Category Archives: Coast Weakly

Drones Banned In P.G.

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Councilman Poduri wanted the long awaited ATC Hotel property exempt. Maybe this disguise can skirt the law:

The vote did not come without some bargaining after Councilmember Chaps Poduri demanded the future American Tin Cannery luxury hotel project be specifically excluded from the ordinance.

Poduri told the council that he did not want any more potential conditions placed on the project, located on the Pacific Grove/Monterey border, just around the corner from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and not far from the harbor seal pupping beach near Hopkins Marine Station.

He held his ground, refusing to vote for the ordinance as is, and although the other councilmembers argued that it concerned recreational drones only, not commercial, Poduri refused to budge.

Drones Banned In P.G.

Anonymous Complaint Over Tina Rau Conflict Of Interest

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City Attorney Brian Pierik announced he was quitting in August 2025

Tinas big jacket II

(City Attorney Brian)Pierik’s office sent at least two letters to the FPPC defending Rau’s ability to vote, calling her a “disinterested landlord,” and saying she has no financial interest in Pop & Hiss – Lovers Point Properties LLC is paid a flat rent, not a percentage of revenue. One letter also argued that the vote – to pursue an ordinance – had no impact on any business in the city.

“The action taken by the City Council… did not commit the City to approving an increase in the noise level from 70dB to 80dB or to take any other action regarding noise levels,” an April 25 letter states.

One anonymous complaint was amended by the complainant on Nov. 5 with new information, pointing out that contrary to the City Attorney’s statements, Pop & Hiss owner Michaela Kuenster once sat on the LLC’s board as a “manager/member.” (She has transitioned to being a tenant only.)

“Any policy decision that benefits Pop & Hiss – such as increasing the allowable sound level in commercial districts – could therefore financially benefit the LLC, and by extension, Councilmember Rau,” the complaint stated.

Anonymous Complaint Over Tina Rau Conflict Of Interest

 

Off the Charts Submits 8 of the 10 P.G. Weed Store Applications

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Behavior expected by operations of this type. Probable location is the old El Estero carwash on Forest hill.

When Pacific Grove officials announced the 10 companies vying for a single retail cannabis license in October, it was unclear who was behind each of the limited liability corporations applying in hopes of gaining entry to a lottery that would choose the winning applicant. Eight of the companies were represented by a single agent, Sean Maddocks, and when he was asked the names of each of his clients, he declined to share them.

Off the Charts Submits 8 of the 10 P.G. Weed Store Applications

Golf Course Grill Operator Moving To Lovers Point

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Much better location. Wonder if the rent is any cheaper? The seltzer hooch place lasted 3 years.
631 Ocean view

Less than two months after closing The Grill at Point Pinos, the restaurateur appears ready to create another destination.

Aceves’ Crema Lovers Point has applied to transfer liquor licenses from the Pacific Grove Golf Links space to the one recently vacated by California Seltzer Co. at 631 Ocean View Blvd. in Pacific Grove, across the street from Lovers Point. The requested transfer includes a Type 47 full liquor license and a Type 58 catering license.

Golf Course Grill Operator Moving To Lovers Point

Bamboo Reef Closes

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Seal Posse contributes to the fall of a business that’s been here since 1961.

Bamboo Reef

According to the company’s website, both the Monterey and San Francisco locations closed after 64 years in operation

“There’s a lot happening in the scuba world right now on the California coast,” says John Richardson, owner of Monterey Bay Scuba Diving, LLC, the parent company of Monterey Bay Scuba. Richardson observes a similar trend of shrinking in neighboring Santa Cruz County: “They went from four shops down to one-and-a-half in just the last five years.” Richardson says he is not sure why so many dive shops have recently gone out of business, but he thinks it may be due to oversaturation for low-populated beach communities. He adds that repeated beach closures due to thousands of sea lions congregating at San Carlos Beach in Monterey, a popular scuba spot, might have contributed to a local industry slowdown.

Bamboo Reef Closes

FPPC Complaint Filed Over Tina’s Vote

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Tina Big Jacket

 

A vote by Pacific Grove Councilmember Tina Rau in favor of pursuing a possible ordinance to raise the decibel levels at entertainment venues that sell alcohol is currently under investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission, based on a complaint filed by three residents. Rau owns a building in downtown P.G. that houses the popular bar and music venue Pop & Hiss.

Rau says she reviewed her eligibility to participate in the vote with Mayor Nick Smith, City Manager Matt Mogensen and City Attorney Brian Pierik ahead of the meeting on March 19. Pierik informed her there was no conflict of interest.

Aside from Rau’s vote, the complaint filed on March 29 also includes concerns about the accuracy of the agenda report and asks whether all procedures were properly followed, among other concerns. It was filed by retired attorney Jane Haines, along with former mayor Carmelita Garcia and resident John Miller.

Councilmember Joe Amelio brought the proposed measure forward on March 19, asking the council to raise the allowable music decibel level from 70 decibels to 80. Rau was part of the four-member majority that voted in favor of asking Pierik to come back to the council with a proposed ordinance at a later date.

FPPC Complaint Filed Over Tina’s Vote

Yesterday’s Rape Whistles Are Now ICE Whistles

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Because a stupid obstruction arrest can add honor to the anarchists.

“It doesn’t really matter the size of the city, because our whistles are very loud, and they can be heard up to two miles away,” says Megan Whilden, one of the organizers.

Jack Holmgren, a former immigration attorney and Carmel resident, spearheaded Whistlemania locally, saying a whistle is a tool people can use to alert others of ICE presence in real time. “It’s also a tool that can be used for nonviolent, civil disobedient resistance by the community that doesn’t have any concern about documentation,” Holmgren adds.

Over 70 volunteers showed up, including Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson and County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew.

the choirboys

Spermwhale Whalen had sold the most whistles on the night-watch, six in fact. But actually he had bought them himself and given them to his favorite streetwalking whores with the instruction that if they ever had a slow evening and felt like giving away a free blowjob to an old pal just to pucker on the whistle when 7-A-l came cruising by.
There was not a recorded case of a radio car in the vast and crowded district ever hearing a distress whistle, but it was said that the whistle saved the property of one woman on La Cienega Boulevard when a purse snatcher almost fell to the sidewalk in a giggling fit at the sight of a sixty year old matron in a chinchilla coat blowing a little plastic whistle until her face looked like a rotten strawberry.
— Joseph Wambaugh, The Choirboys.

Yesterday’s Rape Whistles Are Now ICE Whistles

Watch Out Birds, They Are Counting You

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screaming gulls

“It is humbling to stand out there and just have birds everywhere, and realize that you’re the person that’s supposed to identify them and put them into numbers,” Vilag told Rodriguez.

In this story, Rodriguez brings us into her world, sharing what it’s like to prepare for such a job, which has her out at Point Pinos for six weeks, six days a week, from sunrise to sunset. She also shares what motivates her to do this job, and how she stays focused.

Watch Out Birds, They Are Counting You

PG Homeless Project Manager Charged With Fraud

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Tried to seize the Monarch Resort. I’m usually suspicious of these tax funded humanity projects.

Monarch Resort

On Oct. 16, FBI and IRS agents arrested 31 -year-old Cody Holmes, financial officer of Shangri-La Industries, on a federal complaint alleging he provided fake bank records to the California Department of Housing and Community  Development, which paid him nearly $25 million in taxpayer funds for a state homelessness project dubbed Project Homekey.

And the Coast Weakly thought this was a “Great Thing”.

good week

PG Homeless Project Manager Charged With Fraud

No Kings At Del Monte Park Rest Home

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DMP Del Monte Park

Fliers placed in mailboxes without postage? Under 18 U.S.C. 1725, mailboxes are federal property, and only authorized personnel, such as postal workers, are permitted to place items within them. Grandpa might get a visit from Homeland Security.

Seeking to find out for themselves what was going on, residents organized a bankruptcy hearing watch party in a common area on May 19. A flier was created with details and distributed to residents’ mailboxes, located in the lobby of the building. The fliers soon disappeared, pulled by staff on the orders of corporate managers, according to a resident who spoke to staff.

Residents protested, but say staff members refused to put the fliers back. After more protests, the watch party was allowed to take place in the common area.

“This is CENSORSHIP,” a resident wrote afterward in an email to Joanne Getas, an ombudsman from the Alliance on Aging, adding that it was a “violation of our constitutional right to information… We can’t have a dictatorship here.”

No Kings At Del Monte Park Rest Home