12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 1-7, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FLOCK OF CAMERAS Definitely a double-edged sword. I love the crime-solving abilities after the crime. But the potential privacy/ data mining abuse is a real concern. Good decision (“County supervisors vote to take down all sheriff’s Flock cameras,” posted Sept. 22). Dennis Kirby Plummer | Spreckels Wow. That’s bold leadership. Christian Parley | Monterey Good news! At least it’s a speed bump in the tracks of the coming surveillance state freight train. Michael Steelman | Monterey Some folks are unlikely to be kidnapped. I, however, would be happy for any evidence that is available because I’m not doing anything I need to worry about. If you’re not doing anything unconstitutional, you should have no worries (“A community-led group forms to oppose law enforcement’s use of surveillance technology,” Sept. 17-23). Kathy Keeler-deHaaff | via social media They need to convict people using them for nefarious purposes. They should only be viewed with a search warrant by authorized law enforcement. A misuse of the system should result in consequences. Evelyn Bass | Gonzales There is no expectation of privacy in public spaces. They do not violate the Fourth Amendment. Abuse of the information, if it occurs, is a separate crime that should be prosecuted if proven. Mark Demel | Monterey SEEING SIGNS It seems incredibly petty for the city to make such a major issue out of campaign signs being posted only one to four hours early (“Seaside mayoral candidate Alex Miller is fined for posting political signs early,” Sept. 17-23). Alex Miller made a minor timing mistake, not some serious offense that harmed the community. Spending time and resources pursuing a $7,000 fine over a few hours feels disproportionate and unnecessarily punitive. The city should focus on issues that meaningfully affect Seaside residents, rather than making an example out of a technical campaign-sign violation. Jared Wiegand | Seaside Everyone understands that rules matter, but there should also be some common sense and perspective in how they are enforced. Do people get a speeding ticket for going 5mph over the limit? No. This wasn’t a campaign trying to ignore the rules for days—it was a matter of a few hours. The city’s decision to pursue such a steep penalty over something so minor comes across as petty and disproportionate. Seaside has much bigger issues to address, and residents deserve better than seeing city resources focused on this. Shanda LeBoeuf | Seaside All sign restriction ordinances have lost in court time and time again. This is nothing new and has been litigated many times for over 20 years. The average cost to cities is several hundred thousand dollars. All for a few hours. Someone is making a political point. Roland Soltesz | via social media MEASURE FOR MEASURE I love Celia Jiménez and Pam Marino’s take on the Measure H initiative in Salinas (“The fate of rent stabilization in Salinas moved from town halls to city council and now to the ballot box,” Sept. 17-23). The Yes on H folks failed to acknowledge and realize that landlords have an unfair advantage in the court system with evictions so tenants need an extra layer of protection with the ordinances proposed in Measure H. That’s why Salinas residents need to vote No on H! Repealing the protections puts the tenants back in the clutches of the court system, essentially stripping tenants of any protections from predatory landlords. Eloise Shim | Salinas It is one tool and not a solution to the overall problem. Examples of positive outcomes do exist in California where policy actions have been taken, in addition to rent control, to ensure development is also encouraged. The reality is we already have statewide rent control but renters are often left to figure that out (and how to enforce it) on their own. Mark Ackermann | via social media As a past mayor of Marina, I oppose Measure Q (“Our endorsements on local ballot measures and state propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot,” Oct. 1-7). Nothing requires the tax be utilized for police or fire facilities. Misleading statements falsely allude the purpose of the new tax precisely for this. Where is a plan for the amount of funds and revenue sources that will be needed long-term for these critical facilities and services? Why hasn’t this issue earlier been elevated to a priority? Why hasn’t some initial effort with existing funds occurred? Jim Perrine | Marina As part of Marina’s Citizens Facility Advisory Committee, we volunteered our time to help the expert come to a solution. Our City of Marina needs to build. Two years ago I campaigned for Measure U, however it did not pass. The responsibility of building our City of Marina will lay in the hands of the people who live in our city. It will take all of us to do it. I ask for support for our police and fire departments, the people who are there for us to keep us safe everyday. May Holland Dungo | Marina CORRECTION A story about allegations against Vince Malfitano misstated the details of an account reported by a dental assistant in California Dental Board records (“In Monterey’s election for mayor, challenger Vince Malfitano seeks to unseat the incumbent,” Aug. 27-Sept. 2). She did not claim Malfitano placed her hand on his groin, but that as he “pulled [her] hand toward his groin area [the assistant] pulled her hand away from respondent’s grip and told him that his behavior made her feel uncomfortable.” In addition, the story described unwanted sexual touching as “sexual assault,” a term that does not appear in the Dental Board’s report. It has been updated instead to use the Dental Board’s term “sexual misconduct.” 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. LETTERS continues on pg. 14
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