not require groundwater and that does not violate the settlement agreement between LandWatch, Keep Fort Ord Wild and MCWD.” The Bakewells say they are confident they will find a viable solution. The pair say they also plan to host a series of public meetings to hear from community members and incorporate their feedback into the project’s ultimate design. “There’s work to be done and we’re gearing up,” Bakewell Jr. says. “We are excited about the opportunity to bring another first-class development to the citizens of Seaside.” The roughly 60-acre Main Gate property (north of Lightfighter Drive and east of Highway 1) is next to Campus Town, a project that KB Bakewell is currently building. Recent Developments The Seaside City Council chooses a development group to take on the Main Gate property. By Aric Sleeper Student Athena Vazquez Curiel urged the SUHSD board to keep restorative justice facilitators: “Even if students are hesitant to open up, they slowly build that process and make them feel heard.” “We understand the importance of this project to the city.” DANIEL DREIFUSS CELIA JIMÉNEZ
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