A Christmas Wish

This year has passed so quickly… it seems like only yesterday we celebrated Christmas and the start of 2013. Yet, here we are on the cusp of another Christmas and the start of 2014!

It has been a fun filled holiday season to date in Marina with the lighting of the City Christmas Tree with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, the first ever Holiday sing-a-long at the Library with the Marina High School Choir, the annual City Senior Christmas Dinner with over 150 members of our senior community participating and, of course a few Christmas Parties and gatherings along the way.

At this point I hope we all take a few minutes and reflect on our own blessings and do what we can to help those that are less fortunate within our Community. Be it volunteering, supporting the Thomas Carman Food Pantry, making a donation to a worthy community organization or simply helping a neighbor, we can all lend a helping hand regardless of our own situation.

As we look to the new year- I hope that we all include in our plans to carry this spirit beyond the holidays and keep it close to our hearts year round. It’s important to our community and it will bring joy to your heart throughout the year.

So I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! May there be peace, goodwill and tolerance around the world. Finally, may the New Year bring together all your hopes and dreams in one magnificent package that you unwrap each and every day!

More in the New Year!

Random Thanksgiving thoughts…

So now the Marina Gazette has fully embraced the digital age. Somehow I already miss the tangible, print edition. That said; here are some more random thoughts that don’t necessarily fit in a full column but are worth sharing for this Holiday week.

We all have so much to be thankful for as we head into Thanksgiving week but a new report from the Centers of Disease Control counts Monterey County as the most dangerous County in California for youth at risk between the ages of 10 and 24. There are many elements to this but when Marina has some 76 percent of our kids that qualify for free or reduced lunches at school we know we have work to do in our own backyard.

The Marina Police Department is working with HOPE Services on a jean drive in early December. Take a few minutes and clean out your closets and drawers of those old jeans you will never wear again and take them to the Marina Police Station. There are many people, of all ages, who need them desperately.

Of course, many people do step up and help serve Thanksgiving meals to those who are in need this week. Almost all our service organizations really do a great job fulfilling this mission. If you cannot help out please consider dropping a check off to the Thomas Carmen Food Pantry at the Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church (Carmel and California Streets). Can goods are always welcome but at this time of year they need to buy lots of items so a cash donation is extremely helpful.

It goes without saying that the need for help really is a year round issue and there are many organizations that do great work to benefit those of all ages. One that is close to my heart is the Nutrition Program through the City’s Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Our City staff and an incredible group of very dedicated volunteers serve breakfast at our Teen Center, Monday through Friday while school is in session. This program has reduced truancy and has helped to keep kids in school so they have alternatives in life. It also makes sure that those that may not get a good breakfast have that opportunity.

That same program extends to late afternoon with a hearty snack for many who will likely not get dinner at home. This too has made a tremendous difference in the lives of many kids in our community. To help support this program, please go to www.themarinafoundation.org and donate to the Marina Teen Center Nutrition programs. Full disclosure, I am President of The Marina Foundation and I can assure you that all donations to the program are tax deductible and all proceeds go to the program itself.

One final thought for the week. I am very grateful that I live in a community that really does step up and help those that may not be as fortunate. We as a community do so without regard to politics, race, religion, or any other measure that our society wants to pigeonhole people into. We do so because it’s the right thing to do, period.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving week!

More later…

Measure K, Part Three

Over the course of my last two columns I have tried to explain both the Veterans perspective and the gambling issue raised against Measure K. In this column I want to wrap up the discussion and touch on several other issues and why I am voting for Measure K and against Measure M.

First, let me acknowledge that attempting to take the authority away from our locally elected officials by initiative is a terrible way to govern. This initiative process is full of special interests and unintended consequences that eliminate local authority. Measure K came about as a response to those wishing to take away access to the land promised for the Veterans Cemetery and the land for future economic development by the initiative process (Measure M). It was not a fight that was chosen rather a reaction to “secure the promise” made to our Veterans and the community as a whole.

As much as the Measure M people want you to believe, the Monterey Downs project is not approved by Measure K. Yes, it is an allowed usage of the land as it is currently under the Ft. Ord Reuse plan. If that project were to go forward it would still have to complete an EIR and be approved by the City of Seaside and Monterey County… not by the approval of Measure K.

What Measure M would do is make any project on this land impossible. That would include any project that would bring the jobs needed in our community. Under the Sierra Club agreement with FORA years ago, this land was set aside for economic development – again, Measure K keeps that promise.

As a reminder, the former Ft. Ord property is approx. 28,000 acres - about the size of the City and County of San Francisco. Of that, over 20,000 acres are already preserved as open space forever. This open space includes all the National Monument acrege, Ft. Ord Dunes State Park and hundreds of acres of other parks, open space and right of ways. These areas are full of hiking, biking and riding trails destined to create recreational opportunities for generations to come.

On the remaining 8,000 acres we have all of CSUMB, UC Santa Cruz, Monterey College of Law, MPC, York and Chartwell schools. Schools that produce educated workers in need of local jobs. We also have the Marina development areas that include The Dunes Shopping Center, Marina Heights, Preston and Abrahms Parks, the Marina Airport and the ill fated Cypress Knowles project. It also includes land in Del Rey Oaks and Monterey, the Bayonet and Blackhorse Golf Courses, Seaside Highlands and the 540 acres subject to these initiatives. Each and every one of these projects are designed and approved to bring jobs and housing (in balance) to replace those left behind when Ft. Ord closed.

Just as the National Monument is a work in progress, so are the development areas. These areas will take years and years to become fully developed as demand for them allows. What is clear is that if we are to provide the jobs needed in our communities to sustain our local economy we need to keep the promises made in the past. These are the reasons why voting Yes on K and No on M are important to all of us.

More later…

Measure K, Part Two

In my last column I presented the case for Measure K from the Veterans Cemetery prospective. In this column I will look at one of the issues raised by the Measure K opponents. I will conclude my series of articles next time with a look at the land use issues that are answered in Measure K.

I know this may come as a shock to many of you, just as it was to Captain Renault in the famous scene from Casablanca when he said “I'm shocked... shocked to find that gambling is going on in there” but gambling happens each and every day in our communities. It could be your latest wager over the 49er game, perhaps March Madness, a friendly poker game or playing the lottery. It could also be at one of several legal card rooms in Monterey County. It could also be at our local Monterey Fairgrounds in the form of satellite wagering. All are considered gambling so it’s quite disingenuous of the opponents of Measure K to think of this as a major reason to oppose it.

So let’s look at what is legal gambling specifically on the land of the former Ft. Ord. Many years ago it was feared that a large Indian Casino might be built on the former Ft. Ord property. As a result of this fear the FORA (Ft. Ord Reuse Authority) Board specifically outlawed all forms of gambling with the exception of pari-mutuel betting, this at the insistence of the City of Monterey.

The City of Monterey at one point thought they would move the fairgrounds to the former Ft. Ord so they wanted to keep the cash flow that pari-mutuel betting currently brings in to the fairgrounds in the form of satellite wagering. Yes, you did read correctly, I did say currently. Satellite wagering has been going on at the Monterey County fairgrounds for years and yet we don’t hear a huge hue and cry over it now do we? So why, if it were available (though yet to be seen) would it be a problem in the future?

Could it be that the opponents of Measure K are attempting to divert the attention away from what the real benefits are of Measure K? Of course they are. They do not want to talk about the 25,000+ potential jobs that would be permanently lost if the opposing Measure M passes. We know we have thousands of acres of land for recreation but little Ft. Ord land for economic development.

Yes, I understand that some oppose a potential racetrack and that’s a discussion for later since Measure K does not approve any single development project. That decision will be up to the City of Seaside after the EIR is complete. For the sake of argument though, let’s say that Google or Apple wanted to build a facility on these lands. They would not be allowed to do so under Measure M – only Measure K would keep this land available for job creation.

Since it is jobs and careers that are needed in our community to sustain our regional economy, why would anyone fight against them? They wouldn’t, unless you want the land for more open space, then you would create a straw argument like gambling to divert the attention away from the real issue at hand.

So for the Veterans Cemetery and for the job potential that Measure K ensures, I urge you to vote Yes on Measure K and No on Measure M.

More later…

Measure K, Part One

I have had the privilege of working with some very dedicated and focused individuals over the course of the past few months. These people have one goal in mind - an honored resting place for our retired and active duty service members. They are working to “Keep the Promise” of a Veterans Cemetery at the former Ft. Ord.

In the first part of a series of articles about Measure K, I want to explore why the Veterans Cemetery is so important to our community and what stands in the way of it becoming a reality.

First: a little history. From its founding in the early 1900’s, Ft. Ord had served as the training ground for hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers until it’s closing in 1994. For many who served in Korea and Vietnam, Ft. Ord was the last place they stood on American soil. Many, who trained here, fell in love with the area and came back here to live after their service to raise their families and become vital members of our greater regional community.

As Sid Williams explained at the Measure K kick-off event at the proposed cemetery site, “those who served are bound together in a brotherhood”. Those that served and trained at Ft. Ord are indeed a brotherhood dedicated to fulfilling a commitment made to them when the base closed – that a Veterans Cemetery would be built.

Unfortunately, keeping this promise has been a challenge and some 20 years later this brotherhood is still waiting. Today, the promise of the Veterans Cemetery has never been so close, and yet it is in danger of never being built due to two competing Measures on your November ballot. Measure K will ensure that the Cemetery will be built, while Measure M endangers that effort.

Without getting too far into the weeds of the Measure, Measure M will limit the access to the proposed site in a way that will negate the Federal funding needed to build the cemetery. In fact, one of its primary backers stated that proper access will stop about a quarter mile from the cemetery itself. The Federal government requires ADA compliant roads to service all Federal projects. Measure M will make such a requirement impossible to fulfill, thus removing the funding and stopping the cemetery.

I fully support Measure K to “Keep the Promise” made to our Veterans and all active duty military who choose to be laid to rest close to home on Ft Ord. I hope that you will do everything you can to help us fulfill the promise made to them and vote Yes on Measure K, No on Measure M.

Next time I will go deeper into some of the land use issues that Measure K reaffirms and why it is important to you and the future of our entire region.

More later

More random thoughts...

Its Labor Day weekend as I write this version of Marina Matters, the official end of summer, so I thought I would catch up on some random thoughts this week.

You tell your kids not to do something bad or they will be in trouble. Even they know to anticipate the negative consequences of their actions if they do it anyway. You don’t come back and say in three weeks I am going to take away your toys for a day as a result of disobeying me. Our President has simply lost whatever credibility he had over the Syrian issue. It’s a position he never should have put himself or the Country into.

Interesting reactions to my last column about the City’s proposed card room tax. Of those that have reacted, it seems to be running about two to one in agreement with my position. The argument from those that disagree with me seems to be that they understand my position (and many agree) but the City needs the money now so we have to approve it. Again, I would rather lose the revenue from the Card Room Tax and make sure that M & N have a reasonable chance of re-approval in the future. As it stands right now, the voters will simply not reapprove M & N next year. Our City Council must get a wakeup call now and this is the only way we can get their attention.

As the calendar moves from August to September the boys of summer are closing on the playoffs. It seems clear that the Giants will not make it this year but the A’s are right in the middle of it all. Let’s hope they can keep up the momentum and represent our region well. Our area can certainly support two baseball teams so it’s not too late to get on board and support the A’s into the playoffs!

Of course, September really means that football is back! The college teams started this weekend and the pros start on Thursday night. The 49’ers are anticipating a run for the Super Bowl and the Raider’s… well the best thing for them (or us) is that most games will be blacked out. Of course, as a Chicago Bear and Denver Bronco fan, I know the ups and downs of the game. A true fan will stand by their team regardless… so here’s to Da’ Bears and the Bronco’s this year!

Finally, I will write my next column in support of Measure K (Keep the Promise) and against Measure M on our November ballot. The implications of these measures for the future of our entire region are huge and I want to devote a lengthy column to explain why. It is important to hear all the facts, not the made up arguments of a few with their own agenda. More on that next time!

More later...

 

Violence

California is truly becoming a scary place. Our region is certainly reflective of that thought as we are seeing a tremendous spike in violent crime from Santa Cruz to Seaside and especially in Salinas. Unfortunately, we have seen this before and it’s not pretty. Many innocent people get caught up as peripheral damage to gang wars and needless assaults and violence.

Just in the last week we have seen a running gun battle through the streets of Santa Cruz as two cars shot at each other resulting in at least one death. We saw a security guard at a 99 cent store stabbed to death when he did not have a key to a safe in Salinas. We had a drive-by shooting in Seaside that resulted in another death. We have seen multiple attacks, shootings and even some that seem to target our police that have resulted in multiple deaths. That’s all this past week.

Yes, violence seems to step up over the summer as if that is an excuse. People, wake up! We have a serious problem here and it needs to be addressed in each of our communities now!

We have a State and Federal economy that has produced fewer and fewer jobs, especially for our youth.  We have a Governor that is releasing career criminals back into our communities to address overcrowded prisons. We have a State legislature that has refused to address this issue for at least a generation. We have an education system that has failed our students no matter how much money we seem to throw at it. As a result many of the people and companies that can hire and help with the situation are simply leaving the State due to taxes and regulations, and yes, crime.

In Marina, we have held our own against this tidal wave of violence that is surrounding us by trying to maintain a strong Recreational program despite a City budget that’s working against it. We have a great police force that is working harder and harder to protect our community with great success but with dwindling resources. This combination has worked well to date but we cannot assume anything in the future.

We are in a battle for the minds of our youth and we all need to do what we can to work with them, to help provide safe places to grow up, to educate them and help provide jobs where possible. We need mentors to stand up and show them that there is another way, that with desire and education they can still succeed in their world despite the pressure and temptations.

Here is a plea to all that care about the future of our community. Do what you can; no matter how small a role you can play. Donate money to a cause that supports education and/or recreational activities. Volunteer your time to help an organization that works with our local students, no matter the age group. Truly listen to what our politicians and activist are saying. Tell them to stop with the excuses and do what is right not for our society, not their next election.

Things will not change overnight. We know that, but they won’t change at all without your help!

More later