LETTERS to the EDITOR 01.18.18

Taking a Seat

Thank you for your column on [Carmel Mayor] Steve Dallas and [Monterey County Supervisor] Luis Alejo (“Appointing officials to influential committee seats raises #MeToo questions,” Jan. 11-17). You make me and my friends feel like someone is listening, an unusual sensation in these dark times. Christina Lund | Pacific Grove

Whereas stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault deserve to be believed and respected;

Whereas sexual harassment and sexual assault is unacceptable behavior in an elected official;

Whereas Mayor Steve Dallas is currently under investigation for repeated instances of alleged sexual harassment;

Whereas a lack of accountability allows perpetrators to continue to silence, seek out and harass victims;

Therefore be it resolved that we, the signed, call on the Monterey County Mayors’ Association to immediately suspend Mayor Steve Dallas’ position as chair until such time as the investigation is complete and elect another chair, standing in solidarity with victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment in our community, and sending a clear message that no one, in any position, is above reproach. City councilmembers Kayla Jones, Seaside; Alan Haffa, Monterey; Gail Morton, Marina; Nancy Amadeo, Marina; Yanely Martinez, Greenfield

Over my career, I’ve been proud of my strong record of standing up for civil rights for all people. When an allegation is raised contrary to that record, I would hope to at least be given a call before someone puts out false and libelous information. As the new chair of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, I, like others before me, propose changes to committee assignments of the supervisors. This year, I aimed to make very few changes, three out of 50.

At the eleventh hour the night before the meeting, it was alleged on social media that I only made changes to the assignments of my two female colleagues on the board. That was not true – two changes were for John Phillips – but no one bothered to call me to verify.

Every supervisor would like to serve on LAFCO as it decides major land-use issues. In the coming months, LAFCO will decide whether to annex land into the city of Salinas. As a Latino elected official and the youngest member on this board, I also wanted to also give my constituents a voice on that important agency. Luis Alejo | Salinas

Editor’s note: Alejo is a Monterey County supervisor.

Pot Proliferation

Cool, now we can all have sidewalks (“Seaside was set to go big on pot dispensaries. City Council decided to go even bigger,” Jan. 11-17). Timothy Appel | via Facebook

Six is more than the population of the Peninsula can support, isn’t it? That sounds like a lot, especially when the “newness” wears off. Julie Davis-Bryan | via Facebook

Julie, I doubt it. There are a lot of people, and a lot of people use cannabis. Time will tell for sure, but I think they are going to have quite the demand. Brittney Vaughn | via Facebook

Getting Caffeinated

Good news: The space vacated by the German sausage place will soon be filled with a new food purveyor (“Forthcoming coffee shop Captain + Stoker aims to give Monterey a different sort of space,” Jan. 11-17). Let’s hope the lack of parking in that location will not be an issue, as it was for previous occupants. And that many of those folks coming from the gym across the street after a rigorous workout will feel like enjoying a treat of gourmet coffee and homemade bread.

Bad news: Peterson Conway VIII doesn’t show much “grace and humility” (description of himself), but more of the dog-eat-dog world he comes from (description from a friend), when he disses another nearby business which many of us frequent. I suggest that Peterson Conway VII teach his son an overdue lesson about eating humble pie. Heidi Feldman | Pacific Grove

Kinda hard to fight out-of-town money, too bad the “buy local” motto doesn’t apply to local business owners. But hey, at least we have another cool coffee shop!

Sad to see mutliple local small business owners “fighting” for a place downtown only to get outspent by someone with a bigger wallet (“Cachagua General Store, PigWizard and Katie’s Coldpress fight to find a place to serve people,” Jan. 11-17). Cool hometown backstory on [Peterson Conway VIII], though. Corbin Dallas | Seaside

En Español

Although I’ve never heard of this gentleman, perhaps because I don’t speak Spanish or watch Telemundo or Univision, this was an enlightening article! (“Fidel Soto: Univision 67’s anchorman of 30 years on his unexpected transition from fieldworker to TV,” Jan. 4-10.) Chris Sierra | via Facebook

Fidel Soto is a wonderful man. Katharine Ball | via Facebook

Dream On

Dreaming is good but action moves mountains (“Thor Anderson of Salinas marches down Broadway in Seaside during a Martin Luther King, Jr. march with a sign that reads, ‘Keep the dream alive,’” posted Jan. 15). Steve Yancy | via Instagram

Beautiful photo. Edwin Huizinga | via Instagram

In the Hole

Dear Clueless Donnie: The reason we don’t get much immigration from Norway (or just about anywhere else from “First World countries”) is that they know WE’RE a shithole country, thanks to you. Eric Tyle | Monterey