Letters to the Editor 12.15.16

Dining Out

Sadly, it has to be chains (“Blaze Pizza, Teriyaki Madness, Smashburger and more set to open in Marina Dunes,” posted Dec. 6). The rent is too steep for independent, local owners. Hey Marina, look at thriving downtown Monterey and up-and-coming Oldtown Salinas and you’ll see that local cuisine is what we want, not the chain garbage that can be had at any mall. Brian Rozema | via Facebook

It’s nice to see the fast-food chain trend of doing gourmet fresh food. Diana S. Jones | via Facebook

Parking in Pagrovia

Great, paid parking along the waterfront, as if parking for anyone living within a few blocks of the water isn’t bad enough already (“Without Measure P, Pacific Grove looks for new ways to raise revenue,” Dec. 8-14). Stuart Newhouse | via Facebook

The Monterey Bay Aquarium promised that if Measure P was rejected that they’d do more to help Pacific Grove. Well, let’s hold them to it! Celia Bosworth | via Facebook

Get some decent stores, a few bars, a couple of chain restaurants and watch the money roll in. Lou Richards | via Facebook

Pacific Grove officials should realize they’re sitting on a goldmine: their golf course. The 100 acres of prime land that make up the municipal golf course occupy 5 percent of the city’s area. There are already over two dozen other golf courses in Monterey County. Pacific Grove should bulldoze the city course and put in housing – permanently owned by the city (because just selling the land to developers would kill the goose laying the golden egg). Build a mix of high-end homes, affordable and/or subsidized apartments, and keep 10 acres of coastal open space near the lighthouse for the public, instead of wasting it on a tiny minority of golfers. Joe Snyder | Monterey

Drilling Down

I am deeply concerned about the recent cover story by David Schmalz (“Marina Coast’s prehistoric water supply is not replenishing,” Dec. 1-7). The dramatic headline is factually incorrect. As I informed the reporter, the deep groundwater which is the focus of the story is replenishing itself according to a 2015 study conducted by Monterey County. This fact apparently stood in the way of a good story. This is not journalism. It is not accurate. It is not fair.

I had three pleasant phone conversations with the reporter as he wrote this piece. I answered all questions and provided data. Yet none of this relevant information was included. The most troubling claim: Marina Coast Water District believes it can pump in perpetuity with no talk of projects to replace that pumping.

We are not developers. We are not land-use attorneys. We are simply a water district committed to providing residents with safe, affordable water. It is our mission to protect water supply and develop new sources, because it’s the right thing to do. It is also required by law.

Every five years, water districts must submit an Urban Water Management Plan. We completed ours in July. A critical component of the UWMP is to develop recycled water supplies for irrigation, further reducing demand for groundwater. So we’re moving forward with construction of a 10-mile pipeline to deliver recycled water, participating in the Pure Water Monterey project. The UWMP also addresses water supply for projected growth, including the redevelopment of the Ord Community. Full build-out is phased over 40-60 years to allow for the development of future water supplies, but MCWD is already forging ahead. We’ve implemented the Regional Urban Water Augmentation Plan, which secures 1,427 acre-feet per year of advanced treated water for the Ord Community. Also, we’ve recently entered into three-party agreement to identify new water sources expected to provide 973 acre-feet of additional potable water required under the Fort Ord base reuse plan. Keith Van Der Maaten | Pacific Grove

Editor’s note: Van Der Maaten is general manager of Marina Coast Water District.

Singing Out

I have known Larry since the mid-’70s and was involved tangentially in his management at that time (“Radio station to host Larry Hosford tribute show,” posted Dec. 7). We remained remote friends over the years.

To me, Larry was a larger-than-life man in a smaller-than-life town. His gift for lyric and rhyme was enormous and sadly only dwarfed by his self-destructive nature. Like much of humanity who has the talent, intelligence and ability to achieve greatness, Larry was his own worst enemy. Hosford was Jackson Browne’s Everyman. He was the best and the worst of us. May God rest his soul. Hugh Winters | Seaside

Post-Factual Reality

Reporters can blame themselves for the current issues with news organizations and “news” stories (“Despite the rise of fake news, facts still matter,” Dec. 8-14). With most publishers, editors and reporters being for the left-wing or progressive portion of the Democratic party, we are seeing what they want us to see. You see it in what they report and what they fail to report.

If you only read news from East Coast and Left Coast papers you would have expected Clinton to win.

News organizations were playing to their audiences. If they reported on a Trump rally they made sure to emphasize the low points. George Krieger | Carmel

Corrections

A photo caption incorrectly identified one physician involved in launching the program Prescribe Safe (“New effort launches to track prescriptions and stop addiction,” Dec. 8-14). It is Casey Grover, not Anthony Chavis. The story also misstated Chavis’ title; he is chief medical officer, not chief executive officer, of Montage Health.