Letters to the Editor 04.28.22

History Is Written By The…

I was surprised to read in your article about the Western Flyer that the voyage to the Sea of Cortez was taken by five men, four of them identified (“The boat Western Flyer, of Steinbeck lore, is returning to Monterey, but more money is needed to make it a home,” April 21-27). That statement was incorrect. The reason that a fifth passenger was not named is because that person was John Steinbeck’s wife, Carol. In his book about the voyage, Steinbeck did not mention that Carol had been aboard. Dale Bartoletti | Salinas

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected online to reflect that there were in fact six men aboard, as well as Steinbeck’s wife Carol.

Sewn Up

I’ve been a part of this community for 53 years. I’ve been reading your paper for half of that. I’ve been mentioned in it probably 10 times for one thing or another and I love you guys. We’re so lucky to have a real (and good) newspaper in this town. Thanks to all of you for finding a way to keep it going no matter what.

Tajha Chappellet-Lanier wrote about me for this week’s 831 and just nailed it (“Monterey’s most soothing Friday night happy hour involves mending your own clothes,” April 21-27). Thank you to everyone, especially her, for being so careful and so concise and so supportive of my tiny little business, I am indebted (again). You rule. Jaki Canterbury | via email

So great! Jake J. Thomas | via social media

Theater Magic

Grateful for the update on the beloved Osio Plaza, which housed a six-screen theater where I saw hundreds of movies (“Osio Plaza developer is now current on rent and loan payments, and planning to bring new vendors into the space,” April 21-27). The indie film market is tricky because it relies on word-of-mouth rather than studio marketing campaigns to draw patrons. At the Osio there wasn’t enough product that generated interest, even after one of the screening rooms was converted to storage space in 2016.

Were a vendor to consolidate and create four screening rooms, it might be a viable enterprise. The three-screen Palm Theatre in SLO survived the pandemic and is once again showing the movies the Osio once screened. Elizabeth Bowditch | Seaside

I look forward to returning! Excited to learn more about what they’ll bring to the space! LisAnne Sawhney | Seaside

I don’t think I’ve ever missed anything more in my life than Cafe Lumiere and the Osio Theater. Carrie Beth McWithey | Monterey

Make a live music spot a la Monterey Live. We need it!! Denise Mello | via social media

Last Cuts

He has been helping to feed my family for all of his years at the counter (“Salinas’ long-time butcher looks toward his retirement,” April 21-27). Thank you, Art Kong. My mom, Ruth, has ordered our special dinners for year after year. And all of the “regular” dinners, which were always better because of your efforts. Carol Rodrigues | via social media

Art, you will be missed. Enjoy your retirement. Patty-Richard Roddick | via social media

Congratulations, your smile and friendly personality will be missed. Janet Hogge | via social media

Home To Office

Why exactly can’t people continue to work from home? (“Many companies want their employees back in person. So what becomes of the home office space?” April 21-27.) Brittney Lebbano | via social media

Climate change means we should stay remote. Sherie Sanders | via social media

Cannabis Considerations

Having grown up on the Peninsula, it did not surprise me that Pacific Grove didn’t jump on marijuana the bandwagon, as you noted they still had prohibition until the end of the 1960s (“On 4-20, Pacific Grove considers ending its prohibition on commercial cannabis,” posted April 20). When I left California in the mid-1980s, P.G. had one of the largest liquor stores on the Peninsula.

Montana recently voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana, and we are seeing communities and whole counties that refuse to accept it; the state legislature left that choice up to local governments. It is similar to what P.G. did, however not 10 feet across the county line to the west, right at an interstate exit a dispensary is being built to meet the demand. If P.G. believes nobody there is smoking weed they are poorly informed – they were doing it in the 1980s before I left, and they are doing it today. I was there at Christmas and the skunky smell was present just about everywhere I went. P.G. is merely missing out on tax revenue. Where I live in Custer County, Montana, it will be the same. Those that toke will take one step over the county line to get their weed and bring it home to smoke it. Chad Sutter | Miles City, Montana

Toward Teacher Housing

Housing can never be both an investment and affordable (“A zoning change in Salinas could move affordable teacher housing forward,” April 21-27). Honestly I feel that a third of all housing should be public housing. Clearly the current system doesn’t work.

Even with our current system, why aren’t affordable apartments more common? Is the profit motive really not there? What regulations make it so it’s not profitable? Seems like every housing development for the last 50 years has been nothing but single-family homes with a handful of affordable housing units. Even the “affordable housing” in this area isn’t really that affordable. Julian E. Torres | via social media

Not just teachers, but nurses, doctors, anyone in health care. I’ve seen many professionals leave the area because it is too expensive, even for the best paid jobs. Bettina Navarro-Garcia | via social media