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Monterey County Board proclaims Free Speech Week, emphasizes press protection
Summary
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a proclamation designating Oct. 20–26, 2025, as Free Speech Week, with board members and county communications staff stressing the role of a free press and the county’s commitment to language access, transparency and collaboration with local media.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21 unanimously approved a proclamation designating Oct. 20–26, 2025, as Free Speech Week in the county.
Board members led by Supervisor Glenn Church emphasized the First Amendment’s role in democratic government and urged both protection of speech and vigorous factual reporting. “I think it’s a good time for us to really recommit ourselves, not just to speaking, but to listening, to engaging without silencing, and to defend the freedoms that defends all others,” Supervisor Church said during the meeting.
The board heard a presentation from Nick Pascoli, the county’s director of communications, who described the communications office’s role in emergencies and everyday public information. Pascoli said the county must be “accurate, timely and transparent” and thanked local media organizations for their reporting role. He also noted recent reductions in local newsroom capacity and urged continued collaboration between county staff and journalists.
Multiple supervisors added remarks citing free speech’s protection of assembly, petitioning government and press freedom. Supervisor Lori Daniels and others urged the county to continue supporting local journalism, including media literacy and public information capacity. Supervisor Chris Lopez pointed to recent steps to expand the county communications team and weekly briefings as examples of investing in accurate public information.
Representatives of local news organizations and journalism stakeholders addressed the board during public comment. KAZU Public Radio’s news director, Amy Mayer, and Monterey County Weekly publisher Eric Cushman thanked the board for the recognition and underscored the role of local reporting in countering misinformation. Several news directors and nonprofit legal services also described resource pressures facing local outlets and praised county efforts to cooperate with reporters.
After the presentation and public comment, the board voted to adopt the proclamation. The board’s action was procedural: a motion and second were made and the ayes carried.
The board and county communications officials said they will produce materials and a final outreach package marking the week, and Pascoli pledged to continue expanding the county’s language-access and media-outreach efforts.
Ending: The proclamation is intended as a formal recognition of free speech and press freedom in Monterey County. Board members and communications staff said they view the adoption as a commitment to preserve and improve access to public information, including through multilingual outreach and ongoing collaboration with local news organizations.
