Category: kion-local-news

Madison Wilber

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Street vendors in Monterey are pushing back against proposed ordinances that bring tighter restrictions to their trade.

The proposed changes impact vendor spacing, display height, operating hours and vending area dimensions; limiting the amount of merchandise they can display. 

“All of a sudden they’re going to cut my booth. You can look at the length of my booth, and they’ve never complained about my length, and they want to cut it down,” said Jesse Chisler, a vendor at the market. “How in the world is anybody going to be able to pay their bills in Monterey County with one table of merchandise?”

The city of Monterey said in their latest agenda that they are considering amendments to the sidewalk vending ordinance to align with state legislature and address local concerns, like citing safety and congestion.

“These new regulations will create a better spacing between vendors as well as define the space they can use for vending. These are new regulations which help the City to better enforce safe distances from the populated trails,” City Manager Hans Uslar said in a statement to KION News. “We have enforced our existing rules. These additional rules will be improving the overall sidewalk vending in this particular place.”

The vendors say they are confused because they claim there have never been any cited issues before now and disagrees with the city that they are enforcing the restrictions that are already in place.

‘Last summer was out of control in the summertime and they’ve never moderated, not you know, they come twice a year, the code enforcement guy,” Scott Powning, another vendor, said. “We need more involvement from the city then twice a year.”

James Burns, a vendor that has spoken up at multiple city council meetings, said there the city has no proof that the vendors have done anything wrong.

“We have not had any injuries. No insurance claims, no police action, no ticketing and no blocking of any emergency vehicle,” Burns said. “There is no reason for the city to they have no proof that we have caused any problems being here.”

What brings these vendors together is their desire to stay within the community and stay connected to their customers.

Daniel Arnendariz, a vendor that sells rocks and handmade jewelry said he has people from across the country make it a point to come to his stand once a year.

 “People that come here, they like to visit with me. A lot of people know me by name,” Arnendariz said.

Phillip Lindsey, another vendor, echoed Arnendariz and confirmed that the community makes a big difference,

“Locals that we know that come back all the time. They want it,” Lindsey said. “Someone will stand here for 45 minutes to an hour and just talk.”

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Victor Guzman

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (KION-TV) — Pacific Grove Police said they arrested two men for allegedly attempting to steal cash and cafeteria food from Pacific Grove Middle School.

Investigators said the report first came in around 7:40 am on July 17th.

When Police got there they said they found one of the windows into the cafeteria was broken.

Police said they followed a trail of blood from where the suspects entered but couldn’t find them.

Pacific Grove Unified School District was able to provide surveillance footage of the break-in leading to the suspects being identified by Pacific Grove Police as 23-year-old Gabriel Mario Guertin and 22-year-old Zachary Shelby Malone.

Police said the suspects tried stealing cash from several money tills in the cafeteria, but no money was reported stolen. Police said they later discovered a large quantity of food and food products was missing from the fridge and some was found dumped near Hillcrest Avenue.

Guertin and Malone are facing burglary and conspiracy charges.

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Madison Wilber

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — The “Good Trouble” anti-Trump protests took place all across the nation Thursday.

Salinas neighbors came out to protest throughout the streets, chanting and horn-blowing in support of protesting the federal government’s numerous policies.

“We’re standing up for the farmworkers, the immigrants and everyone that’s afraid right now,” said protester Olga Reyna. “There’s a lot of people that aren’t going to work. There are people that are afraid to walk around and it’s fear itself.”

“Never in my life did I anticipate that there would be such a breakdown in law as we have seen,” said protester Luis Jaramillo.

Some people agreeing if things don’t change soon within the country, there could be severe consequences, and that’s why they protest.

“I think a lot of well-meaning, regular people in America have been misled, and when they wake up from this, they’re going to realize that they got a bad hangover,” said protester Ray Nierlich. “This has been a shameful episode.”

More and more people showed up Thursday evening in Salinas to join the “Good Trouble” protest.

“Unless we raise our voices, as we are seeing here, and unless we assert our rights as citizens of the United States — as residents of the united states — we are bound to lose our democracy,” said one protester.

People saying that they came from all over the country to participate, many of them echoing the same principal: they are frustrated with the federal government and they feel as though an injustice is coming out of the White House.

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Mickey Adams

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) — The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its 2025 “Out of Reach” report Thursday on the high costs of housing around the nation.

The Santa Cruz-Watsonville area rated the least affordable location for a 3rd year in a row.

According to the report, the wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment on your own in Santa Cruz is over $81 dollars per hour.

Meanwhile, the Salinas area is listed as the 5th most expensive, with that apartment costing over $57 per hour.

And california is the least affordable state on average, taking just under 50 dollars an hour in income to afford a modest apartment.

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Katie Nicora

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — As “Big Week” officially kicks off in Salinas, people are expecting a lot of rodeo action, especially from the bull riding events.

However, there is an athlete who plays an essential role in the events, often going unnoticed. 

They are the bullfighters, mostly referred to as “rodeo clowns.”

Their role is to help the riders get out of the arena safely, often by luring the bull away or creating a barrier.

Bullfighters need exceptional agility and speed to dodge the animals’ powerful and unpredictable movements.

Riders say that without the help of the rodeo clowns, their risk of getting hurt would go up dramatically. 

“I think we all feel a little safer because they have been in the sport for so long and they are so talented, so fearless,” said Bullrider Coy Pollmeier. “I think none of us would be here — or we would probably be injured — and these bullfighters are probably the biggest thing for us bullriders.”

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Jeanette Bent

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION-TV) — UPDATE 4:14 p.m. July 24, 2025

Safeway has released the following statement to KION News about the impending strikes:

We remain committed to productive, good-faith negotiations with the UFCW locals in Northern California. We have scheduled bargaining sessions this week and continue to work with a federal mediator. While we are disappointed that the Unions have indicated the possibility of a strike at some of our stores, we fully respect our associates’ right to engage in collective bargaining.

We are working diligently to balance the needs of our associates and customers, maintain our position as a trusted choice in the market by delivering consistent value, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our business in a highly competitive grocery industry. We are hopeful a resolution will be reached soon, as we have in other parts of the country through successful collaboration with our union partners to secure agreements that recognize and reward our dedicated associates while supporting the company’s ongoing growth.

Throughout this process, our focus remains on providing exceptional service to our customers and fostering a positive, supportive work environment for our associates across the communities we serve.

Original Article from July 16

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 (UFCW5) confirmed to KION Wednesday that if the demands they’ve laid out to Safeway, Inc. (parent company of Albertsons) are not met, workers along the Central Coast may strike.

“This absolutely includes striking along the Central Coast,” one local UFCW5 representative said.

According to UFCW5, approximately 25,000 Safeway members are potentially getting ready to strike, depending on how negotiations between the union and company went during Wednesday’s meeting.

Since the meeting on Wednesday with a federal mediator, the two sides say they could not agree.

The union is now saying that another meeting is set for July 23, but a strike will be called if there’s no contract by midnight on July 25.

The union says they are asking for Safeway to honor their workers and dedication as well as the business success, saying that in December 2023, the company paid $4 billion in dividends to shareholders because of its strong profits.

Now, UFCSW is asking for a “reasonable contract” that includes pension and wage security that matches the high cost of living in this area.

In a statement, Safeway told KTVU: “We remain committed to engaging in good-faith discussions to reach a new agreement with UFCW locals. We are hopeful a resolution will be reached soon. We value our associates and the critical role they play in our success. We have put forward a strong offer that includes meaningful wage increases, continued investment in secure healthcare coverage, and the long-term stability of the pension plan, reflecting both the dedication of our associates and the real economic conditions facing our industry.”

The union said that after surveying members about a potential strike, 95% stated that they wanted to strike over “multiple unfair labor practices.”

The two institutions have been in negotiations over the past five months, with the official contract ending in April 2025.

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Sergio Berrueta

SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION-TV) — The City of Soledad officially appointed Patrick G. Valenzuela as its new Chief of Police Wednesday evening ahead of its special council meeting.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chief Patrick Valenzuela to Soledad,” said City Manager Megan Hunter. “His extensive experience, commitment to community safety, and leadership in law enforcement make him the perfect fit for this role.”

Valenzuela is from the Glendale Police Department in Arizona where he served since 1996. He also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as well as the U.S. Navy.

Before this, Valenzuela earned a Master’s degree in Leadership from Grand Canyon University as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Kaplan University.

“My promise to you is strong leadership and steadfast support as we work to uphold the highest standards of law enforcement,” said Valenzuela. “To our community, my pledge is simple: we will be visible, we will be responsive, and we will work tirelessly alongside you to address our challenges and celebrate our success.”

Soledad asks for public opinion for the next police chief via survey

SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION-TV) — The selection process for the next Soledad Police Chief may lie in the hands of community members with a new community survey.

Those living in Soledad can take the survey to give their say on what they hope to see in the next chief.

Longtime Soledad Police Chief Damon Wasson retired after serving 17 years at the Soledad Police Department, a part of his 36 years in law enforcement.

The five-question survey includes questions such as what skills are critical for the role, what leadership they should possess, and how the Chief should engage with the community.

It is available online in English and Spanish along with physical copies at City Hall. The survey will end on April 4th.

Soledad Deputy Chief Fred Lombardi is the interim chief as the city determines its pick for the role.

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Victor Guzman

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — Matt Merritt has been rolling around the rodeo circuit for more than 20 years, with multiple stops made at the California Rodeo Salinas.

In an interview with KION on Wake Up, Matt talks about some of his favorite moments and some of the hurdles he’s faced through his travels across all sorts of rodeos.

Big Week Bullriding and General Rodeo tickets are still available.

Bull riding is July 16 from 7 to 9 pm while rodeo times vary from July 17 to the 20th.

For tickets, click here

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Victor Guzman

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) — California Rodeo Salinas Chair Laurie LaVelle talks to KION about the Heritage Museum and some of the old pieces that make up the rodeo’s history.

From the large stage coach display to other displays dedicated to the rodeo queens, athletes and clowns, there’s plenty of history to look back on since the rodeo started in the early 1900’s.

The Heritage Museum is open 4 to 8:30 pm on July 17 and 18, plus 11 am to 4 pm on July 19 and 20. It’s also open by special appointment throughout the year.

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Victor Guzman

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) – One driver has suffered severe injuries following a five-vehicle crash late last night on Highway 1.

According to CHP, the crash happened around 11:55 p.m. as five vehicles crashed into one another. Each vehicle only had one driver with no passengers.

Injuries ranged from no injuries to major.

While the crash remains under investigation, DUI is suspected as a factor at this time.

Multi-vehicle crash causes Highway 1 closure near Aguajito Road

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Northbound Highway 1 is shut down near Aguajito Road after multiple vehicles were involved in a crash late Monday night.

The CHP says at least one person suffered major injuries following the crash.

CHP Dispatch says they’re diverting northbound traffic onto Highway 68. All lanes are still open on the southbound side of Highway 1.

CHP’s public dispatch log shows around 3 to 5 vehicles were involved.

This is a developing story

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