A gay Pacific Grove police officer – who claims he was subjected to jokes and ridicule and was turned down for promotions because of his lifestyle – has filed a lawsuit in federal court.
In the April 3 lawsuit filed against the police department, former police chief Scott Miller and current chief Darius Engles, Sgt. Darrin Smolinski claims for about 10 years he was the target of harassment and discrimination, and that little was done by supervisors to stop it.
“Smolinski was told that there is disapproval of his lifestyle within the department” and colleagues “have made remarks relating to Smolinski’s anatomy in relation to his sexual orientation,” according to his suit.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, parallels a claim Smolinski filed with the city in August 2007, in which he said he endured a hostile work environment. The officer was hired by the department in 1997
Category Archives: Carmel Pine Cone
Divers’ Monument Unveiled On Cannery Row
It’s over on the quiet end of the Row, near the Coast Guard. Another tiny reminder that Cannery Row was once more than the home a Fish Jail and tourist trap. Well done.
Toiling in thick clouds of fish scales, entrails, muck and silk, usually in zero visibility, was a daily ritual for Nonella, George Fraley, Oscar Lager, Eddie Bushnell and several other divers and tenders who helped make Monterey the “Sardine Capital of the World” between 1927 and 1950, until overfishing and pollutants killed the industry.
Those men, including two who were killed while diving — Tom Pierce and Henry Porter — were honored Friday at San Carlos Beach Park on Cannery Row when The Cannery Row Foundation and the Historic Divers Society unveiled a bronze bust of a vintage diving helmet at a dedication ceremony next to the water.
See also the John Cernry paintings of the ones that avoided work, with style.
Downtown Turns To Scavenger Hunt
Gift shops, galleries and restaurants tempting us with free prizes. There was some amplified music, balloons and a fair amount of people wandering around with diddly bobber antennae (was that the prize?).
To help revive a struggling downtown Pacific Grove, some business owners have come up with a unique idea they’re hoping will draw customers.
Friday night, more than 50 businesses on and around Lighthouse Avenue will take part in the city’s, and perhaps the county’s, first-ever public scavenger hunt, billed as a “Scavenger Hunt with a Twist.”
“It’s a great way for people to get to know downtown P.G. while having a ball and maybe winning a fabulous prize to boot,” said Sally Aberg, one of the event’s coordinators.
The way the game works, Aberg said, is participants will receive a game card with 53 clues and riddles about each participating store, restaurant and gallery. The game will take place April 18 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, up on Forest Hill, Trader Joe has a packed parking lot all day. What do they have that downtown doesn’t? STUFF THAT PEOPLE WANT.
Parolee Busted For Burglary In P.G.
Nyunt just told everyone we don’t lock our doors. Great.
They learned he was Jorge Gonzalez, a Seaside parolee whose prior convictions include burglary, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.
Nyunt reported Gonzalez’s car contained numerous items that appeared to have been stolen, including cell phones, a GPS unit and a compressor. “We’re still trying to identify the victims,” he said. Gonzalez also allegedly possessed burglary tools, and Nyunt said he had been rummaging through boxes stored in the carport when the officer first spotted him.
“Individuals know that communities such as Pacific Grove and Carmel are considered a safe haven, and people don’t lock their doors,” Nyunt said, adding that residents persist in believing, “This is not going to happen here.”
More Idiots In Country Club Gate
Remember the doofus that said he was kidnapped when he couldn’t score a drug deal? Same shopping center.
Initially, the man stated he was simply eating when a male juvenile confronted him, punched him in the face and then chased him around the restaurant with a stun gun before running outside and jumping into a white car with North Carolina plates.
“Apparently they were throwing chairs at each other also, so we may end up charging everyone with a crime,” he said, adding that the license plate number, as well as some other witnesses, yielded useful information.”We have identified all the players,” he said.
New World Order – Monterey Taking Over PG Police?
I’ve been wondering why all the police departments on the Peninsula (and the Monterey County Sheriffs) police cruisers have shed their unique color schemes and gone to LAPD style sinister black & white. Now the truth is out..
At the Jan. 16 Pacific Grove City Council meeting, council members approved studying whether the police department and all other city services could be run by the City of Monterey in an effort to make up a $2.9 million shortfall.
Police Chief Darius Engles said Monterey police are paid more than P.G. officers, leaving doubt whether the takeover would save money. And he also thinks the people of Pacific Grove will notice the difference.
“I personally don’t believe that they will be able to provide better service than we provide now,” Engles said.
Storm Racks Up Costs
Would a full time arborist really be of benefit in the storm? Money is better spent on tree cutters and police/fire. The tree-trimmer contractors should offer inspection services in exchange for the business of trimming the trees.
The winter storm that ripped through the Monterey Peninsula two weeks ago cost the financially strapped City of Pacific Grove about $30,000.
Employees from numerous city departments worked a total of 316 overtime hours during the storm, which brought down at least 20 trees, said city manager Jim Colangelo.
The $30,000 represents the cost in overtime pay, damage done by city trees, and the fee for independent contractors, which Colangelo said included mainly tree crews. The city doesn’t have a full-time arborist.
Lighthouse Cinema Update
Let’s hope they study the populations of the are and put some thought to what movies they bring to town.
The improvements planned for the 8,500-square-foot building at 525 Lighthouse Ave. include new seats, new carpeting, new curtains, new wallpaper, new sound system, remodeled snack bar lighting, new interior and exterior paint and awnings, he said.
But all that investment comes with some risk, Enea acknowledged.
“The success of the proposed venture will be predicated upon the patronage from Pacific Grove residents,” he said.
North American Cinemas, a Santa Rosa company, which Enea said owns 125 screens on the west coast, is slated to operate the theater.
P.G. Man Spits At Carmel Cops In DUI Arrest
The altercation occurred after police took Soney Bae into custody for suspected drunken driving and drove him to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for a blood test because he refused to submit to a breath test, according to Cpl. Steve Rana. “He kept on getting more and more aggressive and refused to walk with the officers back to the car,” Rana said of Soney Bae, who had also refused to identify where he lived and began yelling and swearing loudly in Japanese and English. “He broke away from them a couple of times. He got away but was stumbling drunk and fell down.” Bae then reportedly spat at one of the cops. The officers finally succeeded in getting him back in their car and took him to Monterey County Jail.
Aquarium Employees To Help Staff Mvsevm
What could go wrong?
Workers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium will help staff the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History until the city can develop a long-term plan to hire employees and become profitable.
The staffing is necessary because the city, as part of a reorganization to save money, laid off the museum’s assistant curator and eliminated the museum director job, effective with the retirement of Paul Finnegan, who is leaving his post in January. “Some of the aquarium’s guest services people will be working the main floor of the museum,” city manager Jim Colangelo told The Pine Cone.