The Buzz 11.29.18

WHO’S IN TOWN?

International trade got a lot trickier in the age of Donald Trump, who has picked trade fights with China, Canada and other countries. In July he tweeted, “Tariffs are the greatest!” He declared in August the tariffs were working, despite measurable harm to U.S. farmers and increased prices on consumer goods. The Annual Bi-Coastal TradeTalks Conference, hosted by the Middlebury International Trade Association, is in town to help businesses navigate this tumultuous regulatory climate. Speakers include Ambassador Gregg Doud, the chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of U.S. Trade Representative; Awinash Bawle, deputy director for California GO-Biz; and Katheryn Russ, a UC Davis economist.

9am-5pm, Fri Nov. 30. Middlebury Institute, Irvine Auditorium, 499 Pierce St., $50/general; free/MIIS students. eventbrite.com.

FREE SPEECH

Some 5,900 members of the U.S. military deployed to the southern border are set to return home Dec. 15. Reporting by the New York Times has revealed evidence of political, rather than national security, motivations behind President Donald Trump’s instructions to order troops to the border, including a name change: The mission was originally called Operation Faithful Patriot, then changed on Election Day to the less politically charged Border Support. It’s a reminder that terminology matters – something we’re again reminded of in this week’s cover story (p. 26) about photographer Jerry Takigawa. He subtly addresses it in his artist statement – about an exhibit on the history of Japanese-Americans unconstitutionally imprisoned – by using the term concentration camps, not internment camps. While the Weekly stuck with the latter because of the common usage, there is good reason to make a transition. By definition, “internment” refers not to an extraordinary – not to mention immoral and illegal – process, but legal wartime detention.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

You’ll never see a house fire make the “good” side of this column. But you are about to see what happened afterward make this page. On Nov. 16 at about 2am, a fire broke out outside the Bolsa Knolls home of retired Salinas firefighter Steve Furtado, a former president of the Salinas Police Activities League. The flames reached the house and all-but destroyed it; it’s likely to be a year before Furtado and his family can move back in. His former SFD teammates, led by Josh Hostetter, rallied and launched a GoFundMe campaign to help out until insurance comes through. In just 11 days, they’ve raised nearly $8,000 for Furtado and his family. Says Salinas City Councilwoman Kimbley Craig, Furtado “is one of those guys who has always helped out behind the scenes, doing the not-so-fun stuff” to help the community. Here’s to those who stepped up to help him in his time of need.

BAD:

Budget drama is nothing new for the city of Salinas. But the forecast is even worse. According to a report released Nov. 27 by theNational Resource Network, “If the city does nothing, it will run out of reserves by [2023] and will face a cumulative deficit of $63.1 million over the next 10 years.” And that’s after the city has already taken urgent measures both to curb expenditures (temporary cutbacks to library services) and increase revenues (voter-approved tax measures). In its 214-page paper, National Resources Network recommends a few key strategic steps to keep the city solvent. Ideas include creating a housing trust fund; civilianizing some administrative police duties; eliminating subsidies to Sherwood Hall; workforce efficiencies; and making the Measure G sales tax permanent. The Salinas City Council is set to receive and discuss the report at a Dec. 4 meeting.