Central Coast Chat

Here at The Californian, we've covered a lot of Monterey County issues and topics through the Central Coast Chat podcast, from non-profits to Santa Claus to rodeos. The host of the podcast, Angelica Cabral, is leaving The Californian to pursue another position with a different news organization. So, today is the last episode of Central Coast Chat. Another reporter, Jocelyn Ortega, joins Angelica to discuss the past year.

First term Salinas City Councilmembers Anthony Rocha and Orlando Osornio join us to discuss their first year in office. They appeared on the podcast in November 2020 right after they were elected. On this episode we follow up on what they wanted to accomplish and discuss what's coming up in the new year.

For many, the holidays are a season of giving. That's true for this week's interviewee, who is helping organize a toy drive in Salinas. 

There will be no episode next week due to the holiday season but we will have plenty of holiday related stories for you to read on our website.

Santa Claus appears on the podcast this week! Or, more accurately, a man who works as a Santa Claus all over this area and has been doing so for the past 16 years. Listen on to see what he had to say about speaking with people during the holiday season.

For this week's podcast we spoke with local artist Laurie Philip Michaels who promotes social causes with her art. If you're interested in purchasing her art, you can check out her instagram @lauriephilipmichaels.

For many, the pandemic is far from over and the recovery has been difficult. Melissa Kendrick highlights that in this week's episode as she discusses her work as the Executive Director of the Food Bank for Monterey County.

Veterans Day is this coming Thursday and in honor of that day and to recognize local veterans, we interviewed a woman on this week's episode who served for five years in the Army.

Ready for Halloween and more in person events? The Salinas Recreation & Park Division has you covered. Listen to our episode for information about their Halloween event next weekend and more.

We spoke with Julie Ann Lozano about the upcoming California International Airshow Salinas, an event that's been happening in this area since 1981. She tells us about planning the event and what we can expect this year.

It's estimated that out of the 1.5 million+ people who are unemployed in California, around 500,000 lack foundational digital skills. The situation isn't helped by the fact that many people living in poverty don't have access to computers. 

Local non-profit Loaves, Fishes & Computers is working to close that gap by providing computers and technology classes to seniors, students, people experiencing disabilities and more. On this week's episode, we spoke with the Executive Director, Gabriela López Chávez about the work they do.