Ps. There’s also this charming art

Pacific Grove’s biggest improvement in years - a new cafe/restaurant in the long-vacant fomer seltzer spot at Lovers Point. Congrats to the Crema team on a beautiful design, approachable menu and just fantastic vibe. (I thought I’d still miss Crema 1.0 cozy vibe but this is too stunning to care).

Happy Local News Day! Here at @montereycountynow.com we are celebrating local news every day as practitioners of journalism. For this occasion, we are encouraging more people to read/subscribe (for FREE) to our newsletter. You can join in here: www.montereycountynow.com/newsletter/

TSA workers at Monterey Regional Airport continue to work without pay during shutdown. TSA workers at Monterey Airport work unpaid during shutdown; airport sets up donation box. Airlines urge Congress to act.

For more, read Aric Sleeper’s news story in today’s issue of @montereycountynow.com: www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_n...

The TSA workers at Monterey Regional Airport are truly some of the most courteous staff anywhere. And they are working without pay because they’re being treated as pawns, despite the fact that they are normal people with rent and car payments etc. I dropped a little cash in the donation box.

"Right now, there are forces trying to get some of us to drop out (of this race)," Betty Yee says. "It’s the most undemocratic thing I’ve ever heard. The idea that we are going to let the party set the field when the voters should have a say is unconscionable."

"We have too much business in government," says Tom Steyer, a businessman.

Antonio Vilaraigosa says that in the case of vacant commercial properties, "We ought to tax them." As governor he says he would encourage cities to do this.

Steyer with another zinger that has a lot of relevance to Monterey County: "Californians have to get over the idea we are going to keep moving into farmland—we are going to move into our towns and cities."

"Anyone buying up housing and leaving is empty is something we should be taxing, because we have a shortage of goddamn housing." -Tom Steyer

A bunch of answers rely on changes in Washington, DC. Thurmond says he would lead the charge to abolish ICE (from Sacramento?!) and Steyer says he'll wait for a new leadership in DC to get single-payer off the ground.

"We have been programmed to be afraid of the bugaboo - single-payer," Becerra says. "But if we say, 'When you turn 65 do you want Medicare? All of you would say yes. Medicare is single-payer."

A lot of support on this panel for single-payer healthcare (Yee, Thurmond, Becerra, Steyer). (Mahan and Villaraigosa disagree.) Steyer says it would take 3 years to launch: "What’s the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago. What’s the next best time? Today. It's the same thing with healthcare."

On education, Thurmond and Yee also both agree: Let's revisit the school funding formula. Thurmond elaborates in favor of an enrollment-based model instead of the current attendance-based model, which introduces uncertainty to each budget year.

Tom Steyer has some bold views and the beauty of a non-politician in a political campaign is he is willing to say it. "I would look at rent freezes," he says, part of a list of ideas for housing solutions.

Tony Thurmond introduces himself sounding a lot like Zohran Mamdani: Pledging to build 2 billion housing units by 2030, down payment assistance, single-payer healthcare, universal childcare. "We will do it by taxing billionaires. We can build a better California."

Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, comes out swinging in his opening remarks, asking everyone at the debate in joining him in pledging to suspend the gas tax. (Retired congressman Sam Farr, sitting in the front row, shakes his head vigorously no.)

They have six Dem candidates: Matt Mahan, Antonio Villaraigosa, Betty Yee, Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Tony Thurmond.

At the gubernatorial debate tonight hosted by Democratic clubs/party orgs from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, described by their leaders as an historic first for this kind of tri-county partnership.

An amazing resource for locals looking to get involved with social justice discussions, trainings, protests, etc — a calendar of What/When/Where courtesy @unitemontereyco.bsky.social: unitemontereycounty.net/social-justi...

Here to plug the California Local News Fellowship—an awesome partnership between newsrooms and State of California to fund early-career journalists. @montereycountynow.com is proud to host @katierodriguez.bsky.social (who rocks). New fellow application period opens today:

Nearing 100 years, Carmel’s historic cocktail bar Sade’s is slated for closure. Carmel's beloved dive bar, Sade's Cocktails, is set to close its doors after almost a century due to lease issues. Owner fights to preserve its legacy.

Then you can plan your weekend with our A&E coverage courtesy of @agatapopeda.bsky.social (at www.montereycountynow.com/entertainment/home/) and go top it off with a final drink at Sade's in Carmel for the bar's last night tonight, or just read about it courtesy @katierodriguez.bsky.social

Cover

To read more about the behind-the-scenes state of local journalism check out @erikchalhoub.montereycountynow.com's cover story in this week's edition — and @celiajimenez.bsky.social's companion piece about Spanish-language news. Helpful context for this work this amazing team is doing.

Local members of Congress address national immigration enforcement turmoil and regional impacts. US Representatives denounce ICE and CBP misconduct, calling for increased training and accountability. Learn about the impacts on local communities.

And @celiajimenez.bsky.social wrote an important yesterday about @usrepjimmypanetta.bsky.social and @lofgren.house.gov weighing in on ICE, and also posted about the Alisal Arch funds approved by the County Board of Supes (www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/news_b...)

The Monterey City Council moves forward with ballot measures to increase revenue in light of the city’s structural budget deficit. Monterey City Council is taking action to close its budget gap by placing sales and parking tax initiatives on the June ballot.

We have not one but two (!) stories about @cityofmonterey.bsky.social by our newest staff writer, Aric Sleeper, about two ballot measures approved that are coming to voters in June plus a new city manager (www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/news_b...)

Nearly 500 of CHOMP's 800 nurses vote in favor of joining a union in historic vote. Registered nurses at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula have overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the California Nurses Association in an election that ended Friday, Jan. 30. The vote

Busy news week here capped by a busy news day - hat's off to @pammarino.montereycountynow.com for breaking the news about a vote by CHOMP nurses to unionize then following through reporting on today's vote, plus a story about the new Kimpton hotel in P.G. (www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/news_b...)

Hello journos! We at @montereycountynow.com are excited to launch Salinas Valley Now this spring. We are hiring a full-time staff writer and a part-time editor. Please share among your networks, @mallorycarra.com @thelatinonewsletter.org www.journalismjobs.com/job-listings...

I was looking for ways to support the people fighting to defend dignity, safety and peace in Minneapolis, and a friend there posted this helpful link to mutual aid groups: linktr.ee/mplsmutualai...

SCUBA Great White Shark Encounter - Monastery Beach, CA, 2025 - 4K YouTube video by Soup Cat JJ

Amazing underwater video by local divers at Monastery Beach showing a white shark swimming right past them — looks elegant from this angle more than fierce! From Dec. 30, 2025: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GO1...

It has been so beautiful at Lovers Point after we lost Erica. I don’t think anyone photographed the rainbow on Sunday. I am reminded of the Robinson Jeffers line: “I admired the beauty
While I was human, now I am part of the beauty.”
www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/opinio...