Letters to the Editor 08.11.22

House and Home

My compliments to you and staff for great reporting on the various aspects of the housing crisis (“The housing crisis – and a look at ideas for how to solve it,” July 28-Aug. 3). However, you left out another key element in housing. That is the smaller rental providers commonly referred to as “mom & pop.” Most likely they own no more than three units. Many of these owners are longtime members of the communities in which the rentals are located.

Many of these rental providers use the rents to maintain the rental unit, send their children to college, provide care services for elderly parents, augment their retirement, and maybe even take a deserved vacation.

There are a super-majority of decent, honest, non-greedy rental providers here in Salinas and in Monterey County. These rental providers need to be praised and not villainized. Gloria J. Moore | Salinas

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Thank you for the coverage of the complex issue of affordable housing, which was limited only to just building more rental units until I formed Monterey County Renters United.

Given that I spent a significant amount of time with Christopher Neely for his piece (“Picking up steam elsewhere, rent stabilization policies have not made their way into Monterey County, yet,” July 28-Aug. 3), I’m disappointed he chose to give quotes to the supply/demand portion but none to MCRU. MCRU was created to educate and empower renters who are a “community of interest” as the majority of residents in the region.

That majority gives them power as a huge voting bloc. It’s our mission to mobilize it to elect policymakers that will listen to their voice, as much as they listen to those profiting from the housing crisis.

Housing is a human right and the best tool to prevent homelessness is affordable rents. Esther Malkin | Monterey

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Thanks for highlighting Vancouver’s vacant homes tax as a successful way to generate significant revenue to build workforce housing (“Could taxing empty homes be a tool in creating more affordable rentals?” July 28-Aug. 3). This is absolutely something the county should pursue, as should Pacific Grove, Carmel and Monterey. Too many houses sit vacant while local folks struggle to afford a place to live.

Consider: Taxes just from Brad Pitt’s new $40 million home in the Carmel Highlands could generate $1 million to $2 million a year to build workforce housing. Multiply that by all the vacant high-value homes in Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Carmel Valley, other unincorporated areas and in Peninsula cities. A vacant homes tax would help us make real progress toward creating the housing working people need in our community. Ken Peterson | Monterey

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Jim Colangelo’s simplistic and wrong-headed idea about housing and the military is pretty surprising from someone who one would think understands the tremendous economic impact military schools have on the Peninsula economy (“As local workers struggle to find a place to live, federal subsidies might be making it even tougher,” July 28-Aug. 3).

If military families living off-base are supposedly “eating up” rental housing that might go to locals then there’s a better solution than seeing the military bases go away: How about encouraging the Army to build more dependent housing at the old Fort Ord? That’s the practical and smart way to fix this problem. Mark Carbonaro | Monterey

Into the Woods

I am feeling deep appreciation of your artful and skillful weaving of the threads of scientific knowledge, direct experience and interconnected relationship into such a cohesive and inspiring article (“Spending time in the forest doesn’t just feel good – science shows it heals us,” Aug. 4-10).

May your work catalyze and cultivate unimagined benefits for Earth and all her beings. Marianne Rowe | Pacific Grove

Rowe is a certified forest bathing guide.

[Forest bathing guide] Maria Best is a gift. Forest bathing with her is an experience – we recently did a team-building excursion, and loved it! Tiffany DiTullio | Salinas

Farm Town

This city is controlled by Big Ag (“After Amazon backs out, there is hope for Salinas’ ag industrial center,” Aug. 5-10). Allowing Amazon or any other Silicon Valley company into the Salinas Valley would mean losing some of their workforce – they do not want that! Some of our farmworkers would love one of those jobs, but it’s not a good idea for the modern slave owner.

There is money for the needed new highway off-ramp and all the utilities, just not for Amazon. Once a cooler comes in, these items will be built in a hurry. Jose Sanchez | Salinas

Farm Works

On Aug. 3, farmworkers launched a 24-day, 335-mile march from the UFW’s historic Delano [property].They will arrive Aug. 26 at the Capitol. Farmworkers are marching to win the right to vote for a union free from intimidation and threats. This march is to convince Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 2183, the Agricultural Labor Relations Voting Choice Act (authored by Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley. The bill would give farmworkers the ability to vote in secret whenever and wherever they feel safe.

According to the Monterey County Farm Bureau, farming supports local families: Nearly 1 in 5 households relies on income related to agriculture, which supports 76,000 jobs.

Why is this story not being covered? Donna Owens | Monterey

Stories on Stage

I attended the opening performance (“Local high school students share the stories of their lives on stage as part of a summer theater program,” Aug. 4-10). It’s inspiring, as is the Performance as Education program. Highly recommended! Melanie Bretz | Monterey

Correction

A story about Kirby Park (“Outside,” Aug. 4-10) described fishing as one of the recreational activities there. Fishing is not permitted.