Dear Readers,

Almost 800 residents of Pajaro, near Watsonville, are suing Monterey County for the damage to their homes caused by flooding along the Pajaro River last winter. Kelly Nix reports.

In another one of those only-in-Carmel stories, homeowners on Junipero Street are trying to figure out what to do now that a pine has grown so large it’s damaging the roof and foundation of their second unit. Mary Schley has that one.

Craig Rose, who got into an altercation with the city administrator last fall and says he plans to run for mayor, has closed his downtown gallery. Chris Counts has the details.

Monterey’s requirement for landlords to register their rental units is now in effect. A man convicted of carjacking a taxi last fall has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. An investment firm has gotten a stay-away order against a man who has been called “unhinged and dangerous.” Jimmy Panetta visited one of the Israeli towns attacked by Hamas Oct. 7 and met with a woman the terrorist group kidnapped. The Monterey airport board took its first look at plans for a new terminal — could actual jetways be in our future? The city council will once again try to decide what to do about renovating the police station and Scout House. The longtime and pioneering head of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce is calling it quits. If you’d like to learn how to be a blacksmith, a Carmel Valley business is at your service. Speaking of Pajaro, another farmworker dormitory is in the permit process. Lake San Antonio has been stocked with trout for the first time since the 1980s. A 10-year-old from Carmel took first place in a sailing regatta. A pair of state ballot initiatives seek to legalize gambling and the recreational use of psychedelics. The rec trail’s famous magic shop is also offering seances (real ones). Dennis Taylor says speed on the court could be the key ingredient for the Stevenson girls basketball squad. Jerry Gervase tells why one of this year’s Christmas presents meant so much. And my editorial says while more and more people are offered free health care in California (now including undocumented immigrants), for people who have to pay, the prices continue going up and up and up.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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