Letters to the Editor 08.05.21

Dining Out

Let them stay open so they can thrive! (“Carmel restaurants fight to extend parklets into the fall as the city eyes permanent solutions,” July 29-Aug 4.) Other cities allow it and it’s so inviting to see and wonderful for people to enjoy the outdoors which is healthier year round, especially during an extensive pandemic! Marta Martinez Fife | via social media

If they were smart they would keep at least some of them. Kat Deering | via social media

Turn Ocean Avenue into a single lane up and down. Adds more parking, AND widen the sidewalk/add parklets! Everybody wins! There is no need for two-lane traffic with the daily vehicle volume! Greg Hamer | Salinas

High and Low

The market correction ahead for cannabis is more fundamental than most imagine (“After years of steady growth, cannabis is facing the market realities of a hot commodity,” July 29-Aug. 4). Growers and sellers have somehow been able to hold onto the black-market price. That price is mostly comprised of the “risk premium” – that amount which compensates the seller for the risk of going to jail.

With legalization, the risk premium is gone. Average quality marijuana will sell for $25 to $40 an ounce, retail. It’s just a plant.

Experienced growers have admitted the production cost of outdoor grown marijuana is around $6 an ounce. International and global markets will develop quickly, adding further downward pressure.

This is bad news for sellers, but it’s good news for consumers who have essentially been price-gouged ever since legal sales began. John Wanless | Salinas

It’s way overpriced and they’re selling old product way too often. James Ryan | Monterey

Happy Trails

As a 25-year resident of Del Rey Oaks, I welcome the proposed FORTAG recreational trail (“A bike path faces a weird amount of opposition,” posted July 22). At first, I wasn’t thrilled about a trail going in the narrow green space right behind my backyard until I realized I was being narrow-minded and shortsighted. The advantages of this trail far outweigh the short-term disruption. The trail will provide a way for people to leave their cars behind and move through DRO by foot and bike, provide a safe alternative to walking or riding along Highway 218 and make the Frog Pond ADA-compliant so this park may be better enjoyed.

It’s disturbing that vocal neighbors opposed to the trail spout falsehood upon falsehood. They claim the unhoused will camp here. They assert our property values will go down. Studies show communities with such paths see a reduction in crime and property values increase. I encourage my neighbors to think of the greater good and the future of our city and change your minds, as I did. Patrice Vecchione | Del Rey Oaks

Friday Night Lights

Our community should take great pride in the impressive progress of MPUSD (“MPUSD Board of Trustees says yes to football field lights,” posted July 28). Although academics are a priority, there are other aspects to creating a well-rounded school experience. I applaud the arduous, yet vital decision [to approve athletic field upgrades]. It is up to us to continue the positive progress of MPUSD and to invest in the generations to come.

Thank you, MPUSD, for the continued focus on the development and success of the whole child. Our entire community benefits. James C. Harrison | Monterey

Harrison is a retired superintendent of MPUSD.

Tried Again

I remember this case (“Former Salinas High teacher Juan Govea charged with felony sex assault on a minor,” posted July 29). I was volunteering at the P.G. Museum of Natural History when he was arrested the first time. I was surprised the museum kept his employment after the case was dismissed. His job was to educate children at the museum and volunteers were concerned about that. The truth always comes back to bite eventually, it’s called karma. Marilyn Galli | Carmel

Metal Meets Higher Ed

This is amazing! Congratulations to Hartnell College, thank you Metallica Scholars and thank you for your service to our veterans. A win for all involved (“Hartnell receives $100,000 from Metallica Scholars Initiative to train veteran ag workers,” posted July 27). Sheri Dawes | via social media

Two great organizations working together for veterans, doesn’t get any better than this. Lars Lindgren | Templeton

Waste Not

Thank you for this article! (“Seaside City Council considers a progressive single-use plastic ordinance,” posted July 29.) I saw it just as the meeting was getting started, and Zoomed in.

I was very impressed by the presentations and the Q&A and councilmember statements, and was very gratified by the unanimous vote to adopt all three ordinances with a single implementation date. Bravo, Seaside! John Lett | Prunedale

Thanks for this article about Seaside’s plastic ordinance. We are so glad that it passed unanimously, joining other Peninsula cities!

To answer your question about plastic utensils from the article, no they are not recyclable. One of the many things the machinery in our recycling facility does is sort by shape. Since the utensils are less than 2 inches in diameter, they tend to slip through the cracks. Also, they can be made of various plastics, some of which are not recyclable locally. Only plastics #1, #2 #5 and large ridged plastics greater than 12 inches are recyclable.

The good news is the BPI-compostable flatware in Seaside’s ordinance is indeed compostable at our facility through our commercial food scrap program, and will be available to residential customers in January 2022. Zoë Shoats | via email

Shoats is director of communications for Monterey Regional Waste Management District.