The Buzz 01.01.15

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Way before the infamous bridge to nowhere, or the faulty Bay Bridge bolts from China, government buyers have been getting together to share war stories. They’ve also been getting together to share best practices and tips on how to avoid those pitfalls. About 250 members of the California Association of Public Procurement Officials(CAPPO) meet for their 98th annual conference in Monterey to talk about costs, new laws and sources for products. CAPPO’s website is encouraging: “Good government and good procurement are mutually beneficial.” Plenty of places have neither, but this is a good place to start.

Jan. 6-8. Marriott, 250 Calle Principal. $199/CAPPO members; $329/non-members. (800) 592-1970, www.cappo.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Ecological Farming Conference, aka EcoFarm, celebrates its 35th anniversary at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove Jan. 21-24. Workshops focus on everything from soil management to ag policy, with chef/author Deborah Madison keynoting.

OVERHEARD

“In Monterey, if you look like a bum, people treat you like one. I don’t make the rules, I just understand them.”
– A man dying his hair in the Pattullo Center locker room in Seaside to better “blend in” with employed people.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

Good:

As of this writing, Monterey County Gives!, the Weekly’s annual fundraising campaign to support the Big Ideas of area nonprofits, reached $957,808. Backed by partners including the Weekly, The Community Foundation for Monterey County, Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Cannery Row Co., and The Ona & Robert Murphy Trust managed by Kilzer Wealth Management, the campaign obtained unprecedented matching grants of $190,000 and challenge grants of $109,000. Gives! also received nearly $6,000 from Whole Foods 5 percent day and additional support from the Doolittle Fund and Jose F. Fernandez Fund of the Community Foundation. The campaign ends midnight Dec. 31.

Bad:

Bad week, bad month – hell, let’s call it a bad year for the National Steinbeck Center. The paean to the Nobel Prize-winning son of Salinas has struggled for years under debt that makes it unable to pay back loans from the city despite truly brilliant programming in recent years. Enter CSU Monterey Bay and the University Corporation, which this year announced plans to buy the center’s land and building, keep the exhibits in place and open a satellite campus. Exciting stuff. Now if only the state would get out of the way. As part of the deal, the Steinbeck Center had to ask the state Department of Finance to forgive $485,000 in debt. Every other public agency creditor agreed to forgive the loan; the state said no. CSUMB President Eduardo Ochoa says he’s confident something can be worked out.