The Buzz 10.31.24

FREE SPEECH

The Los Angeles Times and Washington Post are under fire after their billionaire owners stopped the newspapers’ editorial boards from endorsing Kamala Harris for president. In an interview with Columbia Journalism Review, Mariel Garza said she resigned as the LA Times’ editorial editor after newspaper owner Patrick Soon-Shiong blocked the board’s planned endorsement of Harris. “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not OK with us being silent,” she said. “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.” At the Post, owner Jeff Bezos blocked the paper’s Harris endorsement, with multiple outlets reporting that the move came on the day Republican nominee Donald Trump met with executives from Bezos’ space exploration company Blue Origin. More than 200,000 people reportedly canceled their subscriptions in the days following the decision, according to NPR. Post opinion columnist Dana Milbank wrote that the cancellations only hurt the journalists and not Bezos, noting that the paper is just “pocket change” to the owner.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Everybody is in shock. Small towns are not immune.” - PacRep Executive Director Stephen Moorer, after a man wielding what looked like a rifle near Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel was shot and killed by police on Friday, Oct. 25 (see story, montereycountynow.com)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, announced Oct. 23 that he had secured $14.2 million through the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Airport Terminal Program to construct a new terminal at Monterey Regional Airport to replace its existing 70-year-old terminal. The program awards $1 billion annually (from 2022-2026) to competitive grant applications to update the nation’s aging airport infrastructure. The new terminal will be LEED Platinum-certified, and construction is expected to start next spring and be completed sometime in late 2026. “Residents and visitors alike deserve a Monterey Regional Airport that is safe, reliable and comfortable,” Panetta said. “I’m proud to ensure that the federal government is investing in local airports like ours to meet the demands of modern travelers with updated amenities and enhanced safety features.”

GREAT:

Efforts to chip away at the monumental task of providing affordable housing in Monterey County are moving ahead, with 200 units in Greenfield. Nonprofit EAH Housing, which is already constructing 71 apartments for veterans and their families in Marina, just completed 100 units for phase one of Greenfield Commons to provide affordable garden-style apartments for low-income families and farmworkers. EAH officials announced on Oct. 16 that the construction of 100 more is now underway for phase two. It’s the company’s first use of modular-style construction, with the one-, two – and three-bedroom units built in a factory setting then transported and installed onsite. “This development is a stepping stone toward greater inclusivity and support for those who call Greenfield home, specifically our local farmworkers and veterans,” said Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez.