Category Archives: Pacific Grove

Tough Times Equal Tough Decisions

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Eighteen people in the mostly silver-haired audience of about 100 offered their thoughts after the Jan. 24 presentation. Suggestions ranged from hiking golf fees to shopping locally to keep profits close to home. Several speakers preferred cutting city staff to raising taxes; others said they’d gladly pay higher taxes to improve city services. Many agreed that the property transfer tax—a fee of $10 per $1,000 of value on homes sold—may be the best option. It would raise about $2.5 million per year and only affect homeowners who sell on the open market.

Bike permits.
Pet Licensing.
Garage Sale Licensing.
Parking meters.

Tough Times Equal Tough Decisions

Divers Find Torpedo Off Point Pinos

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The circa 1945 torpedo was not packed with explosives and was likely left behind from training exercises in Monterey Bay during World War II, said Tim Thomas, Monterey Maritime and History Museum historian.

During that era, the U.S. Navy conducted war games, shooting nonexplosive torpedoes in the water and practicing beach landings. The Navy chose Monterey Bay in particular, Thomas said, because the conditions were similar to those farther out in the Pacific Ocean.

What’s more hazardous, fuel from dud torpedoes or Round Up

Divers Find Torpedo Off Point Pinos

Snick Farkas’ Colossus Of Gold

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Snick Farkas couldn’t take the kind of heat he throws around Pacific Grove.
For 12 years, the hardware store employee has lampooned the politics of Butterflyland in his comic strip, “Colossus of Gold.” In his black and white drawings, he chronicles the happenings of a small seaside town called Specific Groove. Here, a faux-gold statue of John Steinbeck, our colossus, has been struck by lightning and expanded to massive size — and is raising a ruckus.

The havoc in Specific Groove is familiar to anyone following Pacific Grove: rampant raccoons, budget problems and former mayors trying to play free golf.

Familiar, too, are the faces of Specific Groove’s movers and shakers, who are much like the City Council members, mayors, department heads and shopkeepers of Pacific Grove.

The Colossus Of Gold comic strip can be seen at http://www.93950.com/cog and the biweekly live renditions are often posted on Youtube.

Snick Finds Pen

Snick Farkas ‘ Colossus of Gold

Beautification Committee Solution: Less Ugly News Racks

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If the city council agrees, the current newspaper and magazine racks would likely be replaced by holders manufactured by Sho-Rack, Martinez said. The same types of racks, currently used in Cannery Row, will be more compact, provide uniformity and will have curved tops to prevent people from leaving items on top of the racks. “We will pay for a maintenance program if they become damaged or have graffiti,” she said. “The maintenance fee for each site is about $500 per year.”

The Cannery Row Racks. Doesn’t that look just like Jersey Bus Station Style.
Newsrack Aquarium

Yes the racks on the ‘Row show uniformity and legitimize all the tabloids, tourist ad books and other wastes of paper. So it will cut down on the unsightly collections of vinyl racks, right? This grafitti laden County Weekly rack is across the street from the other County Weakly rack in front of the Aquarium.
News Rack Cr Weakly

The PG Post office looks like some kind of recycle center for wayward news racks. If it’s in print, you can get it here.
News Rack Old Post Office
If that is not enough, a select few can be found catty-corner from the PO. Yep, blocking the handicap access to the sidewalk.
News Rack P Fish

More vinyl racks make getting out of a car over by the PG Police Substation difficult:
News Rack Gaspars

First, they really should not have any of these impeding the passage from street to sidewalk. This building just had it’s facade restored and repainted. That rack there sure keeps it ghetto looking. Open up the view, don’t block it.
News Rack PG Business

Does Lighthouse Avenue really need more of this? No. What about a real news stand? Actually hire someone to sell newspapers and distribute the other items. The motels already hand out those tourist sheets. Make the businesses with racks on their sidewalks keep them clean. What? They may not want to do that? Then why not sell papers in the store?

Rack outside of a liquor store:
News Rack Old Rons Liquor

The Grove Theater used to have a Greyhound Depot with the best selection of periodicals. Even the Rexall drug store had the papers neatly stacked inside. Pick up a pack of Juicy Fruit when you got the Sunday Comical. That same place today is a rug store with, yes a monster rack out on the sidewalk.
News Rack Hazaras

There is NOTHING the committee can do to make this beautiful.

Beautification Committee Solution: Less Ugly News Racks

Downtown P.G. Looking Ugly?

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Pacific Grove would be a better place if the city’s unsightly newspaper racks were replaced with uniform, less conspicuous ones. That’s the opinion of the city’s Beautification and Natural Resources Committee, which will tell the city council in February it should change its eight racks, a move which will cost P.G. about $4,000 per year for maintenance.

Take out the sandwich board signs, too.

Sidewalk Sign Ugly Signs

Downtown P.G. Looking Ugly?

DNA Points To Suspect In Olinger Murder

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DNA of one of two brothers charged with the 1997 murder of Kristopher Olinger was found on the steering wheel of Olinger’s car, according to testimony in a grand jury transcript released Tuesday afternoon.

Department of Justice criminalists matched DNA found in the horn area of the steering wheel to Angel Ruelas, 26, of Soledad. The car was stolen from Olinger, 17, when he was stabbed to death along the Pacific Grove Recreation Trail. It was later found abandoned in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose.

DNA Points To Suspect In Olinger Murder

Phil Bowhay Flashback – P.G. Fire Horn

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Our punctuation in P.G. was the fire horn. Mounted on top of City Hall, which was also the fire station in those days, it was part of our identity, our signature of sound, unlike anything else in Western civilization. It was harsh, raucous, insistent and serious in intent.

In Pacific Grove, the horn was part of the fine volunteer tradition. We all had posted in our homes the code telling the approximate location of the fire. “One, One, Three” meant Forest and Lighthouse, etc., and there was a chalkboard in front of the station with the address of the blaze.

Living on Grand Avenue, the horn was the lunchtime alarm. I’d champion to keep it, but I’m sure some of the Come Heres would object.

Phil Bowhay Flashback – P.G. Fire Horn

Griggs Nursery Closing

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Griggs Nursery Oob

. . owners of Griggs Nursery in Pacific Grove plan to shut the business and sell the land for eight homes. The city’s planning commission has recommended amending the city’s general plan so the houses can be built.

Allowing for homes to built on the property at 1021 David Ave. would not only benefit the Griggs, who could sell the water-ready lots for $465,000 to $495,000 each, but would be an advantage to the city since it would receive property tax revenue, Silkwood said. And the neighbors would benefit as well, she maintained.

Griggs Nursery Closing

Pilchards On The Beach

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Several hundred small fish washed up dead on the beach between Lovers Point and Esplanade Park on Monday morning, state Department of Fish and Game officials confirmed.

The officials said it was unclear how the fish, likely sardines, ended up on shore, but it was possible that they were thrown from a fishing boat. Throwing dead fish off a boat would be violation of state law, according to associated marine biologist Travis Tanaka.

Hear that? Is casting bait considered throwing dead fish?

Pilchards On The Beach