The Buzz 11.28.24

FREE SPEECH

As President-elect Donald Trump’s list of cabinet nominees makes headlines, the City of Monterey found itself in the middle of a national news story. Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth was the keynote speaker at a Republican women’s conference at the Hyatt in 2017, where he allegedly raped a woman who was working at the event. The Monterey Police Department investigated, and upon inquiry from media outlets seven years later, initially declined to release the police report; the California Public Records Act does not require disclosure. Further review by City Attorney Christine Davi led the City on Nov. 20 to release a redacted copy of the 2017 report. Davi declined to comment, citing the City’s policy of not commenting further on the matter, but a cover letter describes her reasoning. MPD discovered the report had been previously released in 2021 to Hegseth’s attorney, meaning it would be treated as a public record. The report is redacted to protect the confidentiality of the victim, called Jane Doe. “The public interest in the identity of the victim and the names of and information regarding her children is not outweighed by their right to privacy,” Davi wrote.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I am extremely proud of my teams’ efforts, which have yielded impressive results.” - John Narigi of A&D Narigi Consulting, speaking about the end of the management agreement between his organization and Friends of Laguna Seca (see story, montereycountynow.com)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

The Latin Grammy Awards were held Nov. 14 in Miami with at least one Monterey County-based musician in attendance. Mexican-American singer-songwriter Johan Sotelo was there along with his producer, Israel Aispuro, for their work on Carin León’s album, Boca Chueca, Vol. 1. Sotelo, having worked with León in the past on English lyrics in some of his work, is credited as a songwriter for the album. But now he has a little more than just street cred, since the album won Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album at the awards ceremony. Naturally, Sotelo was a little more than excited, since he can now call himself a Grammy-award winning artist. The newfound stardom does take him away from several of the local gigs in Carmel he’s used to, but applause is due for the now-Nashville-bound songwriter.

GREAT:

The Salvation Army’s Sabu Shake Sr. and Family Good Samaritan Center in Sand City has been a place where those in need can grab a hot meal, take a warm shower and wash their clothes. But with countless people going in and out and using its services daily, the center at 800 Scott St. has seen its share of wear and tear. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Salvation Army held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the center’s remodel. Headed up by Balesteri Construction, the work includes upgrading the center’s counseling offices, restrooms, laundry area and other spaces. The center is named after the late restaurateur Shake, who was known to feed and give work to those in need. The Salvation Army was one of Shake’s favorite charities.