Monterey Bay This Week: fear of lettuce hurts local farms, Car Week, Salinas tobacco shops, Bixby Bridge no parking signs, and more

Welcome to Monterey Bay this week from KAZU News. It's Saturday, August 8, 26th. I'm Amy Péter Magyar. The nationwide outbreak of the foodborne illness cyclosporiasis has now reached at least 15 states and more than 6,000 people. The cyclospora parasite has not been detected on produce grown in California. But farmers are still feeling the effects of the outbreak. KAZU's Aaron Malsbury has more. The central coast and nearby valleys produce most of the United States leafy greens. But right now, Tony Alameda, an owner of top flavor farms in San Juan Batista, says people aren't buying. It's a shame because it has nothing to do with anything we've... done in the farm, the region, and yet you're just impacted. Standing next to a field of lettuce, he says some growers aren't harvesting 30 to 40% of their crop because of the reduced demand. Which means the crews aren't working, so somebody's sitting home, they're not making their money, so it's devastating from top to bottom. In California, the leafy green marketing agreement sets food safety standards and mandates government audits to protect public health. That was Aaron Malsbury. And speaking of public health, the Salina City Council has unanimously approved extending a moratorium on new tobacco retailer licenses into 2027. KAZU's Katie Brown has more. The Tuesday move comes after an urgency ordinance was approved earlier this summer. Councilmember Aurelio Salazar reiterated the council and city staff's major concern, protecting the health of younger people. Retail licenses being awarded to businesses in such a close proximity. To schools, you know, could be something like arcades or movie theaters or wherever, you know, we're likely to see young people. The hold will not impact the 125 shops currently operating in Salinas, but it gives the council and city staff time to discuss issues like a potential cap on licenses or restrictions on where these shops are located. East Salinas resident Daniel Munoz spoke during the public comment period. You talk about protecting kids. Cigarettes smoke. At the end of the day, it's an individual. He's frustrated with the council's focus on tobacco sales because he says kids face other bigger public health threats. His mention of pesticides earned him several nods from the audience. The pause on issuing licenses for businesses exclusively selling tobacco will last until June of 27. That was Katie Brown.

5,000 California nurses have signed a petition against layoffs at hospitals owned by Chicago-based Common Spirit. Here's KAZU's Aaron Malsbury again with that one. At Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, the cuts include unit coordinators, monitor technicians, and nurse educators. Dominican nurse Carly Chavez Ellis says it will disrupt patient care. You can't be the unit clerk and the bedside nurse at the same time, and it's emotionally difficult when you're trying to give your patient what they deserve. emailed statement, common spirit says the hospital is facing unprecedented economic pressures. But Chavez Ellis says there are better places to look than critical positions. If this is about saving money, The CEO of Common Spirit made $14 million last year. She says if anything, the hospital should be growing to support the aging population and new housing. A new class of residents recently began their training at Dominican. But dozens of doctors have also recently left the hospital over contract negotiation issues. Erin Molesbury, K-A-ZU News. Santa Cruz County has released the results of its point-and-time count of people experiencing homelessness. The January... canvas found 1,648 people without housing. That's an increase of 176 from last year. The federal government mandates a point-in-time count every other year, but Santa Cruz County does theirs each year. The county says changes in who got counted this year contributed to the increased number. They included people at safe parking and safe sleeping locations for the first time. That total was 126 people. As in Monterey County, Santa Cruz saw an increase in the number of people who reported losing housing for the first time. The number of unhoused people ages 18 to 24 also increased by 62. The county report indicates this, too, could be attributed to changes aimed at getting a more accurate count. Staying in Santa Cruz, the three-year Murray Street Bridge seismic retrofit has reached its midpoint. I crossed the harbor a different way to hear how the bridge's summer closure is going. All right. All aboard. The free Santa Cruz water taxi is operating on a rare Tuesday. The boat carries passengers from one side of the harbor to the other. It's a quick ride. By car, with the Murray Street Bridge closed, it takes much longer. Passenger Gay Giffin appreciates the water taxi, but wishes it ran every day, not just weekends and special occasions. They need to provide a water taxi seven days a week for all of the people that want to get to the other side. all the businesses that are suffering because the bridge is closed. The taxi is operating today for National Night Out. Santa Cruz Community Service officer Jessica Good says the event is at the harbor this year, in part because of the bridge work. Well, we really want to you promote all the wonderful things that there are on the east side of Santa Cruz. The bridge will reopen in one direction this fall. More full closures are on the schedule before the $50 million project wraps up in January 2028. The Oloni-Custanoan Essela Nation is celebrating the return of 84 acres of ancestral homeland in Monterey County. K-AZU's Jillian Smith went to a gathering last weekend. So I'm going to ask you to stand and we'll say a prayer. On Saturday, tribal members, conservation leaders, and community supporters gathered near Highway 68 to bless their land.

Aloni-Kasanoan Essela Nation tribal chairwoman, Luis Miranda Ramirez, says the milestone came after years of persistence. I was looking back in the first letter that I wrote requesting was in 2010, 16 years to fight for this, to bring it back to us. The Big Sur Land Trust collaborated with the tribe and many other partners. Vice President Rachel Saunders also spoke. We are deeply grateful for the partnership with the tribe, with the conservancy, and the larger community to make this possible. Now the land will once again be under indigenous stewardship. That was KAZU's summer intern, Jillian Smith. Carweek is underway and with it this year comes some new no parking signs at the Bixby Bridge and Big Sur. KAZU's Katie Brown found out why. The signs come just in time for Car Week when some 100,000 people will congregate within Monterey County. The new signs are a response to concerns about safety and congestion in the area. The county's hope is that anyone who wishes to travel as part of the Safe Highway 1. We'll do so safely and enjoy the Bixby Bridge experience from a different lens. That's Monterey County Public Works, Facilities, and Parks Director Randy Ishi. One does not necessarily need to get out and stop traffic in order to enjoy the experience of... The Bixir coastline on Highway 1. He says an uptick in disruptive parking, influencers, and people taking selfies has increased congestion. That was Katie Brown. Carweek draws some 100,000 people and is the biggest annual event on the Monterey Peninsula. Here's KAZU's Doug McKnight with more details. During those 10 days, traffic will be difficult, restaurant reservations near impossible, and hotel rooms hard to find. That time period alone accounts for 5% of all occupancy for the entire year. That's C. Monterey's Rob O'Keefe. He adds spending on lodging, including hotel taxes, is just the beginning of the economic impact. Carwick visitors support other businesses, boosting sales taxes for local governments. generates over, we're estimating over $130 million in visitor spending. The event also raises more than $4 million for over 100 local charities. If you're not attending any of the events and just want to move around the peninsula during Car Week, the county has created an interactive map. It shows each day's events and locations along with real-time traffic video. You can find the map at kazu.org slash carweek. That was Doug McKnight, and his story wraps up Monterey Bay this week. This episode was produced by me, Amy Péter Magyar, K.EZ's news director. It was reported by Doug McKnight, Jillian Smith, Aaron Malsbury, Katie Brown, and me. We'll be back with more local news next week. Have a great weekend.