The Buzz 10.22.26

FREE SPEECH

Seaside mayoral candidate and current City Council member Alex Miller was fined $7,000 for posting campaign signs a day before the City’s code allowed. After Miller pushed back, officials decided not to enforce the violation. The code requires candidates to not post signs more than 60 days before the election, or Sept. 4 for this cycle. Miller argued the sign ordinance is unconstitutional and breaches the First Amendment. Seaside City Attorney Sheri Damon says that after Miller raised legal concerns, citing cases that dealt with the issue in other cities – such as in the City of Antioch, where a 60-day pre-election restriction directed specifically at political signs was found unconstitutional – Seaside leaders began reconsidering the rules. However, Miller still faces fines for right-of-way sign violations. “The distinction is important: the City declined to pursue the specified time-and-size citations, but did not agree that the constitutional objections required it to set aside the separate right-of-way violations,” Damon says. “The City’s objective is to respect protected political expression while administering lawful sign-placement requirements fairly.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“One day someone is going to wind up in a very bad situation.” -George Nunez, West Division chief with Cal Fire’s San Benito-Monterey Unit, on the Highway 1 congestion near Point Lobos. The Planning Commission moved forward with a visitor shuttle plan (see story, montereycountynow.com/news)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

It’s a good week for some elementary school students in Monterey, Salinas and Soledad who are being treated to special jazz concerts via Jazz Uplifts!, an education program by Monterey Jazz, the nonprofit behind the Monterey Jazz Festival. Bassist, bandleader and educator Corbin Jones is bringing an ensemble from Los Angeles to entertain third- through sixth-graders as well as encourage musical exploration. “He knows how to break it down for younger students,” says Claire Kim-Shin, director of education for Monterey Jazz, adding that Jones is a great storyteller who puts on an engaging performance for young students. He has played with Beyoncé and Leon Bridges, among other greats, and was featured in NPR’s Tiny Desk series. Created in 2023, the hope is to do four Jazz Uplifts! concerts next fall, bringing an additional performance to Gonzales, along with music workshops in conjunction with performances.

GREAT:

It’s sobering to look at the rising numbers of pedestrians killed in vehicle collisions in Salinas: It’s grown from three in 2023, to six the following year and seven in 2025. Two grants the Salinas Police Department recently received from the California Office of Traffic Safety aim to educate drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians about the rules of the road. On Oct. 15, the department received $100,000 from the OTS to support bicyclist and pedestrian safety initiatives, such as bike training for young people and educational outreach to older residents and the unhoused. It comes on the heels of another $83,000 grant to fund DUI checkpoints and patrols, along with distracted driving enforcement operations. “We’re excited to expand bicycle and pedestrian safety education, increase awareness, and promote safe riding habits to help prevent injuries and make our streets safe for all users,” Sgt. Seth Morten said.