Mid-Year Evaluation of Your Chamber's Government Affairs Goals and Objectives
Your Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce annually establishes goals and objectives for its Government Affairs Committee. Here is a brief list of some things that are happening related to the 2025 Government Affairs goals.
1. Ensuring a Long-Term Sustainable Water Supply
Progress on the Three-Legged Stool of the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project (MPWSP):
- Desalination Plant: Cal Am has conditional approval from the California Coastal Commission to build the plant but is working to fulfill twenty "special conditions." Monterey One Water (M1W) needs to obtain a permit to upgrade the ocean outfall for disposal of brine from the plant. Meanwhile, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has twice delayed consideration of a water supply and demand assessment.
- Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR): Objections from state agencies have held up construction of two proposed new wells at Seaside Middle School that would extract stored water from the Seaside Groundwater Basin.
- Pure Water Monterey: Construction of expansion infrastructure is nearing completion. It includes expansion of of the Advanced Water Purification Facility, new aquifer extraction wells, and a pipeline to a large Marina Coast Water District tank. M1W still needs to obtain a state approval letter and a key state permit, and there's a possibility this cumbersome process could delay start of operations. No recent public activity has occurred for potential use of Lake El Estero in the City of Monterey as a water supply source for recycling.
- Government Takeover of the Privately-Owned Water Supply System: In 2018 voters approved Measure J, which would authorize the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) to acquire the Cal Am system if the district determined a takeover was feasible. Cal Am did not accept an offer from MPWMD in 2023 to buy the system. The long and costly process of litigation to try to acquire the system is ongoing.
Sand City Desalination Plant: Cal Am is working with Sand City to find a new location for a shallow aquifer extraction well, as the California Division of Drinking Water would not approve the first proposed location. This new well would help the plant to produce water at capacity.
Marina Coast Water District: The district recently completed construction of tanks for its drinking water system and continues to advance its recycled water system. Resurrecting its desalination plant, which operated from 1997 to 2003, remains as a short-term vision for the district.
2. Housing Affordability for Local Workforce - A Balanced Choice of Options
Chamber staff prepared and distributed tables showing the progress of Monterey County local governments toward achieving their Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals. This is apparently the first time such tables have been created.
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD) is using construction bond proceeds to buy a Garden Road apartment complex that is being converted from underused commercial space. York School is also planning for workforce housing.
The non-profit developer of the planned affordable housing complex next to Monterey City Hall continues to seek funding for the project.
Sand City looks forward to the second phase of the South of Tioga development that includes residential units. (The first phase is a hotel.)
The Seagrove apartment complex on Broadway in Seaside is completed and occupied. A groundbreaking was held for Campus Town in Seaside, and the outlook looks good for financing.
Construction of market rate housing and affordable housing has been continuous at the Dunes development in Marina. Also in Marina, a housing complex based on an innovative pre-fabrication construction system is now approved for construction.
Lightfighter Village in the City of Marina has been completed by the Veterans Transition Center of California and its development partners.
Monterey County still hasn't approved its long-overdue Housing Element of its General Plan. Residents of neighborhoods and developments near Tarpey Flats are opposing any county actions that would allow construction of affordable housing there.
3. Quality of Life Issues
Demolition continues of blighted buildings on the former Fort Ord, with recent, current, or impending activity by these parties: the City of Marina, the private developer Marina Community Partners, the City of Seaside (preparing for the Campus Town project), Monterey-Salinas Transit, and the Marina Coast Water District.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has upgraded its large Del Monte substation in the City of Monterey near the intersection of North Fremont Street and Canyon Del Rey Boulevard. It's now upgrading the Monterey substation at the intersection of Del Monte Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Downtown Monterey. These upgrades should significantly reduce the frequency of power outages.
4. Transportation Improvements
Groundbreaking has occurred for construction of a new terminal at Monterey Regional Airport, one of five phases of the Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) Metamorphosis.
Groundbreaking has occurred for the Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) SURF! Bus Rapid Transit Project, a dedicated bus lane adjacent to Highway 1 between Marina and Seaside.
Preparation is underway for a roundabout in Carmel Valley at the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Laureles Grade.
The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) Measure X sales tax continues to support local and regional transportation construction projects, including the following: (1) Imjin Parkway Widening & Roundabout Project, now under construction; (2) the planned State Route 156/Castroville Boulevard Interchange Project, which now has additional state funding; (3) the planned Scenic Route 68 Corridor Improvements Project, which will include automated traffic surveillance and control systems and perhaps some roundabouts; (4) the Fort Ord Rec Trail and Greenway (FORTAG), with the first segment under construction in Del Rey Oaks; and (5) the US Highway 101 South of Salinas Safety Improvements Project.
The Measure S sales tax in the City of Monterey (a successor to Measure P) is scheduled to expire in March 2027 unless voters renew it. It funds improvements to streets, sidewalks, and storm drains.
The Measure Q sales tax for Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) is scheduled to expire in July 2030 unless voters renew it. It funds public transit services for seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.
5. Promoting Military Capabilities of Existing Bases
The U.S. Navy continues planning for construction of the Naval Innovation Center at Naval Support Activity Monterey (NSAM).
In January 2025, Congress received a confidential U.S. Department of Defense report evaluating excess infrastructure at military installations, including empty buildings. But currently there is no serious public discussion of a new round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and no chatter about base closures on the Monterey Peninsula.
Local governments were notified about the availability of federal Defense Community Infrastructure Program grants. The County of Monterey has applied for a grant to help fund the Jolon Road Safety Improvement Project near Fort Hunter Liggett.
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