PAJARO — Monterey County authorities Thursday morning lifted evacuation orders for the flood-ravaged farm town, allowing residents to return to their homes in most cases for the first time since they were forced to flee in the middle of the night March 11 after a levee failed upriver and inundated their community.
But county officials who lifted the orders at 10 a.m. — a day earlier than they had indicated Tuesday — cautioned that Pajaro is still far from livable, with no water or sewer service and many homes requiring restoration work.
“There are health risks to people returning to Pajaro,” a Monterey County notice said. “The county and Pajaro Sunny Mesa Services are working diligently to restore the sewer system. There is no potable water and toilets can’t be flushed. It isn’t recommended that residents stay until sewer and water are restored. Those entering the area do so at their own risk.”
Read more: www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/23/pajaro-residents-cl…
Photos by Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
#California #CAwx #Climatechange #Flood #Monterey #Pajaro #Rain #Storm #Weather #Wet
3 - 0
Here’s how San Jose’s mayor wants to spend next year’s budget
www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/14/heres-how-san-joses…
6 - 0
Flood fighters race to plug levee breach along Pajaro River as next storm roars closer
www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/13/flood-fighters-race…
6 - 1
The saga of David Misch: Judge believes alleged Bay Area serial killer may not have acted alone, tragic details of notorious slayings revealed
www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/06/the-saga-of-david-m…
6 - 0
Three-alarm fire heavily damages First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oakland
www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/19/three-alarm-fire-hi…
2 - 0
Bay Area likely to see snow on the hills this week from unusual winter storm, forecasters say
www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/20/bay-area-likely-to-…
4 - 0
Five minutes to win it: Intense new motorsport headed to Bay Area
www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/17/five-minutes-to-win…
3 - 0
Bay Area’s largest state park in debate over off-road vehicle use
www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/16/bay-areas-largest-s…
5 - 0
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao fired embattled Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong on Wednesday amid a misconduct scandal that engulfed the department and ensured its continued federal oversight.
Armstrong, a 20-year Oakland police veteran and the city’s top cop since 2021, is the latest in a series of chiefs to either be shown the door or resign amid controversy.
The firing is a major political move by Thao, who was elected in November and has won support from progressives by aligning herself with advocates for police accountability.
The mayor said she was troubled by Armstrong’s public statements downplaying the actions of a police sergeant at the center of the scandal, whose misconduct led to a series of cover-ups by higher-ranking officers.
“It is clear to me that there are systemic issues the city needs to address and that we cannot simply write them off as mistakes,” Thao said at the news conference.
“And I personally believe this report shows the absolute necessity of continued reforms to address the issues that have been brought to light,” she added later.
Thao terminated the chief without cause and is not required to provide a justification for her decision, unlike the Oakland Police Commission, a citizen body that was set to meet later Wednesday to consider the chief’s future.
Thao’s decision came less than a month after the release of a bombshell independent report that outlined numerous accountability failures within the Oakland Police Department.
More: www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/15/oakland-police-chie…
3 - 2
Google transit village’s hazy future raises questions about downtown San Jose’s future
www.mercurynews.com/2023/02/15/google-transit-vill…
4 - 0
The Mercury News is Silicon Valley's most comprehensive news and information source in print and online at www.mercurynews.com.