10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS A community of renters living at 450 Jayne St., a 3.3-acre property with 30 two-bedroom apartments and three mobile homes located on the outskirts of King City, are fed up with the state of the apartments they live in. They organized a protest outside of their homes on Monday, June 22 demanding improved living conditions after what they say are months of no response from the property manager, Salinas-based TGO Co. Ofelia González, a tenant who lives there with her husband and three children, pays $2,000 for a two-bedroom apartment. Their unit has holes in the floor, a wobbly toilet and outdoor faucets were shut off. The tenants are low-income families, many of them farmworkers from the Mixteco community. The nonprofit Center for Community Advocacy helped tenants get in touch with TGO in an effort to address more than 50 issues they have found, including broken or unsafe heaters, mold, electrical issues and cockroach infestations. CCA became aware of the issues about a year ago and began working intensively with the tenants in March. In April and May a lawyer sent letters on behalf of the tenants seeking to get the issues addressed, to no avail. In cases where repairs were made—as was the case with González and Elizabeth, a neighbor who asked to be identified by first name—electrical wiring got needed attention but tenants say they were charged for the service the following month. Some tenants lack legal immigration status and are reluctant to speak up. “TGO Co. has shown lack of concern for the issues brought forth by the families,” CCA said in a statement. TGO did not respond by the Weekly’s deadline. Homing In Tenants of a property in King City demand better living conditions. By Celia Jiménez Over the last month, videos have proliferated on social media linking one company, Driscoll’s, to increases in childhood cancer tied to toxic strawberries. “So your favorite strawberries are giving you cancer,” Luke Hillman, who posts as @lukestoptalking, said in an Instagram video that garnered nearly 3 million views and thousands of comments. “We just allow our food to be sprayed with poison and kill kids cause we can’t get a boycott together.” This video is one of many that erupted online after the release of a report in May by Mamavation, a consumer advocacy website founded by Leah Segedie to help women make safer purchasing decisions. Driscoll’s is the world’s largest berry marketer, working with a network of independent growers around the world, from Europe to Mexico, who produce both organic and conventionally grown fruit. The company then sells that fruit to major retailers like Whole Foods and Safeway. For its report, Mamavation tested two boxes of Driscoll’s strawberries—one organic and one conventional—from a grocery store in Southern California. The samples were screened for over 500 pesticides, including pesticides approved for organic use. The conventional strawberries tested positive for 12 pesticides, eight of which contained PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” No pesticides were detected in the organic sample. The report states that scientific review was performed by Dr. Craig Downs, a forensic ecotoxicologist and environmental chemist based out of Virginia, and that testing was performed at an EPA-certified laboratory. Misinformation swirled online alongside long-standing environmental and public health concerns in agricultural communities. “We are here today to send a message to Driscoll’s, to the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner and California regulators,” Omar Dieguez told a crowd gathered outside Driscoll’s headquarters in Watsonville on Wednesday, June 17. Dieguez, an activist from Greenfield, completed a 30-day fast in 2025 to draw attention to pesticide use near schools and residential areas. “Protect our children, protect our farmworkers, protect our air, water, land. For too long, communities in Pajaro Valley have carried the burden of an agricultural system that relies on toxic pesticides, while corporations continue to profit,” he said. Other speakers described multiple cancer diagnoses in their families, asthma and more. Pajaro Valley, which straddles Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, is home to a significant share of strawberry production. Monterey County alone produces roughly one-quarter of strawberries consumed nationwide. Driscoll’s large market share, coupled with high cancer rates in Santa Cruz County, has drawn scrutiny. Far fewer strawberries are grown in Santa Cruz County—about 2,640 acres—but data from the National Cancer Institute show it ranks third in California for cancer incidence across all ages and races. Monterey County ranks 42nd among 58 counties. Driscoll’s responded by pointing to an updated review by Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency clarifying childhood cancer rates were not significantly higher than rates seen across California. People gathered in front of Driscoll’s Watsonville headquarters on Wednesday, June 17, protesting pesticide use in the Pajaro Valley and protection for nearby schools. Mixed Berries Debate over strawberry safety grows amid viral videos and pesticide reports. By Katie Rodriguez A resident at 450 Jayne St. in King City shows a broken cabinet in an area of the kitchen affected by mold. Tenants say complaints have gone unaddressed, or those that do result in a bill. “We are here today to send a message to Driscoll’s.” KATIE RODRIGUEZ DANIEL DREIFUSS
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