7,200 made it in the gates to see Bernie Sanders in Monterey

Bernie Sanders fans wait for his to speak at Colton Hall in Monterey, Calif. on Tuesday May 31, 2016. (David Royal - Monterey Herald)


Monterey >> Nancy Williams, the city of Monterey's director of sales and events, said about 7,200 people made it in the gates to see Sen. Bernie Sanders speak in front of Colton Hall on Tuesday. But that doesn't mean the crowd count of 7,800 originally reported was wrong.

"We had about 7,200 inside the gated-off section of Colton Hall and Pacific Street there," Williams said. "Then my understand is there was approximately 600 more in the exterior there."

Spectators lined Calle Principal and other nearby streets to get a glimpse of the presidential candidate and hear his speech. 

Williams said the rally was one of the largest events she can remember at Colton Hall, adding the Fourth of July celebration usually brings out a couple of thousand people approximately, though she was uncertain on the exact number.  

"I don't think we've every had anything that large in the history that I know of," she said.  

Click here for video of Sanders' chat with The Herald before the rally and click here for photos of the rally.  

Tommy Wright can be reached at 831-726-4375. Follow him on Twitter @wrightscribe and like him on Facebook.

Monterey's birthday, by the pound

John Lotz and Sal Ferrante volunteer in the barbecue area during La Merienda in 2013.
(Vern Fisher/Monterey Herald)

Monterey's annual birthday party, La Merienda, has as its centerpiece a barbecue lunch served by local luminaries. The head of the barbecue committee, restaurateur Chris Shake, and Old Fisherman’s Grotto executive chef Juan Ponce are tasked with serving an estimated 400 people this year. Just how much food is that? Shake provided a breakdown:

* 275 steaks
* 125 pounds of chicken breast
* 60 pounds of mild Italian sausage
* 100 pounds of salmon (that's 400 4 oz. pieces)
* 110 pounds of shrimp
* 6 hotel pans each of fresh fruit, pasta salad and roasted sweet corn
* 8 hotel pans of mixed salad (the ingredients, because it sounds tasty: mango, papaya, candied walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette)
* 75 loaves of garlic bread
* 7 gallons of salsa
* 10 gallons of chili beans

La Merienda takes place at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the Memory Garden at Custom House Plaza. Tickets are $55-$65 and can be purchased at museumofmonterey.org/lamerienda.

Two Monterey High School jazz musicians take center stage

Akili Bradley, left, and Marina Panzetta.

Two Monterey High School juniors who have been sitting in with jazz pros at the Hyatt Regency Monterey will be the center of attention Friday night as the Fireplace Lounge's featured performers.

Saxophonist Marina Panzetta and trumpeter Akili Bradley have made quite the impression on Hyatt jazz director and drummer in residence David Morwood.

They've studied with Monterey Jazz Festival clinicians and jammed with professional musicians during the hotel's weekly jazz program.

And their confidence is unshakable.

“I remember the weekend of the jazz festival, the room was packed with professional musicians and sophisticated fans," Morwood said. "They walked right up to me and said, ‘We want to play a Herbie Hancock tune, "Cantaloupe Island."' ... ‘They were so confident and clear and they knew what they wanted to do. They sat in with the professional band behind them and they held their own and really made the tune swing.”

They continued to practice and improve, he said, so “at a certain point I realized I wasn’t doing them any favors by having them sit in.”

He challenged them to come up with a list of 15 jazz tunes to play while backed up by a professional rhythm section. They came up with a mix of bebop, swing, jazz and bossa nova.

The program is from 7-10 p.m. It's what Morwood calls a Las Vegas-style set, with the house band -- Morwood, Gary Meek on keyboards and Billy Bosch on bass -- playing a few tunes, followed by Marina and Akili playing seven or eight songs. That format will repeat after an intermission.

State estimate shows Monterey County grew by 1 percent in 2015

The University Village Apartments in Marina was completed in 2014. Marina's population grew by 2.4 percent in 2015. Vern Fisher — Monterey Herald

Monterey >> According to provisional estimates from the California Department of Finance, Monterey County's population grew 1 percent in 2015 from 432,637 to 437,178.

Soledad's population grew by 3 percent, the largest growth rate in the county and one of the 16 highest growth rates in the state, going from 24,809 to 25,556. A news release from the Department of Finance explained Soledad was among the cities that experienced some of the largest proportional population gains in 2015 due to increases in local correctional facilities. The Salinas Valley State Prison is located in the city.

Greenfield's population grew at a similar rate to Soledad, expanding 2.9 percent from 16,947 to 17,446 in 2015. Marina's population expanded by 2.4 percent from 20,496 to 20,982.

The only city in Monterey County that saw its population shrink was Seaside, where the number dropped 0.3 percent from 34,185 to 34,071. Only 43 other municipalities in the state saw their population decline.

The city of Monterey saw minor population growth, increasing 0.1 percent from 28,576 to 28,610. Pacific Grove grew 0.7 percent from 15,251 to 15,352. Sand City's population grew a whopping five people, increasing 1.3 percent from 376 to 381. Carmel expanded 0.2 percent from 3,824 to 3,833. Del Rey Oaks added 11 people to grow 0.7 percent (1,655 to 1,666).

Salinas, the county seat and by far the largest city in the county, added about 1,500 people to increase its population 1 percent (159,486 to 161,042). Gonzales grew 0.7 percent from 8,411 to 8,473. King City's population grew 1.5 percent, going from 14,008 to 14,221.

The rest of the county expanded 0.9 percent from 104,613 to 105,545.

The state's population grew by 0.9 percent, adding 348,000 residents to the new total of 39,256,000. San Joaquin County grew the most (over 1.3 percent), followed by Yolo, Riverside, and Santa Clara counties, which all expanded by just under 1.3 percent. Los Angeles, the state's largest city, added more than 50,000 people to break the 4 million mark for the first time (4,031,000).

San Jose, with a population of 1,042,000, added more than 12,000 people, while San Francisco, with a population of 867,000, added more than 9,000 people in 2015.

The population estimates are produced annually by the Department of Finance for use by local areas to calculate their annual appropriations limit.

California Department of Pesticide Regulation to host meeting in Spreckels

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will host a  workshop in Monterey County to hear ideas on how to notify residents living around agricultural fields when fumigants are applied.

Fumigants are gaseous pesticides injected into the ground before a crop is planted. Increasingly, the public wants to know what chemicals are being applied around them. California grows much of the nation’s produce and growers rely on these chemicals to attack pests that would otherwise destroy their crops.

“People have become a lot more conscious about what chemicals are used to grow their food in the fields that are around them. And it is essential that we take the time to listen about how best to notify them when these pesticides are used,” said DPR Director Brian Leahy.

DPR is now seeking to standardize the notification of these rules on a statewide basis by creating a new regulation. The two workshops will enable the department to gather input from stakeholders to help determine what notification is appropriate for these fumigations.

The new regulation DPR is developing would lay out how people living near areas to be fumigated should be notified. In particular DPR would like to hear:

• When and under what circumstances such notifications should be made;

• What is the appropriate distance, between the treated field and residents, that requires notification;

• What other information the notice should include.

The Monterey County workshop will take place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on April 12 at the Spreckels Veterans Memorial Building, 90 5th Street, Spreckels. For more information, visit the California Department of Pesticide Regulation here.

Downtown Monterey's new conference center now scheduled to fully debut in early 2017

While more asbestos than expected was recently discovered during the demolition process of Monterey's conference center, City Manage Mike McCarthy said he doesn't really see it as a setback for the project overall.

“I can't say for certain how long the delays will be,” said McCarthy. “I'm looking at the final project rather than its timing.”

While the city had found the toxic material prior to construction beginning and thought they had mitigated it, it ultimately turned up in other areas.

“We did a variety of testing before the project started to learn where it may be,” explained McCarthy. “In peeling back the layers, you're sometimes going to find issues.”

Originally, the city hoped to debut the center's new first floor in late 2016 and the second floor in early 2017. Now, instead of the staggered opening, the new $50 million conference center will open in its entirety in early 2017.

“I hate to give time frames only because we're still in the demo stages of project,” said McCarthy. “We think a single delivery date is actually better.”

The original conference center was constructed in 1977 and hasn't had a major renovation since. The remodeled conference center will have many technological upgrades and a LEED Certified Silver rating for energy efficiency.

“We've started revitalization of the downtown for the last couple of years but the conference center is the heart of downtown and we're expecting an increase in the number and type of conferences we get,” said McCarthy. “It's going to be a building that businesses and residents can be proud of .”

Speed limits, garage sales and election terms addressed this week by city councils

Tuesday’s Herald featured a rundown of some of the highlights from this week’s city council meetings. Here’s some more details from the agendas:

Pacific Grove, Wednesday. 6 p.m. :

-The council is expected to adopt an ordinance establishing some reductions in speed limits, including changing Central Avenue (from the east city limit line to Fourth Street) from 30 mph 25 mph. Other changes include reducing Sinex Avenue from Congress Avenue to the 17 Mile Drive from 30 mph to 25 mph. The same change would take place for a segment on Lighthouse Avenue from Asilomar Avenue to the 17 Mile Drive.

-The  ordinance to allow more outdoor dining on city sidewalks will go before the council. After a year-long pilot study testing how outdoor dining would work in the downtown, Community and Economic Development Director Mark Brodeur suggests that the city goes ahead and allows more sidewalk seating and dining in the city.

- The city will consider releasing donations from its stewardship fund for the Library Renewal Project. The fund was established in May of 2012 for the purpose of future capital improvements to the Pacific Grove Public Library by an agreement between the city, the Friends of the Pacific Grove Public Library and the Pacific Grove Public Library Foundation.

Monterey, Tuesday, 4 p.m.

-The Transportation Agency of Monterey County (TAMC) will present more information about the proposal for a sales tax measure.

-The city will consider creating regulations for garage sales.

Seaside, Thursday, 7 p.m.

The Seaside City Council will also consider and possibly approve adding two classifications to the Position Control List for Recreation Director and Human Resources Director and establish the salary for each position.

The council will also consider accepting the Assignment of Exclusive Negotiating Agreement from Seasons Management LLC to Seaside Senior Living. Seasons has an ENA with the city for a proposed senior living and memory care facility at the “Shopette” site at 550 Monterey Road on Fort Ord.

Marina, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

The Marina City Council will also be receiving its Mid-Year Fiscal report and will consider authorizing the finance director to make appropriate accounting and budgetary entries and provide city staff with any further direction.

The council will consider adopting a resolution that changes the term for election of the mayor to four years starting with the 2018 election results and placing the matter on the 2016 election ballot or consider a different process for selecting the mayor. City staff and the city attorney may be asked to provide the council with information and time schedule to complete the process.

Ex-NAACP head, Peninsula native Ben Jealous to endorse Bernie Sanders

Ben Jealous speaks at the Panetta Institute in Monterey on April 20, 2015. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

Ben Jealous, the former head of the NAACP who grew up on the Monterey Peninsula, is poised to endorse Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee for president, CNN reported Thursday.

Jealous, 43, is set to appear with Sanders in New Hampshire to announce his support before the Feb. 9 primary.

Said CNN:

"The endorsement is a potential boost to Sanders who has struggled to gain traction among African-American voters, though he has made small gains on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton, according to recent polls."

Jealous, who comes from a family of civil rights crusaders, was educated locally at Ord Terrace Elementary School in Seaside, Pacific Grove Middle School and York School in Monterey. He was elected head of the NAACP in 2008 -- the youngest leader in its history -- and served for four years.

He is currently a partner at the Oakland-based Kapor Center for Social Impact, a venture capital firm whose stated focus is creating opportunities and leveling the playing field for young minorities who are interested in entering the field of information technology.

Celebrities excited for AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

While fan favorite Bill Murray remains unsure if he will be able to play in next week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as his hand mends from surgery, tournament director Steve John remains excited about the current lineup of celebrities.

John explained the excitement for the tournament goes both ways. He said Tuesday he recently received a text message from "The Big Bang Theory" actor Kunal Nayyar, who will play in the tournament for the first time next week.

"He said, 'One more week! Getting very excited. Ran into (Jason) Dufner at the Lakers game, ran into Kenny G at Lakeside (Golf Club) and ran into Mark Wahlberg at Riviera (Country Club). All we did was talk about the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am,' " John said, reading the message. "That's great! You hope that they're as excited as we are to have them and in so many cases they are this year. Wahlberg was up here last week playing all three courses last week; practice rounds. (Justin) Timberlake came in September with some friends to play practice rounds."

Comedian Daniel Lawrence Whitney, better known as Larry the Cable Guy, made his debut at last year's Pro-Am. John said Whitney told him last year that all he wanted was to meet Clint Eastwood. Since then, John said the comedian, who quickly became a fan favorite, has been working on his golf game.

"Last year, he was pretty much an 18 handicap," John said. "This year, he's a 15. So he's improved his game, he's playing more, he's very serious about it. You think he's not, but he's a grinder."

Speaking of Eastwood, the Academy Award-winning actor and director returns to the 3M Celebrity Challenge, played the day before the opening round on Feb. 10, for his second consecutive year after taking a 10-year break.

"He wants to play," John said. "He's got Nick Faldo on the bag again. Nick called him and asked him if he could do it again and of course, why wouldn't he. Clint wants to play and it's great! It's wonderful to have the chairman of the board playing."

Eastwood, a Carmel resident, is the chairman of the board of directors for the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, which organizes the tourney.

The Pro-Am gets started with practice rounds on Monday and the Chevron Shoot-Out featuring the San Francisco Giants and 49ers on Tuesday before the 3M Celebrity Challenge the following day. The actual tournament runs Feb. 11-14.

Ray Romano gets a laugh out of Clint Eastwood, who put on the caddie bib while changing places with his caddie Nick Faldo on the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, during the 3M Celebrity Challenge on Feb. 11, 2015, at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

Elderly female population becoming a larger part of the homeless demographic

While the Monterey City Council on Tuesday finally determined that one of the city's parking lots would make an appropriate location for the One Starfish safe parking program, one resident who has worked with the homeless women who will benefit from such a program also made a salient point during the meeting's public comment period.

“Thank you, council members and mayor, for putting time and attention and real effort into this,” said Linda Frederiksen, a volunteer at The Gathering Place, a refuge in Monterey for unsheltered women. “Having worked in The Gathering Place and having met hundreds of homeless women I just wanted to represent them and say 'Thank you.'”

Frederiksen went on to emphasize that these women do not meet the all too often stereotype of homeless people having problems with drugs and mental illness. Instead she pointed to the increasing population of elderly women living at the poverty level and lower in the city and surrounding area.

“Twenty-five percent of homeless women in this community are 65 years and older,” Frederiksen continued. “These are not transient women who all of a sudden are here. They have paid their taxes and have raised children here.”