6/3/2025 - 10:00 AM

MISSION: We seek to provide timely, informative updates on regional topics relevant to our members.

Recap:

COUNTY OF MONTEREY

• The Monterey County Board of Supervisors held budget hearings on Tuesday, May 28 and received presentations from various county departments and programs. The Chamber supported continued funding for the county's "set-aside" organizations such as See Monterey (formerly known as the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau)
• The county's proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget is balanced, but the outlook for future years anticipates significant budget deficits
• Basically, general fund discretionary revenue growth is not sufficient to keep up with rising costs, even after voters in the November 2024 election approved Measure AA, a new 1% transaction and use tax (sales tax) in the unincorporated county areas

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

• See Monterey reports that hotel occupancy remains ahead of equivalent tourism market areas, and average daily revenue for Monterey County remains ahead of equivalent tourism market areas, except for Napa County
• The "Another Day in Monterey: Hotel Promotion Pilot Program" has been deemed a success, with an estimated 250 additional room nights booked as a result of the program
•  See Monterey continues its promotion of responsible tourism with billboard and bus advertising and involvement in the "How to Highway 1" campaign beginning next week
• Your Chamber notes that rude and inappropriate tourist behavior provokes residents to criticize and oppose economic development on the Monterey Peninsula

CITY OF MONTEREY

• Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) is again operating the summer trolley between Downtown and Cannery Row
• There are four trolleys that run on 10-minute cycles. It is free for riders. The trolley costs $516,000 to operate: the Monterey Bay Aquarium provides $150,000 in funding and the City of Monterey pays for the remaining $366,000, while MST recruits drivers and trains them
• There have been requests to expand trolley service to Pacific Grove and Del Monte Shopping Center, but there would be logistic and funding challenges to doing so
• Today (Tuesday. June 3, 2025) the Monterey City Council will consider approving a budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. However, public and news media attention is on other high-profile items on the meeting agenda
• There will be a vote to paint "Rainbow Crosswalks" in the streets to "express the City's support of the LGBTQ+ Community"
• Proposed intersections for these crosswalks are Lighthouse and Reeside Avenues (Lighthouse District), Alvarado and Pearl Streets (Downtown District), and Pacific and Madison Streets (the intersection where city hall, the police station, and the library are located)
• The vote for Rainbow Crosswalks was scheduled for a special Friday afternoon meeting on May 23, but the city council took comments and waited for a final vote at today's June 3 meeting
• Your Chamber has not taken a position on this proposal. We look forward to future meetings at which the Monterey City Council focuses on the Chamber's identified priorities: housing supply, water supply, strengthening the capabilities of our military bases, and other issues that affect businesses and their ability to prosper in this expensive region
• After two months of renovation, the Monterey Sports Center re-opened their. pools during their 33rd Anniversary Celebration this past Saturday
• Over 200 people attended the celebration which included free admission, the pool reopening, a barbecue, free music on the sun deck, and a Hawaiian-themed Zumba party

MONTEREY REGIONAL AIRPORT

• On Friday, June 6, Monterey Regional Airport will hold a groundbreaking for its replacement terminal. Chamber representatives will be present
• Also on June 6, Executive Director Mike LaPier is retiring. Deputy Executive Director Christine (Chris) Morello will assume duties on an interim basis starting June 6 and concluding on December 31, 2025 while recruitment efforts continue for a new Executive Director

FEDERAL GRANTS AVAILABLE TO CIVILIAN GOVERNMENTS TO INCREASE CAPABILITIES OF LOCAL MILITARY BASES - DEADLINE IS JULY 3

• Today (Tuesday, June 3, 2025) the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation held a webinar on how local governments can apply for grants for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP)
• Funded at $90 million for this fiscal year, this federal program funds civilian construction and renovation projects that enhance military value, improve quality of family life, or provide resiliency to bases in the event of emergencies, disasters, or other incidents that threaten base operations
• Local governments with a population under 100,000 do not need to provide matching funding. Grants range from a minimum of $250,000 to a maximum of $20 million
• The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, July 3 at 5:00 pm PST
• Your Chamber staff brainstormed on what visionary or planned Monterey Peninsula projects would be eligible for funding and could be constructed within five years of receiving funding. Some ideas that would allow water supply allocations: Stormwater Capture and Recycling Project at Lake El Estero (City of Monterey), Supplemental Well or Wells for Sand City Desalination Plant (Sand City), and expansion of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system (Monterey Peninsula Water Management District). Local governments could also build microgrid solar systems
• Contact Monica Lal at 831 277-2279 or at monica@montereychamber.com if you have ideas or want the Chamber's help or support for grant applications.

Next teleconference will be held Tuesday, 6/17/2025 at 10:00 AM.

If you are interested in participating on the teleconference or being added to the list, please contact monica@montereychamber.com. Your feedback is welcome.

montereychamber.com

Quarterly Business Insights Breakfast: AgTech: What Do Opportunities Look Like and Can Monterey County Be A Leader?

Friday, June 6 | 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Ferrante's at the Monterey Marriott, Monterey

With agriculture at the heart of our local economy, technological innovation presents an exciting opportunity to not only improve efficiency and sustainability, but also to serve as a catalyst for new economic growth. This panel will explore the opportunities and challenges facing the industry, as well as what it would take for Monterey County to emerge as a national leader in agricultural innovation.

Panelists include:

Monterey County Farm Bureau : Norm Groot

Monterey County Supervisor: Chris Lopez

Stout Technology: Ryan Mazzuca

Gabe Yountsey:The VINE at UCANR

Walt Duflock : Western Growers Association

Get Tickets >>

Registration Closes Tomorrow!

Food For Thought: "Principles of Small Business Retirement Planning" with Hilltop Securities

Wednesday, June 11 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

MPCC Offices or Zoom

FREE

Register Now >>

MIXER: California Rodeo Salinas & Monterey Airport

Wednesday, June 18 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Observation Deck, Monterey Regional Airport

Please join the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley Chambers for the Annual California Rodeo Salinas & Monterey Regional Airport Chamber Mixer! Enjoy food, wine and prizes as we get ready for the California Rodeo Salinas in July.

Register Now >>

RIBBON CUTTING: BID Distributors

Tuesday, June 24 | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM

2024 Fremont Boulevard, Seaside

Register Now >>

The 38th Annual Business Excellence Awards are just around the corner, and your voice matters! Help recognize the outstanding businesses that make Monterey County thrive.

Round 1 is Open to the Public! Please share with your colleagues, customers, clients, friends, family and fellow community members. Voting is easy! Simply visit bea.montereychamber.com. 

Monterey Motorsports Festival Announces 2025 Nonprofit Partners

The Monterey Motorsports Festival (MMF) isn’t just the last major event of Car Week—it’s a celebration with purpose. Returning on Saturday, August 16, 2025, MMF offers an electrifying evening that merges the best in car culture with heartfelt community engagement.

MMF is proud to announce its full roster of 2025 nonprofit partners: Alliance on Aging, BirchBark Foundation, Central Coast VNA & Hospice, Door to Hope, Holding on to Hope Family Justice Center, I Cantori di Carmel, Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Northern California Special Olympics (Anchor Partner), Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey County Fair Heritage Foundation (Anchor Partner), Monterey County Family Justice Center, Monterey County Film Commission and Seneca Family of Agencies.

Throughout the event, guests will have the opportunity to connect with these organizations at onsite booths and activations, learning how each nonprofit is driving change throughout Monterey County.

“MMF is a celebration with heart,” said Paolo Manca, founder of the Monterey Motorsports Festival. “Our nonprofit partners are the soul of this event. They’re the reason we come together—not just to admire cars, but to support the greater good in our community.”

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