Vote was 183 yes and 138 no. Well, what did they get? Besides pizza.
“Monterey Bay Aquarium looks forward to negotiating in good faith with MBAWU on behalf of its members. At this time, the Aquarium cannot speculate on what may or may not be included in the union contract. The Aquarium has always prioritized-and will continue to prioritize-the well-being of our staff, who play a central role in maintaining our position as a global leader in marine conservation and education.”
Ugly donkey corrals to be replaced by wider sidewalks for dining. Let’s see how many people want to eat in the fog with seagulls overhead.
The pandemic parklets that saved a number of Pacific Grove restaurants from closure as well as kept sales taxes flowing into city coffers, will come to an end by Oct. 31, the P.G. City Council voted on Wednesday, April 2.
City Manager Matt Mogensen was asking the council for direction on the parklet program as a deadline loomed for restaurants to renew parklet permits on June 30 for another year.
Since the city was moving toward sidewalk dining, Mogensen asked if they should sunset parklets. He suggested they give restaurant owners an incentive to remove their parklets early by waiving sidewalk dining fees costing $905 for the first year.
With the tourist season coming up, the council decided to extend sunsetting the program until Oct. 31. In the meantime, owners could choose to end by June 30, with fees waived and the city bearing the cost of removing their parklets.
The Monterey Fire Department responded to reports of a commercial structure fire at 902 Lighthouse Ave. around 6:37 a.m. according to a press release from the City of Monterey. Fire crews arrived within five minutes to find smoke inside the fast-food restaurant, located at the corner of Lighthouse and David Avenues, a few blocks up from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Firefighters found flames spreading rapidly through the attic. As the fire intensified, crews switched to a defensive strategy and evacuated the structure due to concerns about a potential roof collapse.
The fire was eventually contained, but the damage was extensive. The roof and several walls collapsed, and officials have deemed the building a complete loss. A Monterey Fire engine and ladder truck will remain on-site to monitor for flare-ups.
Uses her vote allowing loud music at a bar she owns.
Pacific Grove officials are mum one week after a member of the city council voted on a new city rule that some residents say amounted to a conflict of interest. At the March 19 council a council meeting, councilman Joe Amelio proposed an ordinance to allow louder music at downtown businesses and restaurants. The revised noise law would benefit several establishments that host live and recorded music, including a venue called Pop & Hiss at 215 Forest Ave.
But just before the council was to deliberate on the proposal, a resident said during the public comment period that councilwoman Tina Rau should recuse herself from the discussion since she owns the building that Pop & Hiss occupies. Rau did not do that, and neither she nor the other five council members addressed the issue. Minutes later, Rau made a motion to allow louder music. The city council passed the measure 4-2.
Kung Fu Chief starts soon.
City manager Matt Mogensen said he selected Casey Day, a law enforcement officer with about 25 years of experience who’s spent the last five years as the chief for the City of Fortuna in Humboldt County. Day will start the job March 31 and will be sworn in April 2 in P.G. City Council chambers.
Day will replace former PGPD Chief Cathy Madalone, who said on Sept. 27, 2024, that she was retiring after five years at the department. Madalone’s retirement came after she suffered an undisclosed injury in late 2023 and worked from home for months. Madalone, 56, eventually went on paid leave for about six months before retiring. She declined to disclose the nature of her injury. Brian Anderson has been the acting chief since her departure.
At the March 10 meeting of the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, members OK’d the list, which includes mainstream events like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Christmas and Yom Kippur, but also lists lesser-known observances such as International Pronouns Day and World Hijab Day.
The new version contains the Christian and Muslim events. While the calendar lists Mexican Independence Day, it does not include the United States’ Independence Day.
Can’t make stuff up any funnier than the truth. LighthouseAvenue.com tried last year
January
National Big Forehead Day
My Way Day (A favorite of DEI members)
Extraterrestrial Culture Day
National I LOVE My feet Day
February
National Bad Poetry Day
Measure Your Feet Day
National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day
Talk Like William Shakespeare Day
March
National Griper’s Day
Alien Abduction Day
Send an Electronic Greeting Card Day
National Lumpy Rug Day
April
Create a Great Funeral Day
National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
National Rubber Eraser Day
No Socks Day
May
Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day
Stay Away From Fresno Day
National Emo Day
Invite an Alien to Live with You Day
June
Take it in the Ear Day
Hurray for Buttons Day
Call of the Horizon Day
A’Phabet Day or No “L” Day
National Ugly Truck Contest Day
July
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
False Confession Day
Dumbstruck Day
Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales
August
Clashing Clothes Day
National Name Your Car Day
Curmudgeons Day
Hawaiian Shirt Day
September
Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
Barbie-in-a-Blender Day
National Reach As High As You Can Day
Gorilla Suit Day
October
Haunted Refrigerator Night
Keep Off the Grass Day
Fill Our Staplers Day
Jump Over Things Day
November
Sock Monkey Day
Kyrgyzstan National Hat Day
Blah Blah Blah Day
Quitters Day
National Paranormal Day
December
Hobbit Day
Look for Circles Day
Thumb Appreciation Day
National Handcuff Day
Everything You Think Is Wrong Day (DEI founded on this day)
Middle Name Pride Day
DEI Group Busy With Inclusional Delusional Holidays
But the gov said no illegals get free medical care. Think about that the next time somebody say Californians will suffer.
The shortfall comes a year after California launched an ambitious coverage expansion to provide free health care to all low-income adults regardless of their immigration status. That’s costing far more than the state projected.
Here’s what to know about California’s Medicaid gap:
Did expanding coverage to adult immigrants cause the gap?
Partly. California first extended health care benefits to low-income children without legal status in 2015 and later added the benefits for young adults and people over the age of 50. The program was expanded again last year to cover adults ages 26 to 49.
Pacific Grove is set to appoint Casey Day as the new chief of police on March 31.
Day brings over 25 years of law enforcement experience to the position. He was most recently the chief of police for the city of Fortuna, California.
He spent two decades with the Anderson Police Department. He is also a United States Marine Corps veteran.
Day himself, a sergeant at the time, wound up being department’s nunchuck-instructor, which effectively made him the ninja-cop poster boy — the officer sent to demonstrate his nunchuck skills on numerous TV news segments.
In one such segment, Day told a CNN correspondent that he was initially skeptical of the weapon but quickly came to view them as an effective “restraining tool.”
About declining enrollment. And Therapists? Didn’t we used to call them counselors or is this some other made up non-teaching job?
school board last week voted to lay off several teachers
and therapists to help close a nearly $3 million deficit.
Pacific Grove Unified School District chief human resources officer Buck Roggeman told the board that the layoffs are due to decreases in student enrollment in kindergarten through fifth grade. Pacific Grove’s two elementary schools are Forest Grove on Congress and Robert Down on Pine.
As the town becomes less of a residential town and more of a “destination”. But it’s never like a business applies for a permit to serve alcohol and play loud live music and expand to the sidewalk and street. It’s always a foot in the door then a gradual change.
Hops and Fog Brewing Co. owner Mike Durrant is part of downtown Pacific Grove’s nighttime renaissance from a sleepy business district to a place where music flows regularly from small bands or DJs. It’s attracting new patrons—and their wallets— to the city.
“We’re changing. The town is coming to life for the first time ever,” Durrant says, adding that the music is drawing people from all over the county looking for entertainment.
While Durrant has good relationships with nearby Hops and Fog neighbors, other business owners he partners with for events have struggled with noise complaints. In the last six months there have been at least 12 code enforcement complaints related to downtown music, according to P.G. City Manager Matt Mogensen.