Category Archives: Pacific Grove

Iconic Forest Ave House Subject Of Lawsuit

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Often walked past this huge house on the way to school. Thought it was a neat alternative to old victorians and other ’50s ranch styles.

1009 Forest Ave

Google maps street view

In early 2013, a tenant at 1009 Forest complained to the

city about inadequate living conditions. A building inspection later found there was no permanent source of heat, a leaking roof, lack of smoke detectors, hazardous wiring, a termite infestation and a garage deck railing in poor condition.

“There was a complaint made so we had to inspect the site,” says John Kuehl, building official for Monterey and Pacific Grove. “The building has a number of issues: electrical, plumbing. There were sparks and hazardous wiring. There was also an extra unit installed without approval.”

Boyes contends all the claims are false and that an inspection was illegally made without her consent. Throughout 2013 when the city started to take actions against the alleged code violations at the property, Coleman was in and out of the hospital with various ailments and unable to respond to the city’s notices. The city has placed a $113,465 lien on the property.

Coleman claims tenants made the original complaints to get out of paying rent, which they avoided paying after Pacific Grove posted notices of violations at the property. Boyes says Coleman had to file a cease-and-desist order to remove the tenants from the property and to collect back rent.

Iconic Forest Ave House Subject Of Lawsuit

2016 State Of The City

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Kampe refers to Carmel and Monterey as cities with 2 to 3 times revenue per capita than P.G. operates with. Tells me that P.G. is not being managed very good.

“Our recent audit gave very high marks to Pacific Grove,” said Kampe, noting selective fee increases for city services and a strong increase in the transient occupancy tax as major factors.

But he also said city staff is “stretched too thin” and that “very hard to explain benefit plans” are creating challenges for recruitment and retention.

“Taken together, current deferred spending plus looming cost increases tell us we need increased revenue,” said Kampe. “We now need to ask if we, as a community, are prepared to support essential and desired services that make our city such a privileged place to live.”

Kampe referred to Carmel, which has three times the revenue per capita, and Monterey, with double the revenue per capita, as references to just how well the city has managed with its limited finances.

Yet, despite the city’s current and future challenges, Kampe still had plenty of good things to say about his city of choice.

2016 State Of The City

Mayor Repeats The Old Substainable Song

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Build more hotels, attract more visitors. Do you really like waking up to weekend neighbors that arrived late Friday and packing up early? How about the slow moving traffic from hospitality workers that cannot afford to live here?

“My wife and I still wake up each morning and think how wonderful it is to live in this amazing community,” Kampe said. “It continues to be this special place because so many work so hard to make it this way.”

“Taken together, current deferred spending plus looming cost increases tell us we need increased revenue,” said Kampe. “We now need to ask if we, as a community, are prepared to support essential and desired services that make our city such a privileged place to live.”

Kampe referred to Carmel, which has three times the revenue per capita, and Monterey, with double the revenue per capita, as references to just how well the city has managed with its limited finances.

Mayor Repeats The Old Substainable Song

Sorry Hippies, Recycling Is A Bummer

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Now the container deposit is just another tax that increases the cost of products.

Recycle The Cedar St Times

On Jan. 31, rePlanet announced it closed 191 recycling centers in California, citing declines in commodities pricing of aluminum and plastic, coupled with a rise in operating costs as a result of minimum wage increases and required health and workers’ compensation insurance.

California Redemption Value recycling centers in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Prunedale, Marina and Del Rey Oaks closed, leaving centers at the Marina landfill, 14201 Del Monte Blvd., and near the Costco in Sand City, 801 Tioga Ave., as the two closest locations. The center in Sand City is a rePlanet location, closed Tuesdays and open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the week.

Ted Terrasas, Monterey’s sustainability director, said city officials were surprised to find out about the closures earlier this week.

“The redemption centers are required to be put in place by the stores,” Terrasas said.

Sorry Hippies, Recycling Is A Bummer

Butterfly Census: Fewer Monarchs, Plant Milkweed?

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What is it Ann? If it’s an over wintering site why plant milkweed for the caterpillars? Should plant nectar bearing flowers for the butterflies I think

Monarch Molesting No Touch

“There’s volunteers all along the west coast, primarily in California that are counting over wintering sites during the three weeks around thanksgiving,” said Pacific Grove Museum Director of Education Ann Wasser.

“They’re looking at different pesticides, they’re looking at habitat loss with milk weed which is what the monarchs use to lay their eggs on. A lot of people treat it as a weed so they pull it,” said Wasser.

Butterfly Census: Fewer Monarchs, Plant Milkweed?

Butterfly Population Is Increasing

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Showing a sign of improvement, but more prefer the hot tubs in Marin,

Each year the Xerces Society does an annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count.

“There’s volunteers all along the west coast, primarily in California that are counting over wintering sites during the three weeks around thanksgiving,” said Pacific Grove Museum Director of Education Ann Wasser.

Those numbers, which were just made available, show that almost 280-thousand monarchs made the long journey. And while it’s a big difference from the 1.2 million that use to fly to the California coast during winter, it is higher than previous years for most places.

“For Monterey County our numbers were not as high as they were last year. Counties farther north of us, especially Marin County, had much higher numbers this year,” said Wasser.

Butterfly Population Is Increasing

Gone: Pump House At Top Of Eardley

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Often showed signs of cars crashing in to it. Admin once had a friend who gave me directions to her house – go up Eardley and stop at the water company building then go  right at Sinex.

Eardley Pumphouse1 Eardley Pumphouse2 Eardley Pumphouse3

The water company offered to give the building to a group or neighborhood association for renovation, but there were no takers The structure would have been expensive
to remodel and finding a use for it would have been challenging.

…

the council in October voted 6-1, with Councilman Dan Miller dissenting,to allow Cal Am to demolish the house. As a condition of that permit, the council required the historic signage be placed on the property, and that the valve gate be preserved.

Gone: Pump House At Top Of Eardley

Tax The Tourists! TOT Increase Discussed

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Moe says no. Less money for hotels to contribute to Chamber.

Berryman political cartoon on income tax vs sales_tax June 33

It was in February 2008, that the council approved a deal with the city’s innkeepers not to increase the TOT as long as they agreed to join the Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau and assessed themselves under the Pacific Grove Hospitality Improvement District, according to Ammar.

He said that a TOT increase would result in lower spending on shopping, dining and attractions. He also pointed to the 1 percent increase in sales tax that took place in 2008, which he said has generated over $1.2 million annually to the city.

Tax The Tourists! TOT Increase Discussed

Invest in Laurel Avenue Beachfront Property

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Might pay off in 50,000 years.

According to the Pacific Grove Public Works Department, steady erosion along the coastline is not to the point where immediate action needs to be taken, however it no longer can be ignored either.

“We’ve retained Haro, Kasunich and Associates to do the study,” said Public Works Director Daniel Gho.

That study, which is planned to begin soon, will look into different scenarios the City could take.

Invest in Laurel Avenue Beachfront Property

Pedestrian Accident At Forest & Pine

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Cop shop block,

An woman in her 60s was badly injured in a vehicle-pedestrian crash Wednesday night, according to the Pacific Grove Police Department.

Officers responded at approximately 6:20 p.m. to a crash at Pine and Forest avenues where the pedestrian was found lying in the roadway. The victim was taken to a hospital by ambulance and the vehicle’s driver remained on the scene and was cooperative with investigators.

Pedestrian Accident At Forest & Pine