FREE SPEECH
During the National Association of Hispanic Journalists virtual conference on July 16, speakers delved into topics that apply to local news. Adriana Gallardo, an engagement reporter at ProPublica, talked about the importance of working with the community to report a story; when the community is involved in newsgathering it makes coverage stronger. At the Weekly we know well how important it is to keep the conversation open: Right after we broke the story about King City Police officers seizing cars for minor infractions and selling them to gain profit in 2014, multiple victims came forward, filling in the gaps. Our staff also pays close attention to social media conversations and investigates the news tips that come our way from the public, reflected in recent coverage such as noisy parties in North County affecting quality of life or the rise of catalytic converter thefts. We are committed to reach out, listen to and investigate our community’s concerns. (You can reach us at tipline.montereycountyweekly.com.)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Every day was a different thing. A million mai tais, the next day lilikoi margaritas, the next day a million zombies.” -Madeline Malmo, Hula’s general manager, on to-go cocktail sales (see Chill)
GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK
GOOD:
It’s a good week for the Monterey Museum of Art and Corey Madden, who are “making it official” after nine months of interim leadership. The board and Madden – who on July 21 was named executive director – “really like each other,” she says. “There was a leadership transition,” Madden adds, referring to a recent turbulent history of board member and executive director turnover. “But I think what I was able to achieve in the first few months was very useful.” (That includes reopening the museum with Covid safety guidelines on May 13, and the reopening of the museum’s La Mirada location, coming Aug. 1.) “The institution is in a really exciting moment,” Madden says. “We are glad to be reopened. We are focused on developing programming for the whole diverse community of the Monterey Peninsula.”
GREAT:
It’s a great week for California’s rural communities cut off from access to reliable internet connections, as became apparent during the pandemic when students had trouble accessing remote learning. On July 20, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 156. It authorizes the spending of $6 billion over three years to bridge the digital divide with an open-access, state-owned middle mile network – high-capacity fiber lines carrying large amounts of data at higher speeds – plus last-mile broadband connections to homes and businesses. The new law also creates a “broadband czar” position at the California Department of Technology. In a press release, Newsom said the digital divide is “holding back too many communities in a state renowned for its pioneering technology and innovation economy.”