The Weekly Tally 04.27.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Lunch lady alert: the California School Nutrition Association is hosting the Child Nutrition and Industry Summit this week. Childhood nutrition in California is a hot topic; statewide, 58 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch, according to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In Monterey County, that number is a staggering 70 percent. Former Congressman Sam Farr, who advocated for better school nutrition while in office, will speak on “The Fate of Child Nutrition.” Meagan Johnson, identified as a “generational expert,” offers perspective on the needs of an age-diverse workforce. Attendees will also learn about procuring food and equipment.

Sun-Tues April 30-May 2. Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, 400 Cannery Row, Monterey. $345-$545. (818) 842-3040, calsna.org.

FREE SPEECH

During a time of decreasing federal transparency, in which President Donald Trump is breaking from a 40-plus year tradition of presidents releasing their tax returns, and the practice of releasing White House visitor logs – which was instituted by Barack Obama – has been discontinued, there is a glimmer of hope on the state level.

On April 19, the California Fair Political Practices Commission announced a new online system to track “behested payments.” Those are financial contributions made, at the request of an elected official, to a charity or organization with a governmental purpose. It’s a type of political contribution that would be made to an official who isn’t raising campaign money, like Gov. Jerry Brown, who terms out in 2018.

Under the new system, the public can search an online database and see what money is going where, and who’s contributing it. According to a statement from the FPPC, it’s ChairJodi Remke’s latest achievement in “improving efficiency and transparency through technology.”

Buzz 04.27.17

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

Celebrations on April 22, Earth Day, marked a good week for the environment, which has otherwise been under siege. In one of 600 events worldwide in support of science-based public policy, about 700 people turned out for the March for Science in Monterey, holding signs with messages like “Science Not Silence.” The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a partner, and held a March of the Penguins for Science inside the aquarium. They streamed a video of the waddling marchers, drawing 2.6 million viewers. One message: “Climate science is black and white.”

BAD:

It’s supposed to be a good week for the Salinas Valley workforce that forms the backbone of the agricultural industry. On May 1, International Workers Day, members of several unions, including Teamsters Local 890, SEIU 521 and United Farm Workers are planning shut-downs of several big employers – Dole Berry, Dole Fresh, Organic Girl and Taylor Farms on the ag side, and Mi Pueblo and La Princesa markets on the retail food side. It’s a show of solidarity from those employers, but falls short of the bold statement labor organizers had anticipated. They held a press conference April 21 to announce a proud partnership with Big Ag, advocating together for comprehensive immigration reform, but ag representative were a no-show. Labor organizers will also lead a march May 1, starting at 10am at Cesar Chavez Park in Salinas.

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