Arch Support

Arch Support… Squid loves natural arches, the dramatic result of erosion. They’re fun to ooze through is reason enough. But things are a little different in the landlubbing realm, where building an arch over a street costs a cool $100,000.

County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents Salinas’ District 1, is advocating for a new arch in East Salinas to complement an arch built in 2021 over Main Street in downtown Salinas. Besides referring the matter to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Alejo has presented the concept to the board of Salinas United Business Association and Santa Lucia Rotary. “The construction of an iconic Alisal Arch will serve as a lasting tribute to the hardworking people, families, organizations and small businesses that form the heart of East Salinas,” Alejo wrote in his pitch to the Board of Supes.

But in the arc of this arch story, there’s a battle playing out between Alejo and Salinas City Councilmember Andrew Sandoval, who are both quick on the social media draw. “As a city we have to make choices about where our resources go,” Sandoval wrote on Instagram. He included a list of projects constituents would prefer $100,000 go toward, including fixing potholes and sidewalks and adding streetlights. Alejo responded: “The idea for a future Alisal Arch didn’t come from me, it came directly from the residents themselves.”

That’s the inconvenient thing about democracy. Whether or not you build a shiny arch over it, the people will still disagree.

Trading Spaces… One of the nice things about September is that, with Car Month being over, we can get on talking about other things besides how much traffic there is or isn’t.

It was just as that craziness was winding down when the Transportation Agency for Monterey County board met on Aug. 27, and the subject of the proposed Sand City Multiuse Trail came up. It would fill in a missing link of the Rec Trail as it passes through Seaside and Sand City along the old rail line, which is owned by TAMC. Sand City was awarded two grants in 2024 totaling over $2 million to design the trail, and just as those designs are starting to take shape, there’s already pushback.

Attorney Jason Retterer said his client Monterey Motors – which operates the Jaguar and Land Rover dealership in Seaside – has long leased part of the easement to store about 100 cars, and that parking spaces associated with the proposed trail will take away vital storage parking from the business.

Based on those comments, County Supervisor and TAMC board member Luis Alejo asked to revisit the trail, making sure it didn’t impact the auto businesses.

The trail is proposed to have parking spaces along parts of it, areas currently parked with cars. So the conflict, for a rec trail, is about parking.