Keeping the trail unsafe.
Monterey police are asking for witnesses or victims to come forward after receiving second-hand information of a man exposing himself on the Recreation Trail near Fisherman’s Wharf.
Responding officers were unable to locate the victims or anyone who witnessed the incident during the initial investigation, and their statements are needed.
They say parking lots are not useful. Sorry fishermen and pleasure boaters, you’ll need to hike over to Franklin street to get your parked truck & trailer.
And Festival Space? There’s this huge plaza right next to the Customs house. Is it too not “useful”?
The purpose of the plan is to guide improvements of Monterey’s waterfront. The plan’s draft, according to the city’s principal planner Elizabeth Caraker, emphasizes more usable space and makes it easier for pedestrians to navigate the area. It includes regulations for both the Fisherman’s Wharf and municipal wharf businesses and makes parking changes. It has been embraced by the Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Historic Preservation commissions.
“Overall, participants said they wanted more useable space where the parking lots are,” said Caraker. “So the re-design would serve to include more temporary event or festival space. There would be better circulation for pedestrians and bicycles and better access to parking in the downtown garages when the waterfronts are full.”
Is there a sound of shenanigans here? Normally something this humongous would need more time and be delayed to almost infinity.
Project Bella, the plan for a luxury hotel at the American Tin Cannery, is generating a lot of positive buzz in America’s Last Hometown.
That seemed to be the pervasive feeling late Wednesday as the City Council unanimously voted to hold a special election on April 19 to make an ordinance change to clear the way for the hotel. But first, the council approved a reimbursement agreement with the project’s developer, Domaine Hospitality Partners, covering the cost of holding a special election.
The question of compensation was addressed first because, as Mayor Bill Kampe explained, “We want to know we’re getting reimbursed.”
“I have a lot of faith in P.G. voters,” said Moe Ammar, president of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce, at Wednesday’s meeting. “It’s to the benefit of Pacific Grove to get that dollar in the bank as soon as possible.”
While a few P.G. residents did express their concerns about the effects of the project and the special election — like Pacific Grove resident Luke Coletti, who thought the special election was a “cynical attempt to lower voter turnout,”
“I have a lot of faith in P.G. voters,” said Moe Ammar, president of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce, at Wednesday’s meeting. “It’s to the benefit of Pacific Grove to get that dollar in the bank as soon as possible.”
The question of compensation was addressed first because, as Mayor Bill Kampe explained, “We want to know we’re getting reimbursed.”
For his part, Kampe has advocated moving forward in a timely manner because of the multiple hurdles involved in a development project of this size. He said he was pleased to see the city reach a point where the election has been called and a reimbursement agreement has been made. So did David Armanasco, a spokesman for the project.
Life of crime in a rut?
Jeffrey Rutt, 23, arrested after a vehicle pursuit last week, could be facing more charges as local police agencies found more stolen items in his possession, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Three stolen shotguns, two stun guns, knives and a machete were found in Rutt’s car when he was arrested. Following his arrest, deputies conducted a probation search and found stolen laptop computers, iPads, cameras, medications and a survey transit, which were returned to their owners. Rutt allegedly stole the items, worth approximately $5,250, from locked and unlocked cars between October and December 2015.
Will it take longer to get a garage sale permit than approve the hotel.
2016
When it comes to Project Bella, the luxury hotel proposed for the American Tin Cannery, Pacific Grove doesn’t seem to want to wait.
On Tuesday, the City Council is expected to adopt a resolution to call a special election on April 19 for a ballot initiative that would begin to clear the way for the project. The initiative could also be delayed and put on the ballot for the June general election.
Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe said that both the developers of the project and the majority of staff at the city feel moving quickly would be the most beneficial.
Can’t tell which is fake?
Just as big waves wash away carefully constructed sand castles, El Niño threatens to transform Monterey County beaches and coastlines.
Every winter rainy season brings storms and heavy surf that erode shores and wash away sand, which waves return to the coast in summer. But El Niño generates extra rain and higher sea levels, which increases the erosion during intense and windy storms, affecting coastal bluffs and beaches around Carmel, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and Monterey.
Residents and city officials are not taking any chances. For example, in Pacific Grove, residents are considering whether to buttress the shoreline by building seawalls to protect property or retreat to higher ground further inland and protect the natural shoreline.
“I believe this is a very important question,” said Anthony Ciani, an architect and member of Sustainable Pacific Grove. A small survey conducted by the organization found that people currently seem to favor retreating, he said.
I can’t remember. Whoa!
A minor change in the language of Pacific Grove’s medical marijuana ordinance was adopted Wednesday by the City Council to allow the city more flexibility with future regulation.
The city’s previous ordinance said “no person shall grow, sell or distribute marijuana within the City.” The word grow was changed to “cultivate” to better align with state regulations.
“Legally ‘grow’ is part of ‘cultivation’ so we’re really just cleaning it up to make sure we in the city have maximum flexibility,” said Councilman Rudy Fischer. “The state is coming up with laws and regulations and we want to make sure we can control our own city.”
From out of town, been fired from last city manager job. What could go wrong?
After a two-hour interview in closed session followed by an open selection process at a special meeting Saturday, the City Council named former Avalon City Manager Ben Harvey to the Pacific Grove post.
Harvey, 45, was dismissed from his position with the Santa Catalina Island city. When asked about the dismissal, Pacific Grove Mayor Bill Kampe said he had no qualms about Harvey’s new appointment.
Harvey, who had served as Avalon’s city manager since September 2013, was dismissed in November on a 3-2 vote of the City Council after a performance evaluation that was closed to the public. Harvey said he was not fired for cause and that the council decided to exercise its option to pick a different leader.
Challenge accepted and met.
Recently the couple was leaving a restaurant at Wharf 2 in Monterey, when Susan accidentally knocked her purse into the water.
“When it first went over the railing, to be honest with you, I wanted to go in after it,” Susan said. “I never expected to see it again. I just went to work and thought, ‘Well, that’s it.’ ”
But Ron wasn’t about to give up. After all, the purse contained $200 in cash, the keys to their car, worth about $250, house keys, a pair of prescription sunglasses worth $400, plus credit cards and personal identification.
About a week later, Glaze went to the end of the pier to buy salmon at the seafood market. Right next to the market is Monterey Abalone Co., which raises abalone in cages under the wharf.
“There was this guy in a wetsuit,” Glaze said. “I asked him … does he know this harbor pretty well?
“‘Oh yeah,’ the man said. ‘I’m down in the water here a lot.’ ”
The man was Andrew Kim, manager of Monterey Abalone Co. He took down Glaze’s name, address and phone number and agreed to try to keep an eye out for the purse while diving.
The next evening the Glazes were in Los Altos when Ron received a call from Kim. “He said, ‘Ron, I found your wife’s purse and it doesn’t look too bad. It’s still zipped up.’ ”