Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Salinas City Council Votes 5-2 in Favor of Rescinding Four Renter-Protection Ordinances.

On Tuesday, April 22, Salinas City Council voted 5-2 in support of steps to rescind four ordinances, including Monterey County’s first rent stabilization measure. Councilmembers Andrew Sandoval and Tony Barrera, who are the only remaining members of council from 2023…

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A Plan for Trails in Laguna Grande Park Nears Permitting; Just Have to Mind the Turtles.

On file at the Monterey Public Library is an undated pamphlet from the Seaside Chamber of Commerce that appears to have been published in the 1950s or early ’60s. It’s titled, “Laguna Grande as a Recreation and Entertainment Project,” and…

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Developing the Former Fort Ord Remains a Tricky Proposition, as Seaside Has Long Realized.

David Schmalz here. Over the better part of the last decade, I’ve reported on the former Fort Ord and efforts to develop it, and one of the things that’s surprised me is how many people—including elected officials—don’t have a firm…

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Seaside, Which Allows More Cannabis Dispensaries Than Any Local City, Is Cutting Back.

The City of Seaside is finally reckoning with market forces with respect to cannabis, and reducing the allowed number of cannabis dispensaries from nine to three, while letting the existing six dispensaries continue operating so long as they choose.

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Seaside to Enact a Spay-and-Neuter Ordinance to Curb Wanton Breeding of Cats and Dogs.

So-called “backyard breeding,” the breeding of cats or dogs with no regulation, is a problem the City of Seaside has faced for years. At least in part, that’s because the city hasn’t required a permit for breeders. On Nov. 7,…

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Incumbents Sail to Victory in Seaside Council Races, and Voters Approve a Fireworks Ban.

Minutes after 8pm on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Seaside City Councilmember Alex Miller thrust a fist into the air.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Incumbents Sail to Victory in Seaside Council Races, and Voters Approve a Fireworks Ban.

Minutes after 8pm on Tuesday, Nov. 5, Seaside City Councilmember Alex Miller thrust a fist into the air.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Seaside Celebrates Its 70th Birthday With a Drone Show. Are They the Future?

The City of Seaside celebrated its 70th birthday on Sunday, Oct. 13, with an event that was supposed to span from 4-8pm at City Hall, capped by a drone light show in the final 15 minutes.

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Changes to Seaside’s Campus Town Plan Mean Presidio of Monterey Fire Station Can Remain in Place.

The path to developing anything locally is littered with pitfalls and often unforeseen challenges, particularly if the proposed project is on the former Fort Ord. That being the case, sometimes plans change, as they did Sept. 19 when Seaside City…

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It’s Been a Rough Year in Seaside City Hall, and the Water Is Muddied as to Where the Blame Lies.

Seaside City Hall has seen quite a bit of upheaval in the year 2024, with resignations and firings at top positions, including city manager. It also looks like it’s going to be an unusually expensive year for the city, as…

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MPC Is Exploring the Possibility of a Satellite Location in Downtown Seaside.

The Monterey campus of Monterey Peninsula College is a sprawling, tree-filled property just off Highway 1. MPC leadership is seeking not just to draw more students to its main campus, but also to meet students where they are.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Jaime Fontes, Former Seaside City Manager, Files a Claim Against the City.

Former Seaside city manager Jaime Fontes, who City Council terminated for no cause (“loss of confidence”) effective June 6 of this year, is not done with Seaside yet.

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The Groundwork Is Being Laid for a Northern Expansion in Seaside.

As Seaside development expands further north with the nascent Campus Town project, which seeks to build up to nearly 1,500 residential units on dilapidated property between Gigling Road and Lightfighter Drive, a second fire station for Seaside has long been…

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The Stars Are Finally Aligning for the Developers of Campus Town to Get Shovels in the Ground.

Ever since the City of Seaside entered into a purchase and sale agreement with KB Bakewell Seaside Venture II, LLC in 2017 to develop the Campus Town project, which envisions 1,485 housing units and more than 150,000 square feet of…

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In a Stunning Vote, Two Cities Nix Monterey One Water's Billing Process One Week Before It Begins.

A cost-saving plan to shift all of Monterey One Water's billing to collection through county property tax bills was killed just seven days before it was to go into effect, thanks to opposition from just two of the board's 10…

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Land Use Watchdogs Sue the City of Seaside Over Its 2040 General Plan.

Yet again, the City of Seaside finds itself embroiled in a lawsuit over its attempts to develop the former Fort Ord, just over a week after City Council finalized an $850,000 settlement with Sacramento-based developer Paul Petrovich regarding his attempt…

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As Seaside Stumbles Through Trying to Develop Its Fort Ord Property, Liability Keeps Cropping Up.

The City of Seaside has long wrestled with questions about how best to grow, which is something that, to some extent, it must do: Back in the 1990s, when Fort Ord shut down, local municipalities accepted thousands of acres from…

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Upheaval in Seaside Continues as the City Council Places the City Manager on Administrative Leave.

Numerous top staffers have left Seaside City Hall in recent weeks, and now it appears City Manager Jaime Fontes might be on his way out too—in a closed session City Council review of his performance Thursday night, April 18, the…

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Seaside’s Second Fire Station Takes a Step Toward Construction With Environmental Documents.

When it was built in the 1970s, Seaside’s fire station on Broadway Avenue was situated in a central location, allowing for even response times to all areas of the city.