The Buzz 04.22.21

FREE SPEECH

As the military continues to inflict violence on protesters and civilians in Myanmar following a coup in February, both domestic and foreign press has aimed to cover the attacks. But despite laws in Myanmar that protect the press, the State Administration Council is reportedly holding at least 26 journalists in custody, and at least seven have been charged with disseminating “fake news,” which can result in a three-year prison sentence. Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, is calling on Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to release all journalists. “CPJ is deeply worried that your State Administration Council is moving to re-establish the repressive media and censorship policies harshly enforced under previous authoritarian military regimes in Myanmar,” Simon wrote in an April 6 letter. “The world is closely watching events in Myanmar and your response to pro-democracy protests. A genuine move to release and protect journalists, rather than target and harass them, would be a welcome signal about your junta regime’s stated but yet unproven democratic intent.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I realized that I fit into a more indoor job than an outdoor job.” - Sushi Chef Willie Kim, who created the restaurant C.U. Sushi during the pandemic, on finding his way from construction into foodservice (see Eats story).

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

As reopening begins, the economic pain of the pandemic lingers – and challenges for the record-setting unemployed population to collect benefits remain. Assemblymember Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, says his staff have become de facto Economic Development Department caseworkers to help constituents. One piece of the solution to this dysfunctional agency is presented in Senate Bill 390, introduced by State Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. The bill would require EDD to develop a comprehensive plan for how to respond to future economic downturns and lessons learned on things like fraud prevention (a massive problem resulting in over $140 million in unauthorized payouts); and adding staff and equipment to scale up for increased workload. The much-needed bill passed 5-0 in on April 19 in the Senate Committee on Labor, and no groups filed opposition – an auspicious start.

GREAT:

Popular park reopenings galore. Dennis the Menace Playground in Monterey, the famous Hank Ketchum cartoon’s namesake, reopened April 20 following a year-long closure due to the pandemic. Monterey reopened all other city parks on March 5; however, Dennis the Menace, its most popular, remained shuttered due to an interpretation of state guidelines regarding regional attractions. Hours are 10am to sunset Tuesdays through Sundays, and 1pm to sunset on Mondays. Toro County Park, a popular 5,600-acre park near Salinas, reopened April 18 following damage from last summer’s River Fire. Closed since mid-August, county parks manager Bryan Flores says Toro recovered well from its first fire in recorded history and 99 percent of its trails are again open. The park is transitioning back to a per-car fee structure, with reduced rates for veterans, students, seniors and children.