Monthly Archives: June 2025

Another Pet Pig Story

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Wonder if city leaders called them a moron?

Homeless Pig

Health officials are threatening to take away Lucy the pig because of a New York City law that doesn’t allow pigs to be kept as pets.

But at 15 years old, the now senior emotional support pet owned by the Gannone family spends these days on a series of meds, resting on the couch.

In a statement, the city department of health says pet pigs have been illegal in New York City for decades, adding “they can become aggressive toward people” and that there’s no USDA-approved rabies vaccine for pigs.

The health department says no violations have been issued, and a City Hall spokesperson says they’re working on a solution that involves getting Lucy moved to the Gannones’ house upstate, which the family says is under a lot of construction.

In the past week, nearly over 11,000 people have signed an online petition for the family to keep the docile pig.

Another Pet Pig Story

$300,000.00 In Tax Revenue For Pot Sales Downgraded

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Butterfly Weed

Chaps Poduri must have been high when he estimated that figure

“It is estimated that one cannabis dispensary within city limits could bring in $300,000 annually,” according to the argument in support of the 2022 ballot measure given to voters that was signed by councilman Chaps Poduri and then-council candidate and current councilwoman Tina Rau.”Why should Pacific Grove lose out on this revenue stream?”
But in a public report to councilmembers ahead of last week’s meeting, city manager Matt Mogensen said that the estimated annual revenue to the city for a pot shop is now estimated to be “up to $50,000.”

$300,000.00 In Tax Revenue For Pot Sales Downgraded

Not So Fast For That 130% City Council Pay Increase

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We have people acting as if serving on the council is some kind of full time career.

Pay Raise Signatures

P.G. City Council, led by Mayor Nick Smith, voted 5-2 in favor of an increase based on Senate Bill 329, passed in 2023, which amended state law on compensating councilmembers. The changes allow for a five-percent increase per year since the last increase, in P.G.’s case, 1998. It means councilmembers would see an increase from $420 to $966 per month. In the mayor’s case the increase is $700 to $1,610. In either case, it’s a 130-percent increase.

That pushback came two weeks later in the form of a referendum filed by former councilmember Luke Coletti, representing a group called Transparent Pacific Grove. Citing projected budget challenges in the coming years, Coletti called for the decision to go to the voters in an election or be rescinded by the council.

Opponents of the referendum have suggested that some volunteers were incorrectly telling people that the increase in compensation included health care and future raises. Former mayor Bill Peake brought up the question during a council meeting on June 18. Coletti clapped back, accusing Peake and others of spreading disinformation.

Not So Fast For That 130% City Council Pay Increase

Maybe The Rent Is Too GD High

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Or their homes are being rented out to STRs.

Butterfly Molesting

Monarch butterflies are quite a sight to see, arriving mid-October and staying in the area through the end of February.

But, these butterflies are starting to dwindle.

“Ever since we began monitoring monarch butterflies — since the 1990s — what we have seen is a steep decrease in their population, an over 95% drop,” said Natalie Johnson, who works at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.

What’s causing the drop in these species? There are a few factors…

“One of the reasons is habitat loss,” said Johnson. “Another is pesticides, and clime change.”

Maybe The Rent Is Too GD High

Weed Buzzkill

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Bringing it to the forefront aids in health discoveries, not demonic reefer madness.

“When you burn something, whether it is tobacco or cannabis, it creates toxic compounds, carcinogens, and particulate matter that are harmful to health,” Cohen said in an email.

However, edibles may also play a role in heart disease, according to a May 2025 study.

“We found that vascular function was reduced by 42% in marijuana smokers and by 56% in THC-edible users compared to nonusers,” Dr. Leila Mohammadi, an assistant researcher in cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN in a prior interview.

The danger of high potency weed
None of the studies included in the new meta-analysis asked users about the potency of THC in the products they consume. Even if they had, that information would be quickly outdated, Silver said.

“The cannabis market is a moving target. It is getting more potent every day,” she said. “What’s being sold to people today in California is 510 times stronger than what it was in the 1970s. Concentrates can be 99% pure THC. Vapes are over 80% THC.

Weed Buzzkill

Weed High

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Butterfly Weed

Pacific Grove City Council is set to take a major step forward in implementing a voter-approved cannabis retail program. In Wednesday’s meeting, city officials will hold a first reading of amendments to the city’s Cannabis Licensing Ordinance and vote on new administrative procedures and licensing fees.

The storefront will be limited to one location, situated no closer than 1,000 feet from schools, youth centers and daycare facilities, as mandated by Measure M. City staff emphasized the program’s alignment with the city’s financial sustainability goals, though administrative costs are still undetermined.

Weed High

P.G. Fires Cops In Schools

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Afraid of guns? Or give the student one less resource to go to when being abused by teachers?

PGhs Speling

The board’s decision not to continue the program comes after an incident in September 2024 in which a transient who trespassed on the P.G. High threatened to shoot a school employee. In November 2023, another man vowed to kill P.G. High’s former principal after wandering around
inside the city’s middle school.
School board member Jennifer McNary pointed to numerous reasons she didn’t want a police presence at P.G. schools.’ ‘I’m not in favor of guns on campuses,” McNary said.

P.G. Fires Cops In Schools

Wild Fish Manager Getting Deported

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Add to the list of legal fails at Liz Jacobs’ P.G. restaurant.

Wildfish menu

Juan Carlos Contreras, 43, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement officials June 4, according to the owners of Wild Fish on Lighthouse Avenue, where he’s worked for five years. While Contreras has lived in the United States for about 25 years, immigration officials have started efforts to deport him.

according to Monterey County Superior Court documents, he was arrested Feb. 4, 2018, and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, excessive blood alcohol content of nearly twice the legal limit, DUI with a previous conviction within IO years, and hit-and-run. In October 2022, Contreras again pleaded guilty to DUI and enhancements of excessive blood alcohol and multiple DUIs in exchange for prosecutors dropping the other charges.
A plea agreement reviewed by The Pine Cone shows that, in exchange for the deal,  Contreras signed a form that stated, “I understand that if I am not a United States citizen, that my plea of guilty or no contest may result in Immigration consequences such as deportation, exclusion from  admission into the United States, and denial of naturalization or amnesty”

Wild Fish Manager Getting Deported

Cal Am HQ Leaving P.G.

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Country Club Gate becoming a ghost town?

The relocation will centralize Cal Am’s field operations employees and office staff, including customer service. A listing for the building by commercial real estate firm Mahoney & Associates, said “the property is conveniently situated along the Highway 68 corridor between Monterey and Salinas.” The building is located between Upper and Lower Ragsdale drives. California American Water has been located on Forest Lodge Road in Pacific Grove since 2007.

Cal Am HQ Leaving P.G.