The Buzz 07.20.17

Get ready to rock steady when “four days of guitar magic” riff their way to town this week, with not one, but two guitar retreats taking place: Joe Satriani’s G4 Guitar Experience 2017 and Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp USA. Satriani is a “musician’s musician” who has taught and toured worldwide. Emmanuel is a two-time Grammy nominee who was mentored by Chet Atkins in Nashville. The two camps are completely separate events, but they plan “mashups” at night, with concerts and jam sessions. On the last night, Satriani and Emmanuel will play together in a special concert.

Mon-Fri July 24-28. Asilomar Conference Grounds, 800 Asilomar Ave., Pacific Grove. G4 Experience: $1,099-$3,999. G4experience.com. Guitar Camp USA: $2,099-$3,999 (sold out). tommyemmanuelguitarcampusa.com.

FREE SPEECH

As police departments begin outfitting officers with body cameras, there are new questions about the footage they record. After 16-year-old Marlon Rodas was shot and killed by police after an altercation at his Salinas home in January, the Weekly submitted a Public Records Act request seeking said footage. The Monterey County District Attorney’s office, which was investigating the shooting, denied that request because footage was potential evidence. On July 14, the DA’s office held a press conference to announce the results of their investigation: There was no evidence a crime had been committed and no charges would be filed. During the press conference, Chief Assistant District Attorney Berkley Brannon projected body cam footage, but declined to release the raw video to media outlets. “We’re going to go this far, and the reason that we’re going to go this far is we feel the balance between the public’s interest in knowing about an [officer-involved shooting] that was high-profile outweighs the privacy interests, which are very considerable concerning Marlon’s parents and the deceased, so this is as far as we’re going to go,” Brannon said.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

Migrant student graduation rates are headed one way: up. In 2016, 80.5 percent of migrant students (309 out of 379) graduated from high school, according to theMonterey County Migrant Education Program’s annual report released July 12. The cohort is just slightly behind the county’s average 85-percent graduation rate. ToErnesto Vela, the program’s senior director, it’s progress: “People forget that these students are a highly mobile population,” he says. They’re more likely to change schools, even countries. Even better news: Most of the graduates are looking toward college. Vela attributes this to the program’s partnerships with universities and Silicon Valley companies like Google and Microsoft.

BAD:

It’s been a rough few weeks for businesses on Broadway Avenue in Seaside, many of which are reeling from a loss of customers as the street undergoes a massive makeover. Construction has closed off eastbound traffic – and street parking – since June 6, and will remain that way until December. Four businesses have filed claims with the city for loss of business: Barrera’s Mexican Grill, Demarco’s Pizzeria, Chez Christian Real Estate and Gloria Malarin, who owns a thrift store on the corner of Broadway and Alhambra. Seaside Economic Development Program Manager Gloria Stearns says such claims are unprecedented for the city, and she expects more will come. Meanwhile, the city continues – through signage, social media and advertising – to broadcast alternative parking areas, and the message that businesses remain open.