KING CITY — Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez marked the opening of his new county office in King City with a ribbon cutting last Thursday.
More than 175 guests attended the July 31 grand opening of the new District 3 office, located at 1011 Broadway St. They toured the renovated building, which used to be a church two years ago, to see how the large spaces had been converted to offices and a meeting room, all before a ribbon cutting and an indoor ceremony.
The King City location comes after years in the Greenfield Civic Center.
“Our original intent was to have a dedicated space in Greenfield,” Lopez said. “The developer who put that project together couldn’t complete it, and city hall opened their doors to us graciously. We originally said it’ll be a year to two years. It went about four.”
Rather than overstay their welcome, Lopez said his team looked for a new location that would be county-owned.
“I really felt that it was time for use to put a footprint down, not just for us but for the County of Monterey,” Lopez said.
Not only will community members be able to come in to make contact with the South Monterey County supervisor, but also his office has teamed up with the Alliance on Aging, Court Appointed Special Advocates and the office of State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas.
“All those services will be based out of this office now as we move forward and we’re the hub for county services,” Lopez said. “If you have a complaint, a concern, a desire, we’re that place to make sure that gets heard.”
The indoor portion of the ceremony began with recognizing the interns, Olivia Silva, Anixia Davila, Yuliana Montoya and Susana Itzel Juarez, and summer intern Jessica Schween.
“They’re the future for our community,” Lopez said. “We put them up front and first so they know their importance.”
He noted the intern experience gave the young women a chance to meet area leaders and figure out what they want to do, or don’t want to do, with their careers.
Lopez also recognized the winners of the recent We Are Southern Monterey County art contest. Kara Fanning was awarded grand prize for her photograph, “South County Sunset,” a silhouette portrait of her sun taken near the Pinnacles. A trio of her photos hung in the meeting room behind the main speaker area.
“I want folks to see it through their lens,” Lopez said of the art contest and resulting featured art around the office. “Sometimes it’s a portrait of someone they love who was born and raised here, up to landscapes and the things we might typically think of as South County.” He added, “We have incredible artists who are often shown in Salinas and on the Peninsula. We’re getting a chance to show them here at home and that’s really important.”
The ribbon cutting itself began with a call from Lopez for all the youth in the audience to join the dignitaries and leaders gathered around him. His own children, Teo, 5, and Ines, 2, helped cut the ribbon.
“We always see everything we do as an investment in the future and we know that someday they’re going to be the leaders,” he said of including the youth. “Everything is for the kids, and that’s why they should be front and center.”
Lopez made a joke about his own youth during the ceremony, as he said he grew up in the auto dealership about a block away. His parents, Vince and Tina Lopez, who owned that dealership, were in attendance. He called the ceremony an “extra special” homecoming.
“This is an investment in our collective future,” Lopez said. “Having it here in South County shows that this is the future of Monterey County. We’re where the growth is happening. We’re where the investment belongs.”
