The Buzz 06.01.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Here’s an overlooked historical fact: On Dec. 7, 1941, Midway Island was attacked by Japanese forces just two hours after Pearl Harbor. Six months later, the U.S. roared back, defeating Japan in the Battle of the Midway, one of the most decisive World War II naval battles. To mark its 75th anniversary, active and retired service members are gathering this week for a formal military dress/black-tie reception and dinner. It’s hosted by the Monterey Bay chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, the Monterey Bay Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States, and the Monterey Peninsula Council of the Navy League.

6pm Sat June 3. Herrmann Hall, Naval Postgraduate School, 1 University Circle, Monterey. $25-$60; registration closed. nps.edu.

FREE SPEECH

On May 22, the third and final day of Jose Castañeda’s trial, his attorney James Segall-Gutierrez attempted to introduce a CD as evidence. It includes a half-dozen short videos showing the locking mechanisms in the van Castañeda used to drive away his ex-girlfriend, the basis for a felony kidnapping charge. Judge Carrie Panettadeclined to admit the video as evidence, and later that day, a member of the public gave a copy of the disc to Weekly Editor Sara Rubin in the courtroom. A bailiff walked over and asked to see it; Rubin cooperated and handed it to him, fully expecting he would inspect it and hand it back. Instead, he walked away, muttered “son of a bitch” under his breath and handed it to the judge, who decided to keep it – despite the fact it was the Weekly’s property. The Weekly followed up by writing a letter to Panetta requesting the return of the CD, citing the California Shield Law, which protects “unpublished information” for journalists. “It’s very surprising a judge would confiscate unpublished information from a journalist,” says David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition. After the jury delivered its verdict May 24, the bailiff returned the CD.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

Good:

A movement to buy out Cal Am’s local water system – led by Public Water Now – continues to take shape, and this week will be the most eventful it’s had for some time. On June 5, two officials from Missoula, Montana – Mayor John Engen and City Manager Dale Bickell – will spend the day in Monterey County talking about Missoula’s recent success in using eminent domain to buy out its private water system. Missoula, which has about 71,000 residents and 23,000 water hookups, prevailed in a recent court ruling on eminent domain, and PWN founder George Riley invited them to the Peninsula to learn about how that process works. “We were hammered in the last campaign by people saying, ‘Eminent domain doesn’t work,’” Riley says, referring to 2014’s failed Measure O. “We’re trying to demystify it.” At Point Pinos Grill, PWN hosts a press event at 11:30am, then two events – at 12:30pm and 2:30pm – for local electeds and public officials. The day finishes with a forum, open to the public, at 7pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Aguajito Road.

Bad:

It’s been a bad six months for clients of Catholic Charities, which in 2016 provided 1,365 hours of clinical therapy. This week marks the halfway mark for the first year of a restructuring. “As part of restructuring, we are focusing more on long-term financial stability,” says Angela Dinovella, director of Catholic Charities’ Family Support Services. “We’ll explore different routes and ways of providing services in the future.” Since Jan. 1, Catholic Charities has taken on no new outpatient clients for therapy; instead, they refer prospective clients to other providers.