12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 11-17, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com OUT AND PRIDE I appreciate the Monterey County Weekly’s coverage of the May 21 Seaside City Council meeting and would like to clarify my comments regarding the proposed LGBTQ+ sanctuary city designation (“Seaside council stops short of unanimous support for trans community,” May 28-June 3). My opposition was not directed toward LGBTQ+ individuals. During my remarks, I stated that Seaside already serves and protects all residents and that all people deserve fair treatment regardless of whether they are gay, straight or transgender. My primary concern was that neither the recommendation nor the discussion clearly explained what becoming an LGBTQ+ sanctuary city would mean in practice. As a resident and taxpayer, I believe it is reasonable to ask what legal, policy or financial effects such a designation would have and why it is necessary if our city already treats all residents fairly. People can support equal rights and dignity for everyone while still asking questions about public policy. For the record, I spoke as a private citizen and resident of Seaside. Tiffinie Meyer | Seaside Sara Rubin expressed “surprise” that anyone could disagree with the measure, and even shock at how passionately we expressed ourselves. Ms. Rubin remarked that our disagreement made us “ignorant” and “transphobic” and was proof the measure was needed because why? In case we devolve into anarchy and hate crimes? Her diatribe is lazy journalism, supported not by facts, but her own ignorance of who we are. Perhaps interview those with opposing views. When did espousing equality become something to be vilified? Seaside is a diverse community where residents are equally protected, as communicated even by Councilmember Alex Miller before the vote. Perhaps you could instead report on the contributions of the Neighborhood Improvement Commission for the enjoyment of all Seaside neighbors. Raymond Riordan | Seaside This is incredibly upsetting. Our trans and queer neighbors are loved and valued. Hate has no place here. Thank you for bringing this to everyone’s attention. Angie Roder Sonrode | Minneapolis, Minn. This makes me appreciate even more that I live in a city where we adopted a similar resolution and nobody really blinked an eye. To me, that’s what real inclusion looks like. When a community already values and protects people regardless of who they are, recognizing LGBTQ+ residents isn’t controversial—it’s simply an affirmation of the values the community already holds. The best outcome isn’t endless debate over whether people deserve dignity, respect and protection. The best outcome is when those principles are so widely accepted that acknowledging them feels routine rather than divisive. I’m proud to live in a community where treating everyone with respect isn’t a political flashpoint—it’s just who we are. Brian McCarthy | Marina FROM THE ASHES The letter also notes that to receive their possessions the residents release HACM from any liability related to the fire (“Months after the fire, displaced residents of Casanova Plaza gather outside the vacant complex to demand their possessions,” posted June 4). Why are they being forced to give up rights to recover from this fire? Simply devastating how the residents are being treated and that their legal property would be withheld for so long. Cate Goblirsch Lee | Pacific Grove ELECTION NIGHT I’m not surprised to see the Weekly use a photo of a group of progressive tax and spend voters to highlight the post (“Tax measures and a plan to boost council pay in P.G. trail in early election results,” June 4-10), instead of a photo of happy voters who defeated Measure C, a raise for the mayor and city council professing a policy that was not justified. Vince Tuminello | Pacific Grove Democrat or Republican, Glenn Church is an awesome county supervisor (“Early results show Glenn Church netting two-thirds of the vote for another term as county supervisor,” June 4-10). Smart, intuitive and listens. Belinda Taluban | via social media METERED APPROACH I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The surest way to drive away local customers is to have paid parking (“Carmel City Council majority asks for committee to study paid parking,” posted June 2). And by local, I mean all Monterey Peninsula residents, not just Carmelites. Remember, your shops are competing for business with shopping centers and other towns that offer free parking. If people have to mess with meters or whatever, they will take their business to the mouth of the valley or Del Monte Center or downtown P.G. Tourists will pay, of course, so only tourists will be shopping in Carmel just as tourists are pretty much all you see on Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row. James Toy | via web ROAD BLOCK Regarding the ongoing parking prohibitions at Bixby Creek Bridge, Hurricane Point and other iconic Big Sur locations (“Supes move forward with Bixby Bridge parking moratorium; start date uncertain,” posted May 20), now is the time to expand the Point Lobos shuttle concept to cover the entire distance to Big Sur. To divert, say, a third of current tourist traffic to a shuttle system, would require double-deck, 90-seat buses every 10-15 minutes during peak hours on peak days, plus an 800-1,000 space parking structure at Rio Road and Highway 1. This service could be financed by fares, parking charges, and $10-$15 tolls per tourist vehicle for those opting not to use the shuttles. The way to guarantee patronage is to permanently ban parking at Bixby Creek, Hurricane Point and other scenic locations where cars are a major nuisance and safety issue. Michael Setty | Napa (formerly Pacific Grove) 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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