ticipate in civic life and hold local institutions accountable. Since its launch in May 2026, the publication has built a growing body of reporting focused specifically on Salinas and the surrounding Salinas Valley, while creating new opportunities for residents to share story ideas, experiences and perspectives with local journalists. The news that got covered in the past five months was both routine and extraordinary. Salinas Valley Now posted stories about the opening of Palomas Cafecito, the new brickand-mortar coffee shop in North Salinas; the inaugural public art installation Alebrijes & Nahuales: Fantastic Animals from Mexico, featuring 10-foot high, brightly painted wooden sculptures from Oaxaca; fan fest watch parties at the Salinas Regional Sports Complex during this summer’s FIFA World Cup; and the brief demise and quick return of El Grito, a cultural celebration for Mexican Independence Day. The stories reported in Salinas Valley Now also included plenty of hard news stories that ranged from a proposal for more funding for Flock cameras in South County to businesses setting up at the new ag-tech incubator Reservoir Farms, or the Board of Supervisors voting to outlaw the construction of ICE detention facilities, or Taylor Farms being at the center of the national cyclospora outbreak. This is what community investment in local journalism makes possible: not simply more news, but a better-informed and more connected community. To sign up for the newsletter, go to SalinasValleyNow.com www.montereycountynow.com OCTOBER 22-28, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 27 A LARGE AND IMPACTFUL AUDIENCE INSIDER 58,872 readers per week 41.2% average open rate $17,166,426 total raised in 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY GIVES! 8,048 total number of donors 20,323 average net circulation 2.7 readers per copy 27,500 subscribers (MailChimp campaign report 5/1/26 - 5/31/26) (Campaign totals for 2025) Monterey County Gives! is a special project of Monterey County Weekly in partnership with the Community Foundation for Monterey County and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. LARGEST PRINT AUDIENCE IN THE MARKET 50% GREATER THAN THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE 141,000 average monthly unique visitors MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM 41% access via mobile phone 460,000 average monthly page views (Google analytics October 2026) WITHOUT A PAYWALL SINCE 1996 OVER $99 MILLION RAISED SINCE 2009 PRINT JULY 9-15, 2026 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT FIREWORKS TAKE THE HEAT 10 | A COUNTRY STAR 30 | AT HIGH SPEED 33 | OFF THE PITCH 36 Angélica Negrón is changing the face of the Bach Festival, and the way we listen to music. p. 20 By Agata Popęda • How a long-time Big Sur artist cultivated space for Bach BACH AND FORTH APRIL 16-22, 2026 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT 24 HOURS OF BIKING 8 | PAY TO PARK 12 | SUNNY STREETS 15 | CELEBRATE EARTH DAY 26 | REGGAE ICON 31 FIRST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • 2025 CA JOURNALISM AWARDS • Returning favorites join new adventures at Sea Otter Classic, where trials await the athletes and the volunteers behind them, on and off the course. p. 20 PUMP IT UP JANUARY 8-14, 2026 MONTEREYCOUNTYNOW.COM LOCAL & INDEPENDENT SONGS OF TRANSITION 5 | HOSTEL TAKEOVER 6 | ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 23 | INTO THE FRYER 30 FIRST PLACE GENERAL EXCELLENCE • 2025 CA JOURNALISM AWARDS • As Julie Packard prepares to retire from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, she reflects on the state of ocean science. p. 14 By Katie Rodriguez UNCHARTED WATERS 6,453 subscribers SALINAS VALLEY NOW 58.2% average open rate 435 bilingual stories published WEBSITE MONTEREY COUNTY NOW NEWSLETTERS SALINAS VALLEY NOW continued from pg. 25 (MailChimp campaign report 5/15/26 - 10/15/26)
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