The Buzz 04.12.18

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Carmel local and Winter Olympics gold medalist Brita Sigourney, age 28, has a philosophy: “It’s OK to scare yourself and falling is a part of the learning experience. If you really want to get to the top, there’s no reason that you can’t.” She’s fallen enough to know – she’s broken her pelvis, her collarbone twice, and torn an ACL in one knee. Injuries did not stop her from getting to the top. Sigourney earned gold at Pyeongchang in February in halfpipe skiing. She’s in town to give locals a chance to see her genuine gold medal, sign some autographs and pose for selfies.

Noon-1pm Sun April 15. Monterey Sports Center, 301 E. Franklin St., Monterey. Free. monterey.org/sportscenter.

FREE SPEECH

Sinclair Broadcasting Group has long been a television giant, and owns 193 TV stations in 89 markets around the country. A proposed $3.9 billion deal to acquire Tribune Media Co. would take it to 233 stations in 108 markets. (Sinclair would also sell several stations to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules.) Sinclair, which has a famously conservative leaning, has come under fire in recent weeks for “must-run” segments which air on local stations throughout the country. Deadspin compiled a video showing local anchors reading the same piece, an ominous “journalistic integrity promo.” “Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control ‘exactly what people think,’” the anchors recited. “This is extremely dangerous to a democracy.” In response to the media firestorm, Sinclair’s senior vice president for news, Scott Livingston, released a statement: “We aren’t sure of the motivation for the criticism, but find it curious that we would be attacked for asking our news people to remind their audiences that unsubstantiated stories exist on social media.”

Sinclair does not have a presence in Monterey County TV, where KSBW is owned by Hearst, and KION by Missouri-based News-Press & Gazette.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

Good news is coming for Monterey-Salinas Transit riders and drivers, with a fleet of new buses coming online. Some old buses have close to 1 million miles and 18 years in service, and are being retired for more fuel-efficient, updated vehicles with features like adjustable foot pedals and LED-lighted signs. The first 13 brand-new buses went into service in the past two weeks, and 13 more new buses will roll out by the end of June, replacing about one-third of the operation’s entire fleet. The upgrade, which costs some $12.3 million, is being funded by a combination of federal, state and local funding. The new buses are manufactured in Livermore, California, by GILLIG Corporation.

BAD:

Brenda Lewis, a member of the board of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, is facing steep fines from the California Fair Political Practices Commission. When commissioners meet April 19 in Sacramento, they’re set to discuss a default decision – and $28,000 proposed penalty – for seven alleged failures to file on-time campaign statements. A default happens when the respondent does not reply to the FPPC. If approved, the case goes to collections, “and the state tries to go after the money through things like liens on property,” FPPC spokesman Jay Wieranga says. “As you might expect, this is not the preferred result because it’s a long and difficult process which has no guarantee all or any money will be recovered.”