KRKC COUNTRY

  Washington, D.C. — Rep. Zoe Lofgren, alongside Reps. Eric Swalwell, Lateefah Simon, Kevin Mullin, and Nanette Barragán and Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State demanding urgent answers following the deportation of a Hayward mother and her two young children, including her six-year-old son, Joseph, who was removed from the country without his assistive hearing devices.    The letter outlines serious humanitarian and due-process concerns surrounding the deportation of Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez and her children after they appeared for a routine immigration check-in in San Francisco. According to the family’s attorney, Rodriguez Gutierrez complied with the law and presented herself for the required check-in, where she and her children were detained and deported to Colombia Joseph had been learning American Sign Language and attending school in the United States before the depor...

  Your SPCA Monterey County Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is caring for a tiny long-tailed weasel who came to us as an orphan.  The 2 1/2 week old baby, so young that his eyes are not yet open, was found in the middle of a hiking trail in Ft. Ord. Weasels are born underground and do not venture above ground until their eyes are open and they are active and mobile, around five to six weeks of age.  The small baby weasel currently weighs 28 grams, about the weight of one single strawberry.  The orphaned baby weasel was dehydrated, thin, and vocalizing for his mother. He is now being raised in our gentle, professional care. Skilled SPCA wildlife technicians are feeding him formula with a syringe eight times a day and through the night. He is in an incubator snuggling close to a stuffed toy.    SPCA Monterey County expects the baby weasel to be in our care indoors for about a month, when he will graduate to an outdoor enclosure to learn to run, hunt...

  WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Mike Lee (R-UT), on Thursday, March 12 introduced an updated version of the Government Surveillance Reform Act to enact new protections for Americans’ rights, including stopping the federal government from buying data on Americans from shady data brokers, while reauthorizing and reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The Government Surveillance Reform Act is the only bipartisan, bicameral bill on offer to reform FISA 702 and other government surveillance programs. It is cosponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “Now more than ever, unchecked government access to Americans’ personal information threatens their privacy, their civil liberties, and our democracy,” Rep. Lofgren said.  “Congress should not reauthorize broad domestic surv...

  [MONTEREY COUNTY, CA – MARCH 12, 2026] – The Arts Council for Monterey County (Arts4MC) is pleased to announce that applications for the Spring Cycle of the Community Arts Grants will officially open on Monday, March 16, 2026. These grants are designed to empower local nonprofit organizations to bring vibrant public arts and culture programs to life across the region. The Community Arts Grants provide awards of up to $7,500 annually to support both new initiatives and the sustaining of beloved existing programs. To be eligible, nonprofit organizations must have a total annual revenue less than $3 million. “We are proud to support the vision of our local organizations that work tirelessly to enrich our community through the arts,” said Jacquie Atchison, Executive Director at Arts4MC. “Whether it’s a mural, a performance, or a community workshop, these grants help ensure that arts and culture remain accessible to everyone in Monterey County.” The Community Arts Grants are made poss...

  SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on March 12 support for Assembly Bill 46 (Nguyen), legislation that would give courts greater discretion to consider public safety when deciding whether a defendant should receive mental health diversion. This bill closes legal loopholes in California’s mental health diversion law by restoring judicial discretion and ensuring the program provides treatment while protecting community safety. Mental health diversion, created under Penal Code §1001.36, was designed to help individuals suffering from mental illness receive treatment instead of incarceration. However, recent court rulings and statutory limitations have significantly restricted judges’ ability to deny diversion, even in serious and violent cases, leaving courts with limited authority to evaluate whether diversion is truly appropriate. Under current law, once a defendant meets certain statutory criteria, judges have very limited discret...

  According to Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto the Sheriff's Office is aware of concerns being raised by the public about a possible planned attack on the state of California by Iran. The Sheriff's Office received multiple calls throughout Wednesday afternoon, March 11 from concerned residents regarding this information and has been in contact with their federal partners since the beginning of the conflict and can confirm that THESE THREATS ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office asks that the public exercise caution and not share unverified and non-credible information so as to not cause unnecessary fear and panic in their communities. The Monterey County Sheriff's Office will continue to communicate with their federal partners and if they are made aware of any credible and imminent threats to California or Monterey County, they will communicate this information to the public through their social media platforms and through the local media.