PG&E Offers Compensation to Customers Who Lost Power

PG&E customers affected by the outages may qualify for the company's Safety Net Program. The program offers monetary compensation to residential customers who lost power for more than 48 hours. The Safety Net Program pays $25 to $100 automatically 60 to 120 days after the power outage. The amount paid depends on the length of the outage.

Regional Bus Transportation Project Gets Relief from Environmental Lawsuits

The Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) board of directors voted unanimously on March 13 to exercise its right under a new state law to exempt the proposed SURF! Busway and BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) project from certain aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under certain conditions. Approved by the MST board in 2021, this project would create a dedicated bus lane adjacent to Highway 1 between Marina and Seaside. Opponents of this project have sued MST claiming that environmental review of the project was inadequate. MST held three public community planning meetings to hear and respond to public comments solely related to the proposed exemptions for the project. The Government Affairs Liaison for the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce spoke in support of the exemption at the March 13 board meeting. 

Chamber Urges State to Expedite Resolution of Water Purchase Agreement for Regional Water Supply

On March 16, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held a closed session meeting to discuss the status of a request from California-American Water (Cal-Am) for a hearing to reconsider a decision on what construction costs Cal-Am can recover from ratepayers related to three water distribution projects: the Parallel Pipeline, Extraction Wells 1 and 2, and Extraction Wells 3 and 4 (also known as Aquifer Storage and Recovery ASR Wells 5 and 6). California American Water Co. has agreed in principle to sign an agreement to purchase water from a major expansion of a Monterey Peninsula water recycling project that when completed will provide for thousands of acre-feet of additional water. Evan Jacobs, external affairs manager for Cal Am, confirmed Thursday that what was agreed upon was a filing made by the state Public Advocates Office that gave Cal Am a portion of what it wanted. The filing still must be approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, but it’s the first time all sides have agreed in principle since September of 2021.

Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce submitted comments to the Public Utilities Commission urging them to expedite a resolution to this dispute as soon as possible. The Chamber did not take a position on the dispute itself, which involves numerous technical issues argued in legal documents. Overhanging all of this is the assertion by various elected officials, agency representatives, and interest groups that the Monterey Peninsula doesn’t need water from a desalination plant and that the Pure Water Monterey recycled wastewater expansion will be enough for their conception of appropriate economic development and population growth.

City of Monterey’s Sole Surviving Proposed Affordable Housing Project Moves Into Community Outreach Phase

As we know from the February 21 Monterey City Council meeting and other recent community outreach events, some Monterey residents are already activated to fight proposed new housing for people of all income levels that’s now mandated under state law. We expect neighborhood-based momentum against construction of new housing to grow as residents realize that long-vacant lots and unused buildings in their neighborhoods may eventually be replaced by multi-level density housing occupied by families supported by wage-level jobs. One likely site of contention will be the decaying buildings adjacent to City Hall, on the corner of Van Buren Street and Madison Street which will be demolished and replaced with density housing - that is, if the plan isn’t stopped by community opposition and possible subsequent environmental lawsuits. There will be a community meeting on Wednesday, April 12 hosted by the city-selected non-profit developer Mid-Pen Housing to explain the project and address neighborhood concerns. The meeting will be at the nearby Van Buren Senior Housing complex (built by Mid-Pen) at 669 Van Buren Street from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce supports this project.

School District Will Survey Residents About Property Tax to Fund Workforce Housing

The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) has to spend significant time and money recruiting and training new and inexperienced teachers to replace the teachers who leave at the end of each school year. Surveys taken by the district in 2019 and 2023 revealed - no surprise - that the main obstacle for keeping excellent, qualified teachers is regional housing costs. In response, the school board has been talking since 2017 about improving teacher recruitment and retention by providing some district-owned employee housing. On March 14, the school board voted unanimously to conduct a statistically-valid survey of district voters to determine if there is sufficient community interest in this idea. Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce leadership has discussed but not taken a position on this latest school district housing proposal; however, we are aware that California voters are increasingly resistant to new taxes, and there has been high-profile criticism of public education in California in the three years since the COVID public health orders were implemented. We’ll let you know when the survey results are released to the public.

montereychamber.com

Ribbon Cutting: Skincare by Loty

Thursday, March 23 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

81 Soledad Drive | Monterey

Please join the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce in celebrating Skincare by Loty, introducing her new location in Monterey with a grand opening ribbon cutting! Enjoy refreshments. 

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MIXER: Fairview Laguna Seca

Tuesday, March 28 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

10520 York Road| Monterey

$10 Members | $20 Non-Members

Join us for the Fairview Laguna Seca mixer! Enjoy refreshments and giveaways in this new event space with beautiful views! There will be a business card drawing for comp foursome golf & $500 party.

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Grand Opening: McCune Audio•Video•Lighting

Thursday, March 30 | 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

21 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Suite D| Monterey

You are invited to celebrate the grand opening of our newest McCune facility! Monterey has been one of our flagship locations for over 30 years. From the Beatles last concert at Candlestick to the first TED Talks, we’ve been behind the scenes of some of the most memorable chapters in California’s history, and we're excited to start a new chapter in a new space.

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Quarterly Business Insights Breakfast Sponsored by Pinnacle Bank: "Local Law Enforcement, Leadership and Business Concerns"

Tuesday April 11 | 7:30 PM - 9:00 AM

Ferrante's at Monterey Marriott | Monterey

Join us for an informative presentation on "Local Law Enforcement, Leadership and Business Concerns" presented by Pinnacle Bank.

Enjoy breakfast with local leadership, including District 5 Supervisor Mary Adams, Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto, City of Monterey Police Chief Dave Hober, City of Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panzholer and District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.

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