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King City
February 26, 2026

Guest Column | King City’s Commitment to Agricultural Employee Housing

Steve Adams
The City of King has implemented a comprehensive effort aimed at attracting and increasing quality housing for our local agricultural employees. There has been a significant amount of misleading information in the community regarding the City’s position involving the permitting of a local temporary seasonal...

Agriculture is at a critical juncture,Ā farm leaders warn

CALIFORNIA — Grappling with higher costs and challenges related to water, labor, regulations and trade, some California farm leaders question whether the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state has reached a tipping point. California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass discussed the high cost of operating a...

Salinas Valley Fair 2023 theme winner announced

KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair has announced that this year’s Fair theme is ā€œBarnyard May-Ham,ā€ suggested by James Hinkle of King City. Hinkle is a sophomore at Palma High School andĀ president of King City Rural 4-H Club. The 16-year-old said he submitted the idea...

Monterey County crops fall 6.1% in value last year

Strawberries crops
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo has announced the release of the 2023 Annual Crop and Livestock Report, which recorded a production gross value of just over $4.35 billion, reflecting a 6.1% decrease from 2022. ā€œThe values represented here reflect gross values...

Who will fulfill the vision of Cesar Chavez?

More than three decades ago, Cesar Chavez, founder of the first successful union for farmworkers, predicted a future in which the cities of California would be run by people who looked like him. ā€œHistory and inevitability are on our side,ā€ he said in one of his best-known...

Rancho Cielo’s Veggie Box fundraiser a big success

SALINAS VALLEY — Rancho Cielo’s annual Veggie Box and BBQ Fundraiser took place Aug. 8-11 on the Rancho Cielo Youth Campus in Salinas. The fundraiser was the biggest success to date, with more than 14,000 boxes sold, 300 volunteers packing boxes and over 2,000 barbecued...

Greenfield High receives Farm to School grant

GREENFIELD — South Monterey County Joint Union High School District (SMCJUHSD) will launch two farm-to-cafeteria educational programs between Greenfield High School and the district’s Food Services Department. The first-of-its-kind collaboration was made possible by a new grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s...

Weed control effort seeks to curb virus threat for Salinas Valley’s lettuce

Salinas Valley lettuce
SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County has enacted a mandatory abatement program for select weeds as part of an effort to contain the impatiens necrotic spot virus, or INSV, which has severely impacted the region’s lettuce crop in recent years. Officials are urging residents who notice...

Balestreri named 2023 Miss King City Stampede

KING CITY — Cristina Balestreri, who grew up in the Salinas Valley, has been named the 2023 Miss King City Stampede. Balestreri, daughter of Monterey County natives Mario and Josephine Balestreri, received the title, sash and crown during the third annual King City Stampede, a...

New mural honors Salinas Valley Fairgrounds and ranchers

KING CITY — A new mural is in the works on the side of Pete’s Towing, with artwork that pays tribute to Salinas Valley ranching and the Salinas Valley Fair. The project is being spearheaded by King City in Bloom, with art direction by Jennifer...