Recently, some members of the city council asked for a financial request that turned out to be more controversial than they expected. They requested $100,000 for a Fourth of July event hosted by Compass Church that was open to the public. This raised questions not only about the amount going to one group but also whether this violated any law requiring the separation of church and state. Ultimately, the council decided to punt the vote down the road, but not before they heard plenty from members of the community. Additionally, the walls are being constructed on the new Amazon warehouse located on the edge of town, which promises to alter the landscape of Salinas.

Amazon is building a huge fulfillment center on the edge of town. With that comes thousands of new jobs, millions of tax dollars flowing into the city, and increased pressure on the infrastructure to keep things all running smoothly. Oz takes a deeper look into what this building actually is, how big it is, and how much sales tax is can potentially generate for the city of Salinas. Additionally, can the city approach Amazon and ask them to partner with local colleges to train a workforce centered on agriculture to fix and maintain the thousands of robots that will go into the new facility?

Salinas is one of the most expensive places to rent a home in the country. There is no simple solution to fix the issue, but last year, the city implemented a set of protections for renters to help keep them in their homes. This year, there was a shakeup in the city council, and one of the first things they did was to remove those protections before any help could be given or any data gathered.

Now a group called Protect Salinas Renters is gathering signatures to put a referendum on the ballot and give the choice back to the voters of Salinas. They will be gathering signatures until July 4 at locations all around Salinas. Find them on Instagram @ProtectSalinasRenters and at ProtectSalinasRenters.com.

This week, our guest is Liz, who created Liz and Media to showcase all the cool events that happen around the Monterey Bay. After you hear her story, you will know why we have kept doing this show for over 12 years now. She is the perfect example of having the grit and determination to achieve your goals. Born and raised in Salinas, her curiosity and sense of adventure have taken her all over the world, and she is only getting started.

Enchantrix Theatre is preparing to do its version of the hit rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. We sit down with director Colin St. John and the long-haired man himself, Stephan Sams, to tell us about the production process. They found an empty warehouse in Castroville and turned it into a temporary theatre, which allows them plenty of space to put on a spectacular show. The show opens on May 9th, and you can get tickets at Enchantrix.net.

Several new and old council members were elected last November, and they are already busy trying to make their mark on the city. Their current target is the rent stabilization ordinance passed last year to help the over-burdened renters in Salinas. What is rent stabilization, and how does it work? Does it even work? Oz tries to answer those questions and comes up with a unique solution that would make Salinas more resilient to gentrification and more attractive to businesses.

Uli grew up in Monterey County and is on a mission to find unique stories that will uplift and inspire others. He sits down with us to tell us his story of discovering his true self. That discovery was the seed that started his latest project idea.

The 13th Annual Watsonville Film Festival was held earlier this month, and for the first time in its history, it screened films outside of Watsonville. In Salinas, they presented some films at Maya Cinema in Oldtown, most of which quickly sold out of tickets. We set up our equipment at XL Publichouse to record some interviews at the after-party. We talked with Andrea Leon, DJ Werm, Cari and Hector to talk about the festival and their experience in Oldtown.