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Monterey County Public Safety Articles



Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Seaside police launch Lights On! program to cut back on non-public safety tickets.

There are serious efforts being made to cut back on the number of non-public safety tickets police give out. In Seaside alone, about 50 tickets are written for broken tail lights or headlights each year.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Soledad community to decide funding for Safe Routes to School projects

SOLEDAD — Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), in partnership with the City of Soledad, announced that Soledad residents and workers, age 14 and older, will have the opportunity to vote to determine which Safe Routes to School projects to …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Ordnance was uncovered in Marina on land long ago cleared by the Army. How did that happen?

On Friday, April 21, the day before Earth Day, staff from the Marina Coast Water District and other volunteers were planting trees at Hilltop Park in Marina. The park, which is not really a park yet, is just a stone’s…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Taylor Farms reopened its Salinas food processing facility one year after a potentially disastrous fire. Could it happen again?

Rey Mashayekhi here, thinking about the tradeoffs that we, as a society, make between safety and commerce. I’m not breaking any news here; it’s simply a fact of life in our economic system, and especially when you’re as reliant as…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
MRY airport board moves forward with Monterey on fire protection contract.

On Wednesday, May 3, the board of Monterey Regional Airport voted unanimously to start negotiations with the city of Monterey for fire protection services, its current fire department contractor.

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
Cal Fire launches new online burn permit application

CALIFORNIA — Cal Fire has launched a new Online Burn Permit application platform that offers the public a user-friendly way to request a burn permit. Burn permits that are available on this platform include the following: Residential Burning (LE-62A) is …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Salinas officials discuss the future of legalizing cruising within city limits.

Once banned as an annoyance, in recent years cities across California have removed cruising ordinances. Although cruising – groups of drivers lapping city streets at a slow pace to see and be seen – was a widespread, nationwide phenomenon, many…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A new firefighting contract at Monterey Airport could increase response times in nearby neighborhoods.

When the board of directors of the Monterey Peninsula Airport District met on April 5, the room overflowed and firefighters spilled into the hallway, packing the room to ask the board to renew their contract.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Greenfield City Council backs Safe Routes to School plan

GREENFIELD — Greenfield City Council has approved funding for the Safe Routes to School projects for near-term implementation at its March 14 regular meeting. The projects — recommended by the Greenfield Safe Routes to School Steering Committee — will fill …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A judge orders California’s pesticide regulator to redraw guidelines around the cancer-causing Telone.

A court battle rages on over California’s regulation of the cancer-causing pesticide 1,3-dichloropropene, or 1,3-D – with a superior court judge ruling that the state must revise its rules to provide greater protection to farmworkers exposed to the pesticide.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Pajaro River breaches levee, prompting mandatory evacuations in the middle of the night.

The Pajaro River breached the levee upriver from the North Monterey County community of Pajaro early Saturday morning, March 11, just after midnight.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Storm causes widespread closures of Monterey County schools, courts and businesses.

Amid widespread power outages and other storm-related hazards, various businesses and schools are closed throughout Monterey County on Friday, March 10.

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
E. coli found in San Ardo water supply

SAN ARDO — San Ardo residents are still being advised to avoid drinking water from the town’s water system after testing confirmed the presence of E. coli bacteria. According to an update from Monterey County Health Department’s Environmental Health Bureau …

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
While Chualar’s wastewater treatment plant is out of commission, Soledad is treating its wastewater.

During the recent winter storms, Monterey County’s wastewater treatment plant in the unincorporated South County community of Chualar was under water as the Salinas River flooded, and sewage was released into the river, according to a memo prepared by Soledad’s…

Image caption: View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis

How to effectively communicate actionable information for preparation before extreme events, and to disseminate vital information during and after disasters.

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
Officials issue an urgent reminder to abide by evacuation orders, describe Monterey Peninsula at risk of becoming an 'island.'

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office issued new evacuation orders on Wednesday, Jan. 11, for communities located along the Salinas River near Monterey Bay—with Sheriff Tina Nieto warning that the Monterey Peninsula “may become an island” amid continuing storms that are…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
A tale of two creeks: As parts of Bolsa Knolls flood, neighbors blame lack of creek maintenance on county side outside city border.

Dozens of sandbags, like a small barricade, are outside of several homes and garages on the low side of Paul Avenue in Bolsa Knolls in North Salinas. On Monday afternoon, Jan. 9, the street has little water and there is…

Monterey County Weekly logo LOCAL NEWS
PHOTOS: Evacuation orders are widespread as rivers rise, but many residents opt to stay.

After a drumbeat of warnings and PSAs about potential flooding, along with a series of evacuation warnings, officials ordered evacuations of several Monterey County communities on Monday morning, Jan. 9, as river levels rose.

Image caption: Explaining California is hard work! But at California Local, we were up for it throughout 2022.
Explaining California in 2022: Our 10 Best Explainers of the Year

2022 was a year that needed a lot of explaining. And California Local was there. Here are our 10 most important explanatory journalism stories from the year gone by, from immigration to cryptocurrency to wealth inequality and more.

King City Rustler logo LOCAL NEWS
San Lucas students are driving force behind street improvements

SAN LUCAS — Children in San Lucas can now safely walk to school following the construction of new sidewalks and freshly paved streets in the South Monterey County town. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and resource fair took place Oct. 26 at …

Featured

A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained
What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.
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.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
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.
How Not to Feel the Burn
These groups help residents preserve their property, health and life.
Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era
As climate change causes more extreme and unusual weather, we need a new set of terms to describe the various phenomena
Though it’s the most famous, the San Andreas Fault is just one of more than 500 active faults in California.
Battening Down for the Big One
Making it through the earthquake is easy—the hard part comes later.
Many of Robert Kerbeck’s neighbors in Malibu Park lost their homes in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which left behind lots where only chimneys still stood.
Give Your Home a Fighting Chance in a Wildfire
Wildfires are larger, more frequent, and more ferocious—so be prepared.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
With CERT training, volunteers can learn firefighting skills.
Emergency Teamwork
With CERT training, ordinary civilians can play critical roles in protecting their communities.
View of the flooded San Lorenzo River Park Benchlands in Santa Cruz, California on New Year's Eve 2022.
Communicating During Disaster and Crisis
Recent lessons learned over days of local disaster.
Flooding on the Salinas River in 2023 brought economic hardship to farmers and snarled traffic.
Disaster Prep: Alerts, Maps and Apps
Keep these online resources handy in case of floods, fires, quakes and other disasters