Carmel Pine Cone, March 2, 2018 (Main News)
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A celebration of the Carmel lifestyle … a special section … inside this week! InYououruDreamDr ms VVoolume 104 No. 9 On the Internet: wwww..carmelpinecone.com Marchc 2-8,, 2018 ThThee C melPil Pine Cone T R U S T E D B Y L O C A L S A N D L O V E D B Y V I S I T O R S S I N C E 1 9 1 5 Harmony House rising from the ashes Panetta calls By MARY SCHLEY renovation effort two years later. Fortunately, the couple has the patience, the desire, the for ban on IN MOST cases, houses seriously damaged by fire are resources — and the insurance — to undertake such a either torn down and rebuilt from scratch or substantially task. They also have their builder, Jerry Stepanek, who did ‘assault weapons’ altered during reconstruction. Neither was ever an option the first renovation more than 20 years ago, as well as sub- with the Harmony House, though. sequent work in 2006, and who, when the fire broke out, After a fire from oily rags destroyed the historic home’s had just finished repairing it after a tree fell through the n Also supports funding large front room and ravaged much of the rest of it last roof five months earlier. His firsthand experience with the for school ‘threat assessments’ June, even before the embers were cold, owners Don and house and Hilburn’s meticulous recordkeeping have been Carol Hilburn had committed to restoring it, no matter critical in determining how to replace everything, from the By KELLY NIX how much work it might be and how long it takes. glass in the windows, to the light fixtures and sculptures. “There was never a question whether we were going to CONGRESSMAN JIMMY Panetta this week called for rebuild,” Carol Hilburn said. “Because we feel this house ‘Charcoal briquettes’ federal funding so local school districts can help protect their has such a history with Carmel, and we love it.” In fact, the The first six months were focused on demolition, with students from gun attacks, and he’s cosponsored a bill that couple already saved the 90-plus-year-old home built by rebuilding really only starting in January. seeks to resume a national “assault weapons” ban, but the the founders of the Carmel Bach Festival once, when they lawmaker does not support arming teachers or raising the bought it in 1993 as a teardown and undertook a major See RISING page 17A minimum age to purchase most rifles and shotguns to 21 years old — which President Donald Trump has called for. On Monday, following the Feb. 14 slaying of 17 students and staff members at a Parkland, Fla., high school by a 19- year-old former student armed with an assault rifle, Panetta Harmony House’s cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018, seeking to fresh paint and care- reintroduce a ban on such guns, which had been outlawed fully installed tiny- until the law expired 14 paned windows bode well for its years ago. rebirth after a devas- But the representative tating fire last sum- from Carmel Valley told The mer. Much has yet Pine Cone Wednesday night to be done, though, that schools also need to do before owners Don as much as they can to make and Carol Hilburn students and staff safe, and once again invite he said funding is needed to musicians in to per- allow school districts to per- form in their historic form detailed “threat assess- house. ments” to determine what type of security measures should be put in place. PHOTO/KERRY BELSER “God forbid this criminal act occurred at one of our schools. We would want to do everything to prevent it,” Jimmy Panetta said Panetta, who has two girls who attend Carmel schools. AFFORDABLE HOUSING MOSTLY RESERVED FOR SENIORS The congressman acknowledged that no two schools are alike, though, and as an example pointed to Carmel High n Workers left out of most projects The building at Dolores and Fifth, to cite the most recent School, which has an open campus and would be more diffi- example, will have 16 condos and apartments when it’s fin- By MARY SCHLEY ished, and four of those will be for low-income residents — all of them seniors. See GUNS page 16A WHENEVER A new complex is built in town that And of the 64 “affordable” units in Carmel now, 55 are includes condos and apartments — such as the project going reserved for seniors. Most of those are run by the Carmel Richards explains in at Dolores and Fifth — the owner is required by a city Foundation, and eligible residents must be members or vol- ordinance to include some affordable housing. But despite a unteers age 65 or older with incomes no higher than $40,250 serious shortage of housing for people who work in town, per individual or $46,000 per couple. Their rents range from absence from Dallas most of the lower-cost apartments built here during the last $356 to $950 per month. 30 years have been set aside for seniors. Of the remaining nine affordable units in town, five are deliberations for “low income” (defined as no higher than $58,000, based on a family of four, with rent of $1,450), two for “moderate” By MARY SCHLEY ($82,450 maximum income, $2,061 rent), and the other two P.G. asks court to OK are for any low-income category. COUNCILMAN BOBBY Richards has been excluded from closed-door city council discussions about alleged pension reductions Few employees live in town harassment by Mayor Steve Dallas, and this week, in advance Meanwhile, according to a survey conducted last week by of a March 7 press conference on the investigation, he By KELLY NIX the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, very few people who explained why. work downtown live in Carmel. Of 39 businesses participat- “When I first heard of the initial allegation, I relayed a sit- THE CITY of Pacific Grove took its longtime angst over ing in the survey, 18 reported none of their employees live in uation involving the mayor and a close personal friend of public employee pension costs to the next level last week, Carmel-by-the-Sea, 17 said one or two of their workers mine,” Richards said in a statement. “Unbeknownst to me, when it petitioned the California Supreme Court to overturn reside in town, and just three others reported that more than upon sharing this occurrence with assistant city administrator a rule that prohibits the reduction of retirement benefits once two of their employees rent or own homes here. Maxine Gullo and city attorney Glen Mozingo, I became a they’re promised to workers. Chamber CEO Jenny MacMurdo said that, beyond the complainant.” The city was one of five parties on Feb. 20 that filed briefs survey results, the general business demographics for the city Richards said he was then asked to speak with the inde- in the Supreme Court case of Cal Fire v. CalPERS, which indicate “that two out of six employees live in town.” pendent investigator, Irma Rodriguez Moisa, which he did in involves, in part, the question of whether public employee Planning director Marc Wiener said the disparity between person and over the phone. pensions can be reduced. The city’s brief says it was filed in senior housing and affordable units for others “may be due to “While I am disappointed that I will not be able to serve See PENSIONS page 14A See AFFORDABLE page 15A See RICHARDS page 13A 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 March 2, 2018 Sandy Claws By Lisa Crawford Watson Ambassador of joy EVERYONE SEEMS to have a different idea on what kind of dog she is. Some say she looks like Benji, the character in the 1974 film of the same name. Her person doesn’t really care what kind of dog she is; that she’s absolutely adorable is good enough for her. But, she did a DNA test on the puppy just because so many people ask. And now, she’s awaiting the results with curiosity. The 1-pound dog had been rescued from the streets and delivered to Animal Friends Rescue Project THE DOOR COMPANY GARAGE DOORS AND GARAGE DOOR OPENERS in Pacific Grove, which placed the puppy with a foster family who named her Blossom. Six weeks later, she joined her forever family, who’d hoped to name her Gracee Joy. In deference to the foster family, they merged the names. Gracee Blossom Joy is now 5 months old and weighs in at a healthy 13 pounds. “Gracee is honestly so engaging and cute,” her per- son said. “She was given a tremendous amount of at- tention, love and care by her foster family and their five other dogs, so much so that she has no fear of “QUALITY AT A REASONABLE PRICE” anyone or any dog, and wags her tail at everyone she 831-763-0563 meets.” Gracee is a little young to hang out at the beach, Contractor License #651452 new arrivals! but her family recently moved to the Dunes in Marina, where she’s free to romp around her fenced yard. She also visits her person’s place of business, where she ROMMEL has been named “ambassador of joy and goodwill” because everyone who meets her seems to feel better. This playful boy is Rommel.