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Kiosk In This Issue SEAL PUP COUNT 7 as of 4/3/14 • Fri. April 4 No Dance Jam (Good Old Days) • Sat. April 5 First Saturday Book Sale Pacific Grove Public Library • Sat. & Sun. April 5 & 6 Salmon Season - Page 3 Victim of a Suspicious Fire - Page 17 Heathen Quacks - Page 24 Good Old Days Downtown Pacific Grove • Tues. April 8 PG Rotary Pacific Grove’s Speaker: Nancy Kotowski Lodge at Pebble Beach Noon • $$ 649-0657 • April 10-May 14 Creative Writing Workshop Sally Griffin Center 700 Jewell [email protected] (831- 869-0860 Times • April 4-10, 2014 Your Community NEWSpaper Vol. VI, Issue 30 Fri. April 11 Dance Jam with DJ Theo 8-10:00 p.m. Chautauqua Hall 16th & Central, Pacific Grove City Council 2014 Royal Court Reigns $10, Teens $5 Pass $80 for 10 dances First dance free Likely to Info 710-0371 or 333-6058 • Sat. April 12 Support Prop Howrd Burnham as Edward John Trelawny, “The Poet Murderer” 13 Reform Little House in Jewel Park 5:30 PM $10 Efforts • By Marge Ann Jameson Tues. April 8 PG Rotary Under California's famed 1978 Prop Speaker: Nancy Kotowski 13, property taxes were rolled back to 1975 Lodge at Pebble Beach values, and annual increases were restricted Noon • $$ to an inflation factor, not to exceed 2 percent 649-0657 per year. • Thurs. April 10 & Since 1978, for those residential and Sat. April 12 commercial properties not being reassessed Animator at CSUMB at the time of resale or for other reasons, 3-5 PM and 7-9 PM Mature “the revenues generated are falling behind Content the cost of the services the City provides. at CSUMB This was documented in the Fiscal Health (No cost) Evaluation Report generated recently for The 2014 Royal Court of the Feast of Lanterns was presented at Canterbury Woods 1 PM All Ages at MY Museum the City by Magis Advisors...In constant on March 27. The are, from left to right (back row), Olivia Caine (Princess Pearl), (Admission charged) dollars, property taxes have declined from Caroline Gruber (Princess Turquoise), Ashley Lyon (Princess Garnet), (front row) • $3.5 to $3.3 million in the last three years Kimberly Huynh (Princess Ruby), Minhee Cho (Queen Topaz), Catherine Gruber Sat. April 12 alone,” City Manager Tom Frutchey noted (Princess Amethyst). They will be in the Good Old Days Parade, along with the Guitars Not Guns in an agenda report on the April 4 City 2013 Royal Court. Photo by Marabee Boone. Marina Library Council Agenda. In that item, he requested 10-4 PM Free that the Council give staff direction to • word a resolution of support for efforts be- Thurs. April 17 ing made across the state to close the gaps Lattitudes Site Sold Meet the Author among taxation valuations. Brad Herzog A group in San Francisco, for example, By Marge Ann Jameson Pacific Grove Library is seeking such resolutions of support 7:30-9:00 from cities and school districts throughout The Lattitudes site has been sold. A buyer from out of the country, Ostrich Inc., has Donation: $10 California for an effort called “Closing purchased the Lattitudes building and land from the Elves family, who have owned it for • the Loophole” in the split roll tax. “Ap- Thurs. April 17 proximately 60 cities and school districts Democratic Women Luncheon across the state have already signed onto Speaker on “The Population the proposed measure,” Frutchey said. Factor and World Stress” Hilton Garden Inn “The people ... need a reasoned dialogue,” RSVP dw-mc.org he added, pointing out that “misleading $30 statements” against the effort are already • being made. Proposition 13 has increased the in- equities in the State’s overall property tax structure. Two inequities are primary: One is the disparity between residential Inside and commercial properties: Commercial properties have remained in the same Good Old Days Pull-Out Section .... 11 hands longer, and thus account for only 28 100 Years Ago in Pacific Grove .......... 6 percent of California's property tax revenue Animal Tales in recent years, while they accounted for 40 & Other Random Thoughts .............. 24 percent of local property tax revenue at the Cop Log ............................................. 5 Finance ........................................... 21 time Prop 13 was passed. Home and apart- Green Page ...................................... 26 ment owners now pay 72 percent of total Health ............................................. 23 property taxes. Legal Notices ................................... 22 Another inequity is between similar Marriage Can Be Funny ................... 22 Opinion ........................................... 19 homes that receive similar City services but Otter Views ...................................... 19 that have had qualifying events (such as a Poetry .............................................. 21 Real Estate News from MCAR ............ 4 Sports .............................................. 14 See PROP 13 Page 82 See LOVERS POINT Page 82 Page 2 • CEDAR STREET Times • April 4, 2014 Joan Skillman P From Page 1 PROP 13 sale or issuance of a building permit) in differing years. Two homes of equal value, Skillshots occupied by families utilizing the same City services, can have “markedly different” assessed values and property taxes. In Pacific Grove, property taxes account for 25 percent of City General Fund rev- enues, along with sales tax and transient occupancy tax. These pay for City services, such as police, fire, street maintenance and the Library – costs of which are outpacing property tax income increases. Only the voters can change Proposition 13. “It may be time in Pacific Grove to start considering measures that can address these inequities,” said Frutchey. “The failings associated with the current property tax system fall on each of the other local entities that are funded through property taxes, primarily the Pacific Grove Unified School System.” The Pacific Grove Unified School District is a basic aid district, one of some 22 in the state dependent primarily on property tax income. It has the advantage of including portions of Pebble Beach in the mix. Other school districts in the state rely on property tax income as well as state funds – when one goes up, the other goes down and the income remains static. Rick Miller, Assistant Superintendent of the Pacific Grove School District, says that someone from one of the groups has contacted him in recent months, but did not follow up with answers to his questions. He asks, for example, whether costs of services will increase if commercial property owners wind up paying a more modern property tax rate. He expressed an interest in looking at the proposal. P LOVERS POINT From Page 1 more than 40 years. According to the seller’s agent, J.J. Taughinbaugh (along with Anh Stovall), the buyer paid $2.5 million cash for the prime property and intends to operate it as an Asian restaurant, likely serving sushi. The nearly 6,700 square foot building has been vacant for more than four years after Lattitudes closed in 2010. Before Lattitudes, the building house The Tinnery. At one time, “It was the Lovers Point drive-in and had the best onion rings in the world,” according to a local. The Elves family entertained many interested parties, both local and from across the United States, but they were looking for a quick closing and that’s what the suc- cessful buyer offered. Taghinbaugh, who represents Marcus and Millichap of Palo Alto, said that the liquor license was not part of the package, but that the new buyer will likely apply for one right away, while working on repairs and improvements he wants to make to the property. The Elves family also owns Lovers Point Inn and a popular candy store on the Monterey Wharf. Transform your negative beliefs. P.G. Water Conservation transform your life. Current Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 • Water waste is prohibited. , CHT, CMP, RPP, CST Rabia Erduman • Users must adhere to the following outdoor watering schedule: Author of Veils of Separation Odd-numbered and Carmel south and west addresses: 831-277-9029 www.wuweiwu.com Saturday & Wednesday Transpersonal Hypnotherapy • Reiki Even-numbered and Carmel north and east addresses: Craniosacral Therapy • Polarity Therapy Sunday & Thursday Nervous System Healing • Trauma Release • Water turf, lawns, gardens or ornamental landscaping before CDs: Chakra Meditation, Relaxation, Meditation, Inner Guides 9:00 am and after 5:00 pm. Pacific Grove Weekend Forecast Friday Saturday Sunday Monday 4th 5th 6th 7th Cedar Street Times was established September 1, 2008 and was adjudicated a legal newspaper for Pacific Grove, Monterey County, California on July 16, 2010. It is Showers Partly Cloudy Sunny Sunny published weekly at 306 Grand Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950. Chance Chance Chance Chance Press deadline is Wednesday, noon. The paper is distributed on Friday and is avail- of Rain of Rain of Rain of Rain able at various locations throughout the county as well as by e-mail subscription. 60° 50% 60° 10% 69° 0% 75° 0% WIND: WIND: WIND: WIND: Editor/Publisher: Marge Ann Jameson NNW at NW at NNE at E at 47° 13 mph 47° 14 mph 52° 8 mph 54° 6 mph News: Marge Ann Jameson Intern: Meagan Hickey Graphics: Shelby Birch Regular Contributors: Ben Alexander • Jack Beigle • Cameron Douglas • Rabia Erduman • Dana Goforth • Jon Guthrie Pacific Grove’s Rain Gauge • John C. Hantelman • Kyle Krasa • Dixie Layne • Travis Long • Data reported by Jack Beigle at Canterbury Woods Dorothy Maras-Ildiz • Neil Jameson • Peter Nichols • Richard Oh • Jean Prock • • Katie Shain • Joan Skillman Week ending 04-03-14........................ 1.45” Distribution: Duke Kelso, Ken Olsen Cedar Street Irregulars Total for the season .......................... 7.83” Anthony, Ava, Cameron, Carter, Coleman, Connor, Coryn, Jesse, Nathan, Shayda To date last year (03-22-13) .............. 10.81” 831.324.4742 Voice Historical average to this date ......... 16.84” 831.324.4745 Fax [email protected] Calendar items to: [email protected] Wettest year ......................................