10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 24-30, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS After taking the Monterey Jazz Festival to YouTube in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival returned to the Monterey County Fairgrounds in 2021 to the excitement of fans. Demand for tickets was so high, the festival sold out two months in advance. That year the nonprofit recorded a record $1.8 million surplus, with another year of revenue exceeding expenses by $277,500 in 2022. Since then the organization has seen at least two years of deficits—in 2023 the festival was in the hole by nearly $466,000 and in 2024 it was down by more than $733,000, according to IRS records. It mirrored a time of transition, with longtime artistic director Tim Jackson retiring in 2023, followed by the sudden exit of his successor Darin Atwater in late 2024. “Last year we were rebuilding, this year we’re doing great,” says Managing Director Bobbie Young of the three-day festival, which opens Friday, Sept. 25, adding that by mid-September, ticket sales were already ahead of where they were last year. Donations are running above totals from the previous several years, she says. “We are seeing a growth in donations, in our ticket sales, a growth in interest and on social media,” Young says. They’ve advertised heavily on social media channels this year, where younger viewers can be found. Realizing festival acts can “skew a little older on occasion,” Young says they continue to invite acts that will appeal to a younger audience and even a broader one. At this year’s festival bestselling author Amy Tan is paired with successful jazz pianist Joey Alexander, 23, for a reading of Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Uneven Tempo Monterey Jazz sees an upturn after a few years of deficits during a time of rebuilding. By Pam Marino A coalition of labor unions, educators and community leaders in the Salinas Valley launched a mobile pilot English program for Class A truck drivers, aiming to protect their livelihoods as a new federal language rule raises fears of license suspensions. On Aug. 7, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is moving to codify guidelines that enforce English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers into a new rule. This means future administrations will not be able to weaken ELP requirements, the same way the Obama administration did in 2016 when it directed roadside inspectors not to place CMV drivers out-of-service solely for failing English proficiency evaluations. Instead of pulling drivers off the road immediately, inspectors issued administrative citations, allowing drivers to continue their trips. In April 2025, Duffy announced steps to rescind the Obama-era policy. Teamsters 856 representative Erik Larsen says the effort for an English learning pilot program began in October 2025, after reading about the changes in the federal regulations. The union convened local drivers from companies including Taylor Farms, Dole and D’Arrigo Bros. According to Larsen, drivers were alarmed to learn that if they are stopped and cannot communicate in English, their licenses would be suspended. They would be required to go to the DMV and take a test in English to be able to get back on the road. CHP’s two-part roadside ELP evaluation includes about 15 verbal questions in English and a sheet of 25 traffic signs, from which a driver must correctly identify at least four in English. “They have been working 20-plus years as truck drivers in the Salinas Valley. They know the rules of the road,” Larsen says. “We don’t think it’s fair to punish these drivers simply because they struggle with English.” With support from Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA), Hartnell College, the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium and the California Labor Federation, drivers can learn English using the app Cell-Ed, developed with about $150,000 from UC Merced’s Futuros Campesinos program. It gives practice questions a CHP officer might ask. The pilot launched on June 28 and now includes about 60 drivers from across the Salinas Valley. Gonzales resident Rogelio Aceves, 57, is one of them. “As truck drivers we are busy all day and there is no opportunity to physically go into a classroom setting to learn,” he says in Spanish. “I open [Cell-Ed] and learn during my lunch break or on Sundays when I don’t work.” Originally from Jalisco, Mexico Aceves has been working as a truck driver for D’Arrigo Bros. for almost 30 years. He works about 45-50 hours a week, with days starting at 7am. “We are worried because this is our livelihood,” Aceves says. “This is what feeds my family and many of my colleagues’ families.” The pilot program combines app-based modules with in-person roleplay at the Teamsters Union Hall, where local leaders such as Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo help simulate CHP stops. The next registration event for drivers is at 10am Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Teamsters hall in Salinas. Rogelio Aceves, second from left, with fellow drivers. “We are trying to be more proficient in English because we can’t risk losing our license and our job,” he says. Long Haul Salinas Valley truck drivers enroll in English pilot program to protect licenses. By Royvi Hernandez Attendees at the 2024 Monterey Jazz Festival enjoy a performance in the main arena. That year and the year before saw deficits. This year, ticket sales and donations are reportedly up. “They know the rules of the road.” ROBERT DANIELS DANIEL DREIFUSS Monterey Jazz Festival 2026
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