This Week on the Central Coast…
Carmel-by-the-Sea continues its success in the restaurant scene while rethinking street addresses. Marina and Santa Cruz take steps to tackle homelessness, and a Chinese farming group visits Salinas.
Monterey
Chez Noir Semi-Finalist for Best New Restaurant
The accolades keep pouring in for Carmel’s newest Michelin-starred restaurant. Chez Noir is a semi-finalist for the prestigious 2024 “Best New Restaurant” James Beard award.
Even being nominated for the award is an honorable achievement as the organization only chooses establishments that show exceptional talent and achievement in culinary arts. The Awards Committee also takes into account a restaurant's commitment to equality, community, and sustainability.
Winners will be announced on April 10.
Carmel-by-the-Sea Considering Street Addresses (Again)
For years, residents and council members have argued that it’s the absence of house numbers that adds to the village charm. However, with the increase of home delivery services, such as DoorDash, Uber, Amazon, and even medicine delivery, the need for home addresses is far more important.
Additionally, having a home address will make it easier to receive common services, such as internet, water, gas, and electricity. Only time will tell if the city will move forward with this important, if not funny, decision.
Lead Me Home is an initiative led by The Coalition of Homeless Service Providers, which works to relieve the crisis of homelessness on the Central Coast. The initiative hopes to reduce homelessness by at least fifty percent over the next five years.
Lead Me Home helps cities by pooling resources from participating members and redistributing them as needed. They also help by developing consistent strategies across participating locations and promoting collaboration.
Marina is the fifth city to officially join the initiative. They now stand with Salinas, King City, Monterey, and Soledad in this effort to make a change.
Salinas
Chinese Food Processing and Agriculture Technology Group Visits Salinas
Last week, a delegation of twelve food and agriculture technology representatives from China visited Salinas. The visit was made possible by the International Cooperation Department of All Americas Inc. in Beijing. The Western Growers Association, city of Salinas, and the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce helped organize the group’s two-day tour.
During their visit, the group participated in economic development discussions, toured the agriculture and technology department at Hartnell college, a robotics demonstration at FarmWise, and visited a few local farms.
The visit overall could spark more collaboration within the agriculture industry, which would benefit both Salinas and China.
Santa Cruz
Housing Matters Bringing Permanent Supportive Housing to Santa Cruz
Local nonprofit Housing Matters is leading a new housing project in Santa Cruz called Harvey West Studios. The project will provide supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness in the county.
Housing Matters commented on their dedication to not only housing people, but also helping their residents in other aspects of their lives: “We are building housing that embraces the inherent value of every resident with onsite medical and behavioral health services and comprehensive case management to provide a dignified environment for residents to achieve long-term housing stability, health, and community integration.”
The building will be five stories with 120 units and will be located at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 9. The first residents are expected to move in in 2025.
If you or anyone you know needs help with housing in Santa Cruz County, you can find the organization’s contact information on their website.