Cops, Cake & Calochortus: Mother’s Day on “Parcel B”

The little apples: How manzanita got its name.  Woollyleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos tomentosa) grows along the side of the “Parcel B” trail.

 

The Right to Hike folks, who’ve been working to maintain public access to the trail connecting Veterans and Quarry Parks in Monterey, have been in a mood to celebrate since the recent court decision confirming the public’s right to use the trail and the surrounding “Parcel B” for recreational purposes.

Driver who Killed Daniel Vasquez Cops a Plea

Just over two years ago, on February 9, 2007, our friend Daniel Vasquez was riding his bike home from work. He didn’t make it. Charles Seaborn, a man who’d been cited for drunk driving in the past, was once again driving drunk. Seaborn hit Daniel so hard that Daniel’s bike ended up embedded in the front of Seaborn’s Range Rover. But Seaborn didn’t stop. He left Daniel dying beside the road.

Court Rules in Favor of Public Access in Monterey Trail Dispute

Back in May, we took a look at the misguided efforts of some nearby homeowners to exclude the public from a Monterey trail that’s been in use for longer than anyone can remember.

Will New Ruling Inspire a Return to a Sane Affordable Housing Policy?

Moro Cojo Low-Income Housing Project Under Construction – California’s 6th District Court of Appeal has now ruled that low-income housing restrictions placed on these homes before they were sold are valid and enforceable.

2008 Year in Review

Well it’s been an interesting year, here at Xasáuan Today. We’ve looked at the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply problems and picked apart the county’s transportation dilemma. We’ve questioned development on eroding beaches and dissected the Light Brown Apple Moth. We’ve chimed in on local political issues. We’ve gone on some bike rides, examined some mushrooms, and even found time for a visit to Pat Springs.

But nothing gets attention quite like a fire.

MIRA Caretaker Charged with Battery & Interfering with a Firefighter during Basin Complex Fire

The Carmel Pine Cone is reporting that MIRA caretaker, Ivan Eberle (no fan of Xasauan Today), has been criminally charged with battery on a firefighter in the line of duty and interfering with a firefighter in the line of duty.

The High Cost of Life in the Surf Zone

Life on the beach: Monterey’s Ocean House Condos

We’re thinking of starting a betting pool. Exactly how much money will owners of doomed Monterey Beach properties like the Ocean House Condos and the Monterey Beach Hotel spend on trying to save them – and how much time will that money buy them – before they’re forced to throw in the towel?

On the War Path in Monterey – An Xasáuan Today Investigative Hike!

We brave Monterey’s infamous “Trail of Fears” to bring you the inside scoop on the vandalism, hooliganism, confrontations and beat-downs that beset this seemingly bucolic stroll through the woods.

Neighborhood Flash Point – Does simply walking Monterey’s Quarry/Veteran’s Park Trail constitute a breach of the peace? 

Moth Spray Blowback Begins

Yesterday might have been the beginning of the end for the California Department of Agriculture’s Light Brown Apple Moth Spraying program.

Castles in the Sand – Sand City’s Idiotic Drive to Build on a Vanishing Beach

While most Monterey County cities are desperately looking for ways to build up their commercial base (the only way to raise the revenue needed to provide vital services to their residents), Sand City, with its acres of parking lots and big box stores and only a handful of actual residents, is more of a commercial base in search of a population to support.