Carmel Valley
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Fake Fab Four He didn’t Oprah flirted excel at just shoot with me! recreating ’64 mountains — INSIDE THIS WEEK BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 95 No. 12 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com March 20-26, 2009 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Maldonado calls for From the Stone Age to the New Age limit on sex offenders’ ■ ‘Spirit nests’ turn heads access to IDs By KELLY NIX By CHRIS COUNTS STATE SEN. Abel Maldonado said he’ll consider EVEN IN Big Sur, proposing a bill that would prevent registered sex offenders where the abundance and from working in liquor stores and other businesses where variety of nature creates a they can check IDs and have access to customers’ personal constant visual spectacle, information. Jayson Fann’s eye-catching “Allowing registered sex “spirit nests” stand out. offenders to view a person’s Constructed almost driver’s license, thereby entirely from the branches allowing them to obtain left over from local tree-trim- important contact informa- ming projects, Fann creates tion like the person’s small structures that are easy address, is extremely dan- to appreciate but difficult to gerous,” Maldonado said. categorize. Are they Stone Maldonado made the Age dwellings, or are they comments to The Pine Cone fine-art installations? Fann, Above are two of Jayson Fann’s after learning that registered who owns the Big Sur Spirit sex offender and liquor store Garden, leaves their defini- distinctive “spirit nests.” At the right, Fann enjoys the view from worker Thomas Pollacci, 49, tion open to interpretation. one of his nests. was charged with three But one thing he does know felony counts of rape stem- is that they’re turning heads. ming from an April 2008 Accused rapist and regis- “It seems like every day incident. Pollacci’s family here at the Spirit Garden, tered sex offender Tom Pollacci has worked at his somebody walks in, looks up PHOTOS/COURTESY JAYSON FANN See IDS page 24A family’s liquor store for years. and says, ‘Oh my God, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,’” Fann said. ideal for what I’m doing.” The longtime Big Sur resident uses two primary tools Inspired by simple, symmetrical designs, Fann bends THOUSANDS OF to construct each nest: a chainsaw and a small, portable the branches to create dome-like structures that resemble screw gun. He acquires his building materials from Big oversized cocoons. A single structure can utilize a thou- Sur tree trimmers, who are more than happy to lighten the sand branches and can weigh up to two tons. Screws sink PINE CONES STOLEN loads of debris they routinely haul off to the county land- easily into the green wood and are difficult to even notice. fill. Afterwards, he sprays linseed oil on the each struc- ■ Distribution racks cleaned out “What I use is what people would otherwise run through chippers,” Fann explained. “Those branches are See NESTS page 22A By KELLY NIX THE CARMEL Pine Cone is encouraging readers to download last week’s edition from from the paper’s website after more than 8,000 printed copies were stolen from racks Caltrans: Motorcyclist was intoxicated when he hit the pig all over the Monterey Peninsula. Someone driving a blue pickup truck was spotted at By PAUL MILLER and KELLY NIX But attorneys for Caltrans brought Dr. David Dansky and numerous locations around Carmel taking large stacks of other experts to a Monterey courtroom this week in an Pine Cones. Under California law, it is a misdemeanor to take AN EMERGENCY-ROOM doctor who treated an attempt to show that Rogers was responsible for his accident. multiple copies of a free newspaper for the purpose of stop- injured motorcyclist at CHOMP in September 2003 testified According to Dansky, when he was brought to CHOMP, ping someone from reading it. Wednesday that the rider was intoxicated when he was Rogers had what is considered a “high” level of alcohol in his One employee, who didn’t want to be identified, said she brought to the hospital. bloodstream. confronted a man who appeared to be in his 30s, who took a The motorcyclist, Adam Rogers, who remains disabled “The lab report indicates he was intoxicated,” Dansky bundle at a Carmel Rancho business. after colliding with a wild pig on Highway 1 in September said. “I said, ‘You can’t take all of those,’” the clerk said, “and 2003, is suing the State of California for $8 million, claiming the state had an obligation to keep the pig off the road. See COURT page 27A See STOLEN page 22A Sacramento lobbying pays off Abused parrot adopted and given new name for Big Sur bridge activists By KELLY NIX A PARROT who lost his feathers and By KELLY NIX In December, because of the budget was in danger of losing his life after being crisis, the state froze funds for thousands neglected by his previous owner has gained A STATE board with billions of tax of infrastructure projects throughout a new family and new name. dollars to hand out agreed this week to free California, including a bridge which is The 20-year-old bird, a mitred conure up $500 million that would allow a crucial necessary for access to Pfeiffer park’s who has to wear a tiny sweater to cover his bridge to be installed at Pfeiffer Big Sur popular campground. bare skin, was adopted last Saturday by State Park. Big Sur resident Jack Ellwanger, who Beverly Signorelli of Monterey. She named The park is losing thousands of dollars has lobbied local politicians to free up him Monkey because of his penchant for a day because there is no vehicle access to funds to have the bridge installed, mischief. the popular hiking and camping spot. addressed the state’s Pooled Money “He’s a bossy little guy,” Signorelli said. PHOTO/KELLY NIX Big Sur businesses are also being “But he’s cute.” Beverly Signorelli is getting to know “Monkey,” severely impacted. See BRIDGE page 24A the abused mitred conure she adopted from See PARROT page 27A the SPCA last weekend. Get your complete Carmel Pine Cone every Thursday evening in convenient pdf format via email. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone March 20, 2009 River School class size up for discussion amid registration crackdown By MARY BROWNFIELD Biasotti is ready to talk about class-size limits and will The study and investigative home checks are estimated to reveal the details at the March 24 meeting. Schools receive cost about $5,000. OVERCROWDING AT River School — and how best state money if they restrict students-to-teacher ratios to cer- “We’ve had a temporary employee here collecting resi- to deal with it — is set for debate during a meeting of the tain numbers. dency information as parents come in, so we have that piece Carmel Unified School District board of education Tuesday He is also prepared to make recommendations on “what of it, but then we will be paying a company to do the check- night. our priorities would be for removing students who are there ing,” Biasotti said. “It’s hard for us to predict, having not Administrators are trying to determine the best way to on interdistrict transfer, rather than just saying, ‘Everyone is done this before, how much time it will take.” address the issue of enrollment exceeding class-size limits at excluded if you don’t have residency.’” The CUSD board meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m. the popular elementary school, which consistently receives Some students attend River even though they don’t live Tuesday, March 24, in the multipurpose room at Carmel superlative accolades and demonstrates high test scores. within its boundaries because a parent works for the district River School. For a detailed agenda, visit www.carmeluni- Last month, they quickly dismissed the prospect of shift- or they were transferred from Tularcitos due to issues there, fied.org. ing boundaries following an outcry from parents, and according to Biasotti. pledged to develop other ways to deal with the problem of Occasionally, a student will be transferred from another having too many students. district for compelling safety reasons, but Biasotti said that “When we left the last meeting and the discussion on this did not apply to any kids at River School. topic, we said we would start several wheels in motion,” dis- “It’s a sensitive topic, and I think the board needs to hear Big Sur welcomes spring trict superintendent Marvin Biasotti said this week. my recommendations, but also hear from the affected peo- Those tasks include determining to what extent class-size ple,” he said. According to the district, 31 students at River standards can be relaxed and how to treat students who legal- don’t live within its boundaries. with music, dance, poetry ly attend River but don’t live within its boundaries, as well as He will update the board on the demographic study, which commissioning a demographic study and verifying parents’ examines statistics such as live births, computer records and SPRING arrives Friday, March 20, and to commemorate residency information by getting them to re-register their past enrollment to predict future enrollment. the occasion, the Big Sur Spirit Garden is hosting a children at the school. The residency audit, in which parents must go to River “Spontaneous Spring Sur Celebration.” School to re-register their children, was about 40 percent Hosted by DJ Toby Sur, the event will feature live music, complete by the end of last week, according to Biasotti.