The Buzz 09.21.23

FREE SPEECH

One of the biggest companies that controls the flow of information is on trial. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against Alphabet, the parent company of Google, in 2020, and a trial began on Sept. 12. Antitrust claims are at the basis of the government’s case, arguing Google maintains illegal monopolies in search services and advertising, and has systematically and illegally shut out the competition. Google pays billions of dollars each year to manufacturers and wireless carriers to be the default search engine on new devices. Google claims it has landed in the top spot in Americans’ internet search habits legally, by developing the best technology. “Google won these competitions on the merits,” attorney John Schmidtlein said at trial, according to news reports. For the U.S. government, the case is about trying to ensure lasting competition in the information marketplace going forward. “This case is about the future of the internet,” said Kenneth Dintzer of the DOJ.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“It’s a good process and I’m sorry it took so long, but that’s the nature of the beast here in Carmel.” - Carmel Mayor Dave Potter on Sept. 12, after a 4-0 vote that favors keeping a 50-year-old decorative wall that will force developer Patrice Pastor to amend a proposed building (see story, mcweekly.com).

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

The Monterey Police Department has ramped up efforts to support the city’s unhoused population with a new Outreach and Navigation Center. Located at the historic French Consulate Building at 401 Camino El Estero, next to Lake El Estero, it will serve as a central base for the city’s Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Team (MDOT), a collaborative effort between MPD, Monterey County Behavioral Health, Montage Health and other agencies to address homelessness and quality-of-life issues. The center allows MDOT to expand its presence in the downtown and waterfront areas and will “support our focus of proactive field work,” Police Chief Dave Hober said. MPD is also in the process of hiring a homeless outreach navigator, a new Monterey City Council-approved position designed to better connect people experiencing homelessness with food, clothing, shelter and other services.

GREAT:

Congratulations to four local artists from a variety of disciplines who have received Individual Artist Fellows Awards from the California Arts Council. The group includes two emerging artists: painter and muralist Natalia Corazza and interdisciplinary community artist JC Gonzalez of Urban Arts Collective in Salinas. Two established artists are also included: Pacific Grove-based writer Ava Homa, who is the first Kurdish woman to publish a novel in English (Daughters of Smoke and Fire), and Carmel Valley photographer, designer and writer Jerry Takigawa. The emerging artists received $5,000 each, and the established artists $10,000. A total of $660,000 has been awarded to 71 artists in a 17-county central California region, from Fresno to Santa Barbara. The program is designed to recognize, uplift and celebrate the excellence of California artists practicing any art form.