CAR WEEK

• It's Car Week! Your Chamber of Commerce can confirm reports that county and city governments are doing their best to coordinate efforts to minimize traffic disruption.
• Go to the Monterey County Car Week website to access real-time traffic updates, interactive maps, and road closures.
• Go to the See Monterey Car Week 2026 website to learn about event schedules.

WILDFIRE IN BIG SUR

• A complication for traffic and tourism during Car Week is the Timber Fire, which started on August 9 and now covers 2000 acres with 5 percent containment. A temporary evacuation point and evacuation shelter is located at Carmel Middle School. 
• All California State Parks in the Big Sur area are closed because of this fire. Regrettably for Big Sur businesses, the fire and response to it has compelled the Monterey County Sheriff's Office to ask the public to stay away from Big Sur: "Roadways must remain clear so first responders can work safely and effectively" and "Unnecessary traffic and sightseeing in the fire zone create hazards for emergency crews and slow down critical operations."
• Montage Health is assisting the Big Sur Health Center with staff, equipment, and supplies to be used primarily by firefighters at the Timber Fire incident command center.

AGRICULTURE

• On Thursday, August 13, the board of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) will vote on a preferred "Integrated Implementation Strategy" portfolio of "Projects and Management Actions" for a long-term plan to address seawater intrusion in the Salinas Valley underground aquifers and comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014.
• The board will likely choose a strategy that includes a Brackish Groundwater Recharge Project that desalinates water spoiled by sodium chloride (salt) and injects the desalinated water back into the groundwater aquifers to reverse seawater intrusion.
• The estimated cost of this strategy is $1.07 billion and there are no commitments for anyone to pay for it.
• For more information, see agenda item #6.3 at SVBGSA Board of Directors Regular Meeting - August 13, 2026.

AIRPORT

• Today (August 11, 2026), the City of Monterey Planning Commission will vote on "vacating" a small piece of Olmsted Road adjacent to the Monterey Regional Airport. This action will transfer authority (such as road maintenance) to the Airport District.
• It's a short section of Olmsted Road between the airport property and the roundabout that's now under construction at the intersection of Olmsted Road and Garden Road.
• For more information, see agenda item #7 at Approve the Vacation of a Portion of Olmsted Road.

QUALITY OF LIFE

• Your Chamber had a representative at a press conference held on Monday, August 10 that was organized by Congressman Jimmy Panetta and hosted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium CEO to reiterate opposition to allowing offshore oil and gas drilling and deep-sea mining in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The ocean is an essential part of our local economy (tourism, fishing, marine research, etc.) and opposition to oil drilling aligns with the Chamber's Government Affairs goals for Quality of Life issues.
• Your Chamber's CEO Monica Lal continues to serve as the Business Representative on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

CHAMBER BUSINESS 

• Your Chamber of Commerce has sent invitations to candidates for certain competitive local offices on the Monterey Peninsula to participate in our Candidate Review Committee interviews on Friday, September 4.
• Your Chamber will be a co-host of a candidate forum for Mayor of Monterey and Monterey City Council at the McCone Irvine Auditorium of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (499 Pierce Street) on Thursday, September 10. It will be open to the public. Our co-hosts are Monterey Commercial Property Owners Association (MCPOA) and Monterey County Association of Realtors (MCAR).
• Plan to attend our Annual Leadership Luncheon presented by Mechanics Bank. It's scheduled for Friday, September 18 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm at the Embassy Suites, 1441 Canyon Del Rey Boulevard in Seaside. Our member of Congress, state legislators, and local elected officials will update Chamber members and guests about what is happening. Register here: 24th Annual Leadership Luncheon.

Marine Sanctuary Seeks Applications for Advisory Council

NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill seats on its advisory council, which represents the public’s interests in sanctuary matters and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent. Sanctuary staff are currently accepting applications for the Agriculture Alternate, Commercial Fishing Alternate, Diving Primary and Alternate, Education Alternate, Tourism Primary and Alternate, San Luis Obispo Citizen At Large Alternate, and Santa Cruz County Citizen At Large Primary and Alternate seats on its advisory council. Candidates will be selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and knowledge regarding the protection and management of marine resources.

Deadline for applications is August 31, 2026.

Applications can be obtained from the sanctuary’s website at https://montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/#apply or by contacting Robbin Porter, Program Specialist, robbin.porter@noaa.gov, (831) 647-4206.

Completed applications should be e-mailed to Robbin Porter at robbin.porter@noaa.gov. 

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council was established in 1994 to assure continuous public participation in the management of the sanctuary. The volunteer advisory council’s twenty voting members and seven ex-officio members represent a variety of local user groups, the general public, and local and state governmental jurisdictions. Alternates attend meetings when primary members are not available and assume a seat if a primary member resigns.

Specifically, the advisory council's role is to provide the sanctuary superintendent with advice on the sanctuary’s resource protection, research, education and outreach programs. Recently, the advisory council has focused on marine protected areas in federal waters and management plan review.

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