Salinas Valley Memorial CEO Replacement Declines Position
After narrowing down their search for a new CEO earlier this month, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System administrators announced that Matt Gerlach will not be taking the helm after all. The hospital announced Gerlach as their first choice for the CEO position on Feb. 12, with SVMH Board President Harry ...
Police Identify Body Discovered in Flaming Vehicle Last Week
Salinas police have identified the badly burned body discovered in a flaming vehicle on Parkside Street Feb. 19. Salinas resident Dominique Gachett, 27, was identified after an analysis of autopsy reports and dental records, according to a statement from the Salinas Police Department. Police initially ruled the case suspicious, but ...
East Salinas Business Association Finds Success With Private Security
The Salinas United Business Association has contracted a private security patrol to assist the storeowners of East Salinas. The association, which serves more than 700 businesses, hired Crime Stopper Services, a Salinas-based security firm, to patrol their district 24-hours a day, seven days a week. The expansion comes after the ...
Seaside Mother of Dead Infant Pleads Not Guilty
A Seaside woman charged with murder in the death of her newborn son allegedly killed him within hours of his birth by drowning him, then put his body in a plastic container and stored it in the crawl space of her home. Jennifer Warren walked into the Seaside Police Department ...
Nader Agha Scraps Desal Deal, Looks for New Capital
In December, developer Nader Agha (pictured above) announced he'd sold interest in his Moss Landing Commercial Park assets, including his proposed desalination plant, dubbed the People's Project. The announcement now appears to have been premature. A Feb. 15 press release from Agha— stating the People's Project's bid to become the ...
Man Accused of Killing Baby Pleads Not Guilty
A man accused of murdering a 10-month-old pleaded not guilty in court today. Jesus Espinoza Jr., 47, was charged with murder and child endangerment by the District Attorney’s office last week. He is now being represented by the Alternate Public Defender’s Office, because the Public Defender’s Office stated a conflict ...
Statewide Plastic Bag Ban Bill Revived
A legislative effort to ban single-use plastic grocery bags throughout California—twice defeated in 2010 and 2011—has been revived by Assemblyman Mark Levine, D-San Rafael, as AB 158. The bill, now in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, would prohibit grocery retailers from distributing thin plastic bags beginning in 2015. Free paper ...
UPDATE: Search Called Off For Family Missing at Sea Off Monterey Coast
UPDATE 2-26-13 3:00pm — The Coast Guard has called off the search for four family members believed to have abandoned their 29-foot sailing vessel Sunday afternoon. An official with U.S. Coast Guard Station San Francisco says that after 42 hours of searching an area the size of West Virginia with ...
DeepWater Desal Taps State Lands Commission As Lead Agency on Desalination Plant
DeepWater Desal, one of three Monterey Bay regional desalination proposals, is tapping the State Lands Commission as its lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As part of the consent agenda at its Feb. 22 meeting, the commission voted 2-0 to send the preparation of DeepWater's environmental impact ...
Shorties Soar: A Fast Look at the Contenders for the Oscar-nominated Short Films
I recently attended a movie marathon of sorts—call it a short marathon: three hours and forty minutes dedicated to the Oscar-nominated short films from two categories, live action and animated. If you need a crib sheet to help you vote on Sunday, read on. Three of the nominated live action ...
Tea Party Rallies for Gun Rights
"Honk if you want to keep your 2nd Amendment!" read the sign of a woman holding an American flag on Del Monte Avenue in Monterey this afternoon.
Murder and Child Endangerment Charges Filed In Infant Death Case
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office has filed felony charges of murder and child endangerment against a 47-year-old man allegedly involved in the disappearance and death of an infant last weekend. Jesus Espinoza Jr., who is being represented by a public defender, has not yet made a plea, according to ...
Strawberry Farm Owner Gets One Year Prison Sentence For Defrauding Federal Crop Assistance Program
A Monterey County strawberry farm owner was sentenced to a year in prison for defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $223,000 in federal crop disaster assistance money, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Salinas resident Marco Antonio Barbosa, owner of Monterey County Commercial Strawberry ...
Gangs Focus of Salinas Town Hall Meeting; Police Chief Says More Cops Needed
Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin and Mayor Joe Gunter underscored the need for more police officers at a Salinas town hall meeting tonight. The meeting, hosted by California Sen. Anthony Canella (R-Ceres) at La Paz Middle School, focused on the city’s prevalent gang violence problem. The school's cafeteria was packed, ...
Police To Hold Anonymous Gun Buyback in April
Several Monterey Peninsula law enforcement agencies are holding an anonymous gun buyback event in April. "Removing guns and accessibility of available guns that could be used in the commission of a crime is important for everyone's safety," says a statement from the Seaside Police Department. Turned over guns will fetch ...
DeLeon Attorney to Argue Extent of Homeless Beating Victim’s Injuries
An attorney for an Oldtown Salinas restaurant owner accused of nearly beating a man to death is trying to get charges against his client reduced, claiming the police didn’t prove the beating put the victim into a coma. Brian Worthington will argue during a hearing Friday morning that prosecutors don’t ...
New Vice President of Conservation and Science at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
This spring, the Monterey Bay Aquarium will be welcoming Margaret Spring as its new Vice President for Conservation and Science. Spring has a strong background in ocean science and policy. After graduating from Dartmouth College and Duke University Law School, she worked with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and ...
Local Cities Face Expensive New Stormwater Rules
Rain just got a lot more expensive for Peninsula cities. On Feb. 5, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted a new statewide permit with extensive new requirements for addressing stormwater pollution. That means California cities of less than 150,000 people are now on the hook for the expensive and ...
Body Found in Flaming Car in Salinas
Police found a body inside a flaming vehicle in Salinas Tuesday evening. Officers were dispatched to a vehicle fire on Parkside Street, near the Sherwood Gardens Shopping Center, at around 5:50 p.m., according to a statement from the Salinas Police Department. Police had been told there was a body in ...
Woman Accused of Battery, Biting Cop At Cage Fight
The fights are supposed to stay in the cage. Police say 22-year-old Tina Perez assaulted a stranger and later bit a police officer at an amateur mixed martial arts event in Salinas Saturday night. Perez, for reasons unknown, allegedly caused injury to a man's face, then acted belligerent and uncooperative ...
Police Discover Body of Missing Infant; Suspect in Custody
(Picture: Jesus Espinoza Jr. mugshot provided by Monterey County Sheriff's Office) Police have discovered the body of a baby who was reported missing from Castroville this weekend. The body of 10-month-old Angelle Negron was found under some brush near Market Street and the Davis Road overcrossing outside of Salinas, according ...
Q&A: Foreign Correspondent Talks Impact of War on Environment
Edward Girardet is a journalist and author who has observed war in Afghanistan up close for more than thirty years. He began his work in the country just before the Soviet invasion in 1979, and chronicles his travels in the book Killing the Cranes: A Reporter's Journey Through Three Decades ...
XL Grindhouse Co-Owner Sentenced to Jail Time and Probation in Homeless Beating Case
A Salinas restaurant owner who lied to police to protect his brother in an attempted murder case was sentenced to jail and probation today. James DeLeon, 32, was sentenced to 180 days in the Monterey County Jail, but will serve 60, due to jail credits. He was also sentenced to ...
Teamwork and BBQ for Homeless in Chinatown
Soledad Street in Salinas’ Chinatown is typically noisy, bustling with the conversations and occasional outbursts of the homeless who live or seek services there. But the sound that dominated the street this morning was different: It was Tin Man, a band fronted by a formerly homeless man, blasting a Jimi ...
Supes Approve Traffic Settlement with Carmel Valley Association
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the county's settlement with Carmel Valley Association, which had sued over the county's method of traffic-counting on Carmel Valley Road. The county's general plan, GPU10, had replaced a historic traffic-counting method looking at average daily traffic with one that focused on ...
Water Management District Backs Cal Am Desal—With Conditions
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board last night weighed in on the Peninsula's search for desalinated water supply. The board affirmed by a 6-0 vote its preference for publicly owned desal plant. But, on the strong likelihood the Public Utilities Commission approves California American Water's privately owned Water Supply ...
Acting Director To Lead Marina Coast for Three Months
Brian Lee's first day on the job as Deputy General Manager of Marina Coast Water District, he also stepped up to become acting general manager for three months while GM Jim Heitzman is on paid leave. The 12-week absence, which began Monday, is unrelated to Board Member Peter Le's accusations ...
Negotiations Fail, Alvarado Street Market Hall Plan Ditched
The cartoonish paintings of fruit and vegetables on panels surrounding a burned-out lot on Monterey's Alvarado Street are as close as that property is going to come to the promised marketplace. Jerry Anderson, property manager for landlord Saucito Land Company, told Monterey City Council Tuesday afternoon that negotiations with developer ...
Assemblyman Alejo Introduces Bills to Combat Obesity and Gang Violence
Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) has introduced two bills that aim to combat serious problems in Monterey County: gang violence and childhood obesity. One bill would require incoming child care providers to to take an hour of early childhood nutrition as part of their licensing process. The bill was introduced to ...
Salinas Valley Memorial Replaces Sam Downing
After a months-long search, Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System has hired a new president and CEO. Matt Gerlach will take the post in late March. He's currently vice president and chief operating officer of Glendale Memorial Hospital near Los Angeles, and has held executive positions at USC University Hospital and ...
District Attorney Warns FORA Committee About Open-Meeting Violations
Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo (pictured above) is flashing a red light over the Brown Act. Members of a Fort Ord Reuse Authority committee blatantly violated California's open-meetings law throughout November and December, according to a press release issued today from Flippo's office. FORA's Administrative Committee convened unannounced Nov. ...
Assemblyman Alejo Takes Aim at Superintendent Benefits
With the education budget in mind, Assemblyman Luis Alejo has taken aim at school superintendent benefits. Alejo (D-Salinas) has introduced a bill to put a three month cap on the severance pay of a school district superintendent, according to a statement from his office. The cap is necessary because superintendents ...
In With the New: Board Member Wants Marina Coast GM Placed on Leave
So much for Marina Coast Water District board president Tom Moore's hopes that the embattled district would be smoother sailing after he and another new board member, Peter Le, unseated two members last November. Le is requesting that Marina Coast General Manager Jim Heitzman be placed on administrative leave, alleging ...
Steve Collins Ordered to Pay County's Attorney Fees
Since resigning his embattled post on the Monterey County Water Resources Agency board of directors, Steve Collins has been waging an uphill battle to clear his name. That battle absorbed yet another blow Feb. 1 when retired Monterey County Superior Court Judge Robert O'Farrell slapped Collins with the county's bill ...
County Supes Agree to Battle State to Keep Salinas River Water Rights
They're not sure where the money will come from, but the County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to deliver up to $1 million a year for three years to the county Water Resources Agency to make use of Salinas River water. In approving the resolution, the supervisors agreed to ...
Carjacking, Kidnapping and Robbery in Salinas
A man says he was forced into the trunk of his car and left at a grocery store parking lot following a Salinas robbery yesterday morning, according to a Salinas Police Department statement. The 19-year-old victim told Salinas police he was confronted by two armed men in the parking lot ...
Monterey-Salinas Transit Looks to Expand in Smaller Bites
After losing time and money on the Whispering Oaks proposal, MST pursues expansion options on smaller, blighted lots in Salinas and Monterey.
Zit-Zapping Start-Up Prepares to Launch, With Help from Business Plan Competition Winnings
About 1,000 unfortunate oily-faced teenagers might be in luck: Monterey-based start-up YoDerm will begin pairing acne patients with dermatologists—online—Wednesday. "We really do believe an online consultation for acne is actually better than an in-person consultation for the vast majority of people," co-founder Ben Holber says. Studies show people are terrible ...
Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect in Carmel-by-the-Sea
As of yesterday, Carmel-by-the-Sea now joins Monterey as a city where plastic shopping bags are not welcome. Carmel's ban went into effect Feb. 3, six months after the City Council approved the ordinance. Unlike Monterey's ban, which imposes a $0.25 fee on paper bags (a fee now under re-examination by ...
Salinas Mayor and Homeless Reach Agreement, Ending Four Night Demonstration
Salinas officials and homeless protesters came to an amicable agreement this morning, following a four night demonstration in front of City Hall. Mayor Joe Gunter and City Manager Ray Corpuz met with a group of about 10 homeless people and advocates to discuss concerns like health, safety, and living space. ...
Drunk Man With Axe Breaks Pacific Grove Welcome Sign
Early Sunday morning, Pacific Grove police officers arrested a drunk 26-year-old Monterey man who damaged a "Welcome to Pacific Grove" sign. Just after 5:30am, Andrew Enriquez was seen running with an axe. He was asked to stop, but tried to hide under a parked car on Central Avenue. "He admitted ...
Navy Chief Lays Out Vision of Future at Naval Postgraduate School
Before strategically dotting the globe's waterways with ships, before figuring out how to conduct cyber-warfare at sea, before managing a major defense pillar in a time of budget stress, the Navy's number one leader in the Pentagon sees ending sexual assault and suicide as the key priorities to focus on. ...
Displaced Homeless Head to City Hall
About twelve homeless people staked out overnight in front of Salinas City Hall yesterday to demonstrate after the Public Works Department cleared out their encampments in Chinatown, according to a homeless advocate. Some of them plan on staying again tonight, and holding a candlelight vigil, says Bill Black, a Catholic ...
19-Year-Old Shot by Beach in Monterey
A 19-year-old man was shot multiple times in Monterey late last night, according to police. The Monterey Police Department believes the shooting happened near Beach Way and Tide Avenue at around 11:30pm. The spot is close to the beach and the Naval Postgraduate School. The man was brought to Community ...
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