Your Chamber Takes a Stand for More Affordable and Accessible Child Care in Monterey County
For the past year, your Chamber of Commerce leadership has discussed what can be done at a regional and community level to ease the difficulties of our membership in finding employees. One issue that comes up frequently: child care is inaccessible and unaffordable. We believe Monterey County employers and potential employees would benefit from a modest amount of supplemental public funding strategically injected into the county’s child care system by the county’s independent First 5 Commission, and guided with proper public direction, oversight, and transparency.
If you doubt public funding could make a difference, investigate the liability insurance costs and permit requirements for someone who aspires to start a small home-based child care business. And providing child care to working parents is not the kind of business that can ever expect significant returns on investment.
Your Chamber is also responding to reports of developmentally-delayed young children now arriving in Monterey County schools after COVID-19 public health restrictions limited their activities and social interaction for two years. Today’s business leaders need to think about the challenges that will be faced by the next generation of business leaders if young children continue to learn about their world in front of an electronic screen.
Will there be business owners and residents with religious, political, or philosophical objections to a $49 per year parcel tax to help support a better child care system in Monterey County? Of course. However, based on our own organizational principles, your Chamber of Commerce has chosen to endorse it. Signatures are being collected on petitions to put the initiative on the November 2022 ballot. You can look at the campaign web site at www.yes4montereycountykids.org, add your name or organization or business to the list of endorsements, donate to the signature gathering effort, or get family and friends to sign petitions (available at the Chamber office).
City of Monterey Must Retreat on Pursuing Development of Affordable Housing
On Tuesday, May 17, the Monterey City Council will discuss a staff recommendation to end negotiations with affordable housing developers for three of four proposed city-owned sites. The lack of water available for these sites and the unlikelihood of water becoming available for these sites anytime soon essentially makes the effort futile. Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has supported this city initiative for affordable housing since it was first proposed in 2019.
There Goes Another Water Supply Source...
Your Chamber of Commerce is monitoring consequences of the perpetuation of a 2021 decision by the State Water Resources Control Board to prohibit the local water supplier Cal Am from extracting groundwater from its Seaside Groundwater Basin Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Well 1 for drinking water. The decision is related to state health regulations concerning underground movement of Pure Water Monterey (PWM) recycled water now being injected into the aquifer near the ASR well location. For businesses and residents, it means another supply source for drinking water is no longer available.
Hotels Create Jobs and Generate Tax Revenue for Public Needs and Demands
A staff report for the Monterey City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 17 reports that a proposed new 42-room hotel on North Fremont Street (at the location of the vacant Caruso’s Corner pizza restaurant and an adjacent motel) would create 45 jobs and generate more than $18 million in tax revenue for the city over 40 years.
City of Marina Property Owners May Soon Pay a Tax to Pay For New City Facilities
The Marina City Council will vote on Tuesday, May 17 on a $29,750 contract for public opinion research services about resident interest in supporting a November 2022 ballot measure to allow the city to borrow money through bond sales. This money would pay for construction of new city facilities, possibly including a new fire station, police station, senior center, and city hall.
Parking in Seaside: Barely Enough, Study Concludes
On Thursday, May 19, the Seaside City Council will receive a final report on a parking study for the Downtown West Broadway Urban Village. The study found that “in general, the parking supply is just adequate for current use, although pockets of high demand occur around specific businesses. Any intensification of land use or special events will require additional parking supply. Additional opportunities may exist for expanding the public parking supply, which include replacing the maintenance yard with a public parking garage and converting Hillsdale from Palm to Olympia with angled parking.”
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Tuesday, May 17 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
2 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite 130, Monterey
Please join us for CrossCountry Mortgage and Edward Jones Co-Operative Ribbon Cutting celebration! Grand Opening / Introduction to the general public and business community. There will be giveaways, refreshments, and more!
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Thursday, May 19 | 5:00 PM - 7:000 PM
700 Jewell Avenue, Pacific Grove
Meals on Wheels will continue to celebrate our 50th Anniversary all year and would like to invite the public back into the newly named Meals on Wheels Community Center (formally the Sally Griffith Active Senior Center). Appetizers, wine, live music and raffles provided.
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Honor Our Veterans This Memorial Day at the Following Local Events:
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Girls' Health in Girls' Hands Inaugural Luncheon to be Held Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at The Club at Pasadera
The Girls’ Health in Girls’ Hands program provides girls, ages 11-18, with leadership opportunities to refine their skills rooted in resilience, compassion, and the ability to live as their authentic selves.
Sponsorship & Single Ticket Options Available!
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Please forward this e-blast to your colleagues, customers, clients, friends, family and fellow community members!
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