This Week on the Central Coast…
Another new airline, more awards for local restaurants, books donated, a new mural, and more. A great week of news!
Monterey
A New Airline is Coming to Monterey Regional Airport
Sun Country Airlines of Minneapolis, Minnesota will be the newest addition to Monterey Regional Airport. The new flight will take passengers to and from Minneapolis - Saint Paul Airport (MSP), which was recently awarded Most On-Time Airport by the aviation analytics company Cirium. The flight takes about five and a half hours and costs an average of $300 for a round trip.
Minneapolis - Saint Paul is full of art and regional parks. While there, you can visit the Mall of America, the Minnesota Zoo, and watch a Twins game at Target Field.
The Village Project received a donation of 1,300 books from The National Charity League. “The Village Project, Inc. (TVPI) was founded to meet the needs of the underserved African-American community.” The organization also provides services to the Black Indigenous People of Color and LGBTQ+ communities.
TVPI operates across the country to help people who are “historically unserved, underserved, or inappropriately served by mental health and educational systems in Monterey County” by providing free counseling, educational assistance, and other health services. “When I heard that we were receiving 1300 books my mind was like, 'Oh, we need a bigger library.’”
The donating party, the Monterey Chapter of The National Charity League, is an organization that aims “to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development, and cultural experiences.” The group also donated 1,200 books last month.
If you would like to donate, you can do so for The Village Project here and The National Charity League here.
Distinguished Restaurant Award Presented to Sardine Factory
The 2024 Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA) Gold Award of Excellence was awarded to The Sardine Factory. The restaurant has received the DiRoNA award every year since 1993, when it was one of the first to receive it. Now, they will be one of the first to receive the Gold award.
The new level of achievement recognizes a restaurant’s “outstanding menu, curated wine and cocktail selections, impeccable service and fine dining ambiance.” The Sardine Factory is one of sixteen restaurants in the US to receive the gold accolade, and the only one in California.
The DiRoNA award is given to restaurants that pass an anonymous 75-point inspection created by Cornell University. It is the only independent and anonymous restaurant evaluation system in North America.
Last week, Catalyst Cannabis Marina unveiled a new mural at the back of their building. The mural is an homage to Gerry Low-Sabado, a Chinese American born and raised in Monterey. After learning of her ancestry and the struggles they faced with discriminatory laws, “Low-Sabado dedicated her life to telling this untold story, promoting diversity, inclusion and social justice”.
After Low-Sabado died in 2021, Pacific Grove decided to end the Feast of Lanterns, which the activist had been politely asking them to modify for years. A few months later, the council “voted to issue a formal apology for the burning of the Chinese fishing village, as well as other injustices against Chinese Americans”.
The mural was created by Seaside-local Hanif Panni. Catalyst Cannabis Marina reached out to the artist after being impressed with his work. Panni decided on Low-Sabado as his subject on the advice of his wife who spent some time writing about her activism. Panni expressed his joy of representing marginalized voices through art. “I enjoy representing stories and telling stories from perspectives where sometimes those stories don't get the loudest voice historically.”
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz Metro to Expand Its Service
In the fall of this year, Santa Cruz METRO is planning to expand its services and rework its transit network to better serve the community. Key aspects of the plan include “frequent (15-minute) service in various areas such as east Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos, and Watsonville.” Santa Cruz METRO plans to align these frequencies across weekdays and weekends to ensure consistent service.
Route 90X will be offered all day, everyday, express service between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. Other routes are being created in order to make traveling between UC Santa Cruz and Cabrillo College more convenient. Santa Cruz METRO hopes to continue to optimize its services to fit the evolving needs of the community.