The Buzz 12.21.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Good news for fans, and the local economy: They’re not in town yet, but the women of Big Little Lies will be back in Monterey County in 2018 to film Season 2 of the popular HBO series. When BLL was in town to film for Season 1 in 2016, direct production spending was estimated to be $2.2 million, according to the Monterey County Film Commission. Of that, $1.2 million was spent on hotels, $306,000 on purchases and rentals, $234,000 on wages, and $292,000 on location fees and permits. The total estimated economic impact was over $2.5 million, and 352 local extras got work. It’s too early to know when the production will be back for filming, and HBO has not confirmed whether all of the original cast will return. The show won eight Emmys last year, including lead actress Nicole Kidman and supporting actress Laura Dern.

Big Little Lies Season 1 is available for streaming on HBO.com. Or “follow in the footsteps” of BLL stars using a list of filming locations posted on the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau blog, seemonterey.com/blog.

FREE SPEECH

It started with a mysterious letter left on employees’ desks on the night of Oct. 3, and on Dec. 4 became official: Journalists at the Los Angeles Times have announced plans to form a union. A committee representing newsroom employees asked the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election, theTimes reports, in an effort to be represented by the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America. (The NewsGuild represents some 25,000 journalists, including graphic designers, reporters, photographers, columnists and others.) The industry magazine Editor & Publisher reports that in the months leading up to the formal Dec. 4 request to the NLRB, workers were met with anti-union rhetoric from management. E&P quoted one flyer that read, “Making promises during a union organizing campaign is a very common tactic used by the NewsGuild to win your support. Remember, the Guild’s promises are just that – ‘campaign promises’ – just like those you hear from politicians.”

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

Good news for local sports fans: After their first season in Monterey, the Monterey Amberjacks, an independent pro baseball team, announced they will return to Sollecito Ballpark in 2018. The team is scheduled to kick off their season on June 1. A total of 34 home games are scheduled, with Monterey games on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, and Friday home games in Hollister. The Amberjacks, Monterey’s first-ever pro-baseball team, are in the Pecos League’s Pacific Division. Their return will give the team a chance for redemption: They fell into last place in 2017, but League CommissionerAndrew Dunn says it’s part of the growing pains and opportunity for young players to make it in pro baseball: “The Amberjacks [are] something different.”

BAD:

It’s been a brutal year for pedestrians in Salinas, with seven fatalities from car crashes. On Dec. 10, at 5:35pm, 27-year-old Jay Bradley was killed while crossing East Laurel Drive. Less than two hours later, 52-year-old Alan Russell Ellis was killed crossing North Main Street (see story, p. 17). The two men, both transients, were friends, according to Salinas Police Sgt. Gerry Ross. The area around Sherwood Park is notorious for transients, many in dark clothing, crossing streets dangerously, Ross adds: “We have a lot of crashes in this area. It’s mostly a homeless problem.” For that reason, Ross says officers are reluctant to ticket pedestrians for jaywalking, but that’s changing: “We’re encouraging officers to write tickets now, because we’re kind of at our wits’ end to get them to stop crossing.” On Dec. 13, police did a sting operation targeting drivers: A plainclothes cop would walk across an intersection, and nearby officers watched for dangerous drivers, ticketing “the most flagrant violators” only, Ross says. In 10 hours, they cited 67 drivers.