Let's take back our rights against noise pollution (amplified music in residential settings) in Monterey County.

Are you tired of being continuously disrupted by loud amplified music every weekend in you home? Many of us have suffered from this for 10+ years.

Tired of your windows rattling or bass pounding through your home for hours to the point where you just want to leave your home?

Are you done hearing the Sheriff Departments excuses for not enforcing a noise ordinance and only "educating" offenders and not citing offenders?

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!

In 2019, our Board of Supervisors amended the Noise Ordinance to protect the community from nighttime noise only. The original draft of the amendment was written by Monterey County Counsel, Supervisor Phillips, Code Enforcement and the Sheriffs department to cover "anytime" noise but Supervisor Phillips decided to take it upon himself to disregard county counsels advice and removed "anytime" of day protection for this nuisance. This was pertinent wording to help with the enforcement of this noise issue. This has resulted in a half working Noise Ordinance, leaving 1,000's of community members helpless against this nuisance. Now, 2 years after the amendment, we are still suffering. The Sheriffs department has issued zero (0) citations to violators, using the excuses that they are under manned (but yet they show up to the locations called on) or under funded (but yet they purchased new decibel meters for no reason) or that the DA won't prosecute. When they were fully funded and fully staffed they still weren't enforcing the Noise Ordinance. This is just a complete Dereliction of Duty on behalf of the Sheriffs department AND the county. One of our own supervisors for District 1, who voted down the noise ordinance violations, was convicted of a DUI in North Monterey County where this problem is out of control and for all we know, he was leaving one of these events. He is bias to the situation.

These events require special permits but the county does nothing to stop it! The county and Sheriffs Department have coddled and made excuses to protect these violators. Meanwhile, we sit at home and suffer the consequences.

This petition is to demand another amendment to the Noise Ordinance to include "anytime of day" loud music coverage and to remove the decibel meter wording that does not detect bass tones that travel for miles into our homes.

This is to demand wording that includes "Administrative Citations" which will take away citations going straight to the DA. But instead, an Administrative Citation is similar to a parking ticket, every time they are in violation they would receive a ticket. The funds would get allocated to the Sheriffs Department to cover their "so called" underfunded department. These citations can be issues via USPS or put in the property locations mailbox and would be considered a new separate citation each and every time. We also request the citations start at $1,000 for each offense.

This is to demand that the Sheriffs Department stop educating violators and to start enforcing a law that is in place and start citing per that law.

This problem will not go away until there is full enforcement and not until the Noise Ordinance wording is amended to untie the hands of officers and get rid of the out dated decibel meter requirements in the current ordinance. There are many other cities and counties through California that have adopted ordinances like what we are requesting due to loud amplified events within their towns.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! This noise pollution is a danger to our mental and physical health and for many it is torture with no escape. We are not against people celebrating and having parties, we are against being forced to suffer from loud music pounding into our homes and lives from miles away, or next door to us, with no help from the Sheriff. The County and Sheriffs have a duty to protect us and they are choosing to sit on the sidelines while many have to sell their home or rent a hotel room just to get some peace.

If you support this cause and the county and Sheriffs choose to continue to ignore the issue, then we will move forward with a suit against them for negligence.

Call, write or email your Supervisor and tell them you Demand a change. Attend Board of Supervisor meetings and tell them. Change won't happen until we stand together and change it! Never have we seen such a complete collapse of responsibility by the county and the Sheriffs.

(Please do not leave a donation, once you sign it you can X out of it and your signature will stay. We don't need donations for this. Thank you)

District 1 - Supervisor Luis Alejo
168 West Alisal St., 2nd Floor,
Salinas, CA 93901
Phone: (831)755-5011
Fax: (831)755-5876
district1@co.monterey.ca.us

District 2 - Supervisor John M. Phillips
Castro Plaza
11140 Speegle St.
P.O. Box 787
Castroville, CA  95012
Phone: (831)755-5022
Fax: (831)633-0201
district2@co.monterey.ca.us

District 3 - Supervisor Chris Lopez
168 W. Alisal, 3rd Floor
Salinas, Ca  93901
Phone: (831)755-5033
Fax: (831)796-3022
Phone - King City: (831) 385-8333
district3@co.monterey.ca.us

District 4 - Supervisor Wendy Root Askew

2616 1st Ave.
Marina, CA  93933
Phone: (831) 883-7570, (831) 755-5044
district4@co.monterey.ca.us

District 5 - Supervisor Mary Adams
Monterey Courthouse
1200 Aguajito Rd., Ste. 1
Monterey, CA  93940
Phone: (831)755-5055, (831) 647-7755
Fax: (831) 647-7695
district5@co.monterey.ca.us