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Public commenters press council on Chinatown navigation center closure, pesticide sprayings and Salinas Aquatic Center repairs
Summary
Multiple residents and community representatives used the public‑comment period to urge the council to keep a Chinatown navigation center open, press county and state officials on pesticide use, and to request urgent repair of the city aquatic center heater so swim teams and lessons can resume.
During the Oct. 14 public‑comment period, residents and community representatives raised three recurring concerns: plans affecting the Chinatown Navigation Center and unhoused residents, pesticide sprayings near homes and schools, and the closure of the Salinas Aquatic Center due to a broken water heater.
Homeless services and Chinatown Navigation Center: Tim Heaven, chair of the Lived Experience Advisory Directive and a homeless coalition member, urged the council not to close the Chinatown Navigation Center, calling it “one of the only places in Salinas offering stability, safety, and hope.” Several other speakers said closure would push people back onto the street and increase emergency service burdens. A speaker referred to recent state legislation (SB634 as mentioned by commenters) and argued for housing and outreach rather than criminalization. Council members did not vote on the navigation center during the meeting; comments were recorded for future consideration.
Pesticide sprayings and air monitoring: Karen Cameron, a Salinas resident, said she received notices that 29 restricted pesticides had been applied near her home in the previous month and that organophosphate use had increased in Monterey County. She asked the city to pressure the county agricultural commissioner and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to restore air monitoring and to meet with concerned community groups.
Salinas Aquatic Center repair request: Two youth speakers — a fifth grader and a fourth grader representing the Tiger Sharks swim team and local schools — asked the council to repair the pool heater that had closed the Aquatic Center since September, saying the closure halted practices, lessons and water‑safety training. They asked the city to repair the heater “as soon as possible.”
Ending: Councilmembers acknowledged the comments; no formal action was taken during the meeting on these items. Several councilmembers asked staff to follow up with commenters and community groups for additional information and promised to include related topics in future agenda planning where appropriate.
