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
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