It’s been six months since the Vistra fire ignited in Moss Landing. What’s taking cleanup so long?

One of the most important roles of any media outlet is not in breaking news or explaining the impact of a piece of legislation—although those are indeed critical. It is in answering the questions that nag at residents. Why, for example, is cleanup of the Vistra fire site in Moss Landing taking so long?

Dave Faries here, admitting that my role at newspapers has generally been the fun stuff—food, wine, cars, music, sports and the like. But a story in the Weekly’s news section this week stood out as an example of this purpose. As staff writer David Schmalz points out, it has been six months since the blaze. Communication as to the cleanup plan, the potential environmental impact, the reason it seems to be taking so long has been, well, not as timely or thorough as many people would like.

In the space provided, Schmalz lays out the reasons for this, as well as steps that are underway. He remains in touch with county officials all involved with the “Hot Mess” (a fine headline, by the way), so expect more updates in the coming weeks and months. I appreciated all the information he managed to pack into the story.

On the night of the fire, I was at dinner in Pebble Beach—like I said, fun stuff. I came home to a balcony view of towering flames across the bay. The Weekly’s news team had already posted the breaking news. Now comes the part that is just as important, keeping readers up to date on the less dramatic information.

As you read the news stories—and each is worthwhile—take a moment to check out this one, too.