Gated Ideology

If the Military Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and Hilby Avenue gates between Seaside and General Jim Moore Boulevard are opened, it is true that traffic on those streets will increase. (“Seaside considers opening neighborhood access from General Jim Moore,” Dec. 9-15). What is even worse is that side streets near those gates will also be inundated. For example, many cars going to the Military gate won’t just drive up Military Avenue, they’ll be cutting through the neighborhood from Ord Grove Avenue and beyond via small side streets like Hacienda, Lassen and Buchanan. The San Pablo gate will be even worse. Lots of traffic exiting Seaside will use La Salle Avenue, then attempt to reach the San Pablo gate through Nadina Street. That street currently only gets residential traffic, and is so narrow it’s one-way. Drivers coming back will attempt to use Juarez Street (also narrow and one-way) between San Pablo Avenue and La Salle Avenue. If the San Pablo gate opens, I predict Nadina and Juarez streets will see quite an increase in accidents and injuries. Joe Snyder | Monterey

Bag the Plastic

Save Our Shores recently announced a new alliance of 24 environmental organizations around the Monterey Bay called the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance. The goal of the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance is to combat plastic pollution’s poster child, the single-use plastic bag. This will protect the hundreds of species of marine animals that call the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary home from suffocation or strangulation caused by plastic bag litter. Through passage of local bans on single-use plastic bags, the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance aims to provide a cleaner coastal environment for residents and visitors to enjoy, helping local businesses save money while saving the environment by discontinuing their use of single-use plastic bags, and lowering the cleanup costs incurred by local governments.

Representatives from the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance will be meeting with city and county officials in all local jurisdictions surrounding the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to present data on plastic pollution and encourage them to put forth a single-use bag ban modeled after the ban adopted by the County of Santa Cruz.

Day Without a Bag takes place this Thursday, Dec. 16, and Save Our Shores and the Central Coast Sanctuary Alliance are urging residents, businesses, and local leaders to take a stand against single-use plastic bags by going plastic bag-free on Dec. 16. Colleen Bednarz | Santa Cruz

(Note: Colleen Bednarz is communications and outreach coordinator at Save Our Shores.)

Column Commentary

I am an avid reader, although I do want to express how I feel about your “Ask a Mexican” column. I not only think it’s offensive and stereotypical, but totally un-PC. I thought the Weekly would have more class and a little more open-mindedness instead of publishing garbage. I love the rest of your newspaper, but the Mexican column must go! Santiago Lopez | Salinas