FREE SPEECH
Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe social media has too much power in politics, while 55 percent say the same about news organizations. The recent Pew Research Center study of about 3,500 adults also found that 6 percent of respondents said social media has too little influence, compared to 14 percent about news organizations. Republicans and Democrats both similarly agreed on the influence of social media companies, yet they differed when asked about news organizations, with 69 percent of Republicans saying the news is too influential, while only 43 percent of Democrats said the same. The study notes such a gap is similar to sentiments both sides have toward the news media in general. But if there’s one thing those on both ends of the political spectrum can agree on, it’s the trustworthiness, or lack thereof, of social media; about 6 in 10 Republicans and Democrats said they have little to no trust in information posted on social media platforms, according to the study.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It might not be perfect, but I would say it’s pretty damn good.” - County Supervisor Kate Daniels, before the board voted to approve the County of Monterey’s housing element on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (see story, montereycountynow.com/news)
GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK
GOOD:
An initiative by two national organizations will have a big impact on the lives of eligible seniors in Monterey County. The Food Bank for Monterey County is one of four facilities selected for the launch of a home grocery delivery program from the delivery platform Instacart and Feeding America, a nonprofit network of over 200 food banks. It provides funds to eligible seniors with mobility limitations, allowing them to shop remotely or through the food bank. The groceries are then delivered directly to their homes. “Nothing is drawn from the food bank’s own inventory,” says Instacart spokesperson Michael Campbell. “All groceries come through Instacart.” Second Harvest Heartland in Minneapolis, Food Lifeline in Seattle and New York’s FeedMore are the other recipients of the senior home delivery program, selected based upon unmet demand for senior home grocery delivery.
GREAT:
In the latest development in the decades-long saga to fill the missing link in the Rec Trail along the Monterey Peninsula coast, the City of Sand City entered into an agreement with the Transportation Agency for Monterey County to use TAMC’s 100-foot swath of inactive railroad land for the next 30 years. The agreement would give Sand City the rights to the land (almost) rent-free, which will allow it to apply for more grants and build on the land. Sand City will pay TAMC about $10,000 per month for parking spots along the trail. “It feels great,” Vibeke Norgaard, city manager of Sand City, says of the agreement. “When I started as city manager, this had been in plans for 20 years.” Two major steps are left: obtaining enough funding for construction, and agreement with the City of Seaside to build on its land. (An agreement with Seaside car dealers for parking has already been reached.)
