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By Chris Neklason
Published Mar 10, 2025

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers testimony on the fiscal year 2025 budget request at the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense hearing in Washington D.C., April 16, 2024.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers testimony on the fiscal year 2025 budget request at the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense hearing in Washington D.C., April 16, 2024.
Image credit: US Navy MCC Michael B. Zingaro   Public Domain

Women's History Month

Chris here, thinking of Admiral Lisa M. Francetti, the former Chief of U.S. Naval Operations and the first woman to serve in that capacity and to sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

And frankly, reading her biography on Wikipedia, I'm angry. 

I'm angry that someone so capable, so tested and so proven, who spent her career in the service of this country, was fired from her position as the head of the United States Navy a few weeks ago—on February 21—because in the end that wasn't good enough for the current administration. She was a woman and she had to go.

I could go on, but the national scene is outside of our lane here at California Local, where we (try to) stay focused on our state, our counties and our communities. 

It's Women's History Month, and this issue of The Newsletter salutes the women who shaped California and continue to work tirelessly to make their communities better and the Golden State shine a little brighter.

Sisters, rock on.


Groundbreakers

The history of Women's History Month goes back to 1911 here in the United States with the first celebration of International Women's Day.

By 1969, International Women's Day was almost forgotten and rarely celebrated. A women's rights advocate who called herself Laura X led a march in Berkeley, California, to raise awareness, and the rest, as they say, is history. Or rather, herstory. 

Below, we present three articles celebrating some groundbreaking women.


25 California Women Who Made History


California women have played a significant role in shaping every major industry within the U.S. and the world. Here are a few of them.

Doing Good: The League of Women Voters

A portrait of the first Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters in Chicago in 1920.
The decades of work to win the right to vote for women was only the beginning.

Doing Good: Soroptimist International

Sign for  Baliuag Lodge No. 301 - Soroptimist International (Pan-Philippine Highway, San Rafael, Bulacan)
Making a better world for women and preparing women to make a better world.


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Monterey County's Homepage

Direct your browser to https://monterey.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Monterey County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!


Recipe of the Week

Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.

See more recipes in their Taste Winter! cookbook.


Make the most of spring berries with this easy dessert

Fresh berry parfaits layered with cream and chopped almonds are easy to make. Frozen berries will work in this, too.
New! Berry-berry parfait with strawberries and blackberries (or blueberries)

Good News in the Animal Kingdom

Because times are weird, we offer a couple of tidbits of good news from the animal kingdom:


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Dentistry4Vets logo Dentistry4Vets

Dentistry4Vets is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing dentistry care for veterans in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.

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From Our Media Allies

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Salinas Valley Tribune logo At&T and Partners Donate 185 Laptops to Address Digital Divide in Greenfield

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King City Rustler logo Cal Water Infrastructure Upgrade Underway in King City

California Water Service is preparing to complete work on a water infrastructure upgrade this month that will improve water supply reliability and fire protection in King City.

The Pajaronian logo Aptos High Teachers and Students Decry Possible Layoffs, Schedule Change

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Community Food Pantry of King City is again partnering with Goodwill Industries for another collection drive later this month.

Monterey County Weekly logo Expansion at Cardinale Stadium Seeks to Diversify Events and Attract Female Soccer Teams.

Three years ago, Cardinale Stadium was packed with fans attending Monterey Bay FC’s first home game. The local United Soccer League team played several games away while the stadium modernization was still underway.

Monterey County Weekly logo A Community Outreach Process in Marina, Paid for by Cal Am, Gets Off to a Rocky Start.

Just before 10am on Saturday, March 1, about a dozen people start trickling into a building at UC MBEST, a research facility operated by UC Santa Cruz just northeast of Imjin Parkway at Reservation Road.

Monterey County Weekly logo A New Partnership Seeks to Skill Up the Local Agricultural Workforce.

As an industry, ag tech is an amorphous and rapidly evolving space. It encompasses a wide array of technologies that include AI, drones, robots, autonomous tractors and even laser weeders. The potential of these innovations to transform our food systems …

Monterey County Weekly logo At Least Six Local NOAA Employees Are Fired From the Federal Workforce.

When Elon Musk of the Department of Government Efficiency waved a chainsaw around onstage in February, many federal employees interpreted the symbol quite literally. Others thought perhaps their departments would be spared.

Monterey County Weekly logo The Bridge Drug Treatment Program Closes Escrow on a More Expansive Location.

Space was tight at The Bridge Restoration Ministry in Pacific Grove, a multi-phase drug rehabilitation program begun in 2006 in a historic eight-bedroom home where 22 men live and receive treatment.

Monterey County Weekly logo Wildfire Risk and Mitigation Efforts Are Top of Mind for Residents and Leaders Across the County.

As evidenced by the number of attendees at a community event called Wildfire Ready, wildfire is at the forefront of many Monterey County residents and local leaders’ minds.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Community Foundation for Monterey County Offers $1.5M in Scholarships for Local Students

Many Monterey County students aspire to attend college, but the cost of higher education keeps them from achieving that dream.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo Monterey County Joins Coalition in Lawsuit Against Trump Administration’s Sanctuary Policy Threats

Monterey County Board of Supervisors has joined a coalition of cities and counties across the United States in a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful threats against local jurisdictions with so-called “sanctuary” policies.

Benito Link logo Arts Council Awarded $250,000 Workforce Development Grant

The San Benito County Arts Council along with lead partners, the Arts Council for Monterey County and the Arts Council Santa Cruz County, are excited to announce their selection as one of 36 grantees in a competitive grant program to …

Carmichael Times logo California Comment on Latest Small Business Optimism Index

Small business optimism across the nation fell a bit in January but for the third consecutive month, came in higher than its 51-year average, according to the release Feb. 11 of the monthly Small Business Optimism Index by the National …

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