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Monterey County Government News



Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Little Carmel faces big challenges while overcoming a staffing shortage.

Things were respectful but a bit tense at the Carmel City Council meeting on Feb. 1, after Councilmember Jeff Baron said to City Administrator Chip Rerig that he didn’t understand why the 55-year-old police station, in desperate need of renovations…

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
King City balances budget, plans new sales tax measure

KING CITY — King City Mayor Mike LeBarre announced the city has reached a balanced budget for the first time in 16 years during last week’s State of the City luncheon. “This year for the first time since June 30, …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The Colorado Fire unearths a distorted burn permitting process between state and local agencies.

Only days after the Colorado Fire sparked and quickly scorched nearly 700 acres of the Big Sur coastline, Cal Fire announced the cause: aided by strong winds, hot embers escaped a private property burn pile and ignited nearby vegetation. The…

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
Lofgren visits Salinas Valley, receives nod from Panetta and Rivas

SALINAS — As the decennial redistricting process wrapped up last month, the concern from The World’s Salad Bowl started to mount. Local politicians, regional business giants and other community leaders asked how a plan to pair the international agricultural hub …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Faced with a government limit on who she can marry, a local woman went to Congress.

Lori Long describes her dating life in her 40s like many people who turn to online dating: “I had low expectations.” But she was accustomed to informing her first dates about expectations before meeting her in person: When they would…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The new composting mandate has stirred up questions.

When it comes to California’s new composting law, people have questions. Many, many questions.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Monterey County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder Steve Vagnini announces retirement, endorses assistant.

After nearly 20 years as Monterey County Assessor/Clerk-Recorder, Steve Vagnini will not be seeking re-election in 2022. He has worked in the office for 35 years, and was elected to five four-year terms, for the first time in 2001.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Carmel Council votes to end temporary parklets in favor of a long term solution.

While other California cities are embracing one of the biggest trends of the Covid-19 pandemic, outdoor dining parklets, tiny Carmel-by-the-Sea has been struggling with the concept for at least a year, with numerous attempts to remove temporary parklets from the…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
The pandemic has reduced traffic, and TAMC wants to keep it that way (the traffic part).

It’s not yet clear how much Covid-19 will impact our commuting habits long-term, but it does seem clear there will be an impact. An October study from analytics firm Gallup found that 45 percent of the American workforce worked remotely…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Anna Caballero announce re-election campaign in a district that no longer includes Salinas.

That State Sen. Anna Caballero is running for re-election, seeking what would be her final four-year term in the State Senate before terming out of the California Legislature is no surprise. That the former Salinas mayor and long-time Salinas resident…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
California’s new statehouse and congressional districts shake up Monterey County's political landscape into the next decade.

How Monterey County is represented in Sacramento and Washington in the 2020s will look much different than the 2010s after the state commission tasked with redrawing district boundaries unanimously approved stark changes along the Central Coast.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Seaside City Council approves urgency ordinance to kneecap state housing bill.

In a 4-1 vote, the Seaside City Council passed an urgency ordinance on Thursday, Dec. 16 that will essentially kneecap Senate Bill 9, a new state housing bill that takes effect Jan. 1. The law will theoretically allow homeowners to…

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Gonzales Youth Council members selected for 2021-22 school year

GONZALES — City of Gonzales has announced that 13 students from Gonzales High School have been selected to serve on the 2021-22 Gonzales Youth Council. Youth Commissioners Autumn Escobedo and Sherlyn Flores-Magadan, both juniors, are returning for another year, alongside …

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Soledad bridge project among state’s transportation investment

SOLEDAD — A multimillion-dollar bridge rehabilitation project near Soledad has been approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). Last week CTC allocated more than $495 million for various projects to fix and improve transportation infrastructure throughout California. Senate Bill (SB) …

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
California is reinstating an indoor mask mandate

California will once again require residents to wear masks in indoor public settings everywhere in the state, amid uncertainty surrounding the rapid spread of the omicron coronavirus variant and rising case rates as the holidays approach. The mandate will go …

Featured

California's sprawling public education system encompasses approximately 10,500 schools.
California’s Education System: How the Bureaucracy Works
How California's extensive public school system is organized and managed, explained.
Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors
Born amid controversy, this public agency is responsible for managing some of the most precious real estate in the world.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
California continues to work on legislation that would make voting easier.
Voting Rites
And more bills are on the way to help you make your mark on Election Day.
Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained
The heated controversy over what to do with abandoned railroad tracks
California transportation history runs from railroads to today’s car culture.
California’s History of Transportation: From Railroads to Highways
The history of transportation in California has shaped the state, from the earliest stagecoach to today’s car culture.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?
California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
Is California Ready for More Extreme Weather Driven by Climate Change?
Increasingly extreme weather events are already testing California’s preparedness.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
Translated from the Greek, “Democracy” means “people power.” How much power do the people have in California?
People Power! What Is Democracy, and How Does It Work in California?
The Goddess of Democracy is alive and well in California, but that hasn’t always been true.
Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
California has a goal of 6 million heat pumps cooling and heating buildings by 2030.
6 Million New Heat Pumps: Essential to California's Climate Future
Installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030 is essential if California is to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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