14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 6-12, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NOTHING TO SEE HERE Right. And this is my natural hair color (“A report concludes there’s no long-term health risk from the Moss Landing battery fire,” posted July 29). Isn’t there an issue with the testing of surface water as the heavy metals would sink and need to be sampled from depth? No way people won’t suffer in the future from this absolute nightmare. I love Moss Landing! Denise Kay | Seaside WAITING GAME An excellent report pointing out the District Attorney’s Office does more than just prosecute criminal violators (“The DA secures a $1 million default judgment against the Mammography Center of Monterey,” July 30-Aug. 5). They also go after scoundrels that civilly violate the public’s best interest, along with adult protection cases. They do much more. Kudos to the men and women who work there, and for getting after the offender in this case. They rarely get the notice they deserve. Cecil Reece | Marina THINKING BIG That’s a nice donation (“NPS launches a powerful NVIDIA AI supercomputer, the first of its kind in the U.S. military,” posted July 23). I’m sure down the road the military will be purchasing many others, after seeing how well this one works. Now, if we could just improve our intelligence to coordinate with other countries to avoid the stupid wars we’re sometimes forced to fight. Walter Wagner | Salinas BIG BIRDS Thank you so much for your PSA for our gulls (“Slow down for the baby gulls that are learning how to fly,” posted July 28). We had a fledging come into our store (Back Porch Fabrics) in Pacific Grove. It still had its spots and had no clue what it was doing. After unsuccessfully trying to catch it, I threw a towel over it and placed it in a box. Fortunately the bar next door had a ladder and placed it on the roof with mom and dad! This was first their home. We came and built. They are trying to survive in a land we recreated. We can minimally respect their right to survive. Thanks again for your commentary. People need to hear more from supporters! Laurel Eden | Seaside POLICE PAY Use the Flock money to pay them then if it’s such a big issue (“Pacific Grove has struggled to keep its police department fully staffed due to budget challenges,” July 23-29). Brendan Glass | Monterey This is another example as to why the local police should merge, just like the fire departments did. Pacific Grove has no problem filling management positions with the police department, as retirees from other cities fill them. A “Monterey Bay Area Police Department” would require only one chief officer. Henry Leinen | Pacific Grove Part of the hiring crisis is an inept HR department, but another component is that the police or really any new employees are unable to live in P.G. due to the housing crisis, lack of any affordable housing, and of course, there was never any workforce housing or any planned. I have tremendous respect for our Police Department, but if there is such a shortage, how come three and four of them could be down at our Summer Lights event or at the Pet Parade? I don’t think P.G. is quite like what an officer has to deal with in, say Salinas or the larger cities of Monterey and Marina. But any new hire whether it be Police has got to realize they will probably need to commute like people have been doing here for years. Christie Italiano-Thomas | Pacific Grove STUDENT BODY Hopefully [it will] move to Marina or Salinas. Rents are more affordable (“After denial by MPUSD, Big Sur Charter School becomes a countywide charter school,” July 23-29). Anne Qu | via social media SHUTTER SPEED I’ve been participating in the Monterey Shootout for many years and it’s always a blast because so many artists and adventurers come to town (“The colorful underwater world is captured in a weekend-long event,” posted July 27). Too few people realize you don’t have to be a diver in order to get great photos of the underwater world here. It was great to see the reporter, Celia Jiménez, try her hand at it, despite being completely new! Stay tuned—this happens every summer, normally late July through early August—and the experiences, community, shared learning, adventures, parties, seminars and prizes rock! Suzanne Frey | Monterey FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s great to see so many volunteers staying enthusiastic even as the festival keeps growing (“Jewish Food Festival volunteers are happy to keep up with popular demand,” July 23-29). Their dedication clearly helps create a welcoming atmosphere where everyone can enjoy delicious food, cultural traditions and a strong sense of community. Popular events only succeed when people are willing to give their time and energy, and these volunteers deserve plenty of appreciation. Their positive attitude and teamwork make the experience smoother for visitors. Adrian Torres | Seaside It was a great event! Jen Zeidberg | via social media FOR DESSERT Reba is one of our favorite people/ bakers (“Reba Wilson turned a love of baking into a business,” July 30-Aug. 5). Craig Vachon | Carmel So glad their Carmel location is reopened! Renu Jindal Jain | via social media CORRECTION A story about a federal criminal investigation and federal lawsuit filed by Taylor Farms against former employee Brian Thure incorrectly identified some of the family members he allegedly placed on payroll (“Squid Fry: Shit Storm,” July 30-Aug. 5). It was his wife’s mother and sister, not his mother and sister. 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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