Category Archives: Pacific Grove

Jim Willoughby Offers Sage Advice

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Professor Farnsworth

Following the defeat of these three tax measures, a citizens’ petition supporting other potential revenue sources was submitted to the council Nov. 7.

For example, a 5 percent admissions tax on events including entrance tickets sold at the aquarium would bring in considerable revenue.

Why hasn’t the city renegotiated the $1-a-year aquarium lease? Considering a third of the aquarium is in P.G., a reasonable increase is fair. Will there be litigation about this? Possibly, but when the city’s future is at stake, let’s get on with it.

It seems reasonable to raise the hotel tax by 1 percent. Do you believe there would be an empty hotel room during the International Italiano Concorso? Although the council rejected the concorso, it will likely be resurrected for consideration later.

Other suggestions included installing parking meters from the aquarium to Lovers Point, with residents purchasing a $5 exemption sticker. An entrance fee to our Museum of Natural History could avoid its premature closing.

As far the library, I would gladly pay a $5 or $10 annual fee for a library card, which would possibly save trips to the Monterey library.

Finally, why should residents face draconian threats of service cuts when they had no responsibility in creating this financial mess? Clearly, there are other legitimate and creative ways to enhance city revenues.

Jim Willoughby Offers Sage Advice

At Least It Will Sustain P.G. Raccoons

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plus rats, mice, gulls and other vermin. P.G.’s businesses try and keep costs down by not paying for trash bins large enough for all the garbage they create. Some even cram the sidewalk cans with their business garbage.

This is particularly bad
Dumpster Sea Breeze Motel 080622

Must belong to Sea Breeze Motel.
Seabreeze Motel

Lots of garbage on the ground –
Dumpster Sea Breeze Motel 071216a

Juice N Java still sustains a fire hazard
Dumpster Juice Java Acumulation

And Lighthouse Cafe offers a little waste wheely loaded with 50% more than it’s made for, fire hazard bin and barrel of grease.
Dumpster Hollys cafe 071216

At Least It Will Sustain P.G. Raccoons

Stamm Sells Batting Cages

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Cara, 38, and her husband, Dan Hopkins, 41, bought the indoor batting cage and sports equipment business on Adams Street on in late November and have thrown themselves into reinventing the place.
. . .

Its previous owner, David Stamm of Pacific Grove, stands accused of molesting a former employee seven years ago. He pleaded not guilty in October to 13 counts of child molestation and possession of child pornography in Monterey County Superior Court.

But Stamm’s legal problems have no relation to the batting cages themselves, said Cara Hopkins, who is certain the tight-knit sports community will support the venture.

Stamm Sells Batting Cages

Lighthouse Cinema Screens May Brighten Once Again

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Lighthouse Cinema

Negotiations are in the works to reopen the old Lighthouse Cinemas, according to city officials and the property’s owner. “There have been some preliminary discussions with
potential theater operators to reopen the Lighthouse Cinemas,” said Robert Enea, the Danville-based developer who owns the building. If the deal goes through, Enea said the building at 525 Lighthouse Avenue would be remodeled and upgraded with things like new seating and sound systems.

Hopefully some good movies. Don’t need to be first run overproduced shows – good movies. Did someone mention John Wayne???

Lighthouse Cinema Screens May Brighten Once Again

So THAT’S What P.G. Is Famous For!

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Read it and gag.

Some puff piece reports that Pacific Grove is famous for golf and B&Bs. I always thought it was butterfly migrations and schoolkids in parades.

Guess the transformation into a Carmel stepchild is complete. Calling all newlyweds and nearlydeads!

Article mentions “affordable” $30 bottles of wine and the $140 purses made from junk car parts.

As for the markups, Walter said the philosophy is simple.

“We want people to try new wine,” she said. “They can come here and get something for $30 that they’d only look at another restaurant.

In addition to woman’s clothing, Johnson sells old California license plates that have been fashioned into purses, CD holders and address book covers. Her store occupies an old pharmacy with a lovely tin ceiling that dates to 1888.

Back in Pacific Grove, you can hire bikes or take a sea kayak tour. Or try your luck with a skim board at Lovers Point Park, which has a protected, small swimming beach of silky, pale blond sand.

(don’t mention the high fecal content of that sand )

Speaking of Passionfish
So THAT’S What P.G. Is Famous For!

Oh, Where Does The Axe Fall?

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Closing the city’s library and museum, trimming office hours and cutting police, fire and public works positions are among the hard financial choices before the Pacific Grove City Council.

The council will meet Wednesday to begin discussing how to balance its budget in the coming year.

“Now we’re at crunch time,” said Mayor Dan Cort.

· Eliminating general fund support for the city library and Museum of Natural History, which would save $250,000 for the remainder of this fiscal year and $1.2 million in fiscal 2008-09. Museum donations have fallen to an estimated $5,000, down from a projected $60,000. Library programs brought in about $39,000 in fees, purchases, fines and other revenue.

· Closing City Hall on alternate Fridays, with a 10 percent employee pay cut, saving $85,000 this fiscal year and $350,000 next fiscal year.

· Reducing fire service, with three options ranging from annual cutbacks of $95,000 to $245,000.

· Reducing police service, with three options ranging from annual cutbacks of $97,000 to $353,000.

· Reducing the public works staff, with three options ranging from annual cutbacks of $122,000 to $410,000.

· Continuing to defer maintenance of city streets and facilities, responding only to immediately needed repairs; and reducing the frequency of parks mowing, trimming and similar work.

· Eliminating salaries for City Council members, saving $10,000 this fiscal year and $39,000 next year.

· Cutting managerial and staff positions in other departments.

Making all the cuts would reduce the city’s costs by $3.1 million.

Here’s a few ideas:
The city can sell bumper stickers “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted Yes”.
Axe funding for the Chamber’Ocommerce. Make them earn their funding and see if they work harder. Last TV pitch I heard from them was for a travel agency and a web advertising firm. Like that REALLY draws commerce to PG.
That tourist center $100K? Forget it.
Go back and re-visit the property transfer tax – hit the very turkeys that have helped ruin the family setting of the town.
Charge for ‘sign permits’ – $100 a month for open houses and other sidewalk graffiti.
Charge businesses that use the sidewalks as extensions of the store. That’s public property they are serving meals on . . .
Farm out parking enforcement to Monterey. They take no prisoners (or abandoned VWs).
Trim the brass at the PD and FD. Put more in uniform and on the street. Or think about joining forces with the peninsula.
Sewers? Charge the businesses that burden in the system more than the residents.

Oh, Where Does The Axe Fall?

P.G. Seniors Continue To Be Easy Marks

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Might also explain why they vote Democrat . .

One 62-year-old Pacific Grove man, convinced he was paying fees to claim large sums of prize money from sweepstakes, forked over money for about a year, totaling more than $10,000, Uretsky said.

But the sweepstakes notices the man received in the mail, as many as 10 a day, were a sham. There never was a prize. “We’re flabbergasted when we see people fall for these things,” he said. “If it’s too good to be true, it is.”

In the past year, (Pacific Grove police commander Tom)Uretsky said, he’s seen three such cases, where people were conned.

P.G. Seniors Continue To Be Easy Marks

No Car Shows On The Golf Course

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Red Ferraris On Golf Course

 

A vote to let negotiations start was defeated 3-2, with council members Scott Miller, Lisa Bennett and Susan Nilmeier opposed.

Council members Vicki Stilwell and Alan Cohen were in favor of looking at bringing the Concorso to Pacific Grove. Mayor Dan Cort and Councilman Daniel Davis recused themselves from the discussion because they live next to the golf course.

Wadsworth said he was looking for a more scenic setting for the Concorso, and the ongoing construction at the show site at the Bayonet and Blackhorse golf courses in Seaside was a problem.

About time to put a stop to the selling out of the town. The tourists, weekenders and business owners don’t have to put up with off-topic events like this.

No Car Shows On The Golf Course

Party On! Golf Clubhouse Open For Events

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The City Council on Wednesday voted 4-2 to uphold last month’s city Planning Commission decision to allow the clubhouse to expand its operating hours and meal service and add live entertainment.

In addition, the amendment allows the facility to use its tournament room and grill for wedding receptions, service club meetings and other events and provide “non-amplified” music and entertainment.

The tournament room has a capacity of 45, and the restaurant can handle 74 customers, according to City Manager Jim Colangelo.

Party On! Golf Clubhouse Open For Events!

P.G. Caves To The Tourist ‘Organization’

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“You’ve got to pay to play,” said bureau president John McMahon, who added that the bureau has been holding up printing the 2008 tour guide and map to include Pacific Grove if the city joins.

Nancy Grech, owner of the Borg’s Motel at Lovers Point, was the sole protester on forming the Hospitality Improvement District, under which lodging owners would pay an assessment of $1 per occupied paid room per night for full-service lodging and 50 cents per night for limited-service lodging businesses. The money goes to pay for marketing and promotional activities.

“You gotta pay to play, eh?”

Orgainized Crime

P.G. Caves To The Tourist ‘Organization’