"About 12 percent of Monterey County’s oil and gas wells are located within 200 feet of a river or creek. This includes the Salinas River, which runs through the San Ardo oil field, and is a critical source of the county’s groundwater.

"In December 2025, over 4,000 gallons of oil and toxic wastewater spilled in the San Ardo oil field, just over a mile from where the Sargent Creek feeds the Salinas River. It is unconfirmed whether that spill was connected to an active or idle well.”
—Katie Rodriguez, #MontereyCountyNow
#BigOil #Chevron #AeraEnergy #CaliforniaResourcesCorporation #MontereyCounty #Water #Air #CenterForBiologicalDiversity #AirQuality #WaterQuality #Groundwater #Oil #DesertedOilWells #SalinasValley #SanArdo

https://www.montereycountynow.com/news/local_news/hundreds-of-unplugged-oil-wells-sit-on-top-of-groundwater-sources-in-monterey-county-a/article_d333e7d2-3a6a-49e1-ac63-b452049ca8ee.html

"Protesters in Salinas join nationwide shutdown against ICE”—Report by Chris Hamilton, #MontereyHerald

“This is the salad bowl of the world. There’s a lot of farmworkers here,” said Victoria Gomez, a lifelong Salinas resident at the city hall protest. “These people that are here, planting and harvesting vegetables and fruits for us and for the rest of the country. I think they at least deserve some respect enough to speak up for them.”
https://www.montereyherald.com/2026/01/30/protesters-in-salinas-join-nationwide-shutdown-against-ice/

#MontereyCounty #Salinas #immigrants #SalinasValley #ICE #NationalProtests #NationalStrike #NationalShutdown

Monterey County students, including at North Monterey County High School and Salinas High School, protest ICE and immigration policies. — Report by Felix Cortez, #KSBW. https://www.ksbw.com/article/monterey-county-students-protest-ice-immigration/70206726

#MontereyCounty #Salinas #Monterey #immigrants #SalinasValley #PajaroValley #ICE #NationalProtests #NationalStrike

"Jan. 27, during the #Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting, the Sheriff’s Office will present the latest Truth Act report, a transparency report about its interaction with ICE.
....
“‘Whistlemania,’ events where people create whistle kits that can be used to alert others about the presence of ICE, happens tonight from 5-6:30pm at the SEIU Local 521 Hall in #Salinas, with the next taking place Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 3-5pm at County Supervisor Chris Lopez’s office in #KingCity.”

—#MontereyCountyNow report by Celia Jiménez

#MontereyCounty #SalinasValley #immigrants #ICE https://www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/opinion_blog/after-another-deadly-shooting-by-ice-in-minneapolis-many-in-monterey-county-continue-to-organize/article_ae793bda-e765-4313-98f5-927f61cfece8.html

#MontereyCounty

Mark your calendar for 2026 meeting dates—listed below—for the #Transportation Agency for #Monterey County (TAMC) #Bicycle and #Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC).

Tips: https://bikemonterey.org/monthly-meetings-tamc-bicycle-pedestrian-facilities-advisory-committee-public-welcome.html

For any changes to meeting dates, and for agendas and packets (typically available about a week prior to mtg), refer to TAMC website: https://www.tamcmonterey.org/bike-and-pedestrian-facilities-advisory-committee.
January 14, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
February 4, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
March 4, 2026, Wednesday, Alternate Location (to be announced)
April 1, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
May 6, 2026, Wednesday, Alternate Location (to be announced)
June 3, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
No July BPAC meeting
August 5, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
September 2, 2026, Wednesday, Alternate Location (to be announced)
October 7, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
November 4, 2026, Wednesday, at TAMC office, Salinas
No December BPAC meeting

#ActiveTransport #MontereyBay #SalinasValley

"Gonzales Police Department has received a $30,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration….The funded strategies will include impaired driving enforcement, enforcement operations focusing on primary crash factors, distracted driving... enforcement and public awareness in areas with a high number of bicycle and pedestrian crashes and educational programs.” https://salinasvalleytribune.com/gonzales-police-department-receives-traffic-safety-grant/

#MontereyCounty #SalinasValley #TrafficSafety

Greenfield, Salinas Valley, California. An Arkansawyers auto camp filled almost completely with migrants from Arkansas. Rent ten dollars a month for one room, iron bed, electricity. Rough board walls with cracks. This community is subject of a study by BAE Regional Office, Berkeley, California

#Greenfield #SalinasValley #California #Arkansawyers #Arkansas #BAERegionalOffice #Berkeley #theGreatDepression #undefined #photography #DorotheaLange

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017771791/

"On Hall Road the heavy traffic passes over the train tacks at Hudson Landing but the County of Monterey has no bike lane and has reduced the shoulder width to merely 2 feet over-hanging the 40 foot drop to the railroad tracks below. (I'd love to see a Monterey County Supervisor ride it on a bike for first hand knowledge.)”—Peter Stanger, commenting https://www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/opinion_blog/a-string-of-vehicle-collisions-in-salinas-ends-with-a-tragic-fatality-of-a-cyclist/article_074be0fe-e7dc-4924-920d-7a247d655514.html#comments on Sara Rubin’s post "A string of vehicle collisions in Salinas ends with a tragic fatality of a cyclist.” https://www.montereycountynow.com/blogs/opinion_blog/a-string-of-vehicle-collisions-in-salinas-ends-with-a-tragic-fatality-of-a-cyclist/article_074be0fe-e7dc-4924-920d-7a247d655514.html

#cycling #biking #MontereyCounty #Salinas #SalinasValley #PajaroValley #infrastructure

"The #grassroots are partners, not enemies….Protect Monterey County first successfully fought for the right of local communities to make decisions about oil production….What began as a Central Coast effort has codified the rights of all Californians to protect the health and welfare of their neighborhoods, and create the climate progress we need.”—California Assemblymember Dawn Addis, reporting on Climate Week NYC. https://www.montereycountynow.com/opinion/forum/from-sacramento-to-manhattan-a-local-california-assemblymember-reports-back-from-climate-week/article_8d57308c-4d11-4418-8297-e303b1c44112.html#tncms-source=mosaic

ICYMI, some history of Protect #Monterey County: https://bikemonterey.org/risky-oil-operations-in-monterey-county.html. Photo of Dennis Banks on Salinas River Beach, 9 years ago today, 3 October 2016.
#GrassrootsVolunteers #PeoplePower #PowerToThePeople #AIM #Indigenous #NativeAmericans #AmericanIndians #MontereyBay #SalinasRiverBeach #BigOil #WaterPollution #OilProduction #CleanWater #FossilFuels #SalinasValley #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #ForTheFuture #ClimateHope