16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 16-22, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com HOLD AND COLD Compliments are in order for District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni for initiating the Cold Case Task Force (“Over 40 years after a Monterey man was murdered, investigators continue looking for leads,” April 9-15). The years drift by. Heartbroken families and friends wonder whatever happened to their loved ones. Sadness permeates every holiday, birthday and missed milestone. Solving the mystery and holding perpetrators finally accountable is justice for everyone involved—the victims, family and friends, and the community. DA Dean Flippo was a hard act to follow. Pacioni is continuing and expanding that legacy with her Goldilocks, just-right priorities. Child molesters are having a very difficult time in Monterey County these years. “I-got-away-with-it” murderers are looking over their shoulders more nervously these days. Prioritizing crimes against children and cold cases is an excellent use of time, energy and tax dollars. Mary Quirit | Monterey Thank you for this story of the masterful work done by retired Monterey Assistant Chief Bill Clark. Good work like this makes us all more safe and secure, knowing they are following through to closure. Laurie McNamara | Carmel ANIMAL PLANET Every single person who is in rescue supports a spay-and-neuter ordinance (“County supervisors consider a spay-and-neuter requirement in unincorporated areas,” April 2-8). We are exhausted. You need to ask yourself why Cindy Burnham, chief administrator of Hitchcock Road Animal Services, and Scott Deluchi, executive director of the SPCA, are against it. Hitchcock Road euthanized the same amount of animals it adopted out. We can’t continue on this hamster wheel that isn’t working. Spay and neuter saves lives. Karen Gunby | Pacific Grove WAR CHEST I have sent two communications to Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office. The questions I have are straightforward (“Squid Fry: Deep Pockets,” March 19-25). In a district that you will win overwhelmingly, why are you sitting on a war chest in excess of $4.5 million? The principal donors are major corporations which have no presence in our district. Perhaps these funds are prepaid insurance that Panetta will support business over people when the time comes. A huge contributor to this fund is AIPAC and groups affiliated with supporting the government of Israel. At a minimum, Panetta can return that money or see that it is used to try and relieve the misery of the Gazans. Kindly do not accept the money from arms merchants used to create human destruction. That’s not what this district wishes in the slightest. Just ask us. Jim Lauderdale | Monterey BRIDGE TO SOMEWHERE Dear Squid, if you could ooze your way to the neighborhood and schools near the pedestrian bridge over San Pablo Avenue in Seaside, you would hear lots of cheering and hoorays celebrating the soon-to-be-repaired span (“Squid Fry: Safety First,” April 9-15). Lots of neighbors think the bridge is worthy of being rebuilt—for connections and safety, yes, but also for the sake of history. Many locals have wonderful memories of walking their kids to school. There are accounts of wedding engagements on the bridge with the phenomenal view of the bay as a backdrop. The bridge is a beautiful focal point in a city with few architectural landmarks. Certainly paint could decorate the city crosswalk below it, but what about an amazing mural on the bridge itself once it’s repaired? Jeannie Reese and Donna Penwell | Seaside TRAVEL PLAN The issue is twofold: First, should the general fund be used to the tune of almost $500,000 over two years with an expectation of continuing and increasing subsidies; and, second, how many resources do taxpayers want to sink into a highly speculative (delusional?) idea to promote Salinas as a tourist destination involving a train from the future that was promised in 2014? (“Salinas City Council says yes to its welcome center, with tough questions,” April 2-8). The county spent $11.2 million on related improvements that are largely unused five years later. You know what’s not speculative? Broken streetlights, sidewalks, roads, sewer, etc. Peter Szalai | Salinas I read the article on attracting tourists to Salinas with much interest. I think China’s village tourism might be of some reference. Village tourism in the form of “Farmer’s House Fun” has played an important role in bringing income to villagers who otherwise have limited job opportunities. Urban people can visit villages on weekends. They are housed and provided village-style foods while enjoying the rural landscape and folk activities. Of course there is a huge difference between rural society in China and here. Experiences cannot be copied but can serve as guiding references. Focus should be put on how to combine tourism with agriculture to develop a platform for educational and creative experiences. Such rural tourism may include such activities as fruit-picking, farm tours, art performances such as Mexican music and dance, etc. Lan Yu | Seaside MIND MELD Thank you so much for printing Colleen Beye’s and Jolie Delja’s article (“The need for youth mental health support is growing, but local schools are cutting support,” March 12-18). Mental health support is extremely important for the individuals, their families, and for the community. Susan Courrejou | via email FOR DESSERT With sad hearts, we learned of the sale of Pavel’s Backerei (“Hundreds of fans line up in Pacific Grove for Pavel’s last day,” posted March 30). Their bread has graced our table for years. We don’t begrudge for a minute the most well-earned retirement of Paul and Johanna Wainscoat. Of course, we will give the new owners a try but they have very big shoes to fill! Roberta Myers | Monterey 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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