Carmel Pine Cone, October 9, 2020 (Main News)
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In Your A celebrationDreams of the Carmel lifestyle … a special section inside this week! VolumeThe 106 No. 41 Carmelwww.carmelpinecone.com Pine ConeOctober 9-15, 2020 T RUS T ED BY LOCALS AND LOVED BY VISI T ORS SINCE 1 9 1 5 Going for the world title CITY ATTORNEY BACKS False positives ANONYMITY FOR ALL inflating county’s WHO ASK FOR IT coronavirus data n Public comment process upended n One business shuts down — but it was a false alarm By MARY SCHLEY By KELLY NIX WHEN A property owner went before the planning commission a couple of weeks ago to ACCORDING TO estimates based on national seek approval of his plans to demolish his two-story data, hundreds of people in Monterey County who house on Monte Verde and replace it with a modern tested positive for Covid-19 didn’t actually have the home, a neighbor sent a glowing letter of support virus but were told they did because of erroneous that called the existing house “arguably one of the test results. ugliest homes in Carmel” and the new, modern de- Not only have these cases of “false positives” sign “stunning.” inflated the county’s coronavirus numbers, they’ve But someone else — who requested and re- had dire impacts in individual cases. ceived anonymity — didn’t like the plans. Specifi- An executive at one local business said six of its Salinas boxer Ruben Villa will fight this weekend for the featherweight world cally, the unnamed person said, the finish materials employees tested positive several weeks ago, forc- championship, and you can watch the fight at a drive-in party at the fair- would give it “a commercial look more appropriate ing the business to shut down, more than 100 of its grounds. See story page 9A. for an office building in an urban setting ... such customers to undergo their own tests, and family as L.A.!” and requested “earth tones” that “would members to go into quarantine. blend better into the beautiful landscape which is But when no one got sick, the six employees State art grants get woke our treasured Carmel.” were retested — this time with negative results. In The appearance of an anonymous letter in the all, about 120 people associated with the business By CHRIS COUNTS Cone. “Presumably, I would not planning commission’s agenda packet was highly were tested, and it’s now believed the entire hulla- feel ‘prepared’ to make this com- unusual. The right to complain anonymously was baloo was based on a false alarm. A STATE arts agency with a mitment without the workshop.” granted by planning director Marnie Waffle and How often that is happening around the county $27.7 million budget, the Califor- According to the council, the backed by city attorney Brian Pierik, who said he is unknown, and so is its impact on our continuing nia Arts Council is now requiring 90-minute online workshop will intends to grant it henceforth to anyone who asks. economic shutdown, because the county does not grant applicants to declare their explain the arts agency’s “racial support for “racial equity” to be equity learning journey and vi- See ANONYMOUS page 24A See FALSE page 31A eligible for taxpayers’ money. And sion,” allow community members before they even get to that step, a chance to share “their racial equi- anyone who wants funding from ty process and practices,” “reflect County stuck in most restrictive shutdown tier the agency will have to participate on where your organization is on in a workshop “to feel prepared” to this learning arc,” and “assess what By KELLY NIX more favorable reopening tiers unless they reduce make that declaration. could be next in your process.” infection rates in disadvantaged areas and show tar- Magnus Toren, executive direc- To make clear what its stance THE MONTEREY County health officer said geted investments in things like more testing, dis- tor of the nonprofit Henry Miller is on racial equity, the council has Wednesday that the county’s positivity rate and new ease investigation, contact tracing, and education Library in Big Sur, insists he em- issued a Racial Equity Statement, “equity metric” have fallen below the threshold to and outreach for workers. phatically opposes racism. But he which assumes “critical issues of allow the county to move into a less restrictive re- However, Dr. Ed Moreno said that the equity is “deeply skeptical” of anything implicit bias and discrimination” opening tier, but that the case rate, at least for now, metric is now at 7.3 percent, which is below the that demands such ideological must be considered when making is too high for that to happen. threshold that would allow the county to move into obedience. grants — even where the arts are The state’s “equity” requirement seeks to en- tier 2, the less restrictive tier. The county has a pos- “Now I have to take a workshop concerned. sure that positivity rates in the most disadvantaged itivity rate of 5.4 percent, which is also well within to ‘feel prepared’ for the new re- neighborhoods — based on census tracts and 25 so- the acceptable limit. However, the county’s case quirement,” Toren told The Pine See WOKE page 29A cioeconomic indicators — don’t “significantly” fall rate is 10.0, according to the California Depart- behind a county’s overall positivity rates. The new ment of Public Health, which will keep the county mandate means Monterey County must meet three from advancing to the second tier. requirements — case rate, positivity rate and the However, there is apparently some wiggle room. Racism is ‘everywhere,’ new equity metric — for it to be eligible to move Moreno said that even if the county’s case rate stays into the less restrictive tier of reopening. The coun- in tier 1, if the positivity rate and equity metric both P.G. elected official says ty is in the strictest tier, marked by the color purple. Counties won’t be permitted to move into the See VIRUS page 19A By KELLY NIX maintained. “To address the issue of sys- First mention — CITING WHAT she believes temic racism and prejudice in our was an offensive decal on a Pacif- community, these policy propos- ic Grove Police officer’s personal als will establish consistent guid- When the wild called, he answered vehicle, city councilwoman Jenny ance and processes for our city,” McAdams has proposed an “eq- McAdams said in her report to the By ELAINE HESSER uity and empowerment initiative” council, which was the last item on to address “systemic racism and Wednesday’s agenda. NOPE, IT wasn’t “White Fang” or “The prejudice” at city hall. But she was McAdams went on to say that Call of the Wild.” During his lifetime, Jack unable to provide any evidence of “there is no simple, easy solution London’s bestselling book was a 1910 novel racial discrimination. for dismantling systemic racism or called “Burning Daylight,” about a fictional While state and federal laws are achieving justice. Evaluating city entrepreneur who struck it big in the Alaska intended to protect workers of all strategies, policies, and working gold rush. races and ethnicities, McAdams together with community members London sought his fortune there for has proposed a “framework that and stakeholders are integral to se- about a year, but instead of gold, he ended will promote racial and social eq- curing justice and equality for all up with a debilitating case of scurvy. He set- uity across the city’s organization, in Pacific Grove.” tled back in California, on a ranch in Glen departments, projects and pro- The Cambridge Dictionary de- Ellen in Sonoma County. He was a frequent grams” by forming a government fines systemic racism as “policies, visitor to Carmel, however, perhaps owing accountability commission, and rules practices, etc. that have be- to a longtime friendship with George Ster- other requirements. come a usual part of the way an ling that began when both lived in the San Photographer Arnold Genthe captured this gathering of (left to Systemic racism is rampant, right) George Sterling, Mary Austin, Jack London and Jimmie including at city hall, McAdams See RACISM page 20A See LONDON page 21A Hooper on the beach at Carmel. Attention readers: Don’t forget that you can have the complete Carmel Pine Cone delivered every Thursday evening to your tablet, laptop, PC or phone — with no banner ads, popups, click bait or paywalls. We also don’t harvest your data or make you create an account or password. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone October 9, 2020 Sandy Claws By Lisa Crawford Watson Adorable Annin WHEN IT comes to dogs, she sees herself as a powerful, macho pet kind of person. Which is prob- ably why her first dog was a Doberman pinscher. Once she decided she’d like a second dog, perhaps trask a brace of Dobermans, she also decided, with as footwear much as she travels, two Dobies would be a lot to handle. trunk show She actually needed a purse puppy … some- thing adorable that could hang out in her hand- THIS WEEKEND bag. But not the usual Yorkie-Chihuahua-Maltese FRI, SAT, SUN variety. She wanted something unusual. “I’m usually not into small dogs, which can be hyperactive, yippy little things,” she said. “I’ve been bitten twice by tiny dogs.” She decided to adopt a Biewer terrier puppy. This tiny terrier looks elegant when left long-haired, and absolutely adorable when kept in a puppy cut. “When I learned that the Biewer terrier is known for its mellowing effect, that it’s kind of a cat-dog shop select combo, with all the best characteristics of each in one animal, I knew I’d found my breed,” she said.