Refuse political contributions

Recently my power went out, I received a message from the water company that my drinking water may be contaminated and I was stuck in a miles and hours-long traffic jam on Highway 1 between Carmel and Monterey. I was led to the conclusion that PG& E, Cal-Am and Chevron (oil fields in San Ardo) require greater accountability and oversight by our democratically elected officials. I also realize that these three corporations may also be donating to county supervisor candidates in the upcoming March 2024 election. I urge all candidates running for county supervisor to publicly refuse to accept contributions from them.

— Gary Karnes, Pacific Grove

Fisherman’s Wharf attendant

The Fisherman’s Wharf community recently lost a valued member when the city of Monterey reassigned the wharf parking attendant, Karen Rappa. Karen was a gem; she redirected thousands of lost drivers, managed multiple delivery trucks at once, always warmly greeted wharf owners and employees and visitors, and juggled many competing issues with a smile and professional competency. Her family owned and operated a business on the wharf for years and she literally grew up there. She was the best at this job and is very much missed. Why was it necessary for the city to make this change? I hope they’ll reconsider.

— George Leonard, Monterey

NOAA at CSUMB

The article “NOAA office to be built on CSUMB campus” should be front page news! I grew up near UCSD where a succession of successful alumni started multi-million dollar industries near campus, providing jobs, raising tax money for the local area and increasing the status of the campus. From genomic research to “how can we light up this undersea camera?” grads turned what they learned on campus into lucrative businesses. While San Diego has more financial resources than Monterey Bay, I couldn’t believe there was no such development around CSUMB, even 25 years later.

CSUMB’s mission statement says students will become “thriving citizens dedicated to the public good,” so I get that multi-million dollar companies aren’t the first order of business. But there still should be a way to create entrepreneurial opportunities where the university’s expertise overflows into the surrounding community. Having NOAA on campus is a perfect fit. CSUMB students will work next to role models who have turned a degree into a career, in a sphere where there’s always some new discovery or challenge. Discoveries and challenges lead to new business ideas and the whole area benefits. Who knows what CSUMB alums will be famous for someday?

— Helen Spiess Shamble, East Garrison

Monterey rent control

In the debate about the Monterey rent control/registry the assumption is that Monterey is an expensive place. Compared to inland California it is, but close to the coast average rents are lowest here. For example, compared to San Diego ($2,917), Newport Beach ($3,434), Long Beach ($2,571), Santa Barbara ($2,660), and Santa Cruz ($3,289) — Monterey comes in cheapest at $2,544. Source: rentcafe.com.

Compared to prominent rent-controlled cities where advocates would predict low rents, non-controlled Monterey also comes in cheaper. For example, San Francisco comes in at $3,313, Berkeley at $3,358, and Santa Monica at a whopping $4,017. Santa Monica is particularly noteworthy, having had rent control since 1979. They still fight like cats and dogs over rent control in Santa Monica but have managed only to post one of the highest rents in California.

One interesting comparison is between Monterey and East Palo Alto, the latter being a poor city within wealthy Silicon Valley. Even with rent control, rents are higher East Palo Alto at $2,779.

There is more than a little fuzzy math that comes with rent control. It is an expensive, sprawling and invasive bureaucracy. In Monterey it’s likely to reduce affordability, not increase it.

— Thomas F. Lee, Monterey