The Buzz 12.14.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

In the frenzy of the holiday season there are some who are choosing to detach and take a deep breath. At the Esalen Institute, two leaders in the world of mindfulness take students on a Solstice Meditation Retreat. Mark Coleman, a teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin County and founder of the Mindfulness Institute, andLori Schwanbeck, a mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapist and co-founder of Mindfulness Therapy Associates in San Francisco, will take cues from ancient traditions of the winter solstice to help students slow down and enter into stillness. From there, students may enter into a time of inner exploration to answer deep questions about their next steps in life.

Fri-Sun Dec. 15-17. Esalen Institute, 55000 Highway 1, Big Sur. $420-$7,000. 667-3000, esalen.org.

FREE SPEECH

After Semanal Media bought the L.A. Weekly Nov. 29 and gutted its editorial department, the fallout was swift. The Twittersphere came alive with condemnation, especially after the paper’s Twitter account put out a Dec. 2 call for contributors (which it later deleted) that read: “We are looking for passionate Angelinos (sic) to share stories… ” On Dec. 4, sales director Chris Hubbert sent an email to the new managers with topics for the day’s meeting. They included, “direction,” “advertisers pulling” and “why everyone saw this coming but you.” The paper, a cherished institution in L.A., may not ever return to its former glory, but there are signs that things are improving. Hillel Aron, the only staff writer who was not laid off, tweeted Dec. 8 that he accepted the job as interim editor-in-chief after management agreed to the following conditions: He controls all editorial content, he could hire back at least two former writers or editors, that all contributors get paid and that union representation of the newsroom be permitted to return.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

A long-stalled project in Seaside just got a shot in the arm: The Seaside Resort, a proposed luxury hotel and condo development at the city-owned Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses, has languished since being approved in 2005. Now, a new developer is taking over, and Seaside City Council unanimously approved a new development agreement Dec. 7 that will expedite construction – which is now to be completed before 2022 – and provide a cash boost to several entities when the land sale is finalized in a few months. Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is among the beneficiaries and will get $6.8 million from the sale, but Seaside is the big winner, set to receive $2.8 million from the sale on top of millions of dollars annually in transient-occupancy tax. In the new deal Seaside also gets back 40 acre-feet of water annually.

BAD:

It was a an unhappy start to the holidays for at least 25 people in Pacific Grove over the weekend of Dec. 2-3, who became victims of thieves. The Pacific Grove Police Department reports stolen items – taken from vehicles – ranging from inexpensive shades to more than $2,500 in cash. PGPD reported on its Facebook page – with the hashtags #grinch and #bahhumbug – that the vehicles in question were unlocked and parked in a residential neighborhood around Sinex and Crocker avenues. A video from a home security camera shows a man (maybe two) walking up to cars in the night and trying to open doors. One man with a sack over his shoulder is seen trying a car in a driveway, then walking away when it’s locked. “We ask residents and visitors to keep car doors locked, and property such as money and electronics be taken with you,” Cmdr. Rory Lakind writes by email.