16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 5-11, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com INSTANT RECALL What is going on with the City Council? Who is actually behind this? I am disgusted with the turmoil in our council (“Residents mount a recall effort against Salinas Councilmember José Luis Barajas,” posted Feb. 24). They all need to be replaced. Alice Giottonini | Salinas At this point, get rid of all of them and start over (“A notice to circulate a recall petition against a Salinas councilmember fails for lack of signatures,” posted Feb. 26). I don’t care if I like them or not. This is like watching high school drama. A bunch of “mean girls.” Rachelle Davi-Razzeca | Moss Landing THE EPSTEIN FILES Disturbing, sick and horrifying to say the least! (“A Carmel Valley woman worked for the infamous man who befriended her family,” Feb. 26-March 4.) Tiffany Newman | Carmel How disappointing that you would name their daughter, who was a minor during any period of this time. Name and shame adults but please remember that there are children involved. While she may be 22 now, when Epstein died in 2019 she would have been a minor. Shame. Melissa Daniels | via social media BREAKING GROUND Congratulations—continuing the good work they have already done (“The Seaside City Council chooses a development group to take on the Main Gate property,” Feb. 26-March 4). Jay Donato | Salinas They seem to be the only developer that has the funds, the vision and the ability to complete a project. Maybe they can take on the Grand Hyatt for their next project since there’s been no movement since groundbreaking. Valentina Rosendeau | via social media HOT SEAT To Mr. [John] Gaglioti: The concept of term limits for government seats is to provide communities a chance to approach existing problems with fresh eyes in hopes of finding better solutions (“A voting process for a LAFCO commissioner turns political, and kind of mean,” posted Feb. 19). To suggest we need to keep only a “distilled” LAFCO board is to suggest a moribund adherence to the status quo, which frankly is not acceptable to me in light of the increasing congestion and the management of resources here in Monterey County. It sounds as though Mr. [Jonathan] Ahmadi is willing to recognize and honor LAFCO’s actual mission and not just pay it lip service. I am heartened to hear Ahmadi echo my concerns about our disappearing quality of life that only seems to be progressing under current leadership, and I believe there are many other residents that feel the same way. It is time for a change. Tina Walsh | Marina PLAY BALL Considering how whiny and unprofessional his social media posts were, I could see how he could be difficult and time-consuming to deal with! (“Parks and Recreation staff to recommend against an agreement with the Monterey Amberjacks,” posted March 1.) I went to an Amberjacks game once and was underwhelmed. Kim Smith | Monterey I also agree if you took the best players locally (18 and over) you would absolutely smash the Amberjacks. Alexander Swartz | via social media BOOB JOB So sad. Women rely on medical establishments without needing to check for fraud and abuse (“District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni files suit against owner of defunct mammography center,” posted March 2). Maureen Wruck | Salinas CORNER STORE And this makes a difference why, exactly? It’s sold alcohol from the time it opened to the time it closed, and if you didn’t buy it there, there are other markets and convenience stores close by you could go to (“A Marina convenience store is approved despite concerns about alcohol saturation in the area,” Feb. 19-25). It’s not like this is some new or unique product, carrying alcohol in a convenience store. Eric Gates | via social media [There are] nine other stores in close proximity. Kelly Hendrix Boutelle | via social media This is a strong and accurate article that highlights the real concerns many residents have raised. While the Planning Commission has approved the project, the key issue now is how this business will actually operate. Will it truly function as a neighborhood convenience store with limited, incidental alcohol sales—or will it effectively become another liquor store and smoke shop? There is still a limited window to appeal the ABC license decision. If our community is serious about addressing alcohol sales over-concentration and protecting quality of life, now is the time to speak up. Brian McCarthy | Marina Note: McCarthy filed a protest against the license with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. RISING ABOVE Thank you, Monterey County Now, for this article (“A teenager’s message in a poem: Let’s make the world a better place,” posted Feb. 21). This poem is a testament of what we (Black people) still endure on a daily basis. This poem represents that we will not go away, we will not let our history and legacy be erased. We will be silent no more. We are not monkeys or apes! As people continue to keep us below the line, we rise above it. Famous words of Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high.” Although there is much more work to do, Zechariah Alexander’s generation will carry the torch and one day get us to the promised land. Lisa Lewis | Seaside What an amazing young woman (“Monterey High School senior Paris Charles represents the next generation of Black leadership,” Feb. 26-March 4). We are so lucky to have her to show us all how to do better. Lisa Bernardi | Seaside LETTERS • COMMENTSOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@montereycountynow.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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