Daily news from Monterey County Weekly |
| |
|
A lifelong voter recalls casting her first ballot for JFK—and in every election since. Good afternoon. Among all the bureaucratic things we have to do in this world, registering to vote is perhaps the easiest. It takes just a few minutes. You can do it online from your couch. And yet, only 83 percent of eligible voters in Monterey County are registered to vote. Of those, only 73.8 percent showed up to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Officials at the Monterey County Elections Office have spent their careers trying to get these numbers higher. And Marilyn Benson has spent her lifetime wondering why it isn’t higher. Benson, who is 82 and lives in Castroville, cast her first ballot in 1960 for John F. Kennedy for president. And she says she’s voted in every single election since then, primaries and general elections, midterms and presidential years, for local and state candidates and for ballot measures and school bonds. This is the first year she’ll vote by mail and she says she’ll miss going to the polls, but due to her age she’s staying in to avoid possible exposure to Covid-19. (She plans to drop off her ballot at the county Elections Office in Salinas, as an outing with her friend of 46 years.) “I always believed that you have a responsibility, it’s not just a right to vote,” Benson says. “I have always felt that it was a privilege to be an American. I came from a family that debated a lot of politics around the kitchen table.” She moved as a baby with her family at the tail end of the Great Depression from Wisconsin to San Francisco, then to Marin County. She got married at 18 and moved with her husband to a town of 750. She worked as a nurse in Salinas and union steward for decades, until she was laid off at age 73. But it’s her longer-term family history, she says, that ties her to political engagement: Her mother’s side of the family traces their roots all the way back to Plymouth and fought in the American Revolution. Benson’s three living children all vote, and so do her seven grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. She’s pleased about that, even though they don’t all agree politically. “I like telling them, you vote the dictates of your conscience, not the dictates of mine.” I spoke to Benson in anticipation of today, National Voter Registration Day (every fourth Tuesday in September). If you’re eligible and you’re not already registered to vote, register. If you know someone eligible to register who’s not registered, encourage them to do so. If you know someone who’s thinking of sitting this election out, with high-stakes elections from your local school board and water board all the way up to White House, tell them 82-year-old Marilyn Benson doesn’t have patience for their excuses. “You’ve got a long life ahead of you. The mistakes that are made now, you are going to live with a lot longer than I am,” she says. “Those people that sat out the 2016 election because they didn’t like Hillary Clinton, or they thought she was going to win anyway—no, every single vote matters. “I never thought the United States of America would be in the mess we’re in,” she says. “Not just the pandemic, but politically, we’ve never been this polarized. I think if our Framers came back, they would be shocked at what we’ve done to it. We all have to take responsibility—we all have to get out and vote.” Whatever your politics, that’s something we should all be able to agree on. -Sara Rubin, editor, sara@mcweekly.com . |
|
|
*Percentage change from the prior day. Sources: Monterey County Health Department, Los Angeles Times, Covid Tracking Project, Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
|
|
Royal Oaks Produce Delivery - Local, organic produce, fresh pasta & artisan products delivered to your doorstep. (831) 204-2116 Osteria Al Mare Live Music Thurs. 4-6pm. Outdoor Dining overlooking the Bay and Take Out, Tuesday-Sunday: Lunch 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner 4:30-9:30pm. Order online for 20% Off Take Out, Click Here. 831.920.2833, 32 Cannery Row, Monterey Whaling Station Steakhouse Open Everyday at 4:30pm for Outdoor Dining in the "Prime Pavilion" and Takeout. Click here for menus. (831) 373-3778, 763 Wave St, Monterey The Sardine Factory Join us for dinner in The Sardine Factory Pavilion! Open from 4:30pm daily. Click here for menus, details and reservations. 701 Wave Street, Monterey, 831-373-3775 Beach House at Lovers Point, 620 Ocean View, PG Open Daily with Outdoor Dining (limited seating) and Takeout 4pm. Sunset Supper and other house specialties plus 25% off bottles of wine. Click for menu (831) 375-2345. Russo’s Produce offers wholesale quality produce and specialty foods from local businesses. Order online and swing by for same-day no-contact pickup. The future of grocery shopping is at Russo’s. 120 Calle Del Oaks, Del Rey Oaks. 831-899-2022 Tarpy’s Roadhouse Open Daily from 11:30am to 8pm on the spacious Outdoor Patio, plus takeout. Click here for menus. (831) 647-1444, 2999 Monterey Salinas Hwy, Monterey. Rio Grill Open daily from 11:30am to 8pm on the new Outdoor Patio and takeout. Click here for menus. (831) 625-5436, 101 Crossroads Blvd., Carmel. Montrio Bistro Open every day at 4:30pm for Outdoor Patio Dining plus takeout from 5-9pm. Click here for menus. (831) 648-8880, 414 Calle Principal, Monterey. Abalonetti on the Wharf. Outdoor Dining and Takeout Everyday Noon-7pm. Serving Monterey's Best Calamari plus seafood, pasta & more. Click here (831) 373-1851 Sandbar & Grill on Wharf #2, Outdoor dining (limited seating) and takeout Noon-8pm daily. Call (831) 373-2818 for reservations and takeout orders. Click here. Estéban Restaurant Experience the Monterey Jazz Festival virtually Sept. 25-27 with a 3-course jazz inspired prix-fixe menu. Outdoor Patio Dining; Sun-Thur 4:30-8:30pm, Fri & Sat till 9pm.Takeout & Delivery nightly 4:30pm, Click for menus. 831-375-0176, 700 Munras Ave, Monterey Melville Tavern Outdoor Dining and Takeout! Wood Fired Pizzas, Burgers, Pasta, Salads & more. Open Mon-Fri 11:30am, Sat & Sun 10am. Click For Menu, 831.643.9525, 484 Wash. St, Monterey Advertise here for $49 for 12 words / +$10 xlarge / +$1 add'l. word Email sales@mcweekly.com or call 831-394-5656. |
|
|
LOCAL INSPIRATION of the day, Seaside firefighters rescue Lulu, photographed by Susanna Margelin. Submit your Local Inspiration(digital art, music, multimedia, video, etc.; please include the medium you’ve used, and note when and where it was created.) |
The photographer’s dog, Lulu, dug through sand in the backyard and got stuck under the deck. The Seaside Fire Department responded and broke through to rescue her. “They were so kind and gentle and loving, and talked to her in cute little voices that were comforting her,” Susanna Margelin says. The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation has helped 316 businesses secure immediate response services, including helping secure $7 million for 143 local small business owners through various grant and loan programs. Continue the aid, by donating. |
|
|
BEST OF MONTEREY BAY® REAL ESTATE |
Monterey: 250 Forest Ridge Rd #68 | $539,000 | 2br 2ba | Filtered views of the Pacific, new flooring, gas fireplace, oversized deck, spacious en-suite with updated bathroom vanity and walk-in closet. Melissa Radowicz, Compass 831.320.7961 Monterey: 500 Glenwood Cir. #433 | $474,000 | 2br/2ba | Top floor, light and bright condo with a skyline forest view in the Monterey Sunbelt. Tastefully updated with a fireplace, private patio, and covered parking. Andrew Phillips, Phillips Real Estate 831.372.8092 Marina: 3219 Vista Del Camino | $699,950 | 3br 1/1ba | Well-kept home with sunroom, radiant floors, gourmet kitchen indoors, hardwood floors, and fireplace. Marina Beach Real Estate 831.384.6565 Seaside: 1146 Birch Ave #98 | $289,000 | 2br/2ba | Spacious, light, bright and airy 2019 Karsten Avalon home. Avalon Bay flooring, W/D, and security system. 55+. Doree Hyland, Mont Grove Realty 831.521.5595 Complete List of Properties for Sale https://realestate.montereycountyweekly.com/ |
|
|
We welcome your comments, feedback and tips. - News: Send news tips and story ideas
- Letters: Letters and comments to the editor
- ETC. Photo: Share a recent horizontal photo of people or places in Monterey County
- Calendar: Ideas for local arts, music, culture and cool livestreams
- Eat+Drink: Restaurant updates, chef news, cocktail discoveries and culinary bites
- Local Inspiration: Share your art, music and video
- Whistleblower: An encrypted form for off-the-record tips
- Squid: Send tips to our omnipresent cephalopod columnist
|
|
|
| |