The Buzz 03.16.23

FREE SPEECH

It’s established practice for courthouses during widely publicized court proceedings to limit the number of members of the media that may be present in the courtroom. Instead, media outlets agree to share photographs among themselves. That is the model used at Monterey County Superior Court in the trial of Paul Flores, who was convicted in 2022 for the 1996 murder of Kristin Smart and sentenced on March 10 to 25 years to life. (His father, Ruben Flores, was tried for accessory to murder and found not guilty.) What was unusual in the court’s treatment of media access to this case came in March, when Monterey County Superior Court Executive Officer Chris Ruhl notified members of the photo pool that outlets were expected to use the same procedure for court documents obtained for purposes of reporting. Various outlets requested the opportunity to view records in the case, and the court’s take was, in essence: Sorry, we already shared them with NBC Universal. “The court simply does not have the staff resources to keep going through the process of making this evidence and these exhibits available to multiple requestors,” Ruhl wrote. He suggested reporters ask NBC for copies.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s heavy—eight-and-a-half pounds.” - Film producer Conall Jones of Carmel Valley speaking about holding someone else’s Oscar on his night at the Academy Awards (March 12) where he was nominated for the short documentary Stranger At The Gate, but didn’t win (see story, mcweekly.com).

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

The Marina Equestrian Center, which at 14 acres is the largest city-owned park in Marina, is once again open for business after shutting down in December as it transitioned into being managed by a new concessionaire. After a somewhat contentious public process, City Council voted in September 2021 to enter into a concessionaire contract with Chaparral Country Corporation, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park March 11, and it is officially back in business. That means pony and trail rides, English and western riding lessons, and starting in June, riding camps for the young ones. Chaparral owner Sue Pennell says the ramp-up to bring more events and activities will be gradual, and she plans to bring in boys and girls scout troops, school groups, farmers markets and more. There’s also an equestrian-themed military museum that’s in the works. “Lots of fun stuff,” Pennell says.

GREAT:

The cause of animal welfare in Monterey County got a big boost with the news that Hitchcock Road Animal Services has received $233,000 in grant money from the state-funded California for All Animals program. Hitchcock Road, which serves the city of Salinas as well as wider unincorporated Monterey County, received $190,000 through the program’s spring grant cycle, which will go toward resources like an X-ray machine, dog houses and other equipment, as well as waived shelter fees. The organization also received $43,000 through the program’s fall grant cycle, which will be used to partner with the SNIP Bus mobile spaying and neutering clinic and increase the shelter’s capacity to perform those population-controlling procedures on its animals. Launched in February 2022, California for All Animals is administered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health.