Monterey County Weekly

1 week ago | montereycountyweekly.com | Sara Rubin

As Salinas City Council revisits four tenant protection ordinances tonight, May 13, the testimony from the public is likely to present two emotionally packed accounts of the impact the suite of four ordinances have. In broad terms, tenants have maintained they are keeping them housed, just barely; landlords say they cannot earn enough money to run a business and keep their rental units maintained.

1 week ago | montereycountyweekly.com | David Schmalz

A proposed decision from two California Public Utilities Commission administrative law judges dropped Friday afternoon, May 9, that could have major implications as to whether Cal Am—the investor-owned utility that supplies water the Monterey Peninsula—will be able to move forward with its proposed desalination project in Marina, which has been a lightning rod of controversy for more than a decade.

2 weeks ago | montereycountyweekly.com | Pam Marino

The Pacific Grove City Council voted 5-2 in favor of increasing councilmembers' monthly salary from $420 to $966 and the mayor's monthly salary from $700 to $1,610, on Wednesday, May 7. It's the first increase in council salary since December 1998. Past councils have tried to increase compensation but have been met with staunch opposition from residents who contend the positions of councilmember and mayor should be essentially voluntary.

2 weeks ago | montereycountyweekly.com | David Schmalz

For three days a month starting this June, roller skating is coming back to the 831. Monterey Skates, which will operate at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, fills a void that local skating enthusiasts have felt deeply in recent years. First came the 2011 closure of Del Monte Gardens, a rink on Del Monte Avenue that had been a fixture of the local scene for decades.

2 weeks ago | montereycountyweekly.com | Sara Rubin

Education promises to be the great equalizer. But that promise has all sorts of assumptions built into it. One is that everyone starts at the same starting line, when in reality, some kids show up to their first day of kindergarten knowing basic reading and numbers. Others show up to kindergarten having never opened a book. And in Monterey County, only 1 in 4 children are kindergarten-ready. “Early exposure helps level the playing field,” says Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss.