There is a link toward the bottom of this mailing — District 5 Car Week Feedback Form —that you may want to fill out so we can make our voices heard.
 AUGUST 17, 2026 Car Week events spanned all areas of District 5. Photo courtesy of TikTok. Dear District 5 Friends and Neighbors,Thank you for your patience and resilience during this year’s Monterey Car Week. For many residents, the week brought significant frustration, major disruptions to daily life, safety concerns, and heartbreak with the loss of a beloved community member in Big Sur. I heard from community members throughout the Highway 68 Corridor, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and Carmel Valley who experienced impacts ranging from traffic gridlock and noise to loud house parties and unsafe driving on our roads and highways. Public reporting and community dialogue echoed these concerns throughout the week: • Severe traffic congestion and dangerous drivingCHP significantly increased enforcement due to widespread speeding, unsafe maneuvers, and high‑performance vehicles overwhelming local roads. Multiple divisions deployed additional officers, motorcycle units, and even Air Operations. Despite these efforts, residents continued to report long delays, reckless driving, and vehicles ignoring stop signs. • Short‑term rental activity exacerbating neighborhood impactsCorporate sponsors and large groups rented homes across the Peninsula, clogging narrow streets and holding loud gatherings late into the night. • Parking restrictions and heightened business‑level security measuresSome businesses implemented protective protocols to manage crowds and discourage unsanctioned takeovers. • Tragic fatalitiesCar Week now bears two heartbreaking losses—one a beloved Big Sur community member, and one a young visitor attending Car Week events. These issues are serious and cannot be dismissed. Our Commitment Moving Forward In partnership with local cities, CHP, County agencies, and event organizers, my office will lead a coordinated after‑action effort focused on the following priorities: 1. Strengthened Traffic & Safety PlanningWe will work with law enforcement partners to evaluate this year’s expanded patrols and determine additional resources or traffic‑calming tools needed—such as strategic signage, enforced slow zones, and improved routing during peak event periods. 2. Controls on Late‑Night Gatherings & Unpermitted ActivitiesStreet racing and large, spontaneous gatherings pose unacceptable safety risks. We will collaborate with District 5 cities and regional partners to enhance monitoring, enforcement, and rapid‑response protocols. 3. Business & Property Owner CoordinationMany local businesses bore significant burdens without substantial benefit. We will convene listening sessions with business owners to identify balanced solutions supporting safety, customer access, and operational needs. 4. Resident‑Focused Impact MitigationNoise, neighborhood traffic, and access challenges were among the most common concerns. We will explore mitigation options ahead of next year’s event. 5. Public Feedback IntegrationYour experiences must shape the path forward. We have opened a Car Week Community Feedback Portal (District 5 – Car Week Feedback Form) to gather input that will inform County recommendations and multi‑jurisdictional planning. We Need Your VoiceIf you experienced traffic delays, unsafe driving, noise disturbances, property impacts, enforcement gaps, or any other challenges, please share your feedback. Your lived experiences will directly support a comprehensive after‑action report and policy recommendations for future Car Weeks. To participate, click here: District 5 – Car Week Feedback Form Car Week should be an event our communities can safely coexist with—not endure. I am committed to ensuring that next year’s experience better reflects that goal. Thank you for your engagement, advocacy, and partnership. Warm regards, Kate DanielsSupervisor, District 5  |
| Supervisor Kate Daniels | 1200 Aguajito Rd., Ste. 1 | Monterey , CA 93940 USUnsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice |
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Boy, push my button…
I will complete the survey for Supervisor Daniels, and it comes at the exact moment I’ve been pondering how to make my statement regarding the need to end this debacle called “Car Week.”
No more. It needs to go away. There is no pro-economy argument that justifies it. A community such as ours – one of the most intensely beautiful places on the planet, and one that was nominated in 2016 to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site – might be able to justify magnetizing visitors for ecotourism, but the events and car parades and showy selfy nonsense shouldn’t be allowed west of Laguna Seca.
Period. Full stop. One way or another, we will fight the money and get this job done, rest assured.
I’m a boomer for sure. One of my first jobs was in a machine job rebuilding the heads and seating valves on small block Chevy engines. I can recite the cc’s, bore and stroke on just about every engine that came out of Detroit from 1958-1970. I love – LOVE – muscle cars. But I deeply despise what this event draws to our communities. These are not car buffs. Most are charlatans with ego’s attached to a $40,000 paint job.
90% of the car owners I spoke with wouldn’t know a carburetor from an incubator.
It’s all about bucks. Bucks, bucks, bucks. And we sacrifice peace, pollution, lawfulness, and precious public resources for a demographic that demonstrates a vulgar disregard for the environment and the viewscape – unless it enhances a photograph of their classic cars.
I’m just getting warmed up. I promise I will light it up on social media very soon.
Thanks,
Michael Minasian
Some of my very best memories in all of vintage racing and car events happened in Monterey county. I brought my vintage shop class students for a number of years and the event has definitely changed lives.
Time to throw away car week. The negatives out weigh the positives. As Michael said it’s all about bucks. Total disrespect for the community, residents, environment, peace and quiet just to show I got more money than you attitude and I’ll do whatever I please cause I paid the big bucks to entertain my cronies. So sad of what Carmel is becoming/has become.
Our political leaders failed us. There was no plan to protect spectators and local residents from individuals racing their cars up and down Highway 1. Our leaders were informed about this danger and witness it and took no action.
Their was no plan to use many the police from multiple localities, in a coordinated manner. I observe them to be confused and arguing first hand. For car week they needed to meet prior to the event, identify priorities and develop a plan to protect spectators and locals.
Before you have another motor week you need make sure it will be safe!
Hi Kate,
We’ve been drafting a letter to the Pebble Beach HOA with action items we’d like to see implemented. One thing not mentioned by many online, but we’ve been hearing (because we’re close to ground zero) is dropping 100,000 people into a small area with iffy internet anyway, many of us lost internet for about three days. Just passing along this info, in case it’s helpful on your end.
Per Hiboost.com, “the severe internet and cell service slowdowns experienced by residents in Pebble Beach during the 2026 Monterey Car Week were the result of massive network congestion. With over 100,000 visitors, car enthusiasts, and media descending on the region, local cellular towers and network nodes were instantly overloaded, causing mobile internet speeds to plummet and affecting both cellular and Wi-Fi performance. [1, 2]
Causes of the Internet Slowdowns:
Massive Visitor Density: Tens of thousands of attendees flocked to events, auctions, and 17-Mile Drive, causing standard cellular and 5G networks to max out. [1, 2]
High Data Usage: Tourists uploading high-definition videos of rare cars and sharing content on social media overwhelmed local telecommunication bandwidths. [1]
Local Network Congestion: When too many devices try to connect to the same tower or broadband node simultaneously, the network drastically throttles speeds for everyone, even affecting local residential connections. [1]”
This year seems different yes more traffic but more behaved and safer than the past
I do love the classic the hot rods and the vintage but the new hyper cars dont do squat for me
Hi James and All,
That sounds like a real authentic way to leverage a car show and educate students, and Laguna Seca would be the ideal location. I wonder if they do drive train work and tear-downs there. That would be a prime opportunity for field trips and vocational training.