CITY OF MONTEREY

• On Tuesday, September 29, the City of Monterey held a "Feedback Session" with the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce on the city's Draft Economic Development Strategy. The City of Monterey asks businesses and residents to fill out a survey about economic development. Go to Take the City of Monterey's Economic Development Survey.
• At the Chamber's Economic Vitality Committee (EVC) meeting on Friday, October 9 at 2:00 pm, your Chamber's Government Affairs Liaison Kevin Dayton will present his ideas on innovative economic development strategies. He has created a list of strategies that he says could create well-paying jobs and generate additional tax revenue for the city, and without provoking strong resistance from residents who want to preserve community character and quality of life. This meeting will be at the Chamber office (353 Camino El Estero, Monterey, CA 93940); however, if you can only participate virtually, contact Monica Lal at monica@montereychamber.com or at 831.648.5359 to get the call-in information.

HEALTHCARE

• Respiratory virus season typically starts in October, builds momentum through November and December, peaks in January or February, and sometimes lingers into March or April. Now is a great time to get a flu vaccine and consider other respiratory virus vaccines based on your health condition. Flu vaccines are now available through your doctor’s office, pharmacies, and through free clinics. See resources, frequently asked questions, and more at www.montagehealth.org/respiratory.

RETAIL

• Del Monte Center has a "Cars and Coffee" event on Saturday, October 10 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

AGRICULTURE

• The Monterey County Farm Bureau reports that major harvesting for the year is wrapping up and operations are moving to places such as Yuma, Arizona and Imperial Valley, California for the winter months.
• On October 5, President Trump signed an executive order to allow temporary highway use of tax-free red-dyed diesel fuel and defer federal taxes on that fuel through the end of the year. This fuel is the same as standard diesel fuel, but it is dyed red to indicate that it is only allowed for off-road use such as farm and construction equipment. Normally, using red-dyed diesel fuel with a standard vehicle on a public highway is tax evasion. The State of California needs to take actions to implement this executive order. Governor Gavin Newsom addressed high gas prices on September 28 suspended California’s seasonal summer-blend gasoline requirement for the remainder of the season and directed state agencies to take steps to allow winter-blend gasoline to be manufactured, imported, distributed, and sold in California immediately.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2646 on September 30 to establish a minimum hourly wage of $19.75 for certain categories of agricultural workers starting January 1, 2027. This is higher than the standard state minimum hourly wage for 2027 of $17.40. The super-minimum wage covers H-2A guest workers and “corresponding” California farmworkers who do the same or similar work for the same employer, in the same county, at the same time.

MONTEREY COUNTY FAIR

• Attendance at the 69th annual Monterey Jazz Festival on September 25-27, 2026 had higher attendance than the 2025 Jazz Festival. Next year's Jazz Festival is scheduled for September 24–26, 2027 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds.
• The Monterey County Fair will next be hosting a championship motorcycle event called "Biers & Gears: Oktoberfest & Moto" and then the Winter Wonderfest Monterey.

UTILITIES

• Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is participating in city community meetings regarding storm preparation, including a Pacific Grove Storm Preparedness Community Meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, October 7) and meetings yesterday in Carmel and last week in Monterey. Video from the Monterey meeting will soon be posted on the City of Monterey YouTube page.
• On October 1, PG&E filed a 10-Year Electrical Undergrounding Plan (EUP) with the California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety). It includes more than 100 miles of potential undergrounding in Monterey County. See a press release here: PG&E Files 10-Year Electrical Undergrounding Plan to Deliver Permanent Wildfire Protection and Improve Safety, Reliability and Affordability.

REAL ESTATE

• On Monday, September 28, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) of Monterey County held a special meeting and approved a phased annexation of an approximately 768-acre area entirely within the City’s existing sphere of influence. This will allow new housing to be built in a city where the only new residences constructed since 2019 have been Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The Chamber's Government Affairs Liaison was at the LAFCO meeting on behalf of your Chamber to speak in support of the city's application.

PROPOSED NEW BUSINESS REGULATIONS

• On October 1, the Seaside City Council discussed enacting a proposed city ordinance to investigate and punish "wage theft." The ordinance was not developed by staff: it was written by a Bay Area lawyer who works for a labor union. Another union official provided it to Councilmember Alexis Garcia-Arrazola, who placed it on the October 1 meeting agenda for consideration. At the meeting, a series of union officials spoke during public comment and portrayed the business community in Seaside as unscrupulous and even crooked, but no one provided any data or other substantiated information to back up these accusations. The proponent of this ordinance named some specific businesses in Seaside to target and indicated that businesses in hospitality and construction would also get some special attention.
• Your Chamber recognizes and regrets the existence of local business owners and managers who willfully evade labor laws and intimidate their employees into not coming forward with their complaints. However, the ability of government to revoke business licenses and withhold contracts is a powerful tool. It can be misused by governments and interest groups as leverage to influence how businesses operate and relate to their employees.
• Also, the Seaside City Council voted to place an item on the October 15 meeting agenda to require construction companies to sign a "Project Labor Agreement" with unions as a condition of working on city contracts. Construction union officials have been lobbying for years to get a monopoly on the contract construction workforce for Seaside public works projects.

EMERGENCY PREPARATION

• The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other government agencies and private entities continue to report record-breaking high temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, a sign of an exceptionally strong El Niño phenomenon. Tropical moisture flowing into California from the remnants of hurricanes in the unusually warm Pacific Ocean has the potential to produce lightning, but without sufficient rainfall to extinguish the resulting fires ignited by the lightning.
• In the meantime, much of California is experiencing record-high temperatures. We've entered the critical time at the end of the dry season when hot temperatures, low humidity, and high winds result in high wildfire risk.
• To prepare for emergencies, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is filling temporary positions to set up and manage community resource centers activated when PG&E announces a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) during severe weather. The positions pay $91 per hour, and they are looking for people with proven leadership skills: "strong candidates with management experience." If you are such a person, or know such a person who would be interested, contact Monica Lal at monica@montereychamber.com or at 831.648.5359.

CHAMBER BUSINESS

• On Thursday, October 22, your Chamber will co-sponsor a breakfast with the Monterey Bay Defense Alliance to hear from Ukrainian municipal officials on how they are protecting their residents and keeping their economy moving during a time of war. Register here: Readiness and Resilience: Perspectives from Ukraine.
• The Chamber's annual Monterey Bay Business Expo will be held on Wednesday, October 28 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Register here: 2026 Monterey Bay Business Expo.

Thank You to our MPCC Leadership Circle!

Visionary Members

Cornerstone Members

Foundational Members