ECONOMY MATTERS
A bi-monthly column featured in the Monterey Herald | By Tahra Goraya
Monterey Herald Economy Matters: Broadband Is Economic Infrastructure: Connecting the Monterey Bay Region to Opportunity
Reliable high-speed internet connection is as essential to economic participation as roads, electricity and transportation. Yet across Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, geography, affordability and digital skills continue to determine who can fully...
Monterey Herald Economy Matters: What happens to our fields happens to us all
Drive through the Salinas Valley in almost any season and you'll see it: mile after mile of lettuce, strawberries, and broccoli, tended by crews working before sunrise to keep the nation's produce aisles stocked. It's easy to take for granted. It shouldn't be....
Monterey Herald Economy Matters: Monterey Bay’s next harvest isn’t in the fields. It’s in the data.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant, futuristic idea — it is already reshaping agriculture, healthcare, education, and local business across our region. From precision irrigation on Salinas Valley farms to diagnostic tools in our clinics, AI is quietly...
Monterey Herald Economy Matters: Housing isn’t just a social issue — it’s economic infrastructure
Housing is too often treated as a social issue when it is, in fact, essential economic infrastructure.
Monterey Herald Economy Matters: Understanding our economy starts with understanding each other
In an era of information overload, economic data can often feel abstract, inaccessible, or disconnected from everyday life.