This Week on the Central Coast
Seaside is getting its own Walk of Fame, a Salinas program got a grant for homeless youth, a local filmmaker was nominated for an Oscar, and the Aquarium weighs in on an Act meant to protect the coast
Seaside hopes to have its own Walk of Fame
The “Broadway Walk of Fame” would be made in honor of residents who have made a positive impact on the community. If the walkway is approved, it would be featured on Broadway Avenue and could happen sometime this year. Applications would open in March and would be submitted to the city for approval in June.
The city is still unsure if the award will be a physical star cemented in the ground or if some other design should be used. The city counsel suggested seeing a model of what the design would look like.
Monterey County Received a grant to help with homeless youth
“As of 2019 Monterey County has over 300 unaccompanied youth … who are facing housing insecurity. Ninety-one percent are homeless and 9% are in shelters.” The Salinas Valley Outreach Program, which helps homeless youth aged 18-24, is part of Monterey County Community Human Services. The program’s counselors visit homeless camps and provide survival resources, such as food and water, in exchange for help with finding youth who would benefit from the program.
Human Services received $2.25 million and will use the money to help fund the employment of Outreach counselors for the next five years. Human Services says the grant is a welcome gift that will allow the county to help homeless youth at a time when that population is rising.
A Salinas native was nominated for an Oscar
Michael Rianda wrote and directed Mitchells vs. The Machines, which he says was mostly based on his own family. The movie follows the Mitchell family on a road trip that turns into a mission to save the Earth.
Rianda graduated from Palma High School before studying character animation at the California Institute of the Arts. Rianda watched his nomination announcement live with his family in Salinas. You can cheer for Rianda at the 94th Academy Awards on ABC on March 27.
The California Seabed Mining Protection Act
The Monterey Bay Aquarium estimates that there are up to ten million species living in the deep sea. Seabed mining targets resources which are found deep undersea, such as copper and nickel, and are used to make electric car batteries. Fortunately, these are not commonly found in California. However, gold and titanium are still important resources which could be sought after by miners. This excessive mining would threaten species living in our bay, both plants and animals. Additionally, mining could affect recreating, tourism, and fishing, all major drivers of income in California.
Currently, there is no mining happening in California, but the measure is meant to be a preemptive move to prevent any negative impacts before they happen. If the act is passed, seabed mining would be banned for up to three miles from the coastline and California would join Oregon and Washington, effectively protecting the entire west coast of the United States from mining.
Happy Valentines Day!
