Carmel Pine Cone, August 23, 2019
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VolumeThe 105 No. 34 CarmelOn the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com Pine ConeAugust 23-29, 2019 TRUSTED BY LOCALS AND LOVED BY VISITORS SINCE 1 9 1 5 WATER DISTRICT GM: Crowds, street racers shut downtown TAKING OVER CAL AM By MARY SCHLEY peel out from stop signs, speed between blocks, rev their engines and spin donuts. WON’T BE EASY CHAOS REIGNED for several hours on the normal- Smaller crowds had gathered in town Wednesday and ly placid streets of Carmel Friday night when a horde of Thursday nights, too, according to Carmel Police Chief By KELLY NIX exotic cars, reckless drivers and the people who love to Paul Tomasi, but Friday night, their numbers easily tripled. watch them descended on the town, leading police to call “Friday was busy starting at about 5 p.m., when there THE CHIEF of the Monterey Peninsula Water Man- in reinforcements, barricade streets and issue numerous were a lot of cars and people in town. Around 8, the exotics agement District, in a report released late last week, laid citations. came to town and started driving around,” Tomasi recalled. out a complicated roadmap for a government takeover of During the height of the mayhem, more than 1,000 peo- “It’s all driven by social media and YouTube — they tell California American Water’s local water system, which the ple mobbed the sidewalks and roads to watch drivers of people where to go.” company has valued at more than $1 billion. Porsches, McLarens and other high-powered sports cars See MAYHEM page 12A Voters in November 2018 approved Measure J, which calls for the water district to use eminent domain, if nec- essary, to acquire Cal Am’s water system — if doing so is determined to be financially “feasible.” A team of consul- tants hired by the water district is trying to determine that, and the board is expected to review a feasibility report in October. In a document released Aug. 19, water district general manager Dave Stoldt presented a complex plan to “secure and maintain public ownership of all water production, storage and delivery system assets” within the water dis- trict’s territory. In order for the creation of a public water system to See TAKEOVER page 16A Marina files another lawsuit to stop desal By KELLY NIX AS EXPECTED, the Marina Coast Water District has filed suit to try to stop California American Water from starting construction of its proposed desalination plant The drivers of this black Porsche and grey Dodge were both later arrested for reckless driving after spinning donuts in the middle of near the city, claiming county supervisors’ July approval downtown as onlookers cheered them on. Considering the dangers of such maneuvers and the hundreds of people on the streets, police of the project violated state environmental laws. did their best to shut it all down Friday night. In a lawsuit filed against Monterey County and its board of supervisors, Marina Coast contends that “new informa- tion” indicates that groundwater impacts from the desal Ambitious condo plan gets love from commission plant — which would provide a drought-free water supply to the Monterey Peninsula, but not Marina — would be By MARY SCHLEY lots that are now used by 7D Steakhouse for parking, and “substantially” more severe than the environmental report expanding the small building next to the restaurant by 452 for the project indicated. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS generally liked a square feet to turn it into a market. The 605-square-foot “We have filed this suit to ensure the project doesn’t plan to build six condos on Dolores Street next door to building “is just a little bit too small for just about any- move forward until all impacts, water rights, mitigations the Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse when they reviewed it thing,” architect Adam Jeselnick explained. and alternatives can be evaluated using the most current last week. But a couple of significant hurdles have to be Below ground would be a garage equipped with car information,” Marina Coast general manager Keith Van overcome before the project breaks ground. lifts so it could hold as many as two dozen vehicles, even Fred Kern’s plans call for constructing two contempo- though it’s only legally required to accommodate eight — See DESAL page 17A rary-style buildings totaling 9,030 square feet on the two one for each of the condos and two for the store. Rather than have a steep driveway and curb cuts, the garage would be accessed by a car elevator that would take up part of the Steven Whyte WWII tribute unveiled in Korea sidewalk. By CHRIS COUNTS War II caused a diplomatic stir, sculptor Steven Whyte in- Restaurant parking? troduced a more interactive version of the same piece last The most significant issues, planning director Marc NEARLY TWO years after his monument honoring week in Seoul, South Korea. Wiener told commissioners Aug. 14, are the fact the the hundreds of thousands of women who were forced by Whyte — who has a gallery on Dolores between Fifth restaurant would lose its parking — which Kern said is the Japanese military to become sex slaves during World and Sixth and a studio at The Barnyard — attended a cere- not his problem, since the properties are separate — and mony for the sculpture and said a few words, as did South that the little building might be considered historically Korean President Moon Jae-in and Seoul Mayor Park Won- significant, even though it’s not 50 years old. A long fight soon. Also speaking was former California Congressman was waged over the larger building next to it created by Mike Honda, a Japanese-American who led a bipartisan architects Walter Burde and Will Shaw as a bank nearly effort in 2015 to urge Japan to “squarely face history” on a half-century ago, and the restaurant there now was de- how it treated captive women during World War II. signed to retain it. Wiener noted, however, that even if the little building is More memorials planned considered significant, the proposed addition would prob- Commissioned by the Jin Duck & Kyung Sik Kim ably comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s standards Foundation, the piece now stands next to a pair of Seoul for historic properties. landmarks, Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Hall and Namsan He also said Kern would need permission from the city Public Library. council to build the mechanical lift for cars, because the And if all goes according to plan, Whyte hopes to build sidewalk is public property, and Wiener recommended the more memorials to pay tribute to the comfort women of city require him to let restaurant customers use his park- the war’s Pacific Theater. The sculptor told The Pine Cone ing garage, since it would lose its parking lot and was ap- there’s talk of installing new pieces in London, Shanghai proved based on the assumption the lot would accommo- and even Pyongyang, North Korea. date its workers and customers. Titled “Women’s Column of Strength,” Whyte’s first PHOTO/COURTESY STEVEN WHYTE comfort women memorial was placed in San Francisco’s Super green Former comfort woman and present-day activist Lee Yong-soo, 91, St. Mary’s Square Park in September 2017. Japanese offi- Jeselnick explained the building, which would be embraces Steven Whyte’s new monument at its unveiling in South cials objected to the installation, and the sculptor received constructed of concrete with metal and wood accents, Korea last week. Whyte spoke at a ceremony, as did South Ko- rea’s President Moon Jae-in. See WHYTE page 19A See CONDOS page 20A 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 23, 2019 Sandy Claws By Lisa Crawford Watson Ahead of the field SATURDAY SALLY IS an 8-year-old English setter who lives AUG 24th @2pm with an Irish setter and a Gordon setter in Carmel Valley. All her person needs is a red-and-white Irish HEART DISEASE IN PETS setter, and he’ll have the full collection. Yet, gather- IT’S NOT ALWAYS HEARTBREAKING ing setters, one by one, is how he once got evicted from his rented home. So, he’ll stick with his trio. Michael Lesser DVM, ACVIM Sally came from a breeder of field trial English setters in Concord who held onto puppies until she could determine their suitability for competition. Sally didn’t make the cut, but she was just what her person wanted. “Sally’s as playful as all get-out, which made her very hard to train,” her person said. “She didn’t take me seriously. It was funny. I’ve had enough dogs 30 min lecture plus Q & A. $25 Donation to BirchBark Foundation. to know not to lose my temper. When you do, it’s over.” Despite having various types of setters most of Sally could run with abandon was Sunset Beach. his life, Sally’s person didn’t know much about En- “I’d get my binoculars,” he said, “and watch her glish setters, except he thought they were pretty. run through the waves coming off the beach, and “I thought Sally looked really cool riding in my the rising mist, at sunset.” Jeep,” he said. “She’s outlived the Jeep and now Once she reached the beach boundary, where rides around in my beater work pickup. Still, it’s just the state park ends, she’d just keep running. not the same as having her head hanging out the “Sometimes I wouldn’t see Sally for two hours,” other side of a Jeep.” her person said.