Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 62

Republicans consider changing Senate rules to speed confirmation of Trump nominees

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are considering changing Senate rules to speed up confirmation of President Donald Trump’s executive branch nominees.

The move forces a possible clash with Democrats in the coming days as Trump pressures them to fill dozens of administration posts before they are scheduled to leave town for the monthlong August recess.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has already more than doubled the number of executive branch and judicial confirmations from Trump’s first term by holding the Senate in session for more days and longer hours. Still, Trump says he wants more, and Democrats are delaying a vote on most every nominee, arguing that Trump’s picks are extreme.

“We may need to look at doing things differently on nominees generally if the Democrats continue on this path of obstruction that they’re on right now,” Thune said Wednesday morning, adding that the number of willing votes to change Senate rules “is growing quickly on our side right now.”

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The standoff between the two parties, with Trump encouraging Republicans to move even more swiftly or cancel their August recess, is likely to come to a head in the next week. Democrats have little desire to give in to Thune’s demand to confirm a tranche of nominees before they leave, even as senators in both parties are eager to skip town after several long months of work and bitter partisan fights over legislation.

The Senate clash over nominees is not new, though it has intensified over the last two decades as both parties have increasingly used stalling tactics to delay confirmations that were once quick, bipartisan and routine. In 2013, Democrats changed Senate rules for lower court judicial nominees to remove the 60-vote threshold for confirmations as Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations. In 2017, Republicans did the same for Supreme Court nominees as Democrats tried to block Trump’s nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Still, Democrats have blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any quick unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that takes several days per nominee and allows for debate time. It’s the first time in recent history that the minority party hasn’t allowed at least some quick confirmations.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have blocked quick votes because “historically bad nominees deserved historic levels of scrutiny.”

But Thune said the rules are being “misused” by Democrats, and there is a lot of interest in the GOP conference in potentially speeding up the process. A rules change, in the end, “could benefit both parties when they have the presidency.”

It’s unclear how Republicans would change the rules, but they could potentially cut the number of procedural votes, reduce or eliminate the standard two hours of debate time or somehow force nominations to be bundled together, among other possible options. A rules change would require a simple majority vote, so almost all of the Senate’s 53 Republicans would have to be on board.

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that in discussions among GOP senators, “all options are on the table.”

“We’d rather not have to,” Hoeven said. “If they would follow the same approach we gave them as recently as Biden, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Democrats have discussed similar changes in the past when Republicans were blocking their own nominees, but they would be unlikely to support any move to change the rules. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said that if Republicans propose to eliminate any debate time, they would be “resisting scrutiny” for a president’s nominations.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has said in the past that he would be open to changing Senate rules to reduce the number of Senate-confirmed positions in government. But he said he would not be open to reducing debate time for nominees.

“There can be non-controversial nominees where you don’t need two hours, but there are some super important ones where that’s not enough time,” Kaine said.

The GOP leader is facing his own pressure from Trump, who has publicly called on Republicans to cancel the August recess to confirm more nominees. Trump also criticized Senate Republicans on social media this week for continuing with the so-called “blue slip” process that allows home state senators to approve or block some judicial nominees.

In a Tuesday post on Truth Social, Trump called on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to have the “courage” to stop honoring the blue slip forms that are submitted to the home state senators, regardless of party. Trump said as a result of this “custom” only Democrats or “a weak and ineffective Republican” can get nominated.

“Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the ‘Blue Slip’ problem,” Trump posted.

Opening a committee hearing on Thursday, Grassley defended the practice and added that he was “offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.”

Thune also backed the process Wednesday, noting that he used the blue slip process himself during former President Joe Biden’s administration when there was a judicial vacancy in South Dakota. “I don’t sense any rush to change it,” Thune said.

Senate confirms Trump’s pick for counterterrorism agency, a former Green Beret with extremist ties

By STEPHEN GROVES, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, on Wednesday evening as Republicans looked past his connections to right-wing extremists and support for conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Kent won confirmation on a 52-44 vote tally with Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina the only Republican nay vote. Kent had already been working for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. As the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he will oversee an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.

In the role, he plans to devote agency resources to targeting Latin American gangs and other criminal groups tied to migration. He is the latest Trump loyalist to win Senate confirmation to the upper echelons of U.S. national security leadership at a time when Trump is stretching his presidential wartime powers to accomplish his goals.

“President Trump is committed to identifying these cartels and these violent gang members and making sure that we locate them and that we get them out of our country,” Kent said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in April.

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Kent enters the top role at the counterterrorism center after two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state, as well as a military career that saw him deployed 11 times as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA. His first wife, a Navy cryptologist, was killed by a suicide bomber in 2019 while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.

Yet Democrats strongly opposed his confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents had somehow instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump won the 2020 election over President Joe Biden.

Democrats grilled him on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump’s national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.

They also raised grave concerns over a recent incident where Kent, as Gabbard’s chief of staff, told an intelligence analyst to revise an assessment of the relationship between the Venezuelan government and a transnational gang. The revisions supported Trump’s assertions that members of the gang could be removed under the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime provision.

Democrats said it showed Kent cannot be trusted to handle some of the nation’s most important and sensitive intelligence.

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said any counterterrorism director “must be trusted to tell the truth and to uphold the core principles of the intelligence community: Objectivity, nonpartisanship and fidelity to fact.”

“Unfortunately, Mr. Kent has shown time and again that he cannot meet the standard,” Warner added.

Still, Republicans have praised his counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent “has dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”

Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn’t followed

By DAVID BAUDER, Associated Press

A federal judge on Wednesday essentially accused the Trump administration of ignoring his orders to restore Voice of America’s operations and explain clearly what it is doing with the government-run operation that provides news to other countries.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia gave the administration until Aug. 13 to explain how it will get VOA working again. The outlet that dates back to World War II has been largely dark since March.

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Lamberth said the administration needs to show what it is doing with the $260 million Congress appropriated for VOA’s operations this year.

Kari Lake, the adviser appointed by Trump to run the government news agencies, said in June that 85% of employees at VOA and its overseers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media had lost their jobs. She called it a “long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.”

Lamberth said there’s a process for eliminating funding that had previously been appropriated — Congress must vote on it, as it recently did for NPR and PBS funding. But that hasn’t happened here, he said.

He scolded the administration for providing “cagey answers” and omitting key information when asked for it in previous court orders.

“Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,” Lamberth wrote. “The legal term for that is ‘waste.’”

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

Monterey: Tsunami advisory lifted, beaches reopen

MONTEREY — The tsunami advisory ended Wednesday afternoon for the California coast, including the Monterey Peninsula where waves peaked at about 1.5 feet overnight.

The National Weather Service canceled the advisory late Wednesday morning and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office lifted all evacuation warnings in the areas near the Moss Landing harbor.

The county was still warning the public that water levels may continue to fluctuate and strong ocean currents are still possible. However, California State Parks was reopening all state beaches in Monterey County on Wednesday afternoon.

“While coastal areas, beaches and waterways are now open, please remain aware of your surroundings,” a press statement from the county read.

The advisory went into effect Tuesday evening just after 5 p.m., after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake happened in Russia. The entire U.S. West Coast was put on alert, with experts saying harbors and marinas might be the most vulnerable during the high tides. People living in vessels in Moss Landing were asked to evacuate, but there were no immediate threats to residential neighborhoods and property on the Monterey Peninsula.

Biden aide denounces GOP probe into former president’s health as baseless and denies any cover-up

By MATT BROWN and MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A longtime close aide to President Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced Republican investigations into the former president as “baseless” in testimony to lawmakers and defended Biden as capable of carrying out his presidential duties “at all times.”

Steve Ricchetti, a senior advisor to Biden during his presidency, wrote in his opening statement to the House Oversight Committee that he was willing to answer lawmakers’ questions about Biden’s mental state while in office despite Republicans’ effort to “intimidate officials who served in the previous administration.”

“I believe it is important to forcefully rebut this false narrative about the Biden presidency and our role in it,” Ricchetti said.

“There was no nefarious conspiracy of any kind among the president’s senior staff, and there was certainly no conspiracy to hide the president’s mental condition from the American people,” wrote Ricchetti, who has served as an aide to Biden since 2012. He said Biden was “fully capable” of carrying out his duties throughout his term.

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Ricchetti’s testimony comes after weeks of appearances from former Biden aides as House Republicans seek to build their investigation, which is central to their oversight agenda as they seek to turn the spotlight back to the last administration.

Some former staffers, including Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, and Anthony Bernal, a top aide to former first lady Jill Biden, invoked their Fifth Amendment rights and declined to answer questions from the committee. Others, including former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and Neera Tanden, former director of the Domestic Policy Council, have answered the committee’s questions at length.

The committee will hear from seven more senior Biden staffers in the coming weeks.

The Trump White House has launched its own inquiry into Biden. In June, Trump issued an executive order that argued there were “clear indications” that Biden “lacked the capacity to exercise his presidential authority” and ordered an investigation into “whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the president.”

Ricchetti argued the Republican-led inquiries were “an obvious attempt to deflect from the chaos of this administration’s first six months.” He contrasted it with what he said were Biden’s accomplishments on issues like infrastructure, inflation, climate policy and the coronavirus response.

“I firmly believe that at all times during my four years in the White House, President Biden was fulfilling his constitutional duties. Did he stumble? Occasionally. Make mistakes? Get up on the wrong side of the bed? He did — we all did. But I always believed — every day — that he had the capability, character, and judgment to be President of the United States,” Ricchetti said.

At the heart of the Republican probe is a legal dispute over the Biden White House’s use of the autopen, a device used in all presidential administrations to issue the president’s signature for laws and executive orders. Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration allege, without evidence, that Biden was not in a cogent state of mind for much of his presidency and that many policies enacted during his time in office may consequently be illegal.

Biden has called Trump and House Republicans “liars” for the claim and said he “made every single one” of the decisions in office that involved an autopen. Biden’s aides are now echoing that sentiment directly to the committee.

Republicans are still eager to highlight Biden’s various gaffes as a political cudgel against Democrats.

Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have largely dismissed House Republicans’ probe as a distraction from the Trump administration’s agenda. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat who sits on the House Oversight Committee, said Republicans in the probe “look like losers” after she exited the deposition for Anthony Bernal, the former chief of staff to Jill Biden.

Classic Car Week to feature beloved events as well as new ideas

MONTEREY — Classic Car Week is right around the corner, taking place from Aug. 8-17. This year, there will be over 35 events including car shows, races and auctions, concluding with the 74th Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach.

As the largest county-wide event, Classic Car Week attracts upward of 100,000 visitors hoping to see classic and new cars alike. Representatives from various events came together at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Wednesday morning to give a sneak peek of what the public can expect this year.

“No two Car Weeks are ever the same,” said See Monterey CEO/President Rob O’Keefe on Wednesday. “…Car Week and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are some of the region’s most impactful events for us in the year in terms of global significance and reach, economic impact and bringing visitors here from across the country and around the world.”

An unrestored 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports captured Best of Show at the 73rd annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. (Mason Bloom -- Herald Correspondent)

Philanthropy has been a key piece of Classic Car Week since the start, with over 100 local charities benefiting from the events’ proceeds. Last year’s auctions broke world records, with the Concours d’Elegance bringing in $3.1 million in charitable donations, bringing the event’s total contributions to over $41 million since 1950.

Hotel demand also continues to rise each year, said O’Keefe, with visitor spending totaling up to $130 million. In 2014, visitor spending impact was about $50 million.

“Visitor spending helps pay the bills,” said O’Keefe. “The dollars that they leave go to help pay for quality of life and economic development … to help pay for parks, roads and first responders, and all the things that the tourism economy contributes to overall quality of life for all of us.”

The festivities will kick off Aug. 8 with a collection of historic race cars lined up on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey. The free event will take place from 5-7 p.m. with live music, giveaways and the chance to meet the classic cars’ drivers. The same cars will race at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca the following week from Aug. 13-16.

New at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will be an International Race of Champions which will become a staple in the years to come. NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Bobby Labonte will come together to race in their original IROC cars for the first time in Monterey and celebrate the 75th anniversary of Formula One.

A new free event this year, Woodies in the Woods will be hosted by Asilomar Conference Grounds at Grand Cypress Meadow in Asilomar on Aug. 14 from 12-5 p.m. There will be a display of 50 classic wood-paneled cars coming from the Santa Cruz Woodies club, live music, food and a beer garden featuring a limited-edition lager brewed by Other Brother Beer Co. for the occasion.

“It’s really about community engagement, doing something that’s fun, unique and allows people to understand how to enjoy this unique place that we have in our backyard,” said Alex Marin, general manager at the conference grounds.

Also new this year is The Paddock Monterey on Aug. 15, a diverse showcase of classic exotics to track legends. The event will take place at Bayonet Black Horse from 3-8 p.m. and feature a 50-car RADwood showcase. Tickets start at $75.

A Classic Car Week staple, Exotics on Broadway, will be on Aug. 16 and feature a new Vendor and Hyper Car Showcase – an enclosed, ticketed area spanning five blocks along Fremont Boulevard. The new event will feature over 40 hypercars. Since its inception in 2015, Exotics on Broadway has become Classic Car Week’s largest single-day event, drawing over 40,000 spectators.

This year’s Concours d’Elegance raised a record ammount of money for charity. (Molly Gibbs - Monterey Herald file).

Other Car Week classics including Concours d’Lemons (Aug. 16), Concorso Italiano (Aug. 16) and the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance (Aug. 14) will lead up to the coveted Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 17.

The 74th event will feature the Rolls Royce Phantom I-VI on the showfield and Phantoms VII and VIII at Concours Village, which is the first time all eight have been together in North America. This year’s annual opportunity drawing is sponsored by Infinity, Lincoln and Mercedes Benz, who donated vehicles to be raffled off on Concours Sunday. All of the proceeds from the raffle tickets will go to charity.

On the fairway, judging will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday, followed by the awards ceremony from 1:30- 5 p.m. when the best of the best will be revealed.

Brown University strikes agreement to resolve discrimination complaints and restore federal funding

By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brown University on Wednesday announced a deal with the Trump administration to regain access to federal research funding and end investigations into alleged discrimination.

The Ivy League school agreed to pay $50 million to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island over 10 years as part of the agreement, along with other concessions in line with President Donald Trump’s political agenda. Brown will adopt the government’s definition of “male” and “female,” for example, and must remove any consideration of race from the admissions process.

Brown President Christina H. Paxson said the deal preserves Brown’s academic independence. The terms include a clause saying the government cannot dictate curriculum or the content of academic speech at Brown.

“The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values and who we are as a community at Brown,” Paxson wrote.

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The three-year deal has numerous similarities with one signed last week by Columbia University that the government called a roadmap for other universities. Unlike that agreement, however, Brown’s does not include an outside monitor.

The agreement with Brown restores dozens of grants and contracts that had been suspended during an investigation into Brown’s handling of allegations of antisemitism, including during pro-Palestinian protests on campus last spring. It also calls for the federal government to reimburse Brown for $50 million in unpaid federal grant costs.

Brown agreed to several measures aimed at addressing allegations of antisemitism on its campus in Providence, Rhode Island. The school said it will renew partnerships with Israeli academics and encourage Jewish day school students to apply to Brown. By the end of this year, Brown must hire an outside organization — to be chosen jointly by Brown and the government — to conduct a campus survey on the climate for Jewish students.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Brown’s deal ensures students will be judged “solely on their merits, not their race or sex.”

“The Trump Administration is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions,” McMahon said in a statement.

The settlement requires Brown to disclose a wealth of data on students who apply to and are admitted to the university, with information about their race, grades and standardized test scores. The data will be subject to a “comprehensive audit” by the government.

It bars Brown from giving preference to applicants because of their race. A 2023 Supreme Court decision already forbids such consideration, but the deal appears to go further, stopping Brown from using any “proxy for racial admission,” including personal statements or “diversity narratives.”

Columbia agreed to pay $200 million as part of its settlement. In negotiations with Harvard, the Trump administration is pressing for the Cambridge, Massachusetts school to pay far more.

In another agreement, the University of Pennsylvania pledged to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a deal that included no fine.

Associated Press writer Cheyanne Mumphrey contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

US to share biometric data with Chile ‘to track criminals,’ Homeland Security’s Noem says

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — The United States will deploy biometric technologies in partnership with Chile to control migration and disrupt criminal networks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday during a visit to the South American nation.

“This arrangement is going to serve as a bridge to help Chile and the United States work towards bringing criminals to justice and knowing who is in our countries perpetuating crimes,” Noem said while signing the preliminary agreement with Chile’s Security Minister Luis Cordero and Justice Minister Jaime Gajardo.

“This increased cooperation between our countries is extremely important to track criminals, terrorists and dangerous individuals,” she added from the capital of Santiago, while nearby thousands of residents heeded tsunami warnings to evacuate along the the country’s Pacific coast.

The plan comes as the Trump administration seeks to bolster regional cooperation in its clampdown against transnational criminal groups, including Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan gang designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the White House.

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The bilateral agreement allows Chilean officials to identify potentially dangerous migrants entering or exiting the country and share their biometric data, such as fingerprints and iris scans, with the Department of Homeland Security to prevent their travel to the U.S.

“That information will be incredibly important as we go after these criminal activities,” Noem said, praising past cooperation between the countries’ intelligence agencies.

Tren de Aragua has wreaked havoc across once-peaceful Chile in recent years — smuggling undocumented migrants across borders, running prostitution rings, trafficking drugs and terrorizing the population with grisly crimes.

But Chilean authorities have fought back, bringing a number of gang members to trial in recent months. After spreading across Latin America on the heels of illegal migration, Tren de Aragua infiltrated the U.S. and inflamed domestic politics.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Chile most recently teamed up to disrupt South American criminal networks allegedly responsible for a string of burglaries targeting the multimillion-dollar homes of high-profile celebrities and professional athletes in the U.S. and Europe. The suspects, among them Chilean nationals, are now facing charges in Florida.

Officials will discuss how best to capitalize on new Salinas train service

SALINAS – The Transportation Agency for Monterey County will be discussing expanded Caltrain service to Salinas at a meeting next week hosted by the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau, which will highlight projects to expand tourism opportunities in the region.

The Transportation Agency’s  Monterey County Rail Extension project, which has already transformed the Salinas train station area, will bring Caltrain, a commuter rail line, from Santa Clara County to Monterey County, specifically Gilroy to Salinas.

The TAMC Rail Policy Committee public meeting is slated for Monday, beginning at 2 p.m., and will be held at the California Welcome Center at 1 Station Place in Salinas.

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions about the anticipated timing and impacts to local cities. Along with the extension of rail service comes significant economic opportunities throughout the region, according to the Salinas Valley Tourism and Visitors Bureau. Being prepared to maximize these opportunities, regionally, should be one of the more important collective focuses of leaders within Monterey and San Benito counties.

Following the conclusion of the public meeting, attendees are invited to tour the historic properties at what is now the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Salinas that includes the Amtrak Station, the Monterey Salinas Valley Railroad Museum, exhibit of vintage rail cars and the First Mayor’s House of Salinas.

The Visitors Bureau said it would like to encourage its regional partners to engage in a collaborative effort to support and prepare for the expansion of rail service. Planning to utilize mutual resources will maximize the benefits that this opportunity presents.

Rail travel for work and leisure is undergoing a resurgence and local leaders need to be aware of, and involved in, the work that is in progress, said Denise Estrada, a Visitors Bureau regional advisory council member.

“Salinas needs to take a leadership role for the region so that we can capitalize and be prepared for this new access point to the Monterey Bay area,” said Estrada. “To better facilitate cities’ readiness for these rail project impacts, local leaders’ involvement and investment in their success, is critical.”

The meeting agenda includes receiving an update on the planned increase in passenger rail service along the coast corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, a presentation from Visitors Bureau Executive Director Craig Kaufman, and an update on the Salinas Rail Kick Start project about the Salinas layover facility and Gilroy track connections.

Kaufman said the Visitors Bureau’s goal is not to create something that is “instead of going to the Monterey Peninsula,” but to increase the overnight stays within the region as a whole.

“The focus of the bureau in the short term is to keep travelers on Caltrain in the region through the storytelling and place-making of our diverse ancestors and rich history,” Kaufman said. “We are trying to enhance tourism opportunities through regional heritage tourism.”

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail comes up the Salinas Valley, over Monterey-Salinas Highway to the Carmel Mission, and then back up through Salinas, said Kaufman. The Anza story encompasses both the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas and San Benito valleys.

Kaufman said that by marketing the Anza trail, the area’s historic downtowns, and natural landscapes, the Visitors Bureau and its partners are setting the stage to be a complementary effort to what is occurring on the Monterey Bay.

“Our long-term focus is on economic development and sustainable housing so that our community can thrive along with the second-largest industry in Monterey County — tourism,” said Kaufman.

The historic former Southern Pacific freight depot, far left, which houses the California Welcome Center and Salinas City Regional Heritage Center museum, at 1 Station Place in Salinas, is part of the revamped Salinas train station area now known at the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Salinas. (James Herrera/Monterey Herald)

The long-term goal is to re-energize underutilized county-held assets adjacent to this historic trail and create new revenue streams through the transient occupancy tax, explained Kaufman.

“By making this a bi-county effort – San Benito and Monterey – we can collectively enhance heritage tourism through this national historic trail and create new revenues for our county coffers,” he said.

In the future, Santa Cruz County will be connected to the rail expansion on the Coast Mainline tracks.

Salinas is the largest city on the Central Coast between San Jose and Oxnard, Estrada pointed out, and needs to take a leadership role in making the city a point of destination that reflects its pride in being the Monterey County seat and a fully functional site for increased rail service.

With the expanded commuter rail service to Salinas, the Station Place location (Intermodal Transportation Center) is expected to be a critical service delivery point for rail travelers.

“To maximize the benefits of the extension of rail service, local leaders need to invest in site improvements, at Salinas City Heritage Park and the Amtrak station,” explained Estrada. “To be successful, the site must be more attractive to visitors. It must be seen as safe, interesting, and accommodating of their needs.”

As a piece of this work ahead, the Visitors Bureau is initiating a fundraising effort to expand the Salinas City Regional Heritage Center and California Welcome Center, visitor amenities and community gathering spaces, said Estrada.

Horoscopes July 30, 2025: Terry Crews, a passionate voice will attract more attention

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Simon Baker, 56; Terry Crews, 57; Lisa Kudrow, 62; Laurence Fishburne, 64.

Happy Birthday: A passionate voice will attract more attention and sympathy for whatever cause concerns you. Stick to the facts or expect to answer to those who question your validity. Being the one to make the first move will put you in a powerful position. Utilize your time, effort and energy to effect positive change in both your personal and professional lives. Simplify your life, declutter and maintain an affordable lifestyle. Your numbers are 2, 17, 22, 28, 32, 41, 48.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Participating will help you connect with people who motivate and inspire you to trust and believe in yourself, prompting you to engage in something new and exciting. Redefine your qualifications to suit the sector you want to work in, and you’ll discover you are more valuable than you thought. Engage in networking events. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Focus on what’s possible, and distance yourself from anyone trying to take advantage of you. Pay attention to your work and responsibilities rather than let someone distract you or cause you to lose time, which could result in financial loss due to mismanagement or incorrect information. Working alone will help you achieve the most. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Put your energy where it brings the highest return. Participate in events that inspire you to act and bring about positive change. Turn any situation into an opportunity to meet and connect with new and exciting individuals who enrich your life through informative conversations and emotional support. Romance is favored. 5 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Keep a low profile, and you’ll achieve more. Taking on responsibilities that don’t belong to you will lead to resentment. Lighten your load by delegating more manageable tasks to those you trust to do a decent job. Avoid emotional drama, excessive behavior and setting impossible goals. Focus on easing stress and maintaining good health. 2 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Say no to temptation. Going into debt, neglecting to pay attention to what you consume or taking risks with your emotional, financial or physical well-being will lead to regret. Choose your words wisely, know when to say no and set a good example for others. Romance is favored. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take precautions. Refuse to let someone else make choices for you or lead you down a path that can damage your reputation or position. Take responsibility for yourself, your actions and your words, and you’ll discover you are your best advocate. Take responsibility, and you’ll deter others from trying to take control. 3 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your enthusiasm will lead to trouble if you make unrealistic suggestions. Letting your emotions run the show will backfire. Do your research, consider what’s feasible and affordable, and build your plans around what makes sense and has a chance to succeed. Love and romance, along with self-improvement, are favored. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You’ll have to stay on top of matters if you want to reach your goal. Expecting someone else to take care of your business with the same intensity and wherewithal as you is shortsighted. Lay the foundation and see matters through to the end. Take precautions to avoid injury when engaging in physical activity. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put your money somewhere safe. Spontaneity and spending will lead to regret. Apply your time, money and energy to something that has no strings or hidden costs attached and that promises a new and revived you. Updating your image and surrounding yourself with upbeat people and plans will help you achieve positive results. 4 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Initiate change and put your energy where it brings the highest monetary returns. An opportunity to team up with someone who is just as ambitious as you will give you the momentum you require to reach your goal and enjoy your success with someone motivated by the same result. Don’t let compliments mislead you. 2 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Stop hesitating and start following your heart and initiating what you want to achieve. Find your niche and your purpose, and adjust your skills to suit your needs. Rearrange your surroundings to accommodate what you want to do, and address concerns with those whose plans will be affected by the choices you make. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You are best to bypass making any decisions that require you to deal with institutions, government agencies or authority figures. Observe rather than participate in events or protests that can lead to negative results. Instead, sign up for something that will help you gain knowledge, skills or interests. Self- and home improvement are favored. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are sensitive, excessive and interesting. You are engaging and entertaining.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes.
2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.
3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.
4 stars: Aim high; start new projects.
5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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