6/2/2026 - 10:00 AM

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

Recap:

UTILITIES

• Representatives of your Chamber will be at the ribbon cutting on Thursday, June 4, 2026 for the upgraded Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Monterey Substation at the southwest corner of Del Monte Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Downtown Monterey.
• As reported in past issues of Chamber Connection, in the past few years PG&E has focused on a major capital improvement program to increase the capacity of its substations, most of which were built more than 50 years ago. Some Monterey Peninsula power outages in the last few years resulted from failures at outdated and aging substations, so PG&E is solving this problem.
• The June 17, 2025 Chamber Connection reported on PG&E's ribbon cutting for its upgraded Del Monte substation, located on Casanova Street, southwest of the intersection of Canyon Del Rey Boulevard and North Fremont Street.
• The regional community choice aggregation public power agency Central Coast Community Energy (3CE), formerly known as Monterey Bay Community Power, reports that two bills it supports for better power affordability and reliability are still moving through the legislative process. Assembly Bill 1761 has moved to the Senate and Senate Bill 1138 has moved to the Assembly. 

NON-PROFITS

• Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is building a new facility in the City of Seaside, as reported by the Monterey Herald on May 29, 2026. (See Meals on Wheels Monterey Peninsula Plans Second Kitchen in Seaside Amid Growing Demand.) The site is 1020 Auto Center Parkway, the former location of Motor Power Sports. It will include a production kitchen and a meal delivery hub and also offices and meeting rooms. On-site eating facilities will not be included.
• In 2025, Meals on Wheels obtained a 1.292 acre-foot per year water allocation that the City of Seaside had originally issued in 2019 for a 80-seat restaurant that wasn't built in the end. The city also allocated another 0.725 AFY of water from its Unallocated Reserve to the Meals on Wheels project.
• Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula is holding a fundraiser on Friday, June 19, 2026 at its Community Center in Pacific Grove. Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is a partner for the event. Register at Get Hooked!
• MY Museum (Monterey County Youth Museum) in Downtown Monterey is holding fundraising events and raising money through corporate partnerships. This includes the annual City of Monterey Firefighters Independence Day Charity Breakfast (which also benefits the Monterey Firefighters Community Foundation). Go to MY Museum Special Events and Fundraisers for more information.

ARTS

• On May 30, 2026, Brant Wilkinson, Treasurer & Co-Founder of the Osio Arts Foundation, announced that the organization has finalized a lease with Green Valley Corporation, the owner of the Osio Theater in Downtown Monterey. This theater closed in 2015, then reopened in 2016, but shut down again in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 public health orders. It has been closed since then.
• According to Mr. Wilkinson's post on the Osio Arts Foundation GoFundMe site, "Once the lease is signed, the Osio Arts Foundation must be approved as the theater's tenant by the Monterey City Council, since the City of Monterey owns the land on which the Osio sits. We will also need to obtain a Use Permit from the City. The City has been supportive of our efforts to bring the Osio back to life, and we do not anticipate any issues with either of these approvals. After the lease and Use Permit are in place, the Osio Arts Foundation will have six months to renovate the interior and exterior of the theater, secure a café operator for the café space, and install new projection equipment.  If all goes according to plan, we are targeting a late-2026 reopening." For more information, go to The Osio Arts Foundation: Reviving Monterey’s Osio Theatre.

EDUCATION

• Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) is holding graduation ceremonies for its four high schools (Seaside High School, Central Coast High School, Monterey High School, and Marina High School) on Friday, June 5, 2026 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center. Tickets are required.
• Families and community members can also watch the ceremonies live via MPUSDTV livestream. For more information, go to MPUSD Announces Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremonies.

CHAMBER BUSINESS

• Attend the Quarterly Business Insights Breakfast: "Special Districts, Big Impact" on Thursday June 11, 2026 at Ferrante's Monterey Marriott. Enjoy a panel discussion moderated by Richelle Noroyan of the California Special Districts Association with representatives from Castroville Community Services District, ReGen Monterey, Monterey Peninsula Airport District, and Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District. Special Districts are local and regional governments that aren't cities, counties, or K-12 school and community college districts. Your Chamber's Government Affairs Liaison points out that "special districts are important and influential in our community, but they often don't get the attention they deserve."
• Register at Quarterly Business Insights Breakfast: Special Districts, Big Impact.

Next teleconference will be held Tuesday, 6/16/2026 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.

The polls are now open for voting! Vote in person or return your mail ballot until 8:00 PM today.

Thank You to our MPCC Leadership Circle!

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