Monterey Bay This Week: Timber Fire, offshore drilling concerns, super El Niño effects, e-bikes, and more

Welcome to Monterey Bay this week from KAZU News. I'm Aaron Malsbury. The timber fire in Big Sur has burned more than 4,500 acres. Some people have stayed behind to try to protect property. Kirk Gaffel is the general manager of Nipente Restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce. Nipente is closed and in the evacuation zone, but Gaffel is still there, not far from the fire. If it's very calm and there's no wind to speak of, 2,000 feet's a lot of distance. If it's windy and gusty and yet windblown embers, that is far too close. He says staying behind means accepting emergency services aren't available. The Community Association of Big Sur estimates 230 people remain in evacuation zones. No structure losses have been reported, but Gaffel says water systems have been damaged. Loss of water tanks. catch basins, settling tanks, damaged water lines. He calls local business closures a gut punch, especially after three years of road closures from landslides. He worries about slides this winter, but hopes there's time for plants to stabilize the slopes. People in five Monterey County zones are under evacuation orders as of Friday afternoon. Amy Péter Magyar reports limited access to the area threatened the lives of two captive birds. A Ventana Wildlife Society sanctuary was caring for the condors when the fire broke out. Executive Director Kelly Sorensen says he and others work the phones to figure out how they could free the birds. The two birds are stuck in this pen and we can't get up there to care for them providing food or water while they're held captive. Roads were closed and a nearby helipad couldn't be used because of firefighting aircraft. Hiking in would have been a two-day journey. Sorensen says around midday Tuesday they got good news. The Forest Service. firefighters are escorting Joe Burnett, our senior wildlife biologist, to the sanctuary this afternoon. He says the condors should be fine, though the sanctuary was planning to give them a little more time to recover from lead poisoning and treatment. That was Amy Péter Magyar. Class is back in session for Monterey County kids. Despite immigration concerns in East Salinas, head counts are high. Katie Brown has that story. About 6,800 students attend 12 elementary schools in the Alasal Union School District in East Salinas. Last week, kids filled classrooms for their first day back. We're a safe haven for our families. That's district superintendent, Monica Anzo. She says 95% of students are Latino or Hispanic. Most come from families that work in agriculture. Either they work. in the fields or they're working in the faculty sheds? She says despite threats of federal immigration raids, enrollment remains high because of the trusted district has built with families. Each school has many resources for parents and the staff is trained on how to handle potential immigration encounters on campus. I think that has helped with our families. Being in attendance, if they have any kind of fear, they know who to call. With Summer Harvest closing in, she says, Right now is the time that we have all our students. We want to make sure that they're in class so they can learn. Anzo anticipates some families will leave towards the end of October as seasonal fieldwork moves out of the area. That was Katie Brown. But fear of immigration enforcement is preventing some people from accessing social services. That was a recurring theme at a roundtable for Central Coast leaders hosted by Congressman Jimmy Panetta.

this week. Healthcare, housing, education, and law enforcement professionals joined. Cabrillo Superintendent and President Jen Capps says the school has seen a 23% decline in potential students applying for the California Dream Act for immigrants brought here as children and lacking legal status. Cabrillo's campus is in Aptos and Watsonville will remain safe and Baltimore and our students' privacy is protected. Leaders urged families to still bring their children to school. seek emergency medical care and housing, and get nutrition through food banks. Panetta also spoke at a Monterey Bay Aquarium press conference about offshore drilling this week. K-AZU's Jillian Smith reports the threat of drilling could extend beyond the environment to the region's economy. Congressman Jimmy Panetta says the federal government has indicated offshore drilling remains an option. This was made clear by their five-year leasing plan to open up previously protected waters off of Alaska. off of the Gulf, off of the Atlantic, and yes, off of the Pacific, including what we see behind us. Other local leaders spoke about the potential economic consequences. There's just no place we're off-star dwelling. It's just an absolutely ridiculous concept to even go down that path. That's Janine Chukrat, managing director of the Portola Hotel in Small. The billions of dollars would be lost in tourism, especially hitting our small businesses. And Chukrat says commercial fishing would be devastated. Because we'd immediately have to ban fishing. We'd have property devaluation. We'd have massive cleanups and legal liabilities. Officials say they are preparing for the next public comment period on the proposal. That was Gillian Smith. And speaking of the Monterey Bay, a super Elinio will continue warming California coastal waters into fall and winter and likely bring new marine visitors to Monterey Bay. Katie Brown has that story. Weather scientists are predicting this year's El Nino to be one for the books. While folks on land are bracing for what might be the hottest and wettest year to date, ocean and enthusiasts will have lots to explore. It is an opportunity to see some things that you wouldn't normally see. That's John Ugaritz, an environmental program manager with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He says a larger presence of juvenile white sharks in Monterey Bay is likely since they seek out warmer waters. They actually don't regulate their body temperature as well as bigger sharks do. so they follow that warm water. He also says it's important to remember shark bites are extremely rare. There's been about 250 in California in the last 75 years. You compare that to the number of people that are going into the ocean, and you see that there's really very, very little chance that that's going to occur. Folks enjoying the waters of Monterey Bay can also expect sightings of California sheephead fish and crustaceans like the California spining lobster during the Super El Nino.

That was Katie Brown. And for those who want to view the bay from the road, Monterey Car Week is known for everything automotive. But behind the scenes, it's also a major source of charitable giving. Jillian Smith has more on where some of that money goes. Drawings for fancy cars drive some of that giving because ticket sales go toward donations that fund Monterey County community programs. United Way Monterey County will benefit this year. President and CEO Katie Castagna says everyone who buys a ticket for the drawing helps the community. That's a win, whether you get the car or not. She says they'll use the proceeds to support financial empowerment programs as well as child care providers and other programs serving young children. Selena's Valley Health and Montage Health Foundations will also get funding this year. Yasmine L. Sherbini is Director of Community Health and Wellness at Montage. She says their Car Week donation will support free health care programs in local schools. We really are helping to create a healthier generation, and that's why it's so important that we have the support of the community for this fundraiser. The charity drawings take place on Sunday, and tickets are available online through the Pebble Beach Concord de Elegance. That was Jillian Smith, and on the subject of local nonprofits, a job training and farming program has changed its annual... Caesar Chavez Day of Service to Farm Worker Appreciation Day and moved it to August. The Homeless Garden Project provides job training and support for people experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz. 20 trainees are currently in the year-long program, including Amber Della Tori. She says the program has changed her life. It's given me the opportunity to see a project from start to end, to be a participant in every step along the way, and to know that my care and nurturing, have gone into each of those steps to make this final product. It's only going to go and help other people. She and a few others gave speeches on the three-acre farm. Volunteer coordinator Pranov Parik says the August event might become annual, but the organization is waiting to see what happens to the March 31st State Holiday. There's a movement to rename the Sissor Chavez Day to Farm Worker Appreciation Day. The fruits, herbs, and vegetables grown at the homeless garden project go to a farm stand and CSA subscription box. to local nonprofits. And a new mural honoring farm worker families adorns a wall in East Salinas. As Katie Brown reports, it gives workers in nearby fields a chance to see themselves represented. Jose Ortiz and Angel Hernandez rolled tiered scaffolding down a wide alley covered in bumpy grass. What was once a plain white wall outside the Goodwill in Alasal is now a soft, colorful mural. Parents embrace their children as the day turns tonight over rows of crops. We want the kids to see their parents like giants. I want them to be proud. This pathway was chosen because it connects to a row of parking lots frequented by farm workers. Yeah, they get dropped off here and they get picked up also by the buses who takes them to the fields. Ortiz started working in the fields as a 10-year-old alongside his mother. Teachers along the way that will tell me, you don't want to end up like your mother. Who's a field worker. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz, he founded Eos del Solis Art's Productions in 1994. Thousands of kids from Salinas have participated in the free arts programs. Angel Hernandez is one of them. I was probably like five or six. I'm going to studio. Now he works full time for Eos del Sol and says being one of three artists on staff to bring this scene to life, hit home. His parents immigrated to Salinas where his dad worked in agriculture. I would always like go home and hug him.

when he would get back from work, and he would always come back, like, all dirty and stuff. But I never care because that would make me proud, you know. The hand-painted mural took around 70 hours and was designed to tell the story of farm workers persevering through the pandemic. Looking at the image of farm workers hugging their kids, Hernandez says... It reminds them why they work and why they wake up every morning. And, yeah, it just keeps them going. $10,000 in state funding awarded by the Arts Council for Monterey and $3,000 from Goodwill made the peace possible. That was Katie Brown. In our final story this week, electric bikes are rapidly changing how people get around Monterey Bay. But as more riders hit local roads and coastal trails, questions about safety and speed are growing. Transportation planners say the biggest problem isn't legal e-bikes. It's confusion over what actually counts as one. Jillian Smith has that story. story. On the Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail, electric bikes weave past walkers, runners, and traditional cyclists. For some, the faster bikes have become a growing concern. But Janica Strauss, senior transportation planner from Montere County, says much of that concern is aimed at the wrong vehicles. Most public concern about e-bikes is actually concerned about electric motorcycles that are not legal e-bikes. California recognizes three legal classes of e-bikes. Class 1 and class 2 provide pedal assistance up to 20 miles an hour, while class 3 bikes provide pedal assist and can go up to 28. Riders on class 3 bikes must be at least 16 years old. Strauss says confusion starts when manufacturers market high-speed electric motorcycles as e-bikes, leaving many buyers unaware they're purchasing a vehicle that isn't legal to ride like a bicycle. Unlike legal e-bikes, those electric motorcycles belong on the roadway and can travel faster than bicycles, up to 90 miles per hour. In Santa Cruz, principal transportation planner, Claire Gloke, says they're seeing the same problem. She says while police do enforce laws against illegal e-motos, enforcement alone isn't enough. That's why Santa Cruz has partnered with local schools on launching e-bike safety programs. We know that our climate action plan has set a really ambitious goal to achieve a 23% bike mode share by 2030 and 30% by 2035. And in order to get there, we really do need to lean in and say yes to e bikes. Saying yes includes protected bike lanes, slower neighborhood streets, and connected trail networks that give riders safer places to travel. Dave Gaisal manages epicenter cycling just steps away from Monterey's recreation trail. He says the region already has a huge head start. We are blessed with is the infrastructure for bikes here. And while roads often get congested, e-bikes have an alternative. There's never a traffic jam on the recreation trail. As e-bike use grows, officials say rules shouldn't change every time a rider crosses a city line. Both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are working on plans that will coordinate across borders. Here's Glogley again. We see a huge number of people who are now riding. We see a huge number of people who want to ride, and we see e-bikes as being...

really the tool that's there that people are saying would help them change their behavior, would help them get around outside their car, would help their kids be more mobile. She says the goal isn't simply building more bike lands. It's creating a transportation system that makes it easier for people to leave their cars at home. Because the end goal isn't restricting e-bikes. It's building a system where they can thrive safely. And that comes down to three things. targeting illegal electric motorcycles, teaching safe riding early, and building streets where everyone feels safe on two wheels. That was Jillian Smith. That's it for Monterey Bay this week. This episode was produced by me, Aaron Malsbury. It was reported by me, Katie Brown, Jillian Smith, and Amy Péter Magyar, our news director who also edited this week's episode. Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week with more local news. Have a great weekend.