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.

Police chiefs to retire in Monterey County's two largest cities

Seaside Police Chief Vicki Myers shown here at a news conference at the Monterey Police Station in 2015, announced she will retire in May 2017.  (Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)

Seaside >> When Seaside Police Chief Vicki Myers announced Monday she will retire in May 2017, it meant the two largest cities in Monterey County will have new top cops in the next year.

Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin announced last month he plans on retiring in October. Pacific Grove and King City also have police chief openings. Myers said she spoke with McMillin while considering when to retire.

"We had different idle conversations and we jokingly have said, 'Police officers who don't retire when they can, it's because they're bad at math,' " Myers said. "We just talked about it and he said he was looking at (retirement) for different reasons and I know that he was going to meet with (the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training). He talked about it and the different things and opportunities; you just kind of talk about those things."

When he announced his retirement, McMillin explained it wouldn't make financial sense for him to continue in the position. Like Myers, he said he looks forward to being able to spend more time with family and friends.

Myers mentioned it was time to make way for a "new generation of leadership" in Seaside in a press release announcing her retirement. A majority of the police chief positions in Monterey County will have turned over in the past few years once she retires.

Monterey Police Chief Dave Hober took over as the permanent chief less than a year ago and Greenfield selected Adele Frese to head its police department in 2014. Brian Ferrante took over as Sand City chief in 2015, 

When Reuters spoke to the Police Executive Research Forum in December, the nonprofit group told the news organization that big city police chiefs last an average of 2.5 to 3.5 years on the job. Police chiefs of smaller cities last an average of just over four years. According to the 335 chiefs surveyed by PERF, their predecessors lasted slightly longer, from five to six years.

By the time Myers plans on retiring in May 2017, she will have been on the job 6.5 years. McMillin will have been chief for about 4.5 years when he retires.

Former NAACP head Ben Jealous to speak at Seaside Bernie Sanders rally

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

Seaside >> Ben Jealous, the former president and CEO of the NAACP, will speak Saturday in Seaside at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, according to a post on the Sanders website.

Jealous, 43, announced his endorsement of Sanders in February. The Monterey Peninsula native will give two commencement speeches earlier Saturday at CSU Monterey Bay.

While the Sanders website lists the location of the rally as to be determined, it lists the time of the event as 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. A post on the Monterey Bay for Bernie Sanders Facebook group by page admin Natalie Gray states: "We have a Yuuggge event coming on Saturday, May 21st, at 6 PM. Venue is being locked down, but save the date. : )"

The event listing on the Sanders website states other speakers will also be featured during the rally.

Graduates from the CSUMB's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Business will listen to Jealous' speech at the 10 a.m. commencement. The 3 p.m. event featuring Jealous will honor graduates from the College of Education, the College of Health Sciences and Human Services and the College of Science. Both will be take place at Freeman Stadium on campus.

CSUMB will award Jealous, and Panetta Institute CEO Sylvia Panetta, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremonies.

Jealous endorsed Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Jimmy Panetta in the House race for retiring Rep. Sam Farr's (D-Carmel) seat in Congress. Panetta's parents are Sylvia Panetta and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Before Farr took the seat in 1993, Leon Panetta represented the Central Coast in Congress. Bill Clinton selected Panetta as his director of the Office of Management and Budget in 1993.

"Jimmy Panetta is a good man, a dedicated public servant, and leads with courage and integrity," Jealous said in a quote posted on Panetta's website. "He is committed to inclusion and will serve the Central Coast and our Country well in Congress."

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.

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.

Tami Huntsman, Gonzalo Curiel make court appearance on murder, torture, child abuse charges

Public defender Jared Jefferson looks on as Tami Huntsman, 39, covers her face as she and Gonzalo Curiel, 17, top, are led away after their arraignment at the Monterey County Courthouse in Salinas, Calif. on January 8, 2016. The pair are being charged with murder and child abuse after two children were found in a storage locker in Redding. (David Royal - Monterey Herald)

Salinas >> Tami Huntsman and Gonzalo Curiel appeared in Monterey County Superior Court Wednesday for proceedings in the murder, torture and child abuse case against them.

Curiel's attorney requested for the search warrants in the case to be sealed for an extended period of time. Steve Somers, Monterey County deputy district attorney, said the judge hasn't made a ruling yet.

Hunstman's attorney filed a writ in the 6th District and documents in the case were transferred to the California 6th District Court of Appeal.

Huntsman, 39, and Curiel, 18, face multiple charges of murder, torture, child abuse and conspiracy in connection with the deaths of 6-year-old Shaun Tara and 3-year-old Delylah Tara, whose bodies were found in a Redding storage unit in December, and the severe abuse and torture of their 9-year-old sister. All three of the children were in Huntsman’s custody.

The two sides will be back in court at 1:30 p.m. May 11 for a calendar call and the preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 23.

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)