The Buzz 06.01.23

FREE SPEECH

“The Hill We Climb” is a poem recited by then-22-year old poet Amanda Gorman at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration. It’s an ode to America as an unfinished but extremely valuable project; it calls for “a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.” Such sentiment proved too much to a Florida parent, Daily Salinas, who flagged the poem at the Bob Graham Education Center in Florida where her two children go to school. Salinas complained that the material was inappropriate for elementary-aged students, which led to restrictions on three books and Gorman’s poem. The material is not banned, but moved so that elementary students have no access to it. Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis encourages parents to challenge schools’ authority when it comes to fostering tolerance to different races, sexual orientations and cultural backgrounds. The only reference in the poem to race relations – if that is the source of Salinas’ outrage – is praise of the contemporary U.S., where a little Black girl can dream of becoming president. Salinas admitted she hasn’t read much of Gorman’s work.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The real California story has been a lack of house – building.” Economist Christopher Thornberg speaking on May 25 at the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s 2023 Regional Economic Outlook event. Thornburg expects the economy to continue to grow (see story, mcweekly.com).

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

Good news for Salinas residents: the new Hebbron Resource Center is on its way. Demolition of the old building started on May 22. Prior to that, city officials held an event to say goodbye to the building, and residents wrote emotional messages in English and Spanish. The Hebbron Resource Center closed during the pandemic and its closure was supposed to be temporary; however, it never reopened because officials deemed it unsafe. Rebuilding it is part of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Libraries Master Plan, and it was identified as a top priority. In 2021, Assemblymember Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, helped secure $8.1 million to build a new center in the same location. When it was open, the center registered over 50,000 visits per year and had over 100 programs. The new facility will open in December 2025.

GREAT:

The Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency, (SVBGSA) was compelled into formation by the landmark 2014 state Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Now, the agency has finally seen sustainability plans for all six sub-basins in the Salinas Valley approved by the California Department of Water Resources. The goal of those plans is to achieve groundwater sustainability – not pumping out more than is being recharged – by 2042. Piret Harmon, SVBGSA’s general manager, said May 24 it was a “critical step” to implementing the plans “created in collaboration with our diverse community through many thoughtful conversations.” DWR Deputy Director Paul Gosselin noted “we expect these plans to adapt over time to changing conditions.” That, of course, includes the climate crisis.