Letters to the Editor 06.26.25

Crown Jewel

It’s sad when people wave signs when they don’t even know what they are protesting about (“No Kings protests draw massive crowds in Monterey County,” June 19-25). The No Kings movement has no logic. We left kings behind in 1776. People need to learn what our Constitution says and means. — Robert McGregor | Salinas

The turnout was huge, and we had constant cars honking in solidarity the entire time! — Cole Lynn | via social media

For once a true protest. Not blocking streets or cars from being able to travel. Businesses also allowed to function. Liberals you did it right for once. However, a broken clock is right twice a day. — Chad Brooks | via social media

Not that my opinion matters a hill of beans, but it’s good to see the peaceful assembly on both sides. America is the best country on Earth, and today there was so much proof. I’ve lived all over the world and this is the only place I know of where you can have different sides and still maintain some sort of decorum without fear of retaliation, retribution or oppression. Differing opinions are a good thing. Let’s all keep it on the respectful side. Lastly, for both sides, remember… it’s not illegal to be misinformed or ignorant. — Brent Ivester | via social media

A Complete 360

I know many people are resistant to roundabouts (“Construction on a roundabout at Laureles Grade and Carmel Valley Road to begin next week,” posted June 18). I was. But where I live in Salinas there are several outside my subdivision. I hated them during construction but now I love them. It has made life so much easier. The flow is great. No sitting in my car at stop lights or waiting for the traffic to let me in. The person in the circle has priority so you yield for them and then go! There is a learning curve but now I wish we had more of them. They will make commuting on 68 a much better experience. — Laura Bianchi Payne | Salinas

Cut Back

Wow, foreign language mastery is key to diplomacy, espionage and all types of vital communication (“Facing a $30 million budget reduction, DLI is offering more early retirement and resignations,” June 19-25). The DLI is essential to so many things. What a dumb place to make cuts. — Chad Sutter | via social media

The DLI and NPS are absolute treasures to our community and extremely valuable to our country. They should get more funding, not less. I guess the priorities remain tax cuts for the rich. — Shawn Adams | via social media

Remember the Ride

Thank you so much for covering this (“The AIDS/LifeCycle ride ends 30 years of a life-saving tradition, but its legacy lives on,” June 12-18). I participated in the event from 1996 to 2015 as a volunteer supporting the cyclists, setting up camp sites, etc.

Along with the impact it made through raising funds for the larger community, the AIDS/LifeCycle created its own community for seven days each June. I met so many amazing, lifelong friends and my wife of 25 years.

The event also supported local towns along the route which saw an influx of people one day a year to spend money and support small business as the cyclists traveled down the coast. Pezzini Farms fed 2,500 people fried artichokes in one day. In Bradley, the town set up a fundraiser each year with burgers and T-shirts. They raised enough money to fund their schools for the year and provide scholarships to students for college.

The event will be greatly missed, but its legacy will live on in all the cyclists, volunteers and staff that have participated over the years. — Mary Walker | Pacific Grove

Spot Searching

A few years of meetings on deck, just to get nothing done (“Carmel’s mayor puts parking on the priority list, citing lost revenue potential,” June 12-18). — Adam J. Lincoln | via social media

How about weekend parking at Carmel High School and run a shuttle down Ocean Avenue and dump the people out in front of Devendorf Park? — Mark Carbonaro | via social media

Soccer Pros

Another local player with connections to CSUMB who is beating the long odds playing soccer professionally is Julio Varela (“Beating the long odds of a pro soccer career requires far more than natural talent,” June 12-18). The Watsonville High School and Hartnell College alum turned pro in 2019 and has played in the Major Arena Soccer League for five teams across the country over seven seasons. He also had a call-up in 2022 with the US Men’s Futsal National Team camp in Dallas, where he had been playing for the Dallas Sidekicks.

Varela is the oldest CSUMB alum still playing professionally out of the 12 men and women who have or still are playing. That includes Mitsy Ramirez, who last played for CSUMB in 2022 and is now playing for Toluca at the 1st division of women’s soccer in Mexico. — Greg Pool | Monterey

A River Runs

Both Carmel River restoration projects have admirable objectives (“Two floodplain restoration projects on the lower Carmel River have had different fortunes,” June 5-11). Failure to fully fund the Carmel River FREE project would be a dereliction of duty.

The inadequacy of the Highway 1 bridge over the Carmel River became widely known with the April 2, 1958 flood.

In 1978, Monterey County’s consultant for the (eventually adopted in 1983) FEMA flood study recommended building a causeway across the river to alleviate flood concerns. So, here we are, multiple floods and at least 67 years after it was clear that the project was needed. And funding is in doubt for this project? — Larry Hampson | Marina