The Buzz 11.26.20

FREE SPEECH

When media pundit Ken Doctor announced the launch of a local news venture, backed by money from Google and the Knight Foundation, in August, he said he would start with his hometown of Santa Cruz. Doctor compared the county to “17th-century England” where local information seemed to spread by word of mouth rather than news reporting. He called Santa Cruz a “news desert.” For Dan Pulcrano, publisher of Good Times, Doctor’s words are an insult and a “bald-faced lie.” In Pulcrano’s telling, Santa Cruz County is a “hotbed of competitive newspapering,” with titles like his own alt-weekly alongside Santa Cruz Sentinel, Pajaronian and Press Banner and the new all-digital Santa Cruz Local, which launched last week. Doctor’s Lookout Local, Inc. threatens to “divide the traffic, drive up costs, strip-mine talent,” and “destroy” authentic outlets, Pulcrano writes. He goes on to say that “if Mr. Doctor wants to make a genuine social contribution by erasing news deserts, he should take his millions and move to a real one.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I have a huge disdain for ice plant now. - Robert Daniels, Jr. speaking about his restoration project and creation of a community garden at Seaside’s Havana-Soliz Park (see story)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

It’s a good week in Salinas for small business owners – and budding entrepreneurs – thanks to a new microloan program using $350,000 from the James Irvine Foundation through a grant to the Community Foundation for Monterey County. The loans range from $10,000-$25,000, with rates from 3-5 percent. Payments can be deferred for up to nine months. The California Coastal Rural Development Corporation is the administrator, providing free technical assistance for filling out applications. Latino-owned businesses are a focus, said President and CEO Lee Takikawa in a Monterey County press briefing on Nov. 18. “What we found during the pandemic and trying to deliver emergency loans is that many of the Latino-owned businesses don’t even know how to use computers,” putting them at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving virtual services or doing business online. Information available at calcoastal.org or (831) 676-2020.

GREAT:

In related great news for small business owners everywhere within Monterey County, Lee Takikawa (see Good Week) said emergency microloans distributed earlier in the year to more than 20 businesses went so well the county received an additional $1.6 million in CARES Act funding through the Economic Development Administration for larger loans, of up to $400,000. The “super affordable” loans from the County of Monterey Small Business Revolving Loan Fund have a fixed interest rate of 2.44 percent. Microloans are still available with a quick turnaround. “Of course businesses would like to get grants but this is our next best option,” Takikawa said. “This could be a game changer.” Like the Salinas microloans, payments can be deferred for nine months. The maximum loan term is seven years. Applicants must be able to demonstrate they’ve been harmed by the Covid-19 emergency. More information on how to apply is available at calcoastal.org.