Charged Up
We’ve been begging PG&E to put their lines underground for more than 30 years (“A new storm means deja vu for Monterey area communities that just came out of an extended power outage,” posted March 14). We’ve known about climate change for equally long.
This is on PG&E – they cost our community here in Monterey County tens of millions with every storm. All commerce stops, and every household is throwing away hundreds in spoiled goods. The stress of it is causing added health issues for residents already ill or infirm. Why are we normalizing this failure to perform? Trish Sohlé | via social media
Breach of Trust
As of March 20, President Joe Biden has not approved federal disaster assistance for the residents of the devastated town of Pajaro (“Pajaro residents call on county officials to lift evacuation orders, but timeline to return remains uncertain,” posted March 17). Unlike the last storm, where federal disaster assistance was approved, only an “emergency declaration” has been approved. This means Pajaro residents can’t get individual assistance grants, and all local relief efforts and shelter beds are greatly limited, done by charities like the Red Cross rather than FEMA.
It’s worth pointing out the Pajaro flood happened the same week as the Silicon Valley Bank bankruptcy. What else do they have in common? Both are in U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s congressional district. Silicon Valley Bank received swift, massive federal aid. Pajaro is still waiting. Jason Johnston | Prunedale
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All the leftist politicians that have controlled Pajaro and this part of California for decades must really be enjoying looking like heroes right now, coming to rescue Pajaro residents from the trouble that those same politicians once again created; this time ignoring the Pajaro levee and the entire Pajaro community for almost 30 years now since the last flood!
They had almost 30 years to get off their socialist tax-and-spend butts and build up a strong and secure levee, and instead chose to ignore it and the community to pursue bigger, more woke ambitions. Gavin Serrano | Prunedale
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This is a good way to build a bridge over flooded areas, but it will not stop water from passing from one side to the other (“First phase of Pajaro River levee repair is complete, closing the 400-foot breach,” posted March 15).
The material they are using is still porous; granitic material is strong and heavy, but not so great at stopping water. I get it that it is temporary, but not really sure how beneficial it will be in the long run. I guess the next storm will tell us. Jeffery Olms | via social media
High End
That’s good, because $60 for chicken is crazy (“Seaside’s Maligne restaurant to be scaled down, with plans to reopen in two weeks,” posted March 15). Crystal Gonzales | via social media
I’m sorry to hear this. It was refreshing to have an original, fine-dining restaurant that was not in Carmel. The food was exceptional, as was the service.
I’m sure his new endeavor will provide the same high quality and attention to detail. A pivot to appeal to more of a locals’ place will surely pay the bills. It’s a shame to see it go. Margie Fithian | via social media
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One of the best restaurants I’ve been to. Food was excellent. Alexander Miller | Seaside
Too pricey for me. Maybe the new menu will be more budget-friendly. John Crisan | via social media
It’s Seaside. I’m sure the property was more affordable than opening in Carmel. First, the building was completely rebuilt save for the front facade, it sat empty for two-plus years, there’s no signage, it doesn’t look very appealing from the street. It’s a bit out of place, sadly. The city of Seaside needs to compel property owners to put up or shut up to bring their vision of what “downtown” could be to fruition, so that this business would not be such an anomaly across from a car wash and a thrift store.
They put all this effort into beautifying Broadway, but we still have derelict and vacant properties. Trying to attract a certain clientele and operate a high-end restaurant amidst all of that does seem futile. Arno Featherstone | Seaside
Just the Messenger
I want to thank you for your editorial (“As the storm impacts persist, Monterey County’s messaging is surprisingly lacking in urgency,” posted March 14).
I also noticed the change here in March from January; I think they did better in January for the most part. I do think the sheriff made some mistakes and she needs some more experience with dealing with the media and messaging in general.
The county could do more to keep us informed about the reality of the danger. We have just seen a record-setting flood event. Andrea Mackenzie | Salinas
Follow the Flow
Since January, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency has been required to release more than 204,500 acre-feet of water from the Lake Nacimiento reservoir to prevent overfilling and possible dam failure (“As the proposed Interlake Tunnel project advances, the question is: Is it worth it?,” March 2-8). That’s at least four times the amount of water needed to balance the Salinas Valley groundwater basin, sent directly to the ocean because we didn’t have the infrastructure in place to store it.
It’s time to get serious about paying for repairs at our reservoirs and funding the interlake tunnel so we can bring much-needed resilience to our water-weary region. George Fontes | Salinas
Correction
A listing about a new tasting menu at The Sardine Factory (“Morsels,” March 16-22) transposed the dates the special menu is offered. It is available Sunday through Thursday, not Thursday through Sunday.
