The Buzz 04.07.22

FREE SPEECH

In December, many members of the community spoke at a board meeting of the Spreckels Union School District related to the suspension of Buena Vista Middle School’s gay-straight alliance. District officials said they had received hundreds of letters on the matter, and on Feb. 17, the Weekly sent a California Public Records Act request for that correspondence. On March 22, SUSD produced 408 pages of emails and letters received – with letter-writers’ names redacted (with the exception of a journalist’s name). Redacted names included one who hinted at violence: “Understand this, I’m not a violent person but you don’t want God’s wrath to come upon you.” Generally, correspondence with a public agency is viewed as a public record. Attorney Louis A. Leone, of the Concord-based law firm Leone Alberts & Duus, says the redactions are based on exemptions for “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” even though many letter-writers do not have children in the district. He also claims that disclosure, “especially in dealing with the topic of sexuality and related issues, would place those on both sides of the discussion in potential jeopardy and possible harassment.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Even if climate change wasn’t a problem, I still want to care about the deep sea.” -Stephen Haddock, MBARI scientist. (Read cover story.)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

During April, local agencies will team up to provide “walking school buses” one day a week for students at various elementary schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. Part of Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Safe Routes to School program, the “buses” – which are essentially mini-parades with various starting points – will be chaperoned by adults, including elected officials and police officers, and also feature costumed characters from Paw Patrol provided by the Monterey County Health Department. The program is grant-funded by money from state Senate Bill 1’s Every Child Active Transportation Program, which seeks to reduce traffic near schools and improve safety for students. Officials from the County Health Department and nonprofit Ecology Action will also host workshops on how to continue the program indefinitely.

GREAT:

On April 2, the disappearance of 6-year-old Emery Johnson, a non-verbal child with autism, brought out the best in hundreds of Monterey County residents. Emery was reported missing from Windy Hill Park in Marina after 7pm, according to Marina Police Chief Tina Nieto. The Marina Police Department and several local agencies joined the search. After a couple of unsuccessful hours, Marina Police reached out to the public using reverse 911 and social media. The response was overwhelming: People from all over the region showed up to help. “It’s a very powerful reminder that we are part of a great community here in Monterey County,” Nieto says. Phillip Salvidar, from Monterey, found Emery. She ran up to his car while he was searching along Blanco Road on the East side of the Marina Municipal Airport. She was transported to a hospital and was later reunited with her family.