The Buzz 11.22.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Move over kale, there’s a new leafy green superfood that grows on trees called moringa. The tropical leaf has 25 percent more calcium, six times as much iron and is a better source of B vitamins. It’s also a complete plant protein, providing all nine essential amino acids. This week the founders of Kuli Kuli – the leading U.S. manufacturer of bars, teas and other products made from moringa – are in town to share the story of how a stint with the Peace Corps led to a multi-million dollar business. Kuli Kuli’s founder, Lisa Curtis, 29, was recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of its 2018 “30 Under 30” top entrepreneurs. Her company partners with 1,000 farmers across Ghana, Haiti and Nicaragua to grow moringa, providing more than $1.5 million in income to women-led farming cooperatives.

6:30-7:30pm, Tue Nov. 28. Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Morse B104, 426 Van Buren St., Monterey. Free. miis.edu.

FREE SPEECH

It looks like regulations at the Federal Communications Commission that aim to create a level playing field for web traffic are set to go away. Net neutrality rules were adopted in 2015 by the FCC and prohibit broadband providers – such as AT&T, Verizon or Comcast – from interfering with the speed at which content loads, and prevent service providers from utilizing the practice of “paid prioritization,” or letting websites load faster for a fee. (Tech giants Facebook and Google, now called Alphabet, support net neutrality, which help enable their content reach more users.)

In April, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced plans to revoke the net neutrality rules and opened up the matter to public comment. Since then, the FCC has received some 22 million comments, Bloomberg reports, and commissioners are expected to vote on whether to roll back the regulations at a Dec. 14 meeting in Washington.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

It’s happy trails for Monterey-Salinas Transit in a couple ways right about now. MST started honoring veterans for their service with free bus passes through services likeVeterans Transition Center, Monterey Veterans Resource Center and CSU Monterey Bay Veterans Resource Center. Free passes are provided by Measure Q, a one-eighth-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2014 to benefit transportation for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. (MST and the veterans services organizations seek to help any and all veterans in need of transportation assistance; contact MST’s Mobility Department via mobility@mst.org.) Meanwhile, MST GM and CEO Carl Sedorykhas been named the new chair of the California Transit Association, which represents all of the state’s vast network of public transit agencies. He has already served on several of the CTA’s standing committees, including those charged with providing technical assessment and guidance on legislative and regulatory proposals impacting public transit in California.

BAD:

Carmel City Hall has faced years of personnel drama, and even with a new administration, troubles persist. Deputy City Cleark Deanna Allen got a rude shock when she came to work at on Sept. 11, and City Administrator Chip Rerig asked her to hand over her keys and informed Allen she was being placed on paid leave. Allen hired an attorney in September, and says she and her attorney are still waiting to hear from city officials before taking any action. In the two months since, a second city employee, forest care worker Kimberly Moscato, was also placed on paid leave. Rerig says by email that the two personnel matters “are currently awaiting inquiry resolution… No further information is available at this time.”