COUNTY OF MONTEREY

New County Policies Encourage Formation of Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) to Support New Private Industrial Development

• At its meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved revisions to its original policies concerning Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs). After the dissolution of Redevelopment Agencies in 2012, the state legislature and Governor Jerry Brown established EIFDs through Senate Bill 628 (2014) and Assembly Bill 313 (2015) as a way to use rising property tax assessments to pay back costs of new infrastructure (streets, water, wastewater, lighting, etc.) that support new and improved private development projects.
• The City of Gonzales has an EIFD approved by the Board of Supervisors in December 2021 to help fund infrastructure improvements at its Agricultural Industrial Business Park. Gonzales has been expanding its agricultural processing and distribution facilities, which are now supported by a dedicated industrial wastewater conveyance and treatment system for water used to clean produce before it's packaged. This EIFD will continue to operate under the old policies.
• Salinas also has a dedicated industrial wastewater conveyance and treatment system for agricultural processors in South Salinas, as well as an Amazon distribution center now under construction in the South Salinas Ag Industrial Center Specific Plan area. Since 2023, the City of Salinas has actively sought county approval of an EIFD for infrastructure improvements in this industrial area of the city. Nearby electrical substation upgrades to increase power capacity and a new well recently drilled in this area suggest a big project may be coming there.
• Other Monterey County cities that have expressed interest in establishing EIFDs include Monterey and Marina.

Monterey County Board of Supervisors Economic Development Committee Seeks Representative from Construction Industry

• A recent retirement has created a vacancy for the construction representative on the county's Economic Development Committee, which advises the Board of Supervisors on matters related to recruiting, retaining, and growing businesses in the county. Contact Chamber President and CEO Monica Lal at (831) 648-5350 or at monica@montereychamber.com if you're interested in applying for a County Board of Supervisors appointment to this position.

UTILITIES

• Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) reports that it supports Assembly Bill 1761, which the California state legislature has passed and sent to Governor Newsom for his signature or veto. 3CE says that the bill "supports energy affordability by improving transparency and certainty in how the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA) is calculated." This is a charge on customer electric bills meant to compensate investor-owned utilities for legacy costs when customers transfer electric service to Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) public power agencies such as 3CE.

HEALTH CARE

• Montage Health reports that it is acquiring a third robot using the da Vinci® platform for certain surgeries where surgeon-guided robotic precision is helpful and appropriate. Because robot-assisted surgery uses small incisions and tiny tools, it’s less invasive than traditional (open) surgery, thus reducing risk and recovery time.

FINANCE

• As you may have noticed, interest rates are going up, partially in response to rising oil prices resulting from continued military actions in the Middle East. As of September 8, 2026, the national average for a standard 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 6.92 percent. In January 2021, the average was 2.65 percent. Despite the meaningful increase in rates, current rates still come nowhere close to the average rate in October 1981 of more than 18 percent.

CHAMBER BUSINESS

• Remember to register for the Chamber's 24th Annual Leadership Luncheon, presented by Mechanics Bank, on Friday, September 18 from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Monterey Bay in Seaside. This event provides you and other Chamber members with an opportunity to gain further insight into the current business climate on the Monterey Bay Region from an impressive panel of federal, state and local elected officials. Register at this website: Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce 2026 Annual Leadership Luncheon.
• There will be a Monterey City Council & Mayoral Candidate Forum hosted by Monterey Commercial Property Owners Association, Monterey County Association of Realtors, and the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, September 10, 2026. It will be held from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) Irvine Auditorium, 499 Piece Street in Monterey. This event is free to attend, but registration is required and space is limited. Register at 2026 Monterey City Council & Mayoral Candidate Forum.
• Your Chamber's Candidate Review Committee interviewed numerous candidates for local offices throughout the day on Friday, September 4 and provided comments to the Board of Directors about potential Chamber endorsements. Thank you to the volunteer leaders who participated in this long but rewarding process.

Thank You to our MPCC Leadership Circle!

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