The Monterey Jazz Festival, a leader in jazz education since its inception in 1958, is pleased to announce that Chris Doss has been named as the Festival’s Managing Director.

Mr. Doss brings a wealth of music, arts, and entertainment industry experience to the Monterey Jazz Festival. As an administrator, he has managed multi-million dollar projects across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Recently, Mr. Doss served as Director of Marketing at AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas, establishing the largest cultural arts project in the nation. He has also led North American Entertainment Relations initiatives for Gibson Guitar Corporation, marketing and publicity for Bill Graham Presents in the Pacific Northwest Region, and national promotion and marketing at Ticketmaster. As Marketing and Business Development Manager at Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington, Mr. Doss presided over the opening of Marion Oliver McCaw Hall and positioned KeyArena as the number one concert venue on the West Coast.

Mr. Doss will direct the day-to-day operations of the Monterey Jazz Festival and will work with the Board of Directors and the Artistic Director to determine the overall strategic direction of the organization.

A year-long search for the Managing Director position had been undertaken by the Monterey Jazz Festival staff and Board of Directors. The artistic direction of the Monterey Jazz Festival will continue to be under the leadership of Tim Jackson. “I look forward to a productive, collaborative relationship with Chris that will move the Monterey Jazz Festival forward in a positive direction for the future,” said Mr. Jackson.

At the Board’s unanimous selection of Mr. Doss as MJF’s new Managing Director, Board President Jackson Booth noted that through its 53-year history, MJF has been blessed with the wisdom and leadership of Founder Jimmy Lyons and General Manager Tim Jackson. Booth shared with the Board, “Jimmy and Tim made the Monterey Jazz Festival an international icon of excellence in both music performance and music education and we all look forward to Mr. Doss continuing that success well into the future.”

“I am honored to join the Monterey Jazz Festival and look forward to working with the Board of Directors, Artistic Director Tim Jackson, and each member of the team to build upon the performance and educational foundation of the institution,” Mr. Doss said.

Mr. Doss is also a musician, and is a 1993 graduate of the University of North Texas in Denton, with a B.A. in Music and Business Administration.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Winter storms are rolling through California – this means you must be prepared. The California Emergency Management Agency works tirelessly with local authorities to help in times of peril, but when followed, some simple tips on emergency preparedness could mean more than saving just your home and belongings.

It’s no secret that California’s winter storms can be extremely hazardous and deadly, with threats of flash floods, mudslides and high coastal surf (among others) rampant. Follow along with this list to ensure you are prepared for disaster:

When a flood WATCH is issued:

• • Move valuable household possessions to the upper floors of your home.
  • Fill your car’s gas tank in the event an evacuation order is issued.
• When a flood WARNING is issued:
  • Tune in for information and advice to local radio and TV stations.
  • When told to evacuate, do so as quickly as possible.
• When a flash flood WATCH is issued:
  • Watch for signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate on a moment’s notice.
• When a flash flood WARNING is issued:
  • If you believe flash flooding has begun, evacuate immediately as you may have only seconds to escape.
  • Move to higher ground and away from rivers, streams, creeks and storm drains. Do not drive around barricades. These are placed to keep you out of harm’s way.
  • If your car stalls in rapidly rising waters, abandon it immediately and climb to higher ground.

Wherever you live or travel, you should be aware of the dangers of winter storms and be prepared to cope with one. For more information on the history of flooding in your area, and how you and your family can prepare for winter, call your city or county Office of Emergency Services (in the Government section of the telephone book), or the nearest office of the National Weather Service.

For more information of flooding and up-to-date weather news:

• Follow @CalEMA on Twitter
• Visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website for current weather watches: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/alerts/ca.html
• Visit Cal EMA’s Preparedness website for more tips on flood preparedness: http://cms.calema.ca.gov/prep_flood.aspx

Popularity: 10% [?]

Governor Arnie Schwarzenegger announced the reappointment of a local man today:

Alan Howard, 39, of Carmel, has been reappointed to the Osteopathic Medical Board, where he has served as a member since 2007. He has worked as deputy director of the U.S. Partnership for Peace Training and Education Center, which is the state department designation for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, since 2009. Howard was project manager for American President Lines from 2004 to 2008. He previously held several positions including director for the TNT Post Group, where he worked from 1994 to 2002. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Howard is a Republican.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Businesses in telecommunications, financial services, utilities and insurance that offer customer service in the native language of the consumer will be the biggest winners as the stalled economy begins to move in 2011, according to a new joint report from AT&T* and Language Line Services, the leading provider of language-based solutions.

The report, which cites the example of Hewlett Packard with a reported 85 percent sales increase from a targeted multicultural campaign, points to the significant buying power of the nation’s limited English speaking population. U.S. Hispanic purchasing power will reach $1.3 trillion by the year 2014, the report forecasts (Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia). The combined buying power of the Hispanic, Black, Asian and Native American communities is already more than $1.5 trillion. One in every six Americans (46.9 million) in the country is Hispanic.

“Organizations have a competitive opportunity to reach the 9 percent of the U.S. population that has trouble with the English language (U.S. Census 2000). That’s more than 27.6 million people who could be potential customers. Yet, 40 percent of companies say they don’t understand the financial value of multicultural groups to their bottom lines,” said Louis Provenzano, President and COO of Language Line Services.

“This isn’t business as usual. It’s a buyer’s market, and many buyers speak one of 170 different languages and dialects in the U.S. By providing integrated in-language services throughout the sales, fulfillment and customer service process, organizations help attract and retain customers and enjoy a significant competitive advantage. Multiple studies verify that goods or services have greater probability of selling and fostering loyalty if they are promoted and supported in the customer’s language,” Provenzano said.

The number of immigrants more comfortable speaking their native language when buying has grown by 25 million U.S. residents in the past 35 years, and every 19 seconds, another immigrant enters the country with limited ability to speak English, according to the report.

According to the report, these numbers simply cannot be ignored. And yet many businesses are doing just that. This multicultural population that presents such great buying potential is the same population that is so vastly underserved.

Other findings from the AT&T/Language Line Services report on language include:

• The U.S. immigrant population is expected to double from 25 million to 50 million between 2000 and 2050. At this rate today’s minority population will become the majority by 2050.

• 60 percent of Asian Americans — which includes Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Japanese Americans — now earn an annual income of $60,000 or higher, and 44 percent over the age of 25 have college degrees. The projected 2014 buying power of Asian Americans is $697 billion.

• Asian buying power also has the second-fastest projected rate of growth, slightly behind that of Hispanic purchasing clout.

• Hispanics became the largest ethnic group in the U.S. six years earlier than initially projected. In 2009 the total Hispanic spending power reached $978 billion.

• Multicultural marketing now enables organizations to reach the 23 percent of Hispanic households and 30 percent of Asian households across the nation that were previously considered “linguistically isolated.”

To view the full AT&T/Language Line Joint Report, visit http://www.languageline.com/wpmulticultural

Popularity: 38% [?]

A state report has revealed that Monterey and Santa Cruz counties have seen their juvenile crime rates spike over the last five years.

The report, entitled “Juvenile Arrests in California, 1999-2009: Statewide and local rates and trends,” examined arrests of young crooks and criminals aged 10-17.

Of 23 counties surveyed, Monterey County had the highest rate of violent youths with a 24 percent rise. Santa Cruz and Ventura Counties pull in close with a 22 percent increase, with the last five years of the survey showing the biggest deviations for all counties. To contrast, the state of California overall enjoyed a four percent decrease in violent adolescents.

Salinas is one example of a turn for the worse, as they had 24 percent more juvenile felony arrests from 2005 to 2009. In addition to the county surveys, Salinas was one of 23 cities that had their criminal records surveyed due to historically high crime rates. Oakland seemingly wrote the book on youth crimes, with a 115 percent increase over the past five years.

Good news, however, comes from cities like East Palo Alto, which reduced its youth crimes by almost a third, and Stockton felony arrests fell by one fourth. And Salinas, ell known for gang violence, has seen gang homicides drop by a relieving 40 percent so far this year.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Gang member arrested after raid in Greenfield

Monterey County Sheriff’s SWAT officers raided a Greenfield home early Monday and arrested a suspected gang member wielding an AK-47, officials said.

Officers served an early-morning search warrant on the Larson Lane residence, eventually using a Taser stun gun on Leo “Spanky” Garza.

Garza has been described by police as a well-known Norteño gang associate. He was found to be in possession of the AK-47 and another firearm when he was arrested in the usually quiet neighborhood, a sheriff’s official said.

It was unclear late Monday what prompted the search warrant or what charges Garza faces. According to sheriff’s office records, he is lodged at Monterey County Jail.

Bicyclist injured in Marina accident

A bicyclist was injured in Marina on Monday after a collision with a vehicle.

Marina police said the victim was lying in the street when officers arrived at the scene on Imjin Parkway near Preston Park about 10:30 a.m.

Witnesses were already rendering aid to the victim, police said.

It appeared that a vehicle struck the cyclist, whose body hit the windshield. The driver and a passenger were uninjured, police said.

The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital for treatment. No word was available Monday on the victim’s condition.

Two arrested after vehicle vandalized

Two men were arrested after they allegedly damaged a car and beat the owner during a drunken rage.

Salinas police said Michael Varela, 22, Rafael Mendoza, 24, and two women went to the home of Varela’s grandmother to pick up his children about 8:50p.m. Saturday.

The grandmother refused to allow the children to be taken because Varela and Mendoza were “extremely intoxicated,” police said.

The men began to damage a Ford Mustang parked nearby in the 400 block of California Street and beat the owner when confronted, police said. Police said the man’s wallet and cell phone were taken.

Varela and Mendoza fled before officers arrived, police said.

Varela, who was on parole, was taken into custody after he was found hiding in the backyard of a residence in the 400 block of Soledad Street, police said.

Mendoza was arrested Sunday after police found him at a woman’s apartment. Police said Mendoza went to the apartment Saturday and stole a TV. A restraining order forbids him from having contact with the woman, police said.

Varela was booked into Monterey County Jail for suspected robbery, vandalism and parole violation; Mendoza, on charges of robbery, vandalism, burglary and violation of probation, police said.

Teen arrested on gun possession

Salinas police arrested a teenager Saturday after officers allegedly found a loaded gun in his pants pocket.

Police said gang member Giovanni Pacheco, 18, was stopped about 11:50p.m. in the 1500 block of Duran Street while officers investigated a report of loud music from vehicles.

A second male ran away as officers arrived, police said.

Pacheco was searched because he was “behaving suspiciously,” according to officers.

Police said he was was arrested and booked at Monterey County Jail for suspected possession of a loaded firearm, possession of marijuana and gang enhancements.

Driver arrested in gas station accident

A suspected drunken driver was arrested Saturday after Salinas police say he crashed into two cars and a pump at a gas station.

Police said that about 11:20a.m., Mario Rodriguez, 64, was driving in the parking lot of the USA Gas Station at 33 S. Sanborn Road.

After crashing into two cars, police said, Rodriguez tried to back up and smashed into a gas pump. Police said the car came to a stop and a witness pulled Rodriguez from the car and detained him until officers arrived.

Rodriguez was too intoxicated to complete a breath test, police said.

He was on parole for prior drunken driving convictions and was booked at Monterey County Jail, police said.

Suspected car burglar arrested in Salinas

A man suspected of breaking into a car was arrested Saturday after he was seen prowling the parking lot of an apartment complex on Hacienda Place, Salinas police said.

Officers were called to the complex after the suspect was seen looking into cars about 3:45 a.m., police said.

As officers arrived, Arturo Alcaraz, 24, used a hammer to break a window on a vehicle, police said. After seeing officers, he hid behind the vehicle.

Police said that when Alcaraz began to walk away, he was warned that a police dog would be sent after him if he ran.

Alcaraz surrendered and was booked at Monterey County Jail on attempted burglary charges.

Police dog helps nab burglary suspect

A police dog nabbed a man suspected of breaking into the same Salinas gas station twice in one week.

Police said that about 10:45p.m. Friday, officers responded to an alarm at Amerigas, 131 N. Main St.

A window panel on a roll-up door had been forced off, and with the help of a police dog, David Phillips, 19, was found hiding in the station’s back room.

Phillips was kneeling behind a door and was ordered to show his hands; he did not comply and the dog was released, police said.

The dog bit Phillips on the right arm, pulling him to the floor, and the suspect was taken into custody, police said.

Phillips was booked at Monterey County Jail on two counts of burglary, resisting arrest and violation of probation after he was treated for his wound.

Police said he is also a suspect in a Nov. 29 burglary at the station.

Funny smell in truck leads to pot, guns

Salinas police said the smell of pot inside a pickup led officers to find two loaded handguns and marijuana.

Police said that at 7:35p.m. Friday, officers were driving in the 1300 block of Garner Avenue when they stopped to speak to several males standing near a parked Chevrolet truck.

The officers, members of the county’s gang task force, searched the truck after smelling marijuana inside, police said.

A loaded handgun was found under the seat where Jose Perez-Para, 20, sat, and marijuana packaged for sale was found in the truck, police said.

A more extensive search revealed a hidden compartment where a second loaded handgun was found, police said.

Armando Fabian, 20, was also arrested. Police said he and Perez-Para were booked into Monterey County Jail for possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana for sale and gang enhancements.

Popularity: 58% [?]

In what could be considered a crude form of grave digging, a man lost control of his car and careened into a Santa Cruz cemetery, sending headstones flying through the air and tearing across some 33 graves.

The driver, who has yet to be identified, was making his way down a steep S-curve road when he suddenly lost control. He plowed through a fence and slammed into some tombstones at Santa Cruz Memorial Cemetery, digging tire tracks across a multitude of grave sites in the process.

The man was largely unharmed and sober, and this isn’t the first incident in which a driver has lost control on the S-curve – last month, a pickup truck smacked the same cemetery.

Popularity: 10% [?]

It’s bad enough when people think they can outrun the police – some people think they can incapacitate a police force with a wet towel.

Kenny Barba, 41, was tracked down as the thief of a cell phone from a car in the parking lot of a Salinas grocery store. The victim used the GPS to ping its location to an Archer Street apartment.

When asked, Barba denied having the phone. The victim offered him $50 and offered to get back just the SIM card. The supposed thief told him to come back later.

The next day, the victim came back with two Salinas cops in tow. The police eventually convinced the stubborn Barba to give up the phone, which he said was in an apartment below. As one officer went downstairs to get the phone, the other found himself under attack by way of soaked bath towel. Yes, scared and nervous, Barba chose the most unlikely weapon to attack the officers.

Needless to say the cop wasn’t injured, and Barba was thrown in Monterey County Jail on charges of battery of a peace officer and possession of stolen property.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Popularity: 13% [?]

Alleged Rape in Woman’s Home

A Pebble Beach woman told police she was raped by an intruder at her home Saturday evening.

Sheriff’s deputies said they reported to her house a little after 7p.m., where the woman reported the attack by a man who broke into the house.

She had a bruise on her forehead and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Man arrested on kidnapping charges

A man from Greenfield was arrested on Saturday after reportedly forcing a man to drive him around, feigning that he  had a gun in his pocket.

Filberto Navarro was sitting in his work truck at around 9 am when he was approached by 32 year old Gabriel Tarango. Tarango threatened to kill him if he didn’t obey his demand of driving him from Hollister to Soledad. Oddly enough. Navarro was offered $2,000 for the ride.

Navarro obliged and dropped him off in Soledad, where he was later arrested on charges of kidnapping and carjacking.

Lifeguards rescue four people at Carmel River

State Parks lifeguards saved four people from certain drowning in Carmel River Lagoon on Saturday.

It is unknown how the trouble started for the kids, but in the end four kids and adults were saved from the lagoon at around 4 pm. Two others were able to make it to shore on their own volition, and only one of the rescued was admitted to a local hospital for hypothermia.

Popularity: 6% [?]