Carmel Pine Cone, July 2, 2010 (Main News)
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Volume 96 No. 27 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com July 2-8, 2010 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Big response keeps two fires from spreading CUSD readies for ■ Oily rags blamed in C.V.; A wildfire next to influx of students unknown cause in P.B. Poppy Hills Golf Course in P.B. By MARY BROWNFIELD Wednesday from poor schools (right) threatened SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION of the surrounding By MARY BROWNFIELD oily rags probably caused the fire that neighborhood, destroyed a carport and part of a Carmel and so did a CARMEL PUBLIC schools could see a flood of new Valley Village home late Sunday morning, house fire in C.V. students after a law pushed through the state Legislature on according to Carmel Valley Fire Division Sunday (below). an emergency basis this year takes effect. The Open Chief Ron Lemos. The weather was Enrollment Act, part of a bill authored by Sen. Gloria And Cal Fire investigator Cliff Williams is dry and firefight- Romero, requires school districts to accept transfer students still working to determine what sparked a ers went all out from any of the 1,000 worst public schools in the state, unless half-acre blaze that threatened a golf course, to control both their enrollment would cause financial hardship or over- school facilities and homes in Pebble Beach fires quickly. crowd classrooms. Wednesday. The Open Enrollment Act, SB 4, signed by Gov. Arnold In Carmel Valley, a neighbor walking past Schwarzenegger Jan. 7, was passed to “enhance parental the home on twisty El Caminito Road noticed choice in education by providing additional options to pupils the house fire and called 911 shortly after 11 to enroll in public schools throughout the state without a.m. June 27, scrambling engines and fire- regard to the residence of their parents.” fighters from Carmel Valley, Monterey Carmel public schools consistently achieve high test County Regional and Cypress fire protection scores and win accolades, making them likely destinations districts. By the time the first of them arrived, for students in nearby underperforming schools. The list of the carport and a portable hot tub it contained those schools will be compiled based on state test scores and were engulfed, and the fire had spread to the will undoubtedly include more than a few campuses in roof of the main house and was burning in the Monterey County. attic. The Carmel Unified School District board of education Because the weather was hot and windy, met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the potential impacts of the and a large field backs the rural home, Lemos act, which remains vague, as the specific rules have not been also summoned help from Cal Fire should a written and the list of lowest-performing schools has yet to wildfire erupt. be drafted, according to CUSD Superintendent Marvin “We had embers the size of 50-cent pieces Biasotti. dropping into the field,” he said. “That was “The bill gives us a right to protect class size, but it does- our main concern.” n’t say how, and against financial hardship created by this At one point, a small bit of vegetation lit bill, but again, it doesn’t define what that means,” he said. but was quickly extinguished, according to “So right now, we don’t even have enough information to See FIRES page 7A PHOTOS/COURTESY CAL FIRE (TOP), PETE POITRAS See STUDENTS page 10A Lack of funds stalls Concours on the Avenue NEW VOICES HEARD By MARY BROWNFIELD hot rods, muscle cars, minicars, motorcycles and other inter- esting vehicles, each with a placard telling its story, lined 14 IN WATER DEBATE AFTER PUTTING their considerable time, money and landscaped downtown blocks. energy into the Carmel-by-the-Sea Concours on the Avenue Freedman said he received hundreds of applications for held each August for the past three years, Doug and Genie the Concours on the Avenue’s 160 spots before the June 30 ■ Unions, minority groups demand Freedman were forced to cancel this year’s show due to an deadline this year. insurmountable financial gap, Doug Freedman said Tuesday. “I’m always just amazed. I open every envelope like a kid quick action on supply “It’s suspended for 2010, but we have every hope that the in a candy store — it’s such a thrill to see what’s going to be momentum that we lose can somehow be regained,” he said in there,” he said. Entries cost $250 each, with any amount in By PAUL MILLER from his hometown of Atlanta, Ga. “We’re eternally opti- mistic, even at this tough moment. We have to look to the See CONCOURS page 12A WHEN THEY began at Monterey City Hall future, and I’ve never given up on anything, so we won’t give Monday evening, the Public Utilities Commission’s up on Concours on the Avenue and Carmel’s deserving its hearings on the proposed regional water project, which own signature moment.” includes a large desal plant in Marina to supply water A former Concours City sets $13.5M budget for the Monterey Peninsula, seemed like they would d’Elegance and Concorso mainly consist of familiar arguments made by the usual Italiano judge who was also without cutting jobs suspects: Local activists, citing powerful state and fed- Three heavily involved in the eral environmental laws, urging caution and delay, ver- Ferrari Club of America, By MARY BROWNFIELD sus elected officials, businessmen and steelhead advo- successful years, Doug Freedman, along with cates warning of dire consequences if the Peninsula’s his wife, had held an annual THE CARMEL City Council approved its $13.5 million water shortage goes on much longer. but the party in Carmel during 2010/2011 annual budget at its June 16 meeting after figur- But Tuesday evening at Seaside’s Oldemeyer Center, recession dried Concours Week for several ing out how to take fewer dollars from reserves while still not faces from a new constituency packed the meeting years. In 2006, they received implementing layoffs. The budget took effect July 1 at the room, and previously unheard comments were spoken up the cash city council approval for an start of the city’s fiscal year. into the microphone. upscale judged exhibition The draft version of the budget, which was released in “Working families in this county are strongly in downtown that would feature April, called for $14 million in spending and would have favor of the regional water project, and we think it the finest vehicles not typi- required $810,818 from reserves. After hearing from the needs to happen immediately,” said Juan Uranga, cally shown elsewhere on the Monterey Peninsula during the council at a June 2 budget workshop that members did not executive director of an Hispanic community advocacy week headlined by the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours want to raid reserves but realized they would need to use organization based in Salinas. d’Elegance. some of the savings to balance the budget, city administrator “The water shortage threatens the economic viabili- With the help of a handful of experts in their field, the Rich Guillen with several scenarios that included more ty of our entire community,” added Carlos Ramos, a Freedmans developed the classes and the application process, income and some savings. business consultant from Salinas. “It threatens the abil- established The Carmel Foundation as the benefiting charity, On the plus side, he figured in the $50,000 Pacific Grove ity to provide jobs and housing, and we need to move hired architect Brian Congleton to design the show field and is paying for the services of Carmel Police Cpl. Steve Rana, forward on the desal plant without hesitation.” the ramp upon which winners were driven during the after- who is handing out traffic tickets in the city two days a week, “We don’t want our rates to go up, but we need water noon awards ceremony, gathered sponsor support, organized and $61,000 in state taxes which are intended to compensate to survive,” said Seaside City Councilman Ian volunteers and staged the successful show — which was free the city for holding public meetings in compliance with the Oglesby. for spectators — in 2007, 2008 and 2009. American, British Brown Act. See DESAL page 9A and European trucks, sports cars, family vehicles, racecars, See BUDGET page 14A 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 July 2, 2010 spent the week enjoying outings with them at the beach. Sandy Claws His favorite toy is a teddy bear, which he likes to chew on, and a battery-operated toy dog that barks. He likes routine and goes for a neighborhood walk By Margot Petit Nichols with Mom every morning, noon and evening. His sis- ter, Gertie, a domestic short-hair feline, stays at home DANNY METZ, 7, was so small when Mom Judy while Danny rendezvouses with the cat next door, a Metz adopted him, she thought he was a puppy. handsome tortoise shell named Tip, who rubs against Wrong, the veterinarian told her, he was at least 3 Danny in greeting and then walks a little way with years old. On his cage at the rescue center, a sign clas- him and Mom to keep them company. sified him as a Lhasa Apso. Really wrong on that count, At 3 every afternoon, Danny gets out his fluffy soc- too, but no one knows exactly what mixture Danny is.