10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 21-27, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com In recent weeks, parents of students in Greenfield Union and Alisal Union school districts have shown their discontent with staff changes. Both Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Greenfield and Frank Paul Elementary School in Salinas will have new principals in the upcoming school year. Parents and community members have mobilized, packing school district meetings and showing support for Emanuel Mercado and Miguel Porras, the outgoing principals from Greenfield and Alisal, respectively. People who spoke in support of Mercado included his family members. Some alleged that Mercado leaving the district was a forced resignation and retaliatory since he also applied for the superintendent position in 2025, something GUSD officials say they cannot confirm. “Any allegation regarding retaliation is false,” Superintendent Laura Cortez writes by email. Others spoke on Thursday, May 14 highlighting Mercado’s commitment to students and parents. “He’s the only principal that really does continue to have that open-door policy that’s honest with the parents, that is always there,” says Yanely Martinez, a former Greenfield City Council member whose daughter Africa Torres attends Cesar Chavez. He resigned and accepted a position at another school district, GUSD officials say. As Mercado wrote in a letter that GUSD officials shared on May 19, “I resigned from my position on my own accord.” That other district is Alisal Union, where Mercado will become the new principal at Frank Paul Elementary, where parents have objected to the AUSD board’s decision to remove Porras, the outgoing principal who has been there for 11 years. For over a month parents have protested, asking to keep Porras. “He has been a great leader throughout all these years we have spent with him, and we are trying to negotiate to have that situation revoked,” Maribel Clemente, a parent, says in Spanish. Lorena Mendoza is part of a group that met with AUSD Superintendent Monica Anzo and has reached out to members of the board. Mendoza says the group now has an effort underway to recall Area 1 trustee, Beatriz Perez. “The concerns raised involve a confidential personnel matter, which I am legally and ethically required to keep private,” Perez writes by email. “While I respect different views, I disagree with these efforts to bring an expensive special recall election.” While many parents have become more involved in decision-making processes at K-12 schools, the superintendent and the board are still the ones who make staffing decisions including hiring, terminating or reassigning positions. As Cortez notes, “Parents, as non-employees of the district, are not directly included or involved in personnel decisions.” Paper is up in the windows of Bulldog Sports Pub in Monterey after the bar closed down as of May 11. The closure has left many regulars wondering what happened, less than four years after undergoing a $390,000 remodel. The pub had been in business since 2005. According to business partner Ash Shoukru, the pub’s lease is in co-owner Mike Joseph Feeny’s name but the business is still incorporated under late co-owner Christine Kerr’s name. Kerr was found dead on Aug. 20, 2023 in her home in the Deer Flats neighborhood of Monterey, following a drug overdose. Shoukru says that because Kerr’s lawyers never filed a probate case, it leaves her estate—including the business—in limbo. The pub’s lease at its current location, 611 Lighthouse Ave., is set to expire on May 31, leaving Shoukru and Feeny with a limited amount of time to determine what to do next. Feeny is also named on the liquor license according to California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control records, but Shoukru says that if a lease were to be renewed, the pub would be without an active liquor license for at least 90 days. In the days leading up to the apparent closure, activities continued as usual. The pub hosted a line dancing night on May 8, where a bartender stated she was aware of the impending closure but unclear about what will happen to the bar’s long-term future. The pub’s signs and flags have been removed from the building, but Shoukru says he is discussing next steps with lawyers, which may include relocating if they can find a new location. Turn Over Parents demand principals in Salinas and Greenfield schools be reinstated. By Celia Jiménez NEWS SERVE THE PUBLIC Pacific Grove residents are invited to apply for a vacancy on the City Council. The term runs through the end of 2026. Applications accepted through Friday, May 22. Free. (831) 648-3106, cityofpacificgrove.org. BOOK IT Monterey County Elections hosts a series of voting opportunities throughout the county. “Books & Ballots” is a chance for residents to vote in-person, drop off ballots or register conditionally to vote. 1-6pm Friday, May 22 at King City Library, 402 Broadway St. 1-6pm Tuesday, May 26 at Carmel Valley Library, 65 W. Carmel Valley Road. 2-6pm Wednesday, May 27 at CVS, 17579 Vierra Canyon Road, Prunedale. Free. (831) 796-1499, countyofmonterey.gov/elections. WATER WAYS Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency is accepting applications to serve on six Subbasin Committees. The committees serve in an advisory capacity to the board of directors. Applications due Friday, May 22. Free. (831) 471-7519, svbgsa.org. SPRUCE UP Friends of Seaside Parks Association organizes weekly work days to clean up and maintain parks throughout the city. 10am-noon Saturday, May 23. Lincoln Cunningham Park, San Pablo Avenue between Lincoln Street and Yerba Buena Court, Seaside. Free. friendsofseasideparks.org. BUILDING A BUDGET Monterey County Board of Supervisors will discuss the county’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Public input is accepted. 9am Wednesday, May 27. Board of Supervisors chambers, 168 W. Alisal St., first floor, Salinas. Free. (831) 7555025, countyofmonterey.gov. PUBLIC HOUSE Share your input on the future of Marina’s public facilities. City officials are preparing to place a utility users tax on the November ballot to help fund new facilities. 6pm Wednesday, May 27. Marina City Hall, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. (831) 884-1278, cityofmarina.org. HERE FOR HEALTH Monterey County Behavioral Health Commission meets to discuss the Behavioral Health Services Act. The BHSA provides funding for programs that support mental health care. 5:30pm Thursday, May 28. Marina Training Center, 299 12th St., Marina. Free. Also via Zoom. (831) 755-4510, bit.ly/MCBHSAmeeting. Lights Out The Bulldog Sports Pub abruptly closes, leaving many wondering what happened. By Sloan Campi Parents and community members gathered at the Greenfield Union School District board meeting on Thursday, May 14 asking to keep Emanuel Mercado as principal. E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN “He has been a great leader throughout all these years.” CELIA JIMÉNEZ
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