Monterey County

UPDATE Nov. 27, 2018: The Federal Drug Administration says its investigation has narrowed down the source of the current E. coli outbreak to romaine lettuce grown in Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura counties. The CDC says packaging should indicate where the lettuce was grown, and if it does not, do not eat it. 43 people are now reported ill connected to the outbreak. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration urged consumers to toss out any romaine lettuce on hand in connection to an E. coli outbreak, and Monterey County's top agricultural official said romaine grown on the Central Coast is possibly the source.

Although you still have a month to mull over your choices before Election Day, early voting is underway. It started Monday.

Work is underway on a local passenger rail project. It will create commuter train service from Salinas.

California's June 5, 2018 Consolidated Primary Election is behind us, and the Secretary of State has published semi-official elections results; click here to see statewide race results.

On the Central Coast, the San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Monterey County county elections offices continue to update results as ballot counting continues. 

When the oil companies, landowners and mineral rights owners sued Monterey County late last year, the plaintiffs’ side of the courtroom was packed with lots of lawyers. 

Monterey County is joining a lawsuit over the 2020 U.S. census. The lawsuit aims to stop the Trump Administration from asking about citizenship status in the upcoming nationwide population count.

Monterey County’s voter approved fracking ban will go back to court on appeal. 

New voter registration figures show the number of Californians identifying as “no party preference” has nearly caught up with registered Republicans. GOP registration as of last month stood at 25.4 percent – just four-tenths of a point higher than “no party preference.”

Being an Olympic bobsledder from Monterey sounds out of the box. And that’s why Nick Cunningham tried out for the U.S.A. men’s bobsled team. 

Central Coast Congressman Jimmy Panetta wants to expand protections for crime victims who are undocumented immigrants. 

Military officials say Central Coast residents can expect to see increased activity around the California National Guard post that straddles the border of Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, adjacent to Highway 101. Camp Roberts officials said over the next few months, there will be more soldiers on the base and more military vehicles on the roads. 

The Trump Administration has announced a plan to open up California waters to offshore oil exploration and drilling. Intending to replace a current plan in place through 2022, the U.S. Department of the Interior said it will release a new draft proposal for offshore lease sales starting in 2019. 

Hospitals around the Central Coast are seeing a huge influx of patients suffering from flu symptoms. 

The Monterey County Jail has faced criticism from immigrant rights groups for working closely with ICE. That’s federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. A new state law is forcing the county to change that practice.

Representatives from those immigrant rights groups stood with Sheriff Steve Bernal Monday as he made an announcement they’ve been waiting to hear.

“ICE will no longer have access to a desk inside our jail by the end of this week,” says Bernal.

The only way ICE agents will be allowed inside the Monterey County jail is if they have a warrant.

Customers of the water corporations California Water Services, Golden State Water Company and California-American Water may soon be seeing rate increases on their monthly bills. The three companies provide water to areas of Salinas, Monterey County, Los Osos and Santa Maria on the Central Coast, and all have asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to approve rate hikes.