Today in Monterey
Monterey voters choose a mayor and City Council members in Districts 1 and 2 on Tuesday, November 3; polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A beach hazards statement for sneaker waves and rip currents runs from 5 a.m. today, Monday, November 2, to 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 3.
Caltrans holds a State Route 68 corridor plan open house Wednesday, November 4, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Food distributions are set for Wednesday, November 4, at the Dennis the Menace parking lot and Monterey Peninsula College.
The Monterey Bay Half Marathon closes roads from 3 to 11 a.m. Sunday, November 8.
MPUSD schools are closed for Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11.
NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Pacific Daylight Time.
Community & Culture
ONGOINGAlvarado Mall and Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific Street
Paseo Night Market continues Friday evenings on Alvarado Mall
The Paseo Night Market runs Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. on the Alvarado Mall next to the Portola Hotel & Spa through December 18, according to Old Monterey's event listings, with the next market on Friday, November 6. Good Roots Events presents the free market, which features booths by local farmers, artisans and food producers.
The same evening, Monterey Museum of Art's First Friday offers free gallery access and extended hours from 5 to 7 p.m., the listings say.
ONGOING
MPUSD schools closed for Veterans Day November 11
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District lists Wednesday, November 11, Veterans Day, as a no-school day.
Business & Commercial Development
ONGOINGMonterey Regional Airport
Delta Air Lines plans return to Monterey Regional Airport
Monterey Regional Airport announced September 18 that Delta Air Lines will return with nonstop service to Los Angeles International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport. The airport says it will be Delta's first Monterey service in nearly two decades.
Airport Executive Director Chris Morello told The Carmel Pine Cone that the flights begin December 19, in an item the airport posted to its news page October 16. Delta will offer two daily round trips to Los Angeles and one to Salt Lake City. AeroRoutes reported September 17 that the flights will use SkyWest Embraer E175 aircraft.
Arts, Culture & Events
ONGOING
Museum exhibition presents Dugan Aguilar's Native California photographs
Monterey Museum of Art lists Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar's Photographs of Native California through December 20. The exhibition is drawn from the Oakland Museum of California's permanent collection.
Aguilar, who died in 2018, was of Mountain Maidu, Pit River and Walker River Paiute heritage. The museum says his photographs span a career of more than 30 years.
ONGOINGMonterey Museum of Art
Monterey Museum of Art's Iluminado installation runs through January 24
Monterey Museum of Art lists Iluminado, an installation by Monterey artist and author Anne Ylvisaker, the museum's artist-in-residence, from October 23, 2026, through January 24, 2027. The museum says the installation invites visitors to explore, create and contribute to a collective work of art.
ONGOINGMonterey Museum of Art
Rex Ray retrospective on view at Monterey Museum of Art through January 17
Rex Ray: We Are All Made of Light, a retrospective of the Bay Area artist Rex Ray (1956 to 2015), is on view at the Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific Street, through January 17, 2027, according to the museum. Cydney Payton guest curated the exhibition, which the museum says spans three galleries.
The museum describes Ray as renowned for his prolific and multifaceted creative approach to mixed-media paintings.
ONGOINGMonterey Public Library and Old Fisherman's Wharf
Library screens East of Eden November 5 and leads a Wharf Walk November 7
Monterey Public Library shows the 1955 film East of Eden, adapted from John Steinbeck's novel, on Thursday, November 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. in its Community Room. Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw and Steinbeck Experience Executive Director John Holland lead a discussion after the film.
Historian Tim Thomas leads a library Wharf Walk on the history of Old Fisherman's Wharf and Monterey's waterfront on Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration is required, and tours meet outside #1 Old Fisherman's Wharf at the pink Harbor House.
ONGOINGMonterey Public Library and Old Fisherman's Wharf
Library sets Cannery Row film, Cannery Row walking tour and Stevenson Unbirthday
Monterey Public Library shows the 1982 film Cannery Row, set on Monterey's Cannery Row, on Thursday, November 12, from 4 to 7 p.m. in its Community Room, with a discussion after the film.
Historian Tim Thomas leads a four-hour Cannery Row Days walking tour on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., starting at #1 Old Fisherman's Wharf; registration is required and the library suggests bringing a lunch. That afternoon, from 2 to 5 p.m., the Robert Louis Stevenson Club holds its Unbirthday Celebration in the Community Room, with cake, tea and readings from Stevenson's 1879 Old Pacific Capital. No registration is required for the celebration.
ONGOINGCalifornia's First Theater, Pacific and Scott streets
Susan Shillinglaw talks about Steinbeck's Landscapes at California's First Theater November 6
Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw gives a free talk on her new book, Steinbeck's Landscapes, on Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m. at California's First Theater, Pacific and Scott streets, according to Old Monterey's event listing.
Copies will be for sale, and Shillinglaw will sign books after the talk. She is a professor emerita of English at San Jose State University and a former director of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.
NEWVenture Gallery, downtown Monterey
Venture Gallery features Nancy Olaeta in November, with an artist reception November 7
Venture Gallery is showing paintings and glass work by local artist Nancy Olaeta through November, according to Old Monterey's event listings. The exhibit, A Walk in Nature, collects some of her favorite paintings and glass pieces from the past few years.
Olaeta will be at the gallery to meet visitors on Saturday, November 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
AI in Your Community
CogniLocal tracks where artificial intelligence and related automated systems are already entering the institutions that serve this community, who is deploying them, what they are being used for and what changes next.
BACKGROUND
NPS is operating the first DGX GB300 AI supercomputer in the U.S. military
The Naval Postgraduate School commissioned an NVIDIA DGX GB300 in Monterey on July 22. NPS describes it as the first such system in the U.S. military and says it enables students and faculty to train models, analyze data and explore complex problems.
NPS lists uses including weather modeling, oceanic and operations research, cybersecurity, disaster resilience and response planning, and says the system operates within the school's existing power and water infrastructure. NVIDIA donated the system to the NPS Foundation, according to the school.
- Publication date: July 22, 2026
- Event date: Commissioned July 22, 2026
- Last movement: July 22 commissioning
- Source: DGX GB300 launch
BACKGROUNDMonterey County
County is ending the sheriff's Flock camera contract; city police cameras remain
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on September 22 to end the Sheriff's Office contract with Flock Safety, Voices of Monterey Bay reported. Voices describes the automated license plate readers as cameras that use artificial intelligence to record and identify license plates and vehicle characteristics.
Voices reported October 8 that Flock had roughly two months to remove more than 60 cameras across unincorporated Monterey County, and KAZU reported the county's cameras will be gone by December. Voices also reported that Monterey Police are among the city departments that still have Flock contracts, and that the Get the Flock Out Monterey County coalition plans to ask city councils to end them.
BACKGROUNDNaval Postgraduate School
NPS selects nine Digital Trident II research projects
The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey selected nine research projects for its Digital Trident II initiative, which pairs NPS faculty and students with operational stakeholders and outside partners on challenges facing U.S. forces in the Pacific. NPS Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Michael Hesse announced the projects October 7, and the school published the list October 21.
NPS says the initiative is meant to accelerate what it calls super intelligence (SI) research. Projects include a multi-agent framework for wargaming, an agentic mission planner for long-endurance drone operations and an AI-powered decision-support tool for readiness and talent management. The selected teams will next work with operational stakeholders and technical partners to refine requirements, according to the school.
BACKGROUNDNaval Postgraduate School
NPS and Marine Corps University hackathon builds AI prototypes for military education
The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey and Marine Corps University held a joint hackathon September 15 to 18 to develop and test artificial intelligence prototypes for military education and training. The school says the event ran at the same time in Monterey and in Quantico, Virginia, and that more than 30 participants worked in teams at NPS.
Five NPS teams presented prototypes to judges, who selected first-, second- and third-place entries. NPS says the first-place project will continue at the school as thesis research by Capt. Christopher Adams in its Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation curriculum, and that winning teams will have opportunities to refine, test and evaluate their ideas. The school published its account October 8.
Schools & Youth
BACKGROUND
La Mesa and Monte Vista teachers among MPUSD Reading is Key honorees
MPUSD announced its third annual Reading is Key awards on October 14, recognizing educators, grade-level teams and schools for student literacy growth during the 2025-2026 school year.
Honorees at Monterey schools include La Mesa Elementary teacher Greta Huang, recognized for the most stretch growth in literacy in second grade. La Mesa's second-grade team of Sharlene Linnevers, Sabrina Aliotti, Sheila Fierro and Huang, and Monte Vista Elementary's first-grade team of Caitlyn Cowardin, Crystal Nimmons, Maria Mateo and Jaimie Adamson, were recognized for outstanding foundational literacy achievement.
ONGOING
MPUSD notifies families of statewide student data breach at testing contractor
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District told families October 23 about a data breach at Educational Testing Service, the contractor that provides state student assessments for the California Department of Education. The district says ETS found that unauthorized individuals accessed and copied student information, which may include names, birth dates, addresses, student identification numbers and state assessment results.
The district says the incident was not a breach of MPUSD's own systems. Its notice points families to the state's breach notice and free identity-protection services; the identity-protection line is 833-931-8488, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ONGOINGMonterey Peninsula College
Monterey Peninsula College holds Family STEM Day November 7
Monterey Peninsula College's annual Family STEM Day is Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. The district says students can earn Saturday Academy credit by checking in at the MPUSD table.
ONGOING
MPUSD sets high school transfer window and November conference early releases
Monterey Peninsula Unified families can request a high school transfer for the 2027-2028 school year from November 9 to December 11. The district says the window is open to students entering or attending grades 9 to 12, the online form goes live November 9 and transfers depend on space at each school. The MPUSD Transfer Office is at 831-392-3983.
Parent-teacher conferences for elementary, middle and TK-8 schools are November 16 to 20. The district lists early release at 12:50 p.m. for elementary and TK-8 schools, which include La Mesa and Monte Vista in Monterey, and 1:30 p.m. for middle schools.
ONGOING
MPUSD wins a Golden Bell Award; Early College applications open December 1
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has been named a 2026 California School Boards Association Golden Bell Award winner for its College, Career, Choice for All initiative, the district announced in its October 31 community update. MPUSD says it is the district's second consecutive Golden Bell Award.
The district is inviting current eighth graders and their families to learn about its three Early College pathways, including one at Monterey High, where students can earn up to two years of college credit tuition-free before graduating. Applications open December 1, and the district is holding parent information nights in English and Spanish. The next Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, November 10.
ONGOING
MPUSD tells families it does not take part in immigration enforcement
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District told families October 29 that it does not participate in immigration enforcement activities or collect information about students' immigration status. The district said it was writing "in light of recent events in our community" and did not describe those events.
The message says MPUSD schools remain safe, welcoming places for every student, points families to a district archive of resources and asks those with questions to contact their school or the District Office.
Elections
UPDATE
Monterey voters choose a mayor and two district council members November 3
City of Monterey voters decide three local races on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Tyller Williamson and Vince Malfitano are running for mayor. Kim Barber and Tom Reeves are running for City Council District 1, and Jeff Whitmoyer, Vicki Nohrden and Alec Manas are running for City Council District 2, according to the Vote or Else Monterey County ballot guide.
KAZU reported November 2 that Williamson, first elected to the City Council in 2018 and mayor since 2022, is seeking re-election, and described Malfitano as a retired businessman. KAZU put the city's budget deficit at nearly $12 million. Williamson told the station no one is to blame for the deficit, while Malfitano's campaign website calls the city's debt "the result of failures in leadership." KAZU said Malfitano did not respond to its requests for comment.
The California Secretary of State says polls are open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the county elections office.
Still Developing
The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.
OPENUNCONFIRMEDRoadmap to Resilience budget choices
Not confirmed against the source as of November 2, 2026: all details (the $11.7 million deficit, the workshop dates, the October 20 agenda item and the lack of any posted recap). Check the source before relying on it.
The city identified an $11.7 million structural deficit and held budget workshops September 29, October 7 and October 12 (on Zoom), with more set for November 16 and December 3. The City Council's October 20 agenda listed an update on the Roadmap to Resilience. The city has not posted a recap of any workshop or of the October 20 update, or any resulting budget direction.
Still unresolved: Specific balancing choices and final budget action.
Next checkpoint: A staff report or recap of the October 20 council update, the November 16 workshop, or a budget recommendation.
OPENUNCONFIRMEDMonterey police-chief succession
Not confirmed against the source as of November 2, 2026: all details (Chief Hober's November 15 retirement, Mike Bruno as interim chief from November 16, and the recruitment timeline). Check the source before relying on it.
Police Chief Dave Hober’s retirement takes effect November 15. The city announced October 15 that Assistant Chief Mike Bruno will serve as interim chief starting November 16, and said a nationwide recruitment for a permanent chief will begin in early November and is expected to conclude in early 2027.
Still unresolved: Permanent police chief appointment.
Next checkpoint: Start of the nationwide recruitment in early November and the eventual permanent appointment.
OPENCasanova fire recovery
The Housing Authority of the County of Monterey's October 15 property management report, in its October 26 board packet, lists all 86 units at Casanova Plaza as offline, and its finance report says the property has received no rental revenue since the fire damage in March. Minutes of the authority's May 26 board meeting record the executive director reporting that all displaced Casanova residents had been housed.
Still unresolved: Rebuilding timeline for Casanova Plaza and when residents can return.
Next checkpoint: A Housing Authority or city update on rebuilding.
OPENUNCONFIRMEDFlock transparency and policy update
Not confirmed against the source as of November 2, 2026: all details (Policy 433 retention, sharing and audit rules, and the transparency portal's 35 cameras and June 13, 2025 update date). Check the source before relying on it.
Police Department Policy 433 sets 30-day retention, limits sharing to law-enforcement and prosecutorial agencies and requires a yearly search audit. The department's Flock transparency portal lists 35 cameras and was last updated June 13, 2025; no 2026 camera inventory has been posted.
Still unresolved: A 2026 camera inventory and any 2026 update to the City Council.
Next checkpoint: Current MPD policy, transparency portal, annual review, contract amendment or council action.
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