april 6-12, 2023 montereycountyweekly.com LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Living the Rural Life 8 | Can Cal Am actually be bought? 10 | Art is all around 36 A shortage of psychiatric treatment beds puts strain on local hospitals and on patients. p. 22 By Pam Marino Psychiatric crisis
2 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com WORLD'S PREMIER CYCLING FESTIVAL MONTEREY | CALIFORNIA | USA | SEAOTTERCLASSIC.COM
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 3 Join this workshop on planning for and talking about what we want when it comes to serious illness and end-of-life care. Taking these steps now will reduce stress later, and allow your choices to be honored. Join us for this workshop to: y Select the best document to record your wishes y Receive expert medical coaching on the risks and benefits of life support treatments y Update advance planning documents you already have y Submit your documents into your Community Hospital medical record Registration required: montagehealth.org/planning Questions? Call 625-4977 Advance Healthcare Planning ONLINE AND IN-PERSON CLASSES Tuesday, April 11, 1–3 p.m. Montage Medical Group Hazen Education Center 2 Upper Ragdale Drive, Building A Monterey ONLINE CLASS Tuesday, April 25, 10–11:30 a.m. A link to the online meeting will be emailed to you one business day before the class. IN-PERSON CLASS
4 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 • ISSUE #1810 • ESTABLISHED IN 1988 Byron Greene (iPhone 11) Does a double rainbow, like this one spotted over Carmel Valley, mean two pots of gold? MONTEREY COUNTY PHOTO OF THE WEEK Send Etc. submissions to etcphoto@mcweekly.com; please include caption and camera info. On the cover: There are not enough psychiatric treatment beds in California, which means that in Monterey County’s emergency rooms patients experiencing a mental health crisis must wait for transfer, sometimes up to three days. Local hospitals are finding ways to cope with the challenge. Cover Illustration Leonardo Rangel etc. Copyright © 2023 by Milestone Communications Inc. 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, California 93955 (telephone 831-394-5656). All rights reserved. Monterey County Weekly, the Best of Monterey County and the Best of Monterey Bay are registered trademarks. No person, without prior permission from the publisher, may take more than one copy of each issue. Additional copies and back issues may be purchased for $1, plus postage. Mailed subscriptions: $120 yearly, pre-paid. The Weekly is an adjudicated newspaper of Monterey County, court decree M21137. The Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Visit our website at http://www.montereycountyweekly.com. Audited by CVC. FOUNDER & CEO Bradley Zeve bradley@mcweekly.com (x103) PUBLISHER Erik Cushman erik@mcweekly.com (x125) EDITORIAL EDITOR Sara Rubin sara@mcweekly.com (x120) FEATURES EDITOR Dave Faries dfaries@mcweekly.com (x110) ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tajha Chappellet-Lanier tajha@mcweekly.com (x135) STAFF WRITER Celia Jiménez celia@mcweekly.com (x145) STAFF WRITER Pam Marino pam@mcweekly.com (x106) STAFF WRITER Rey Mashayekhi rey@mcweekly.com (x102) STAFF WRITER Agata Pope¸da (x138) aga@mcweekly.com STAFF WRITER David Schmalz david@mcweekly.com (x104) DIGITAL PRODUCER Kyarra Harris kyarra@mcweekly.com (x105) STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Daniel Dreifuss daniel@mcweekly.com (x140) CONTRIBUTORS Nik Blaskovich, Rob Brezsny, Paul Fried, Jeff Mendelsohn, Adrienn MendonçaJones, Jacqueline Weixel, Paul Wilner CARTOONS Rob Rogers, Tom Tomorrow PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Loutzenheiser karen@mcweekly.com (x108) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kevin Jewell kevinj@mcweekly.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexis Estrada alexis@mcweekly.com (x114) GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lani Headley lani@mcweekly.com (x114) SALES SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Diane Glim diane@mcweekly.com (x124) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE George Kassal george@mcweekly.com (x122) SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Keith Bruecker keith@mcweekly.com (x118) CLASSIFIEDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Keely Richter keely@mcweekly.com (x123) DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Kevin Smith kevin@mcweekly.com (x119) DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION AT Arts Co. atartsco@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION CONTROL Harry Neal BUSINESS/FRONT OFFICE OFFICE MANAGER Linda Maceira linda@mcweekly.com (x101) BOOKKEEPING Rochelle Trawick rochelle@mcweekly.com 668 Williams Ave., Seaside, CA 93955 831-394-5656, (FAX) 831-394-2909 www.montereycountyweekly.com To read Monterey County NOW in your inbox daily, sign up at mcweekly.com/signup. We’d love to hear from you. Send us your tips at tipline.montereycountyweekly.com. We can tell you like the print edition of the Weekly. We bet you’ll love the daily newsletter, Monterey County NOW. Get fresh commentary, local news and sundry helpful distractions delivered to your inbox every day. There’s no charge, and if you don’t love it, you can unsubscribe any time. DON’T MISS OUT Sign up today at montereycountyweekly.com/mcnow
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 5 We were here to care for your grandparents. We will be here to care for your grandchildren. Today we have a new, shorter name and a new, more modern logo. But our care remains the same as it’s been for 70 years: simply outstanding. We’re here so you keep rising. It’s a new day for the Salinas Valley. Learn more at SalinasValleyHealth.com FORMERLY SALINAS VALLEY MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com THE BUZZ FREE SPEECH The Stanford Law School chapter of the conservative Federalist Society hosted an event with Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan from the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on March 9. Before his 2018 judicial appointment by then-president Donald Trump, Duncan was the lead attorney for Hobby Lobby stores in the 2014 Supreme Court ruling allowing for-profit corporations to deny birth control coverage to women because of the owners’ religious views. Early during the event, he was interrupted by members of the campus LGBTQ group OutLaw, angered by Duncan’s stated opposition to same-sex marriage, among other issues. Duncan responded, calling one an “appalling idiot.” After the heckling started, Tirien Steinbach—the school’s associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion—took the podium and told Duncan that for the protesters, some of his rulings amounted to “an absolute disenfranchisement of their rights.” The school suspended Steinbach. Dean Jenny Martinez said administrators “should not insert themselves into debate with their own criticism of the speaker’s views” or suggest the speaker reconsider if “what they plan to say is worth saying.” Good: There’s good news for commuters and those traversing under their own power. The California Transportation Commission allocated $4.6 million to fund four projects in Monterey County that are designed to improve traffic flow, safety and routes for biking and walking, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County announced on March 28. The projects include the Imjin Parkway widening project in Marina— part of the Marina-Salinas Multimodal Corridor—from Imjin to Reservation Road that services up to 39,000 vehicles per weekday. The project includes adding one lane each way and four roundabouts. Other projects receiving funds are the next segment of the Fort Ord Regional Trail & Greenway (FORTAG), a pedestrian project in North Monterey County on Las Lomas Drive and a Safe Routes to School project in Salinas on Harden Parkway. GREAT: The city of Gonzales got a prestigious nod when in March, the nonprofit National Civic League announced the city was one of 20 finalists for the All-America City Award, which will be awarded in June to 10 of the 20 finalists (which include much bigger cities like Charlotte, Dallas, New York City and San Antonio). Teams from each city—consisting of residents, nonprofits, businesses, government leaders and youth—will travel to Denver for a three-day event June 9-11 to tell the story of their work to a jury of civic leaders. The award, which the nonprofit has been giving out since 1949, is predicated on a city’s commitment to improving the well-being of youth in its communities, and involving youth in that process. (In the case of Gonzales, the city started a Youth Council in 2013, and they provide a voice in civic affairs.) The only city in the county to ever win the award is Salinas, in 2015. GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK THE WEEKLY TALLY The approximate number of pounds of residential flood debris that had been removed from the area of Pajaro as of April 1. That equals approximately 2,000 tons. An additional 113 tons of commercial and mobile home park debris was also removed. Source: Nicholas Pasculli, County of Monterey Communications Director 4,000,000 QUOTE OF THE WEEK “There is always something I can find in common with someone.” -Jason Remynse, unanimously approved by the Carmel Unified School District Board on Friday, March 31, to fill a vacancy left by Tess Arthur who resigned in February. (See story on mcweekly.com.) ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES Stop By To Shop And Find Your Vintage Treasure OVER 100 DEALERS 21,000 SQUARE FEET The Largest Antiques and Collectibles Mall on the Central Coast 471 WAVE STREET MONTEREY (831) 655-0264 P M canneryrowantiquemall.com Open Daily 11am-6pm ’22 Voted Monterey County's Best Antique Shop ♦ 3 Card Poker ♠ Century 21st No Bust Black Jack ♣ Texas Hold’em ♥ Baccarat FULL BAR! BLACKJACK BONUS POINTS PAYS UP TO $20,000 SMALL TOWN BIG PAYOUTS! 1-800-Gambler • Gega-003846, Gega-Gega-003703, Gega-000889 Gega-000891 Gega-002838 The Marina Club Casino ensures the safety and security of all guests and team members at all times, while providing exceptional service. 204 Carmel Ave. Marina 831-384-0925 casinomonterey.com ♠ ♣ ♥ ♦ Just minutes from Downtown Monterey Where Monterey Comes To Play
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8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com 831 Driving through Monterey County on Highway 1 and 101, you zip past field after field. Depending on the season, colors change and the number of people working between rows builds and then dwindles. It’s a timeless pattern. In San Lorenzo County Park, on the bank of the Salinas River, the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum explores the area’s rich agricultural history, with exhibits featuring farm life from the 1800s through World War II. There is an interactive irrigation exhibit, a tractor barn and historic structures that were moved to San Lorenzo Park from various locations in Monterey County, including King City’s train depot, a blacksmith shop once operated by a man named Olson, and La Gloria School, which was once near Gonzales. At this outdoor museum, visitors can walk, enjoy the weather and travel back in time. Assembling the place was a task. “Our train depot was driven down Broadway in King City from the original place,” Executive Director Ellie Clifton says. The team then set it up like a functional train depot as a way for visitors to learn about transportation in the Salinas Valley. Since the museum has multiple buildings, Clifton recommends starting at the main museum barn, which provides a quick educational foundation for the rest of the area, no guided tour necessary. Visitors learn how agriculture changed through the influences of Indigenous and Western practices, the diversification of produce and cattle, the impact of improved transportation on the market and more. The facility started in the late 1970s with an idea. Local farmers and community members gathered old ag equipment from their properties and decided to preserve it. The effort soon turned into a museum for the public. “It very quickly grew when they realized there were all these opportunities for sharing the history,” Clifton says. Access to a large collection of ag tools and imagery isn’t surprising. Salinas and the Salinas Valley are known as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Monterey County is the main producer of lettuce, artichokes, broccoli, and cauliflower in the country. Last year, the county’s ag industry’s gross production value was $4.1 billion. But it wasn’t always that way. Dairy farms were once central, and sugar beets helped put the Salinas Valley on the global agricultural map. Clifton, 22, has been the museum’s executive director for less than a year. She grew up on a ranch and always thought she would work in agriculture. “My whole life I just had this huge passion for the outdoors and agriculture,” she says. But she also excelled in the classroom. She was studying TK at Cuesta College when she was just 17. However, during her first semester, she was in a car crash and lost the use of her legs. “My life just completely flipped upside-down,” Clifton says. She had anticipated scientific fieldwork, but had to rethink her future. She changed her major to English. One of her friends encouraged her to apply for the executive position at the museum. Given the opportunity to return to agricultural study—from a different perspective—Clifton was ecstatic. “I’m just really driven and really passionate, and I think that’s why they hired me,” she says. “I’m really excited to grow the museum and bring more awareness to agriculture, the history of agriculture and how important it is to us today.” The museum offers tours for visitors and a hands-on program for elementary students, inviting kids to investigate the Gold Rush era. They learn about living conditions and the techniques used to find gold in the 19th century. For many, the museum is a hidden gem. Visitors often go to San Lorenzo Park to camp or spend the day at a picnic area and they stumble upon the old building that is home to the museum. Clifton enjoys their reaction: “A lot of times we have visitors just there for the park, and then they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh! There’s a museum here!’” Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum at San Lorenzo Park, 1160 Broadway, King City. Open 11am-4pm Tue-Sun. Free. 385-8020, mcarlm.org. Time Travel A South Monterey County museum gives visitors a chance to walk through the region’s agricultural past. By Celia Jiménez “We have such an opportunity to share the importance of ag in our world,” says Ellie Clifton, executive director of the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum. “My life just completely flipped upside-down.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE CELIA JIMÉNEZ
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 9 DANCE PARTY $25 AGES 21+ | DJ, Light Experience | Cash Bar BLOCK PARTY THE NANCY ECCLES AND HOMER M. HAYWARD FAMILY FOUNDATION PRESENTS UNDER THE STARS FROM 7 -9 PM 559 PACIFIC STREET | Learn more at montereyart.org FOLLOWED BY A SATURDAY, APRIL 15TH | 12 - 4 PM MONTEREY MUSEUM OF ART’S INAUGURAL PURCHASE DANCE PARTY TICKETS HERE FREE ENTRY | LIVE MUSIC | FOOD | KIDS ACTIVITIES | ARTISTS | VENDORS ART CONNECTING COMMUNITY
10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com news A San Diego real estate tech firm has purchased The Independent luxury rental building in Sand City, paying $20 million in a bet on the Monterey Peninsula real estate market. Diversyfund—an online real estate platform that crowdfunds money from individual investors and uses it to purchase apartment buildings across the U.S.—acquired the property at 600 Ortiz Ave., it announced March 24. The seller, Urban Atelier LLC, is partially owned by Gerald Lyles and the family of late developer Don Orosco, who died in 2020. (Orosco and Lyles also teamed up to develop the city’s South of Tioga project.) The four-story building houses 61 apartments—a mix of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments—and “stands alone in the [Monterey Bay] region as the only 50-plus unit project built here since the 1980s,” according to Cushman & Wakefield managing director Scott MacDonald, whose team brokered the transaction. The property also has more than 12,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, 11,000 square feet of which currently sits vacant. The rest of that space is currently occupied by craft beer house Post No Bills. Lewis tells the Weekly that more than 95 percent of The Independent’s units are already leased, and that Diversyfund was “really attracted by the fact that there isn’t a lot of newer [housing] product available in the [Monterey Bay] market.” Diversyfund’s press release on its acquisition claimed the Monterey Bay area has “experienced an influx of new residents looking to escape the economic and political upheaval of larger coastal cities.” Sand Dollars A San Diego real estate firm has paid $20 million for Sand City’s Independent building. By Rey Mashayekhi In November 2018, when voters on the Monterey Peninsula approved Measure J with 56 percent of the vote, they gave the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District a mandate: buy out Cal Am’s local water infrastructure, and become the Peninsula’s new water supplier—if feasible. The feasibility of the buyout was affirmed by the district’s consultants in 2020, but there was a hiccup thereafter—the district asked the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County to activate the district’s “latent powers” to become a retail water provider. Despite LAFCO staff’s recommendation to grant the district such powers, the board voted against it. The district then sued LAFCO and the litigation continues. However, MPWMD General Manager Dave Stoldt has long maintained that the district doesn’t need LAFCO’s blessing to forge ahead, just that it could make things easier in the buyout process. But when it comes to water in Monterey County, nothing’s ever easy aside from pumping. So the district was going to move forward regardless of LAFCO’s determination, and on April 3 at Monterey City Hall, the district revealed its appraised value of Cal Am’s system, their first offer in the attempt to buy out the private water utility: $448,808,000. Before explaining the methodology behind the appraisal, Stoldt said the offer had been transmitted to Cal Am a few hours earlier—though Cal Am was not, and still is not, for sale. Perhaps more revealing than any of the explanations behind the valuation number was a graph put up on the PowerPoint presentation which showed the values other public agencies, from across the country, placed on private water utilities they were attempting to buy out. In every case, the final value was closer to the appraisals of the public agencies, not the private utilities. Evan Jacobs and Josh Stratton, who handle communications for Cal Am, won’t offer a number for the company’s own appraisal of its Monterey system. But they, along with Cal Am attorneys George Soneff and Joe Connor, say the attempt to buy out Cal Am’s system is misguided and will end in defeat. Soneff called it “stillborn” if it ends up in court. They also stressed the lengthy legal process, in the event that an eminent domain attempt is allowed to proceed in court. “These things take years,” Soneff says. “It’s just a shame—so much taxpayer money will be spent removing a well-regulated taxpayer utility. It’s not in the residents’ interests.” The Cal Am ratepayers attending the presentation—many of whom have been attending public water meetings for years—struck a different tone. Nearly all of them lavished praise on the district’s staff in keeping the process moving ahead, and many offered one-liners that excited the crowd. Sylvia Shih, a Seaside resident, told the district’s board: “If we ratepayers can afford to pay Cal Am, we can afford to buy it out.” Stoldt says that the financing plan for the buyout won’t require raising rates, adding that the buyout would theoretically decrease rate increases in the future. Going forward, the district board will have to approve a resolution of “necessity” to formally begin the eminent domain process which, if they opt to go that route, likely won’t happen until July or August. Four-and-a-half years after the passage of Measure J, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District arrived at its price for Cal Am’s local system: $448,808,000. Offer Proffered The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District names its price for Cal Am’s local system. By David Schmalz Built in 2008, The Independent stands out as one of the few newer developments in the Monterey Peninsula’s notorious supplyconstrained real estate market. “If we can afford to pay Cal Am, we can afford to buy it out.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 Available through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Bay Federal Credit Union and Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union, and may also be employees of Bay Federal Credit Union. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Bay Federal Credit Union or Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are: Not Insured by NCUA or Any Other Government Agency Not Credit Union Guaranteed Not Credit Union Deposits or Obligations May Lose Value Your Credit Union (“Financial Institution”) provides referrals to financial professionals of LPL Financial LLC (“LPL”) pursuant to an agreement that allows LPL to pay the Financial Institution for these referrals. This creates an incentive for the Financial Institution to make these referrals, resulting in a conflict of interest. The Financial Institution is not a current client of LPL for advisory services. Please visit https://www.lpl.com/disclosures/is-lpl-relationship-disclosure.html for more detailed information. Here for Your Future Relax and enjoy the now! The Financial Advisors with Investment Services at Bay Federal Credit Union can help plan your future and set you up for retirement. Schedule a complimentary appointment today! bayfed.com/invest Prevention, Education, Treatment & Recovery serving youth, adults and families in Monterey County Social Host Ordinance is a local law that legally holds adult homeowners accountable for hosting a gathering where underage drinking is allowed. PARENTS WHO HOST, LOOSE THE MOST! Support youth prevention services www.SunStreetCenters.org A FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM DEDICATED TO INDIVIDUALIZED REPRESENTATION. OFFICE 831-625-5193 | MOBILE 831-601-9376 WWW.JSRATTORNEYATLAW.COM
12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY april 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Dozens of Pajaro residents attended the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 4, holding signs in English and Spanish that read “Justicia para Pajaro” [Justice for Pajaro], “Pajaro is Abandoned,” and “Make Pajaro a beautiful and safe place to live.” About 10 people addressed the board, sharing their frustration and anger over how the flooding impacted their lives. “Your inaction speaks volumes,” said Ramiro Medrano during public comment. “Your racism and classism are glaringly evident, but we will no longer stand for it.” Medrano lived in Pajaro for over 30 years; he now lives in Salinas and has organized Pajaro residents, including at a protest in March where over 200 residents marched, asking for a federal disaster declaration and Federal Emergency Management Agency support. President Joe Biden signed a Declaration of Disaster on Monday, April 3, 23 days after the Pajaro levee was breached. “That does not absolve the County of Monterey from their responsibility... Taking care of Pajaro has been a very slow response,” Medrano says. The residents issued a list of demands to the board. These include: A step-by-step plan to prevent flooding in the next five-to-seven years before the levee repair project is completed; District 2 office hours in Pajaro at least once a month with Mixteco and Spanish translators; better management of the distribution of resources; the creation of an oversight committee to ensure resources are given to Pajaro residents; and $12,000 in financial aid per family. Eva Carrillo shared in Spanish that she doesn’t qualify for most aid because her house wasn’t affected, nor is she a farmworker. But she does need assistance—she spent her savings during the evacuation. Carrillo said her 18-year-old son is now contemplating dropping out of school and finding a job to help her to pay next month’s rent. “I don’t want my family to be destroyed due to an ineptitude from the government I have representing me,” Carrillo told the board. Carrillo was working in Pajaro and is now unemployed. “What you’re experiencing is truly systematic and environmental injustice,” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said during the meeting. “Until we fully address the policies that lead to structural inequalities in our communities, we will never have a better future for our children.” With all the disaster this past winter has wrought, there is a silver lining beyond the recharge to the region’s aquifers: beach replenishment. Sand on the beaches, locally, comes from the land, and it arrives there in one of two ways: erosion from existing dunes or rock formations or through the waves, with sand that is carried from the outflow where a river meets sea. In the case of the Salinas River, this is shaping up to be a historic year for such replenishment, in large part because of the cessation, at the end of 2020, of the Cemex sand mine in Marina, which captured much of the sand that was traveling south down the coast from the river mouth, which is only opened up by the county in heavy rain years like this one. (The steam still coming out of the Cemex plant is because the company has until the end of 2023 to process and offload its stockpiled sand, per a consent order from the California Coastal Commission.) Local coastal engineer Ed Thornton, now retired, was the leading voice that helped shut down the sand mines, which until the late 1980s stretched from Sand City to Marina. The problem they created was one of erosion: You take sand out of the system and the coast will retreat, a problem that will be worsened by climate change-induced sea level rise. But the difference in the beaches in Marina won’t be noticeable in how it looks— it will just prevent the beach from retreating. “You only see erosion when you have a building perched on the cliff,” Thornton says. The hope, he says, is that now, with the cessation of local sand mining, the natural replenishment will prevent further erosion in the face of sea level rise. “They’re in competition,” Thornton says. “I would hope it would keep up with sea level rise, so what we see is a net-zero, so the whole shoreline becomes stable.” This winter, he says, was “a big year” to that end. Backlash Pajaro residents demand financial aid and a plan to prevent flooding now. By Celia Jiménez news Easter Events The city of Marina is hosting several family-friendly events for the Easter holiday, including a pancake breakfast, egg decorating and an egg hunt for children. 9am Saturday, April 8. Rocky Han Community Center, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. 884-1278. bit.ly/ MarinaEaster2023. Cops with burritos Take a moment to get to know the police officers in your neighborhood. The King City Police Department will be available for conversation over burritos this week during Burritos with the Police, a program where you can ask questions and engage with officers in a friendly environment. 4pm Wednesday, April 12. El Taco Bravo Restaurant, 550 Canal St., #C, King City. Free. 385-3281. bit.ly/ KCBurritoswithPolice. Summer Jobs Are you interested in a summer job this year? The city of Monterey is looking to fill several positions in the recreation department and is accepting applications. Applicants must be 16 years of age or older, able to work the hours and days required by the position and program, and able to provide their own transportation to and from work. Applications are open until the position is filled. Monterey Recreation El Estero Park Center, 777 Pearl St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799. monterey.org/summerjobs. montereyrecreation@monterey.org. Social Outing Register for a free meal at the next Senior Social in Greenfield, meet up with old friends and make new ones. The event is in partnership with Salinas Valley Meals on Wheels, and local resource agencies that serve senior residents in Monterey County will be there to share information. Food will be provided by La Plaza Bakery. 11am Wednesday, April 12. Greenfield Memorial Hall, 615 El Camino Real, Greenfield. Free. 277-0514. bit.ly/ GreenfieldSeniorSocialApril23. Wear and Tear Salinas Valley Recycles returns with free tire recycling opportunities in Salinas, Gonzales and King City. Visit any of the three locations to dispose of your unwanted tires for free. Recycled tires can be turned into new materials like roads, playground floors and horse arenas. April 14-May 21. Salinas: Recycling & HHW Facility, 1104 Madison Lane. Gonzales: Johnson Canyon Landfill, 31400 Johnson Canyon Road. King City: Jolon Road Transfer Station, 52654 Jolon Road. 775-3000. salinasvalleyrecycles.org. Sand Blast The erosion of beaches in Marina finally has a fighting chance to end. By David Schmalz Ramiro Medrano speaks with Pajaro residents about the next steps as the community seeks to recover from flooding. Residents won a lawsuit after the 1995 floods. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “We will no longer stand for it.” Celia Jiménez
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 WE ARE COMMITTED TO SERVING SENIORS, DISABLED ADULTS, VETERANS, AND OTHER UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY. mowmp.org/donate MEALS ON WHEELS OF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA 700 Jewell Avenue, Pacific Grove, California 93950 MOWMP.ORG • 831.375.4454 • Tax ID # 94-2157521 2023 Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula Since 1972 4.3 million 2.7 million 6.7 million 1 million 169,000 128,000 276,000 28,000 In 2022 Miles Driven Deliveries Meals Volunteer Hours Support our mission today! Donate today!
14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com The woman in hot pink scrubs was in tears standing before the Soledad Community Health Care District Board of Directors on Thursday, March 30. She told board members she was leaving after 28 years of working there, blaming treatment by CEO Ida Lopez Chan. “I’m devastated,” she said. The next woman who spoke said her late mother had been happy living at SCHCD’s Eden Valley Care Center, until recent changes in policies and staffing led to what the daughter called a degradation of care. “My mother would want me to tell you that this place needs to change,” she said. “There are some inequities here that are happening that are terrible to your staff that have worked here a long time…You’ve failed to keep the best of the best.” How many employees have left is not clear. At least one was fired in November, the director of clinic operations, after she responded to Board President Graig Stephens’ emailed questions about the district’s financial difficulties with a detailed critique of Chan’s decisions. Also last November, four doctors, a nurse practitioner, two physician’s assistants and two others who work in the district’s clinics signed a letter of “no confidence” in Chan. The letter, hand-delivered to board members’ homes, cited “ineffective leadership from a CEO with no prior health care experience,” as well as new policies “negatively affecting good patient care.” Three months later in February, after being told the letter was never received by the district, the group emailed a second letter. One of Chan’s decisions made in December, to temporarily stop employer contributions to one of the three retirement plans maintained by the district, had to be reversed by the board during the meeting on March 30. Attorney Jeff Chang, with SCHCD’s law firm, Best, Best & Krieger, described stopping the contributions as “really serious.” Chan did not have the authority the way the plan was written, he said. Money that should have been going into employee’s accounts for seven pay periods would have to be returned, plus interest. It was not stated how much it would cost the district. Asked after the meeting, Chan said she didn’t have a total yet. She did not return subsequent messages. The 3-1 vote, with Stephens absent, put money back, but it also amended the wording of the retirement plan so that no future contributions will be made until otherwise decided by the board. The lone “no” vote was by Michael “Max” Schell, who wanted contributions to continue until the board discusses the matter. Schell provided more fireworks at the end of the meeting, demanding that the minutes reflect that the board had received the “no confidence” letter. “That’s a personnel matter,” Chan said. “No it’s not!” Schell said, raising his voice and turning beet red. He wanted the matter placed on a future agenda. “You can make that suggestion,” Chan replied. Schell says he’s putting in a request to Stephens for a special meeting, or at the very least to put discussion of the letter on the next regular agenda on April 27. Medical Drama Soledad’s health care district is in turmoil as employees lose confidence in the CEO. By Pam Marino Michael “Max” Schell, far left, listens to speakers during the March 30 Soledad Community Health Care District Board meeting. Schell, as the newest member, is challenging the status quo. NEWS “You’ve failed to keep the best of the best.” PAM MARINO PRESENTED BY
www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 15 16th ANNUAL WOMEN’S FUND LUNCHEON Friday, May 5, 2023 11:00 a.m. Registration & Networking 12:00 p.m. Program with Keynote Speaker Judy Guzmán Krueger President/CEO of Tulipán, LLC Dream, Believe, Achieve Mistress of Ceremonies, Erin Clark News Anchor, KSBW Action News 8 Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel And Spa PLEASE JOIN US! $75 per person Sponsor a table of 10 for $1,000 Additional Levels Available. Purchase tickets by April 28. womensfundluncheon2023.eventbrite.com Leavy, Galvin, Knight Family PRESENTING SPONSORS DIAMOND SPONSORS DAVID AND SUSAN GILL • KIM NEGRI, SKN PROPERTIES PLATINUM SPONSORS IMPOWER • MONTAGE HEALTH FOUNDATION • TMD CREATIVE 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org/womensfund Try Us First. We Pay The Highest! MONTEREY COIN SHOPPE Since 1970 same street for 40 years Open Mon-Thur 11am-4pm and Friday by appointment only. Call for an appointment: 831.646.9030 449 Alvarado St., Monterey www.montereycoinshoppe.com WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER, JEWELRY, COINS, DIAMONDS, WATCHES, ART & RARE ANTIQUES
16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY April 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Friday morning, March 31, started off as an agreeable, even celebratory day for the board of the Carmel Unified School District. The board convened to interview 14 applicants to fill a vacancy. They voted 4-0 to appoint Jason Remynse of Carmel Valley. Remynse, an electrical contractor, is a 1997 graduate of Carmel High School and has children enrolled at Tularcitos Elementary School, Carmel Middle School and Carmel High School. “For the first time in a long time, I am so inspired and so encouraged to be on this board of education,” board President Sara Hinds said. “I would like to thank all of you for bringing that back into my heart—there are days when it seems untenable.” There are lots of reasons it might seem untenable these days. Just look to Tess Arthur, who resigned abruptly in February, creating the vacancy. She left amid heightened scrutiny of the board and Superintendent Ted Knight, who faces criticism for tough actions he has taken in relation to ongoing investigations into sexual harassment. A Change.org petition claiming no confidence in Knight has 398 signatures and counting. A central cause energizing the signatories is Knight’s and the board’s decision to remove Carmel High School Principal Jon Lyons due to his alleged mishandling of a harassment complaint. Lyons and his attorney, Barry Bennett, have maintained since Lyons was first placed on leave in December that they don’t know why. A redacted copy of an initial investigation into Lyons, dated Feb. 23, sheds some light on a conflict between Student A and Student B, and a conversation Lyons had with Student B, who he encountered in December 2022 “in the hallway, visibly upset,” according to the report. The report goes on to describe Lyons’ conversation with Student B, and his determination the interactions with Student A did not constitute sexual harassment. In a subsequent meeting, administrators told the investigator that Lyons described the behavior as “boys acting like [redacted] boys.” The investigator concluded Lyons’ handling of the issue was not the result of a lack of training. “It appears, instead, to be either a lack of understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment itself or an inability...[to] arrive at a conclusion that is based on the information gathered during the investigation.” CUSD spokesperson Jessica Hull, meanwhile, says multiple new investigations into harassment and failure to respond to complaints have been opened, as both students and staff have come forward. On March 31, after the appointment process, the board met in closed session. They decided to hire a third-party consultant, Bob Henry of School & College Legal Services, to review Knight’s actions in relation to recent personnel matters—a reference to his removal of Lyons despite opposition from many parents who urged the board to keep Lyons in his post. Knight was placed on administrative leave effective April 1, pending the outcome of that review. School Spirit As shakeout unfolds at Carmel Unified, school board places superintendent on leave. By Sara Rubin Carmel Unified School District Superintendent Ted Knight is on administrative leave pending the outcome of a review of his handling of recent personnel issues. NEWS “Boys acting like [redacted] boys.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Let’s Celebrate LOCATED INSIDE THE PORTOLA HOTEL & SPA COMPLIMENTARY SELF OR VALET PARKING (831) 649-7830 | JACKSATPORTOLA.COM | Jacks Anniversary Celebration is open to the public. Reservations are not required, but recommended for dinner service. 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www.montereycountyweekly.com APRIL 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 17 Making a Difference Together Children and teens in Monterey County are in need of a safe and stable home. Becoming a resource family gives youth the chance to become reunified with their family or adopted. Monterey County Family and Children’s Services works towards building healthy families and strong communities. Become a resource family today, and change a child’s life forever. The Salinas City Elementary School District is seeking applicants to fill the important role of serving as a member of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. This committee exists to ensure that the proceeds from Measures G&H—the two general obligation bonds passed in 2022—are spent in accordance with the will of the voters. This committee satisfies the accountability requirements of Prop 39. Among the duties of this committee: Reviewing quarterly expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that bond proceeds are expended only for the purposes set forth in the ballot measure and no proceeds are used for any teacher or administrative salaries or other operating expenses of the District. Recruitment for this committee is ongoing and will remain open unless and until four new members are approved. If you are interested, please visit this link: bit.ly/3YrZhsE to download and print the application, or you may obtain a paper copy of the application between the hours of 8:30am–4:30pm, Monday-Friday, at the front desk of the District Office, 840 S. Main St., Salinas. Please email your completed application to jcardenas@salinascity.k12.ca.us or return it to the District Office. Scan QR code to download application SEEKING APPLICANTS FOR THE CITIZENS’ BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY April 6-12, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Water Line Thank you so much for your Pajaro levee reporting (“Congress authorized a restoration of the Pajaro River levee in 1966. More than half a century later, the work remains undone,” March 23-29). When the levee failed the people of Pajaro, this time, I was so angry I had steam coming from my ears. It’s not nice to let disadvantaged people suffer because their house isn’t worth more. Your story makes clear that there are not only uncaring fools involved in the history of this failure, but also heroes who have long struggled to do what’s right. Thanks for filling out the story for me. Steve Beck | Big Sur Tenant Rights If the tenants are not able to reside they should not be charged rent… although most will argue they should of carried renters insurance to help with that. (“Monterey County Board of Supervisors adopts eviction moratorium for Pajaro residents,” posted March 28). Sandra Lynn Manely | via social media Hear the Echo As a retired professor of theater, I’m pretty much firmly ensconced in a liberal echo chamber both in “real life” and on social media (“Anti-vax rhetoric is just one topic that gets caught in an echo chamber, sometimes with tragic consequences,” posted March 24). However, I grew up in Orange County in the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s, well before it turned “purple” politically. Many of my old friends as well as some of my family still live there and are still very conservative. So how do I escape my own echo chamber? By still engaging—cordially and intelligently—with all of them. The worst thing we can do is to isolate ourselves (via absence of communication or “unfriending”) from differing opinions. I often joke with some of them that I’m “intelligence gathering of enemy plans” when we talk. There are some “red lines” I won’t cross. Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny are all “sins” I can’t tolerate. But if we on the left think that none of us fall under those categories…we’ll, then you’re probably trapped in your echo chamber. Gary Bolen | Prunedale I know Dr. Hulstedt and always found him to be a free thinker, non-mainstream, educated and always had a child’s best health as his primary concern. So sad to hear this ended badly (“A Monterey doctor loses his license for anti-vax views that factored into a deadly custody case,” March 23-29). Shawn Adams | Monterey Envisioning Equality I’ve been around Salinas since the late ’60s and it’s always been cliquey. I don’t get it. It’s completely different in other places I’ve lived—People of mixed race neighborhoods always got along just fine. What makes Salinas so different? (“After two racist incidents at Salinas Union schools, the community demands accountability,” March 16-22.) Norma Ray | Salinas Surf’s Down Even if it overcomes the seemingly insurmountable issues regarding building on the coast, I question whether a six-mile bus route will really give workers a cost-effective “reliable and faster option to reach their jobs.” (“MST’s embattled SURF! project is entering a decisive gauntlet: the Coastal Commission,” March 30-April 5.) How will workers get from their homes to the departure bus depot? How much will it cost to ride? How do they get from the arrival depot to their job? How often will buses run? How many people are expected to use it instead of the freeway? Will this system turn a profit or be forever subsidized by taxpayers? History has shown that adding lanes does not alleviate traffic. This smells like a boondoggle project, and I’m guessing that on-ramp lights would be a cheaper solution with a greater impact. Joe Snyder | Monterey [In my opinion] a six mile route between two rural stations which requires riders to change buses to achieve their destination cannot legitimately be considered mass transit, it is no more than a spur. I have commuted on MST Line 20, boarding in Marina and debarking in downtown Monterey, I got to work and there was no need to change buses. That line still exists. We have an endangered Smith’s Blue Butterfly in those coastal dunes that needs protection from unnecessary development. Tina Walsh | via social media Not a Pet The female octopus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a prisoner, not a pet, and for a solitary animal to have to see “thousands of people” a day is stressful (“A Monterey Bay Aquarium biologist gets paid to pet the biggest octopuses in the ocean, and they love him back,” March 30-April 5). There is a consensus in the field of animal sentience that octopuses are conscious beings. They show the ability to learn behavior and strategies and are not set in a programmed behavioral pattern. They are extremely intelligent and aware. They have a life of the mind like we do. Octopus have no rights. Some scientists and many organizations are speaking up. Some states and countries are banning farms and including octopus in animal welfare legislation. We must do the same. Susan Schiavone | Seaside Party Politics Squid must be scratching its head wondering why this wasn’t in its column instead of in an almost fullpage commentary that was based on unconfirmed misinformation (“The county Democratic Party gets stuck on issues big and small,” March 23-29). [Former Salinas mayoral candidate and Democratic Central Committee member Amit Pandya] has lost multiple times and is looking to throw shade at those who endorsed him, a tactic another candidate did as well a few years ago. Sore losers don’t deserve any more than a comment from Squid. Esther Malkin | Monterey Note: Malkin is a member of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee. Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.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.
www.montereycountyweekly.com April 6-12, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 19 After the Pajaro River levee breached in the middle of the night, the response was swift and urgent. Firefighters and law enforcement officers were on the scene with high-water rescue vehicles, then with boats. SPCA staff scrambled to get puppies and parakeets to safety. Protecting life and safety comes first. The floodwaters have receded and evacuation orders have been lifted. But for Pajaro residents, the crisis is still in its early stages. Many returned to discover their homes are uninhabitable. Some are filing insurance claims, others are not covered by insurance and are sorting through the wreckage of destroyed furniture and appliances and clothes. Some are considering moving, staff writer Celia Jiménez has reported. The fact that Pajaro was subject to this flood to begin with is a function of relative poverty—as staff writer Dave Schmalz has reported, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used a formula to determine it wasn’t worth it to invest in infrastructure to shore up the levee, because property values weren’t high enough to justify the expense. We know events like this—floods, rising sea levels impacting coastal communities, increased frequency of fires and severe droughts—are going to be more common as the climate continues changing. While Pajaro residents were hauling destroyed refrigerators en masse to the curb, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on March 20 released a report that gets at the crux of the big, existential issues about how humans will continue to live in a world where weather events have life-altering impacts. “Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health,” the report states, offering very high confidence in that conclusion. “There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all (very high confidence). Climate resilient development integrates adaptation and mitigation to advance sustainable development for all, and is enabled by increased international cooperation including improved access to adequate financial resources, particularly for vulnerable regions, sectors and groups, and inclusive governance and coordinated policies (high confidence). The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years (high confidence).” The IPCC’s report focuses largely on the urgent need to curb greenhouse gas emissions to stave off catastrophe. The report also recommends we move, and fast, on adaptation strategies—and that we apply those strategies equitably, instead of letting relatively poorer people suffer the worst consequences of climate change and reserving resilience strategies for the wealthy. Pajaro residents for years have said that if they were a wealthier community, the levee would have long since been worked on. That’s true. There’s an even deeper layer to that concern about inequity: If they were a wealthier community, the town might not have been built there, in a floodplain on a riverbank, at all. It’s not entirely true that places at higher risk of weather and climate disasters are more affordable. Look at Big Sur, Carmel Valley, the River Road corridor, Del Monte Forest on the Monterey Peninsula—plenty of more affluent neighborhoods are at risk of increasingly fierce wildfires. As nature takes its course, our disaster response systems react: Insurance claims are filed, county building inspectors clear people to move back in, fundraising efforts help families get their lives back on track. And for many, life continues on the same track—again, in a disaster-prone place. Meanwhile, it’s largely insurance companies that are driving planning decisions that incorporate climate change hazards. Flood insurance long ago became untenable, prompting FEMA to step in where private insurance wouldn’t. Homeowner’s insurance is starting to take fires and development in the wildland-urban interface into account, and simply dropping clients. We can leave it to insurance companies to guide decisions about where we do and don’t develop, but I think it’s a wiser idea to plan collaboratively—and make sure that communities like Pajaro don’t get left behind again, just because they can’t afford to be ahead. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com. Resilient Road As Pajaro residents resettle, it’s time to rethink how and where we live. By Sara Rubin Storm Time…Fortunately, Squid’s undersea lair is sheltered from atmospheric rivers, so Squid just hunkered down while humans were experiencing all kinds of hardship—trees falling, extended and repeated evacuations, property destruction and more. And then there are humans whose job is to support those facing immense hardship, and they had to work extra-hard during the storms. Many get paid overtime for their efforts; some are classified as exempt from overtime, but many county employees still qualified for “local emergency pay.” Squid was curious about that, so Squid’s colleagues submitted a California Public Records Act request to the Monterey County seeking info on additional compensation to exempt employees from January through March. The total was enough for Squid to buy a new lair, or for a Pajaro family to buy a new house (or two): $762,651.73. The payments—called “local emergency pay”— went to 202 employees in a variety of departments, some that made more immediate sense to Squid than others. Extra pay went to many workers in the field, in departments like the Water Resources Agency; Public Works (where project manager Juan Mesa Ceballos made $29,307); the Health Department; and the Sheriff’s Office (where Sheriff Tina Nieto earned an extra $9,350). It also went to county Library Director Hillary Theyer ($1,577) and to the County Administrative Office, where County Communications Director Nick Pasculli earned a whopping $32,947 extra. Unfortunately, Squid is paid per word, no matter the weather. Name Game…Speaking of Nick Pasculli, it’s under his watch that Monterey County recently underwent a rebranding process in which it’s changing its emblem. No longer will it read “Monterey County”— now, it’s “County of Monterey.” Mmmkay? Squid didn’t make much of it when seeing it on the Board of Supervisors’ agendas recently, but caught a bit of the discussion in the March 14 meeting while tuning in for important updates about Pajaro. Then Squid got an email March 31 from the county communications department and it really sunk in: Not only did the county change its emblem, but it changed its official name with the state. The email was unsigned (though sent on behalf of Pasculli) so Squid doesn’t know who to thank for the advice that “both the new emblem and proper naming convention needs to be implemented immediately wherever possible.” Needs? Immediately? Squid needs a fresh supply of shrimp-flavored popcorn in Squid’s pantry immediately, and perhaps some slow news days. Squid doesn’t need to be told what to call Monterey County. The County of Monterey (oof) can try if it wants, but aren’t there more pressing matters at hand? the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. We know events like this are going to be common. Send Squid a tip: squid@mcweekly.com
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