10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 19-25, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com If you are a property owner in California, you are responsible for paying property taxes. That means you’ve probably gotten some mail from the Monterey County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office requesting that you pay up. In the case of 23 owners of 36 different parcels in Monterey County, it also meant that their long-delinquent payments landed them on a list of properties that will go up for auction online starting at 8am on Saturday, March 21, with a closing time of 1pm Wednesday, March 23. Posted under the header “Special Opportunity” on bid4assets.com, the updated auction portal lists 15 parcels because some property owners have “redeemed” their delinquency, generally by paying what they owe. Such is the case with Calvary Church in Prunedale, which occupies two parcels spanning both sides of Prunedale North Road connected by a pedestrian bridge. The parcels, owned by Calvary Community Church of Salinas Inc. and valued at $2.2 million combined, had been publicly posted for starting bids of $17,300 and $56,850. Church officials did not respond to requests for an interview, but a staff member contacted onsite says they simply got their paperwork in order. (Property owners have a deadline of 5pm Friday, March 20 to redeem the properties and be de-listed. For prospective buyers, a March 17 deadline to register to bid has passed.) “When it comes to the auction process, it is our last resort after many mailings, certified mailings and personal contacts at times, after a long process, generally five years,” says County Treasurer-Tax Collector Jake Stroud. “Our goal is to always help property owners and work with them to make their payments and resolve any potential delinquency and avoid an auction.” These auctions generally take place about every two years, selling off properties that are at least five years delinquent on taxes. The last one took place on May 29, 2024. As of press time, properties still listed for the March 20-21 auction include a 4,614-square-foot lot adjacent to Highway 1 in Sand City with a minimum bid of $2,750 (and assessed value of $3,155) and a 6-acre lot along Highway 156 in Castroville with a minimum bid of $18,550 and an assessed value of $128,110. The minimum bid amounts are determined by the Tax Collector based on factors such as how much is owed plus any penalties. Properties that do not sell will be reposted May 23-27. For months, leaders of Salinas Union High School District have discussed entering into an agreement with Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, in which VILS would provide tablets or Chromebooks to middle school students and staff. The negotiations came to a halt after Verizon paused the deal. “This news is deeply disappointing to a district with 85 to 90 percent of students in poverty,” Superintendent Zandra Jo Galván said right after the board passed a resolution on Thursday, March 12, approving a fouryear agreement with VILS. The initiative was set to replace more than 5,000 student Chromebooks, which district officials estimated would cost between $350 and $600 each (and included a monthly 30-gigabyte data plan), valued at up to $3 million. The proposal also included $696,000 worth of tech support and staffing from VILS, all at no cost to the district. “The loss of this level of external support creates a gap in the district’s ability to sustain and expand technology access at the level our students need,” Galván adds. VILS is a nationwide initiative Verizon funds and implements with partner Digital Promise, a nonprofit focused on speeding up educational innovation. VILS provides devices, internet access, support and more to students and teachers at no charge to schools. Teachers and parents expressed opposition to the SUHSD board about the initiative, questioning the level of parental control and Verizon’s privacy policies. “The partnership was paused by Verizon after it became clear that support from our labor partners had not been reached during the review process,” Galván says, noting many policies, including privacy and parental control, are similar to existing ones in SUHSD. “We determined it was not the right time to move forward with the partnership,” Digital Promise representatives said in a statement, noting they are open to working with the district on future projects. Verizon representatives did not respond to questions from the Weekly. Low Bidder County Tax Collector lists delinquent properties for biennial auction. By Sara Rubin NEWS LEADERS OF TOMORROW Teens ages 13-18 are encouraged to attend the Salinas See Our Youth Summit to hear from community leaders. Topics include job preparedness and life after high school. 8:30am-2pm Saturday, March 21. Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. Free; RSVP in advance. (831) 758-7166, soyouth.eventbrite.com. DIVE INTO DOWNTOWN Help shape the future of Marina’s downtown at an interactive workshop. Learn about plans to implement the Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan and share priorities for future amenities. 5-8pm Tuesday, March 24. Marina library, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina. Free. cityofmarina.org/downtownvitalization. ROAD DIET A project to reduce the number of lanes on Broadway Avenue from Fremont to General Jim Moore boulevards in Seaside and add pedestrian and bicyclist improvements begins in the fall. Learn more about the project at an upcoming event. 6-9pm Tuesday, March 24. Seaside Fire Station, 1635 Broadway Ave., Seaside. Free. (831) 899-6835, ci.seaside.ca.us. PUBLIC PROCESS Seaside Planning Commission meets to consider a permit for a residential care facility and a plan for a triplex. Public comment is accepted. 6pm Wednesday, March 25. Seaside City Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. (831) 899-6707, ci.seaside.ca.us. STAY CALM Salinas’ Public Works Department gives an update on the city’s traffic calming program. The meeting will be presented in Spanish with English translation. 6-7pm Wednesday, March 25. Salinas City Hall, Valley Conference Room, 200 Lincoln Ave., Salinas. Free. (831) 7587241, salinas.gov. LOCAL UPDATE Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church hosts a town hall meeting for the communities of Creekbridge, Santa Rita and Boronda. Residents are encouraged to ask questions to Church, along with guests from the County of Monterey. 5:30-7pm Thursday, March 26. Everett Alvarez High School, 1900 Independence Blvd., Salinas. Free. (831) 755-5022, glennchurch.com. JUSTICE FOR ALL The draft environmental justice element aims to improve environmental health in unincorporated Monterey County. Public feedback is accepted. Review period runs through May 11. Free. (831) 783-7508, countyofmonterey.gov/generalplanupdates. Off Screen Verizon backs out from a deal to give millions of dollars’ worth of devices to Salinas Union. By Celia Jiménez Calvary Church parcels on both sides of Prunedale North Road were listed for auction until church officials got current with paperwork and the parcels were de-listed. E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN “When it comes to the auction process, it is our last resort.” SARA RUBIN
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