NEWS of the Death of Former Pacific Grove Joint,” Dan Koffman Said
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A car week like nothing else in the world! Your complete guide, ONCOURS and so much more, inC our colorful special section this week! WEEKAUGUST 10-19, 2012 Volume 98 No. 32 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com August 10-16, 2012 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Sandy Koffman: An active, happy life New beach that came to a sudden and unexpected end restrooms headed By KELLY NIX ning a modeling agency and managing a bar. “Even before she could drink, she was running the for ‘simple’ redesign AS NEWS of the death of former Pacific Grove joint,” Dan Koffman said. Mayor Sandy Koffman spread around the Monterey The modeling gig led her to the 1976 Peninsula last Friday, many people were shocked International Housewares Show, where he was n But council, commission still want that someone who was always so youthful and working for a company as a product design- them to be ‘world class’ vibrant could be gone. er. She was in Booth 505 and he was in This week, community leaders remem- Booth 506. By MARY SCHLEY bered her unabashed enthusiasm and “We met across a crowded conven- numerous contributions to local causes, tion floor aisle, and immediately I MEMBERS OF the city council and planning commis- while her husband, Dan, provided details thought this gal had magic,” Dan sion hammered out their basic wish list for the permanent about the illness that quickly took her life, Koffman recalled. bathrooms that would replace the porta-potties on the bluff at even as he reflected on their years togeth- Though she was married at the the south end of Carmel Beach. During a two-hour joint er in Malibu, Pacific Grove and time, the two became close friends. meeting Monday night, at which the restrooms were the sole Washington State — and especially her Eventually, she separated from her topic, they told architect Rob Carver the building should be love for the Monterey Peninsula. husband and moved to Malibu to be as small and simple as possible — but still worthy of one of Koffman, 60, who was mayor of Pacific with Dan. They married in 1978. the most beautiful places on the planet. Grove from 1994 to 2002, died Aug. 3 of “We began almost immediately to The meeting followed years of hearings and discussions pancreatic cancer at her home in Camano make each other’s dreams come true,” on plans developed by Carver, whose firm was hired by the Island, Wash., after a nearly six-month battle he said. city. After the city council earlier provided feedback to with the disease. While living the Southern California Carver, the planning commission approved his drawings in “We just celebrated our 34th anniversary, and lifestyle, the two would often take trips to San June, only to rescind that approval in July, following com- she had her 60th birthday just days before the transi- Ysidro Ranch in Montecito or to Monterey. plaints from residents. In order to avoid more of the same, tion,” Dan Koffman, 62, told The Pine Cone. “What happened is that over the years, we kept falling Mayor Jason Burnett convened the joint meeting to provide Born and raised in Chicago, Sandy Koffman studied in love with the Monterey Peninsula,” Dan Koffman said. unified direction to the architect. drama and journalism at Northwestern University. Her Carver explained he had designed the building to be “as early jobs included stints at an insurance company, run- See KOFFMAN page 28A See RESTROOMS page 13A Council decides to go along with Burnett wants union, La Playa meeting homeowner’s removal of large pine By MARY SCHLEY He said more than half of the hotel’s former workers had at least 20 years on the job, but that By MARY SCHLEY and may have caused their water main to THE FISTICUFFS between the local hospi- the company “thinks nothing of denying these break. While city forester Mike Branson tality union and the owners of La Playa Hotel workers even a chance at their own jobs and shat- A TORRES Street couple won their and the forest and beach commission continued this week, with a labor representative tering the lives of at least 100 of their families.” appeal to the city council Tuesday night, had told Steve and Ann Kenfield they telling the city council Tuesday a boycott is under “Well, that’s not OK,” Weller continued. “That receiving permission to cut down a large should fix the driveway by trimming the way and the hotel CEO defending the hiring kind of disgusting behavior is not welcome here, pine tree that’s damaging their driveway tree’s roots, rather than chopping the process in a letter to Mayor Jason Burnett, who and we will continue to let La Playa know that it pine down, an arborist they hired con- has said he wants to organize a meeting between is not welcome here until it does the minimally cluded it should go. Faced with dueling the two factions. decent thing in offering the jobs back to the work- experts, the council split 3-2 in the “There is a boycott that’s been called since the ers who have proved their expertise in them.” Kenfields’ favor. last time we had a meeting here,” UNITE HERE At issue is a 75-foot-tall pine next to Local 483 secretary-treasurer Leonard O’Neill See LA PLAYA page 21A the driveway on Torres just south of said at the Aug. 7 council meeting, adding that he Fifth Avenue. Roots near the surface believes it’s only the second boycott in the city’s pushed up pavers in the driveway, caus- history and is sponsored by Justice for La Playa ing a hazard that tripped two people, Workers, the California Labor Federation, the Park on hit list including one of the Kenfields, who is union and the Monterey Central Labor Council. undergoing physical therapy for the He also said the community supports the to get makeover resulting injuries, they said. In addition, workers, who were all fired by the hotel’s previ- they said its roots broke a water main. ous owner, the Cope family’s Nob Hill By CHRIS COUNTS Furthermore, the tree poses “a unique Properties, when it closed La Playa and sold it to safety risk,” due to its location on a busy Arizona-based Classic Hotels & Resorts. Since GARRAPATA STATE Park is on the state’s street, near an often full hotel parking lot then, the union has been trying to force the new closure list, but the California Department of and within falling distance of two his- owners to rehire the employees. Parks and Recreation is going ahead with a series toric storybook-style cottages built by “Mr. Mayor, a boycott sometimes brings an of significant improvements to the park, anyway. Hugh Comstock. impact to the town itself — it brings a black eye State parks filed an application with the “Should wind contribute to tree fail- to it,” O’Neill continued. “And you’ve reached Monterey County Resources Agency Aug. 7 for a ure, the historic Hansel & Gretel out to the other side on our behalf to see if you permit to improve public access and better protect Comstock cottages would be crushed,” could host a meeting or invite them to meet with natural resources at the 2,900-acre state park, they wrote in their appeal letter to the us. My understanding is that they’re willing to do which is located just south of the Carmel council Aug. 7. so at some particular point in the future, and we Highlands. The homeowners also hired arborist do appreciate your continued involvement.” Larry Tierney, a state parks facilities manager, Maureen Hamb to inspect the tree, and O’Neill’s comments Tuesday were consider- told The Pine Cone it’s too early to say how much she concluded several of the roots were ably less disparaging than those made by UNITE the project will cost, but the work will be paid for either damaged or rotten. HERE Local 483 representative Mark Weller at by taxpayers with Proposition 84 funds that were “Given the location and present slope the July 3 council meeting. Weller condemned approved by voters in 2006. The city council says this 75-foot Monterey of the driveway … Mrs. Hamb con- the new owners, saying they “have no sense of Because Garrapata gets so much foot traffic, pine, which towers above a house on Torres decency or responsibility toward Carmel, toward Street, can go. See TREE page 11A its community, toward its neighbors.” See PARK page 28A Have the complete Carmel Pine Cone delivered every Thursday evening to your iPad, laptop, PC or phone. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com 2A The Carmel Pine Cone August 10, 2012 Sandy Claws By Lisa Crawford Watson Clothes Hound J.J.’S LIFE began in a puppy mill, room couch. Then he sneaks into the where he became a sire until a woman bedroom, climbs up on the bed and came to his rescue and took him bounces a few times before taking a home. For the next few years, she flying leap off the edge and bounding loved the cockapoo, pampered him, across the room until he comes to a walked him, bathed him, took him to skidding stop at the door. town and hugged him tight. And then “J.J.,” says his person, “is lovely, she died. magical. He reminds us of Falkor, the Friends who had helped care for good-natured, fluffy ‘luck dragon’ in him on occasion were asked to foster ‘The NeverEnding Story’ fantasy film.” J.J.