As 2022 comes to a close, here is a look at some of the top photos that captured pivotal moments of the year in Monterey County news, events and personalities.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) speaks on Oct. 5, at Closter Park in Salinas, about how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will support broadband infrastructure expansion in Monterey County. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Dalila Epperson, a Republican candidate for Congress, started the parental rights advocacy group ACT Monterey Bay in 2021, and says members come from various political affiliations. "We never really considered it political," she says. "What we are rallying for are freedoms." DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Pacific Grove High School student Mariana Zoellin, 17, started a local chapter of Diversify our Narrative, an organization that works for diverse representation in school curriculums. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
ValiAnna Francis rings a glass bowl at a tree during a peace meditation session at The Center for Spiritual Awakening. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A memorial set up in January for “Shorty”, one of five homeless people to pass away during the holidays of 2021. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Tibetan monk Khenpo Karten meditates at the Manjushri Dharma Center in Pacific Grove. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A highway patrol car passes flames along Highway 1, south of Palo Colorado Road after a fire broke out on Jan. 21. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A police officer drives across Bixby Bridge. The fire started Jan. 21 and quickly spread due to high winds. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Actor Alfonso Ribeiro reacts to a fans comment during the 3m Celebrity Challenge at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Bill Murray throws his club in the air after a bad shot during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Celebrities and Pro Golfers enjoy the nice weather for the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Dave Feliz, Elkhorn Slough reserve manager, stands near the invasive eucalyptus trees that will be removed in August. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Sophia Heny stomps on a weed wrench as she helps remove the invasive French broom from a hillside in the Santa Lucia Preserve. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
The Maine Diver Scallop with lacinato kale, buttermilk, almond, and horseradish at Coastal Kitchen on Cannery Row. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Members of the Salinas Police Department salute the flag on Feb. 26, 2022 as it is lowered in remembrance of officer JD Alvarado who was killed while on duty the night before. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Investigators at the scene where a Salinas Police officer Jorge David Alvarado was shot and killed around 11pm on Friday night, Feb. 25. They continued gathering evidence through Saturday morning. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Community members pay their respects on March 1 to officer JD Alvarado, a Salinas Police officer killed while on duty on Feb. 25. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Spectators are told to be quit on hole 7 of the Pebble Beach Links course during the Pebble Beach Pro Am Friday. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Singer song writer Ben Rector(right) seen here getting a fist bump from his caddie after learning he hit the 10th download of a song that came out 10 years ago during the Pebble Beach Pro Am Friday. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Jacob Harris and Kerstin Wasson check on some Olympia oysters in the Elkhorn Slough where the native oysters have been struggling to make a comeback. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
From the cockpit of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s Western Flyer research vessel, pilot Drew Bewley readies the ROV Doc Ricketts for another deep sea dive. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
The bloody-belly comb jelly is one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Into the Deep" exhibition’s marquee animals. Its blood-red hue makes it invisible in the deep sea, a predatory advantage. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Friends raise their glasses at Alvarado Street Brewery. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Carmel High School swim team practices at the school’s pool. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Tom Hillesheim owner of Tom’s Monterey Auto Repair as he prepared to retire. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A water bottle is handed off to a racer during the 2022 Sea Otter Classic in April. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A view of the Taylor Farms fire on Wednesday night, April 13, from Sanborn/Blanco Roads and Abbot Street in Salinas. Celia Jimenez / Viviana Avila▲
A man changes a light bulb underneath the Fox Theater in Downtown Salinas. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Protesters hold signs up at Window on the Bay in May to express their views on Roe v. Wade possibly being overturned by the Supreme Court. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Shearwater Tavern chef Wayne Brooks take bite of the dry-aged Tavern Burger. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Renowned golf writer Alan Shipnuck at a book signing in May for his new Phil Mickelson biography at Pacific Grove Golf Links. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Paddle Boarding at Lovers Point, a popular summer activity. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A group jumps into the water at Lovers Point. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
During the 11th Annual Walk of Remembrance in May, a young man holds a photo of a resident of the Chinese village that burned down in Pacific Grove on May 16, 1906. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
311 preforms at the Golden State Theater on May 18. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Active Seniors in Salinas of hosts a ballroom dance class and dance night. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Fans enjoy the music at the 2022 California Roots Music and Art Festival on May 26. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Vahe Ohanian, 57, shouts at law enforcement officers from his apartment balcony in Seaside during an armed standoff on Thursday, May 26. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Atmosphere preforms at the 2022 Cali Roots Festival on May 27. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Ice Cube preforms at the 2022 Cali Roots Festival on May 29. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
As the sun sets, Sean Paul gives the fans a show at the 2022 Cali Roots Festival. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A police officer takes photos of the crime scene after an officer involved shooting took place in Sand City on June 1. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
People gather at a vigil at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Seaside on June 1 to honor victims of a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Michael Kimball of M.C. Kimball and Associates fires a toy gun at Virginia Rocca Barton school staff members as they run for cover during an active shooter drill. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Owner of Scudder Solar, Pete Scudder, with some of the solar panels he offers. The federal government is investigating whether solar panels that have been coming in from four countries in Southeastern Asia have actually been developed in China and thus avoiding tariffs. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A Veterans receives dental work during the 2022 Homeless Veterans Stand Down event at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in June. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Cannabis growers are asking for a one-year freeze on taxes, and claiming they are all going to go out of business without it. Michelle Hackett is the president of one of these large local growers, Riverview Farms. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Firefighters battle the Anzar Fire near Forest Road on Thursday, July 21. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Midfielder Sam Gleadle scores the second goal for Monterey Bay FC in the last minutes of the second half against New York Red Bulls II at Cardinale Stadium on July 23. Monterey won 2-0 despite being one man down during the second half.▲
Whales pop their heads out of the water as they feed off the coast of Monterey. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
An attendee inspects a 1972 Dino 246 GT, a mid-engine sports car produced by Ferrari, at the Motorlux event on Wednesday, Aug. 17. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
“The only thing I did that was different was opening a bar that is exclusively for craft cocktails,” observes Katie Blandin at Pearl Hour in Monterey. “The cocktail scene in Monterey has definitely elevated.” DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Bonham’s Auctioneer Maarten Ten Holder slams the gavel as a classic is sold during Car Week 2022. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
The McLaren Solus GT is unveiled at the Quail Motorsports gathering. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A 1932 Duesenberg J Figoni Sports Torpedo owned by a Florida couple earned Best in Show honors at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
George Pincham III, owner of Side Effects in Seaside hopes to keep barbershop culture alive. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Despite the heat, it was all smiles at the Monterey County Fair, especially in the photo booths. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Lucy’s on Lighthouse owners Joleen Green and Tamie Aceves serve up delicious hotdogs in Pacific Grove. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Grete Pedersen, the new artistic director at the Carmel Bach Festival, photographed in front of Carmel's Sunset Center. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Seaside celebrated its second annual Oaxaca by the Sea festival on Sunday, Sept. 18. Dancers from Monterey, Santa Cruz and Mexico performed folkloric dances from different regions. Celia Jimenez▲
Las Cafeteras puts on an energetic performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, held Sept. 23-25. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Emmaline sings at the Monterey Jazz Festival. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A vehicle crashed into a power pole and sparked a fire along Aguajito Road in Monterey on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Gospel singer Leberta Lorál has traveled the world and the musical genres, giving her voice to all. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A monster truck turns up dust during the 2022 Salinas Airshow. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
A group of Indigenous girls sit at the center of the amphitheater at Patriot Park during a Triqui dance with the song “La Calandria” during Greenfield's first People's Day Celebration on Oct. 9. Celia Jimenez▲
The 2022 grape harvest seen here in full swing at Odonata Winery. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Ruben Flores speaks to the media outside Monterey County Superior Courthouse after being acquitted of accessory to murder on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022. Ruben's son, Paul Flores, was found guilty of murder in the case of missing Cal Poly Student Kristin Smart. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges is sworn in during a ceremony on the front lawn of the Seaside police station on Oct. 25. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
One challenge for local fisherman Neil Gugliemo is finding consistent help, even within family; he has three sons and a daughter. “My sons used to fish with me when they were teenagers, but they didn’t like the hours—we took an extended trip to Alaska and after that they decided it wasn’t for them,” he says. “It is really hard to find good deckhands that want to work the hours; it is not for everyone.” DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Kim Barber and Tyller Williamson celebrate as election results come in during a Nov. 8 election night party at Oscar’s Playground. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Incoming Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto celebrates with supporters on election night at Mo's River Road Grill. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
Carmel resident Dean Mcathie raises a fist to the crowd of students, showing his support for the proposed stadium lights project at a meeting of the school board. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲
The annual ice skating rink in Monterey’s Custom House Plaza is a cheerful scene with kids and adults alike finding their ice-legs. DANIEL DREIFUSS▲