Note: This story was reported and written in 2017.
By Jessica Delatorre
MONTEREY – The City Council’s pre-Thanksgiving Day meeting featured the honoring of two military students from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
Many in attendance wore camouflage clothing in support of the students. They were honored for mastering Arabic and French. One is from Oklahoma, the other from New Jersey.
At the meeting, both students talked about how Monterey has become a second home to them during the course of their time learning these foreign languages. Their supporters photographed them with members of the City Council.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, multiple, local residents shared their concerns about Verizon’s cell towers that are in the process of being built in Monterey. They voiced their worries about how the towers can produce radiation and how toxic it will be for the environment and for the people of Monterey.
Another concern that was brought up was that the radiation could scare away tourists and other visitors. Furthermore, the towers could cause homeowners to flee out of health concerns, which would result in more renters and fewer homeowners.
“We’re just a piece of dirt to them,” one man said, referring to Verizon. “Don’t let them in.”
In other matters during the meeting, the council passed a measure that allows residents free parking at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Residents who can show documentation that they live in a zip code with numbers beginning 939 can park for free in select garages until Jan. 2, 2018.
Reporting with Lydia Lum 