JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT TREES FROM SPACE 6 | OFF SCREEN AT OSIO 13 | BREAKING (AND BRAIDING) BREAD 36 A new book rethinks California’s history and development through the lens of fisheries. p. 18 By Pam Marino On the Half Shell
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 • ISSUE #1982 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Ming Yu (Canon R5 and F2.8 16-35MM lens) Clear skies on July 16 reveal the Milky Way shining over Bixby Bridge. MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@montereycountynow.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: A new book about the history of fishing in California, Tin Can Coast, chronicles how overfishing and harvesting impacted species. After sea otters were nearly hunted into extinction, abalone flourished and became another commodity. Cover photo: Karen Loutzenheiser etc. Copyright © 2026 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $300 yearly, pre-paid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountynow.com. Audited by CVC. FOUNDER & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@montereycountynow.com (x103) PUBLISHER Erik Cushman erik@montereycountynow.com (x125) EDITORIAL EDITOR Sara Rubin sara@montereycountynow.com (x120) ASSOCIATE EDITOR Erik Chalhoub ec@montereycountynow.com (x135) FEATURES EDITOR Dave Faries dfaries@montereycountynow.com (x110) SENIOR STAFF WRITER Pam Marino pam@montereycountynow.com (x106) STAFF WRITER Celia Jiménez celia@montereycountynow.com (x145) STAFF WRITER Agata Pope¸da aga@montereycountynow.com (x138) STAFF WRITER Katie Rodriguez (California Local News Fellow) katie@montereycountynow.com (x102) STAFF WRITER Aric Sleeper aric@montereycountynow.com (x127) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Daniel Dreifuss daniel@montereycountynow.com (x140) DIGITAL PRODUCER Sloan Campi sloan@montereycountynow.com (x105) EDITOR/SALINAS VALLEY NOW Joseph Treviño joseph@salinasvalleynow.com STAFF WRITER/SALINAS VALLEY NOW Royvi Hernandez royvi@salinasvalleynow.com (x140) CONTRIBUTORS Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Robert Daniels, Tonia Eaton, Jesse Herwitz, Luz Rimban, Jacqueline Weixel, Paul Wilner CARTOONS Rob Rogers, Tom Tomorrow PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Loutzenheiser karen@montereycountynow.com (x108) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Jewell kevinj@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Annie Cobb annie@montereycountynow.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lani Headley lani@montereycountynow.com (x114) SALES SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Diane Glim diane@montereycountynow.com (x124) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE George Kassal george@montereycountynow.com (x122) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Keith Bruecker keith@montereycountynow.com (x118) CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Keely Richter keely@montereycountynow.com (x123) DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Kevin Smith kevin@montereycountynow.com (x119) DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION AT Arts Co. atartsco@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION CONTROL Harry Neal BUSINESS/FRONT OFFICE OFFICE MANAGER Linda Maceira linda@montereycountynow.com (x101) BOOKKEEPING Rochelle Trawick 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, CA 93955 831-394-5656, (FAX) 831-394-2909 www.montereycountynow.com We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountynow.com. NEWS • ARTS • ENTERTAINMENT • FOOD • DRINK • CALENDAR Subscribe to the newsletter @ montereycountynow.com/subscribe READ MORE NOW ONLINE NEWSLETTER Go to montereycountynow.com LOCAL NEWS EVERYDAY AT MONTEREY COUNTY NOW
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 Like a lot of you, we were born at Community Hospital. montagehealth.org It was the doctors at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula that brought Montage Health into the world. Our goal was to deliver exceptional care to more people, more effectively, by expanding beyond the hospital and into the community. Today, we’re much more than a hospital. We’re urgent care centers, wellness centers, primary care doctors, health insurance plans, and a groundbreaking mental health program for youth. Community Hospital is still our beating heart and a great place to be born.
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH The White House Correspondents Association’s dinner is back on Friday, July 24 after it was abruptly ended by an alleged gunman who stormed the venue in April. New York Times reporter Tyler Pager, who was one of four journalists subpoenaed by the Department of Justice on July 10 over their reporting on security issues surrounding President Donald Trump’s Qatari-donated jet, will receive an award for “the most fair, impartial, objective news reporting.” “It is blindingly obvious to anybody with a pulse that Trump ordered these subpoenas himself,” Trevor Timm, executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told the Columbia Journalism Review. “The idea of celebrating the First Amendment with Trump in the room without any sort of strong pushback is somewhat absurd.” More than 250 journalists signed a petition to urge the WHCA to use the event to oppose “President Trump’s efforts to trample the freedom of the press.” In a statement, the WHCA said it “stands with the New York Times reporters who were targeted for doing their jobs to uphold the public’s right to know how its government operates.” Good: Good news for people curious about the literature, history and influence of John Steinbeck in Monterey County: Free walking tours of Cannery Row that launched weekly in February are now scheduled to take place daily from July 22-Aug. 8 due to popular demand. “They fill up within 24 hours,” says John Holland, the tour guide and president of The Steinbeck Experience, a nascent nonprofit with aspirations to eventually create a brick-and-mortar space. (Guests can register in advance at steinbeckexperience.org.) The 90-minute tours now start at 10am daily at the Cannery Row monument and focus on real physical spaces identifiable in fiction. So far, Holland estimates about two-thirds of guests have been locals. “We serve anyone from a Steinbeck newbie to a Steinbeck scholar,” he adds. “You do not have to be a Steinbeck expert or even a fan to get something out of it.” GREAT: No matter how big or small, every city can do its part in addressing the state’s housing crisis. Sand City may be tiny, but its efforts to build housing add up in the long run. On July 15, the city announced it was designated as a Prohousing Jurisdiction by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The recognition is reserved for those jurisdictions that “go above-and-beyond state housing law to help accelerate housing production,” according to the HCD. The Sand City City Council authorized the city to participate in the program in August 2024, and since then, staff has worked with the HCD to refine its policies to support housing production. The designation gives Sand City a leg up in grant applications for housing and other community development projects. Sand City joins Salinas and Marina as the three jurisdictions in Monterey County to achieve the recognition. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY That’s the square footage of a new career technical education facility now under construction at Hartnell College’s Soledad center on July 16. Once complete, it will include a diesel and heavy-equipment training shop, classrooms, a mechanical lab, welding bays and more. Source: Hartnell Community College 9,700 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We didn’t understand to what magnitude they would respond.” -Mayra Gomez, business development manager at the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex, reflecting on the World Cup tailgate parties that drew more than 10,000 people (see story, montereycountynow.com/newsletter). MO MANDEL RYAN RODRIGUEZ DAUOOD NAIMYAR JOIN US FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT OF COMEDY LIVE FROM THE BARREL ROOM. FRIDAY JULY 24 www.folktalewinery.com MORE GREAT TICKETED EXPERIENCES COMING SOON Bubbles, Brunch & Beats Dine in The Vines An elevated brunch experience accompanied by smooth grooves. Fine dining paired with amazing wines among a beautiful setting in the vines. DAUOOD NAIMYAR MO MANDEL RODRIGUEZ
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 Your care, your baby, our focus Having a child is one of life’s most significant events. We o er nationally recognized patient-centered care from pre-natal screenings through delivery and beyond. Our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is equipped to treat amongst the most medically fragile of babies. Like generations of families, you can rely on us for comprehensive and compassionate maternity care for both mother and newborn. Learn more at SalinasValleyHealth.com/maternity Call 831-757-DOCS or one of our clinics today to schedule an appointment. MATERNITY & FAMILY-CENTERED CARE Salinas Valley Health Medical Center 450 East Romie Lane, Salinas 831-757-4333 Obstetrics & Gynecology 250 San Jose Street, Salinas 831-758-8223 PrimeCare 355 Abbott Street, Suite 100, Salinas 831-751-7070 Anastasia Klick, MD
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 831 Fifty years ago, Monterey came out to witness the planting of a tree. Officials from the City of Monterey, U.S. Forest Service and others gathered in Friendly Plaza near Colton Hall on July 27, 1976 to help place a 2-foot-tall redwood seedling into the dirt. While most people have touched a tree before, not many at the time could say they touched a tree whose seed flew into space and orbited the moon. This is Monterey’s “moon tree,” grown from one of 2,000 or so seeds carried by astronaut Stuart Roosa as he orbited the moon in a command module during the Apollo 14 mission in February 1971. And now, five decades later, that once-fragile seedling towers over the plaza and an area as historic as itself. Since then, many who have passed through can say they have touched something that’s been out of this world, just like those few people all those years ago. Michele Ostovar is a Pacific Grove resident who works for the NASA History Office, and on the eve of the moon tree’s 50th anniversary, she’s been helping update NASA’s website that tracks where all the trees are today, and which ones have fallen to the sands of time. When the trees were being planted in the 1970s, there was no documentation listing where they went, and how cities in the U.S. and around the world were chosen to be their permanent home. As such, how Monterey got a seedling is mostly a mystery. A plaque at the bottom of the tree today notes it is “dedicated to the people of Monterey to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States of America and for the enjoyment of all future generations by the California Division of Forestry and the Society of American Foresters.” It wasn’t until the 1990s when NASA scientist David Williams got an inquiry from an Indiana teacher, asking for more information about the moon trees, which sparked an official list. Despite an incident during the decontamination procedures when the astronauts returned to Earth, when the seed bags burst and scattered on the ground, the seeds produced viable trees. Today, Ostovar says NASA knows of the locations of less than 100 trees that are still alive. There were five different species of seeds included in Roosa’s personal kit, and 150 of those were redwood. Twenty germinated at the U.S. Forest Service’s nursery in Placerville, but only 16 survived their first year. Now, there are only nine known redwoods in California, according to Ostovar. Second-generation trees from those moon travelers have also been planted throughout the world, with the most recently known seed planted in 2011 in Italy. The legacy of the moon trees continued with the 2022 Artemis I mission, where seeds traveled into lunar orbit and spent four weeks in space. Schools, museums and other organizations were invited to apply for a seed. Greenfield Union School District was one of the stewards approved, and its sequoia seedling was planted at Mary Chapa Academy in 2024. More seeds also recently returned home from the Artemis II mission, whose four-person crew were the first humans to fly around the moon in more than 50 years. That included pilot Victor Glover, who visited his alma mater, the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, on June 16 to speak to a full audience at King Hall. Glover was the first person of color to travel out of lunar orbit and around the moon. “My younger self was not capable of envisioning all of this, so what I would tell my younger self is, it’s going to be OK because you’re going to put in the work and let him figure it out,” Glover says. “He figured it out and I would give him support more than I would give him advice to not change the outcome.” The packed room at NPS speaks to the amount of interest in Artemis II. Ostovar, who manages the NASA History social media channels, says viewership has spiked in recent months. “It was really exciting to see how much engagement we got from the general public,” she says. “It was a very special time.” Staff Writer Royvi Hernandez contributed to this article. Space Roots Monterey’s moon tree hits 50 and a new one grows in Greenfield, amid renewed interest in the natural satellite. By Erik Chalhoub NASA knows the locations of less than 100 trees. TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS Michele Ostovar of Pacific Grove, who works for the NASA History Office, says the moon trees planted 50 years ago, including the one in Monterey, are some of the last living beings that flew around the moon during the Apollo era. Business is Better Together CONNECT. GROW. BELONG. Build meaningful connections, increase your visibility, and access the resources your business needs to thrive. Join the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce today! montereychamber.com • info@montereychamber.com • 831.648.5350 JOIN NOW
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 7 www.MontereyWaterInfo.org/WaterChallenge 2 High Efficiency Clothes Washers 1 High Efficiency Dishwasher • 4 Apple iPads 2 Gift Certificates / Local Nursery • 2 Monterey Zoo Family Tickets 4 Cinemark Movie Gift Cards • 1 0 Visa Gift Cards 25 PRIZES! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. The sweepstakes is open only to California-American Water Company water customers in the Monterey County District of California who complete and submit a Summer Splash Water Challenge Giveaway entry form (“gameboard”) with correct answers by mail postmarked by July 31, 2026, to MPWMD Summer Splash, P.O. Box 85, Monterey CA, 93942 or online at www.montereywaterinfo.org/waterchallenge by July 31, 2026 and who are at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry. Start: 12:01 a.m. PDT on 7/1/2026; deadline: 11:59 p.m. PDT on 7/31/2026. Two (2) Winners will receive a High Efficiency Clothes Washer (ARV $900), one (1) Winner will receive a High Efficiency Dishwasher (ARV $700), four (4) Winners will receive an Apple iPad (ARV $470), two (2) Winners will receive a $200 gift certificate/card to a local plant nursery (ARV $200), ten (10) Winners will receive a $100 Visa Gift Card (ARV $100), two (2) Winners will receive a Monterey Zoo Family Ticket (ARV $160), four (4) Winners will receive a Cinemark Movie Gift Card (ARV $50). SPONSORS: The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, 5 Harris Ct, Bldg. G, Monterey, CA 93940 and California-American Water Company, 511 Forest Lodge Road, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT!
8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS The Monterey County Office of Education board voted 6-0 to approve Big Sur Charter School’s petition to become a countywide charter school. (Trustee Mary Claypool abstained.) The June 10 decision by MCOE happened a day after the board of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District denied the school’s request for a five-year charter renewal, citing concerns about a lack of diversity among the student population and the absence of a plan in its petition to address this issue. The MPUSD board voted against district staff’s recommendation based on Big Sur Charter’s “high-performing status” since it has success outcomes. “This should have been approved last night,” MCOE Trustee John McPherson said in moving to approve the countywide petition. “It makes the best sense to have it organized in a way that gives us the best opportunity to be successful going forward.” The school, which serves transitional kindergarten through eighth grade, has been around since 2008. It offers a hybrid educational program, providing in-person instruction and homebased assignments. “They do have a unique model. They are the only one that currently runs the hybrid model,” Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss said. A countywide petition has the advantage of not having geographical limitations. It can move to a different location within the county boundaries and can accept students from the entire county, not just within MPUSD. The charter was set to expire on June 30. MPUSD’s denial left Big Sur Charter with two options: appeal to MCOE, or seek a countywide charter from MCOE. Beyond the Line After denial by MPUSD, Big Sur Charter School becomes a countywide charter school. By Celia Jiménez As the former Fort Ord was divvied up for development since it closed in 1994, in 2008 a vacant lot next door to the Veterans Transition Center on Imjin Parkway in Marina was put up for sale. At the time, Salinas Valley Health District officials thought it would make a good location for a medical building. They bought it for $2.75 million in 2010. Eighteen years later, the health care landscape has changed, as well as the district’s financial needs. On May 28 the SVH Board of Directors voted 4-0 to declare the 5.6-acre lot— now valued at $7.5 million—as surplus land, in accordance with California’s Surplus Land Act, giving the district the ability to offer it for sale with priority given to affordable housing development. A 60-day period began on June 1, during which the district may entertain offers from interested parties. If any entity does make an offer, the district will have 90 days to negotiate in good faith the sale of the land. Under the law, the district must send notices to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey and affordable housing developers registered with HCD. Others that must be notified include parks and recreation and school districts. If a buyer intends to build housing, at least 25 percent of the units must be designated for very low- to low-income households. If there are multiple developers, first priority goes to the proposal with the greatest number of affordable units. At the time SVH acquired the lot, there were limited health care facilities serving Marina. And although the lot isn’t located within district boundaries, it wasn’t far from its boundary north of Reservation Road. A report from SVH legal counsel Matthew Ottone noted “significant development” that has occurred since 2010, including the opening of the Montage Wellness Center and MoGo urgent care across Imjin Parkway, plus the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic, just a mile away on 9th Street. The memo also acknowledges the anticipated construction of a facility by Kaiser Permanente, which purchased land in The Dunes near Second Avenue and Divarty Street in 2025. The recommendation to the board was that with adequate health care infrastructure now in Marina, SVH should focus its resources on the Salinas Valley. “Salinas Valley Health has done incredible work expanding access to quality health care services in the Salinas Valley, South County and with our mobile clinic,” a spokesperson for SVH says. “As we enter an even more financially challenging environment with plans to expand our emergency department, the Marina property is a valuable asset. The board has triggered the necessary process to explore options that would advance our mission in the community.” The SVH Foundation is currently conducting a $10 million capital campaign to replace an existing administration building with an all-new 40-bed emergency department. The current emergency department, built in 1980, was designed to handle 15,000 patients a year. As of last year the 17-bed department was seeing 65,000 visits annually. The goal is to start construction in 2027 and open in 2030. Salinas Valley Health acquired this vacant 5.6-acre property for $2.75 million in 2010. With a shifting health care landscape, the district is now seeking to sell it. Surplus Economics The Salinas Valley Health Board puts up a vacant lot in Marina for possible sale—and housing. By Pam Marino Big Sur Charter School will need to look for a new facility because its lease in Monterey expires in the near future. As a countywide charter it can now locate anywhere in Monterey County. “The Marina property is a valuable asset.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 Last Week for Nominations On Earth Nominations open July 9 - 26 The Bestest Show Best of Monterey County® Cast your Vote: MontereyCountyNow.com/BestOf
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com To make the role of city councilmember more appealing to Seaside citizens of all income levels, the council voted in 2025 to increase the pay for councilmembers, which had remained stagnant at $400 per month since 1986. The raises came on the heels of State Senate Bill 329, passed in 2023, which increased the monthly salary caps for city council members in relation to population. For example, in cities with populations up to 35,000, like Seaside, members are allowed up to $950/month, or “an amount equal to 5 percent for each calendar year from the operative date of the last adjustment of the salary in effect when the ordinance or amendment is enacted.” Seaside city staff, based on the 5-percent yearly increase from 1986 to 2024, landed on a raise of just over $2,400 per month. An ordinance was adopted in May 2025, which included the $2,400 monthly amount and a $300 monthly automobile stipend for the mayor. The mayor and council members began to collect the salaries in June 2025. A year later, a resident contacted the city with a question regarding the ordinance. “Staff took the inquiry seriously and immediately initiated an internal review,” Seaside City Manager Greg McDanel says. The city retained outside legal counsel, who identified two legal issues. The $2,400 amount, based on compounding the percentage increase, was incorrect, and the pay raises should not have taken effect until one or more members of the City Council begin a new term and are sworn into office in December. On July 16, City Council adopted an ordinance immediately returning council compensation to $400 and a second ordinance establishing the correct pay, calculated at $1,180 per month. The city will also retain an independent accountant to establish a repayment process for the roughly $26,000 overpaid to each official. Councilmember Alex Miller was the sole dissenting vote. “My reasoning was straightforward: Since the application of the percentage formula was botched originally and had already created confusion, I felt it was prudent to avoid relying on that same calculation again,” he says. McDanel says that while this situation is unfortunate, it demonstrates the importance of accountability in local government. “Our focus continues to be ensuring compliance with California law, protecting the public’s trust and making the City whole through a transparent process.” In June, the Pacific Grove City Council heard an annual staff vacancy report, required by the state. According to the report, the city averaged vacancies of 12.5 percent in 2025. The P.G. Police Department averaged nearly 18 percent. Members of the Pacific Grove Police Officers Association (POA) contended that the situation looks better on paper than in reality. “The numbers do not reflect what officers face on the street every day,” POA President Sgt. Paul Nagamine said. “There is a significant difference between a position on paper and an officer available to answer calls for service.” According to the POA, PGPD is supposed to have 20 sworn officers, including four sergeants, four corporals, eight officers, two detectives, one traffic officer and one school resource officer. Officers must be fully trained and not be on light duty or extended leave. In 2025, there were 15 officers available for duty in January and February. The numbers continued to decrease each month until there were less than 15 officers, then fewer than 10 in September and October, a 60-percent vacancy rate. “That is not safe for the community, because on a typical shift with 60 percent officers there’s only one supervisor and one officer for the entire city during a 12-hour shift,” said Officer Robert Rutledge, POA secretary. He called it unsafe for the community as well as for officers. The POA asked for the council’s help in adding more staffing, but Mayor Nick Smith offered little hope the city will be able to fill vacancies anytime soon. “We’re always trying to do what’s best for our employees and what’s best for retention, but as everybody knows there’s a lot of economic upheaval, a housing crisis. We have to balance the budget,” Smith said. “I feel it is an investment, but we also have to make difficult decisions.” The POA filed a grievance on how pay raises are handled. That grievance was denied, and POA appealed. On July 15 the council voted 5-0 (with two councilmembers absent) to deny the appeal. Pay Back After an error was found, Seaside council members must return $26,000. By Aric Sleeper NEWS ORD’S LATEST Learn about the ongoing cleanup of the former Fort Ord. Technical staff will provide updates and offer bus tours of areas currently closed off to the public. 9am-1pm Saturday, July 25. Building 4522, Joe Lloyd Way, Seaside. Free. (800) 852-9699, fortordcleanup.com. ON THE BALLOT The candidate filing period for the November election is underway. Get help with the forms from Monterey County Elections Office staff during upcoming Books and Ballots events. 11am-5pm Wednesday, July 29 at Castroville Library, 11160 Speegle St.; Thursday, July 30 at Carmel Valley library, 65 W. Carmel Valley Road; Friday, July 31 at King City library, 402 Broadway St. Free. Make an appointment by calling (831) 796-1499. countyofmonterey.gov/elections. OPEN DOOR Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez hosts an open house. The winners of the painting and photography competition “We Are Southern Monterey County” will be unveiled. 5:30pm Thursday, July 30. District 3 Office, 1011 Broadway St., Suite C, King City. Free. RSVP at (831) 7555033 or pelayoE@countyofmonterey. gov. TALK OF THE TOWN Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church hosts a town hall meeting for Prunedale, Royal Oaks and Elkhorn residents. Ask questions and express concerns about issues in the communities. 5:30-7pm Thursday, July 30. Prunedale Grange Hall, 17890 Moro Road, Salinas. Free. (831) 755-5022, glennchurch.com. A DIFFERENT NAME The City of Salinas is planning to rename Cesar Chavez Library and Cesar Chavez Park. The public is invited to submit proposed names. Deadline is Aug. 14. bit.ly/ SalinasCCRenaming. ELEMENTAL INSIGHT The County of Monterey released a draft environmental impact report for its proposed Housing Element. The public is asked to weigh in on the report. Public review period ends Aug. 31. countyofmonterey.gov/ GeneralPlanUpdates. HELPING HANDS Closer Walk, an outreach center that serves unhoused people, is in need of clothing, snacks or monetary donations. Donate new or gently used clothing. 9-11am weekdays. Closer Walk, 22 Soledad St., Salinas. (831) 595-3165. P.G. Blues Pacific Grove has struggled to keep its police department fully staffed due to budget challenges. By Pam Marino Alex Miller voted against a corrected pay formula, preferring a flat $950: “I believed it would provide a clear, easily understood solution and reduce the risk of errors.” E-MAIL: publiccitizen@montereycountynow.com PUBLIC CITIZEN Roughly $26,000 was overpaid to each official. DANIEL DREIFUSS
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 the right path to play. SEEMONTEREY.COM/RIGHTPATH Please be sure that whatever you pack in, you pack out. Protect the destination. SM HalfPgAd 9.5wX5.57h.indd 1 7/21/26 4:18 PM PREVENTION•EDUCATION TREATMENT•RECOVERY WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER? JOIN THE STEPS PROGRAM THIS SUMMER AND RECEIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS OR JOB OPPORTUNITIES. MEETINGS ARE TAKING PLACE IN SALINAS, SEASIDE, & SOLEDAD. WWW.SUNSTREETCENTERS.ORG EARN3.50APY*% 9-MONTH CERTIFICATE LIMITED-TIME OFFER 831.647.1000 www.montereycu.com APY = annual percentage yield. Minimum opening deposit $10,000. Maximum $20,000,000. Limit to one promotional share certi cate per member. O er available for limited time starting 06/16/2026 and subject to change or cancellation without notice. Early withdrawal penalties apply.
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com Every two to seven years, El Niño generates buzz among scientists, government officials and communities wondering what impacts it could have across California. With another El Niño event underway, Brian Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Monterey office, says it’s important to understand what the climate pattern is, and what it isn’t. “El Niño is not weather,” Garcia says. “It is an anomalous area of warm sea-surface temperature water across the equatorial Pacific. It can have an outsized influence on how weather acts around the world, but it doesn’t make the weather itself.” El Niño “tilts the odds” toward wetter winters, he says, but doesn’t guarantee an extreme winter everywhere. On July 9, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said there was an 81-percent chance of a “very strong” El Niño from October through December, and expected to persist into early spring. “When we go back and look at previous ‘very strong’ events, each of those behaved somewhat differently,” Garcia says. In Monterey County specifically, El Niño could manifest in a wetter winter, though scientists won’t know how severe impacts could be until individual storms are much closer. It could bring larger swells, higher water levels and increased coastal erosion as unusually warm water off Mexico fuels tropical storms in the Eastern Pacific. And it could also mean thunderstorms, even as peak fire season continues. “We are still very much in fire season,” says Kelsey Scanlon, director of emergency management. She explains they stay in constant contact with fire, law and National Weather Service partners year-round. Since the 2023 Pajaro flood (which occurred before the last El Niño), the County has invested in swiftwater rescue teams and high-water vehicles. “Whether it’s the driest winter ever or the worst winter ever, we still have the same capabilities that we’ve been investing into for the last decade,” Scanlon says. At a meeting of the Big Sur MultiAgency Advisory Council on Friday, July 17, officials said the U.S. Forest Service is planning prescribed burns in Los Padres National Forest and forming an internal task force to plan for El Niño-related impacts on trails and roads. The risk of landslides are elevated during El Niño events. “At Regents, we’re trying to be proactive in light of what storm systems are saying are coming,” Aaron Henkel from Caltrans said. The nonprofit Community Association of Big Sur has been encouraging neighbors to restock supplies, prepare for extended power outages and make sure they’re ready for periods of isolation if roads close. “That kind of preparedness has always been part of living in Big Sur,” CABS Executive Director Rachel Goldberger said in a statement to the Weekly. “We held one exercise this spring and have another planned for the fall to help coordinate our response to scenarios like landslides or extended road closures that could isolate Big Sur. Every disaster is different, so flexibility is key.” Winter is Coming Monterey County officials remain flexible as an El Niño event is underway. By Katie Rodriguez A PG&E crew member inspects the damage to a power line in Pacific Grove during a 2024 winter storm. NEWS “El Niño is not weather.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Insured by NCUA 1The dividend rate and Annual Percentage Yield (APY) are accurate as of 07/14/2026. The dividend rate and APY may change at any time. There is no minimum balance required to earn the stated APY. The minimum deposit for the 19-month certificate special is $500. The APY is based on an assumption that dividends will remain in the account until maturity. Any fee, withdrawal or transfer reduces earnings and there may be penalties for early withdrawal. This certificate is not extended to organization accounts. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Call 1-877-GOLDEN 1 (1-877-465-3361) for current rates. 0726-MTW Visit a branch, call 1-877-465-3361 or scan to learn more Limited-time offer 4.15% with a Term Savings Certificate Earn up to APY1 Saturday, August 1st, 2026 Temporary Special Event Questions: (831) 649-7657 JOB FAIR Scan to Apply Human Resources Offices 2790 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach, CA 93953 Interviews on the Spot The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the week of August 10-16. Applicants must be able to work Friday, August 14 - Sunday, August 16. 8 A.M. – Noon Open Positions Bartenders, bussers, cooks, servers, shuttle drivers, stewards, and more. Please come prepared to provide proof of employment eligibility.
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 When, in September 2025, a group of local movie enthusiasts started the Osio Arts Foundation hoping to resurrect the beloved Osio Theater in downtown Monterey, some thought they were shooting for the stars—after all, there had been attempts to reopen the cinema before. But the group quickly dove into lease negotiations with the building owner, Green Valley Corporation based in San Jose. They started two GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for the effort. They incorporated as a nonprofit. After a walkthrough and a decision to take the space more or less as is, they estimated an opening six months after the lease was signed. “We are shooting for [a] late 2026 opening,” Brant Wilkinson wrote on May 31. Wilkinson, a retired Monterey teacher, spearheaded the project and served as the board’s treasurer. That was until mid-July, when Wilkinson resigned from the foundation board, accusing the landlord of acting in bad faith. “I became concerned about the condition of the building and whether major building systems including HVAC, electrical plumbing and other are maintained as required under Green Valley Corporation’s ground lease with the City of Monterey.” (The City owns the land under Osio Plaza.) Sam Al-Maqtari joined the Osio board as vice president. After Wilkinson’s resignation, he began serving as president. Until July 21, Al-Maqtari said the intention was to continue as planned, and that six of the foundation’s 10 board members remained, including founding member Patrice Parks, another retired teacher. At the group’s first meeting back in September, Parks introduced Wilkinson: “Brant is the man of the hour and the heart and soul of this whole crazy scheme to get the Osio back open,” she said. Then on Tuesday, July 21, Al-Maqtari reports the board held an emergency meeting and decided dissolve itself. About $85,000 from 170 donations combined are sitting in the GoFundMe accounts, which now appear inactive and display messages announcing that the project is off and refunds are being issued. “That was not the board’s decision,” Al-Maqtari said prior to the July 21 vote to disband. “As much of a visionary [Wilkinson] is, he is a retired teacher who has no experience with how a nonprofit works.” Wilkinson was surprised by the foundation plans to continue working with Green Valley, and that it was not planning to immediately reimburse donors. They gave money for a plan that now, in Wilkinson’s estimation, failed. A chunk of those funds came from his family members; he says he will make sure everybody is refunded. “I had to make a moral decision,” he says. Just hours earlier, Al-Maqtari was optimistic about the reopening timeline. “Nothing is off the table. If something changes in our current plan, we will let people know.” Film Jam Amid resignation and money questions, Osio board votes to dissolve and abandon theater revival effort. By Agata Popęda Original board members from the Osio Arts Foundation toured the empty theaters and former Cafe Lumiere in September 2025. NEWS “I had to make a moral decision.” STEVE SOUZA
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 23-29, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com COP WATCH The County says they don’t have the money to properly repair the roads but they can come up with $500,000 to create an oversight committee to hover over the sheriff (“Board of Supervisors moves forward with Sheriff’s Office oversight committee,” July 16-22). It’s very suspicious when all this happens after a discussion involving ICE. The County of Monterey should be communicating and cooperating with ICE. But as is so typical in government today, people don’t talk to each other. How sad! Robert McGregor | Salinas What a waste of money. That could fund one more deputy and a vehicle. Robert Roach | Salinas Well, sheriff, if you don’t have anything to hide, you don’t have anything to worry about…right? Michael Kohler | Seaside When California became a state in 1850, the first thing that happened was each county elected a paid sheriff. The Monterey County sheriff is an independent elected official. I’m sure the supervisors would like to have a police chief that they hire and fire, but voters must never give up their role in choosing the sheriff. Paul J. Ingram | Carmel Valley WINE VINE I have been reading about the drop in wine consumption and all that it implies, and agree with creating wine corridors (“Winery Corridor plan seeks to boost a struggling agricultural sector,” July 16-22). Taking advantage of the traffic on Highway 101 could enhance a successful outcome for the wineries. I am sure there are plenty of wine enthusiasts who travel Highway 101 but do not have the time to visit our local wineries. Therefore, I propose that a consortium of wineries, and county and city governments to pool their resources and take advantage of the Los Coches Adobe property south of Soledad. A state-of-the-art wine tasting facility showcasing Monterey County wines to include a delicatessen, a dog walk and a promenade for travelers who need to stretch their legs. It could incorporate a wide pedestrian ramp ending at a vegetated rooftop for visitors to enjoy the magnificent view of the valley. Imagination and adequate funding can go a long way to enhance wine sales. Matthew Sundt | Salinas Gallo/Talbott (the largest winery at 90 million cases) and Foley Family/ Chalone (14th at 1.9 million cases) both chose to abandon Monterey County this year even though their local brands have well respected histories. Morgan has reduced their tasting fee to $12.50 and credits it against a $50 purchase. For the County Planning Commission to waste any time figuring out how to “create higher-value wine experiences” misses the point; the “average” consumer simply doesn’t have the wherewithal. And the billionaires can taste any wine they want at Pebble Beach. Mark Lasnik | Salinas TRAVEL PLANS A need to clear up some misleading information: Before Big Sur, Costas Christ’s mission in life was to bring tourism to Third World countries, but Big Sur was not Third World, nor did it need more tourism (“The future of Big Sur is at stake. An existing plan offers a solution—we just need to implement it,” July 9-15). Christ states out of the 347 surveys returned, more than 80 percent of the Big Sur residents and stakeholders supported the plan. WRONG, there are approximately 1,500 residents, yet only 247 residents returned the survey. He states the “final plan was accepted by the Board of Supervisors.” Misleading—while the plan was accepted, it was a presentation and was not adopted. Christ also states “tourism is like fire. Out of control and can destroy everything in its path.” Yes, so very true, but there are better ways to go about it. Janet Hardisty | Big Sur ANIMAL PLANET Tormenting animals for “fun” in the rodeo should be condemned by anyone with a conscience (“The action, style and crowds that make up the California Rodeo Salinas,” July 16-22). For decades, animals at rodeos across North America have suffered broken legs, broken necks, spinal injuries, heart attacks, and death. At the California Rodeo Salinas specifically, injuries and fatalities have been documented repeatedly over the years. No amount of nostalgia can change the reality that calves are roped and slammed to the ground, horses and bulls are pushed into stressful, dangerous situations, and animals pay the price when something goes wrong. Traditions deserve to endure only if they can withstand ethical scrutiny. The California Rodeo Salinas fails that test. Monterey County residents can celebrate their heritage without subjecting animals to fear, injury and exploitation. It’s time to leave rodeos where they belong—in the past. Jennifer O’Connor | Norfolk, Virginia Note: O’Connor is writing on behalf of the PETA Foundation. Most people would enjoy the rodeo with games, music and just seeing animals. Roping terrorized calves is not entertaining. Have a festival and concert. This should not be normalized. Colleen Ingram | Pacific Grove RIDE ON Very nice! (“The Canyon Del Rey segment of the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway nears completion,” July 2-8.) Darren Aliga | via social media CORRECTION A story about a potential consolidation of three South County school districts into two contained several errors (“Voters will decide if they want school district consolidation in South County,” July 16-22). The California State Board of Education voted on July 8, not July 7. The correct current name for GUSD is Greenfield Union School District, not Greenfield Unified School District. The correct name for the King City district is King City Union, not Unified. The state decision in 2025 was not a denial, but a decision to return the matter to the county level. 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.
www.montereycountynow.com JULY 23-29, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 Like other parasites, the protozoa Cyclospora cayetanensis has a mission to find a host, replicate then find new hosts. Cyclospora’s host is the human. Infection results in the nasty disease that can lead to days on the toilet and generally feeling like dirt. But one thing we have learned in the past week, while thousands of Americans are sick, is that we know remarkably little about cyclospora. It is seasonal, with summer spikes. Cooking kills it, making raw fruits and vegetables prime suspects. It appears to need some amount of time outside its host to become infectious. But it only grows inside a human, making it impossible for scientists to culture it and experiment on loads of it, part of the difficulty in advancing research. “There’s an awful lot we don’t know,” Jennifer McEntire, a microbiologist and founder of the firm Food Safety Strategy, LLC, based in the Washington, D.C. area, said on July 20. McEntire spoke on a video call hosted by California’s Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, an industry coalition that developed food safety protocols in the wake of the 2006 e. Coli outbreak in spinach that sickened 204 people and killed three. Somewhere in the supply chain, something failed and thousands of Americans are now sick with cyclosporiasis, with the Michigan Department of Public Health reporting 6,571 confirmed cases as of July 21, including 102 hospitalizations. “This is not one person who didn’t wash their hands. This is something much bigger,” according to McEntire. How big remains unknown, weeks into a widespread outbreak. Instead of clarity, there’s finger-pointing and confusion. Health officials interview patients trying to find common threads of what they ate; in this case, Taco Bell. Then comes tracing Taco Bell’s ingredients. On July 17, Salinas-based Taylor Farms announced that “based on information provided yesterday by the FDA, Taylor Farms de Mexico is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.” Two days later, on Sunday, July 19, Taylor Farms posted a new statement: “Today, FDA apologized to us,” the company wrote. (The Weekly has been unable to verify whether that actually happened, and has been unable to reach anyone at Taylor or the FDA for an interview.) “FDA informed Taylor Fresh Foods that one of its iceberg lettuce products from central Mexico tested positive for cyclospora. Today, we were informed that FDA made a mistake, and this was a false positive.” If a microbiologist like McEntire is needed to interpret these messages, the communicators at FDA and Taylor Farms are all failing. Cyclospora is notoriously hard to test for and false positives are common, McEntire notes. Meanwhile, in the information vacuum, people connect dots between facts. Yes, the company last year gave $1 million to the super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. and another $1 million to the right-wing Congressional Leadership Fund. Cue the conspiracy theories all over the internet—was FDA capitulating to a perceived Trump ally? Unlikely. Besides the thousands of sick Americans, the true tragedy here is eroding trust in science. Since the first cyclospora outbreak in the 1990s, relatively little is known. One of the few institutions doing research, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is facing cuts—a USDA lab where three parasitologists are studying improved testing is scheduled to close down, McEntire says. (Her own company lists just two “diamond level” contributors that have given $1 million or more—Western Growers Association and Taylor Farms.) Taylor Farms does not benefit from thousands of sick Americans who are scared to eat salad, and none of us benefit from weak science. Too bad Taylor has thrown its political weight behind an agenda invested in gutting institutions that can safeguard its products and, more importantly, our health. Meanwhile, nobody is talking to consumers directly about what’s safe. McEntire says unless you are in Michigan, it’s probably business as usual: Eat your salad. She also worries that as patients recover, interest will wane. “Consumers should be pressing their elected officials to make sure attention continues to be paid to this,” she says, “and it doesn’t just fade as something else takes over.” Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Reading the Lettuce Leaves Bad information leads to conspiracy theories around cyclospora outbreak. By Sara Rubin LOOK AWAY…With high-definition, camera-quality vision, Squid sees everything: the plankton, the drifters and swimmers. But something else recently caught Squid’s eye: a Facebook post by Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church. Squid learned he too, has excellent vision, but perhaps it is more of a curse than a blessing. “Many of you are probably as irritated as I am with the unsightly white poles with the orange tops that have popped up on North County roads,” Church wrote on July 13. The poles mark fiber-optic lines that are part of the state’s Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, a $3.25 billion project launched in 2021 that aims to build a 10,000-mile, open-access public network acting as a digital highway, helping internet service providers connect underserved regions. Church said his office has been fielding many complaints about the poles, which he described as “distinctly non-rural.” (No word on whether constituents also complain about lack of reliable internet.) There are 151 miles of these lines being installed throughout Monterey County, leading Church to ask Public Works officials if the markers could be changed or removed. Although counties and cities have little influence, Church says he’ll keep pushing to limit the poles. Squid expects to see more complaints about them get posted on social media once everyone gets online. PARADISE LOST…That Carmelites feel overwhelmed by tourists is nothing new, but a recent poll Squid came across shows that there are locations that are a lot crankier. Out of 150 towns listed in a seasonal tourism study, “Pressure in Paradise,” commissioned by AMFM, a mental health treatment company, Carmel doesn’t crack the top 10, coming in at #18. Charleston, South Carolina is #1, followed by Destin, Florida and Hanalei, Hawaii. Carmel places ahead of South Lake Tahoe (#29) and Solvang (#59), the only three California cities on the entire list. More than 6 in 10 residents overall said “they feel crowded out of their own town at least sometimes during peak season, while 46 percent said they have felt burned out by living somewhere other people visit for vacation,” according to the study. Researchers found that traffic congestion was the biggest tourism-related pressure. Driving badly or ignoring local road rules was one of the most annoying visitor behaviors, followed by leaving trash behind and visitors acting as if the town is only for them. (Squid gets it—when the sardines swim through in big schools, Squid just blends in.) Squid searched for solutions offered by the study, but found none. The clue might be in the company that commissioned the study, with over a dozen mental health treatment centers in California—there’s always therapy. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. The true tragedy here is eroding trust in science. SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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