MerryMerry Christmas!Christmas! BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 95 No. 51 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com December 18-24, 2009 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Sunset Center lament: ‘All I get is socks!’ McCloud, Hazdovac, Rose seek new terms Students from River School celebrated the holidays with two nights as Burnett challenges of concerts on the big stage at Sunset Center By MARY BROWNFIELD this week. Monday evening, music teacher CARMEL MAYOR Sue McCloud and council members Betsy Walsh led the Paula Hazdovac and Gerard Rose said this week they will run fourth and fifth grade for reelection next April. Facing them will be at least one chorus (right) in a rous- challenger, former EPA official Jason Burnett, who said he ing Christmas protest song, “All I get is plans to seek a council seat. socks!” The concerts Michael LePage, the for- drew standing-room-only mer chairman of the since- crowds, and principal disbanded design review Jay Marden especially board and the sole challenger The longest- thanked parents Kath in the April 2008 race, was Uyeda and Melissa expected to run again but serving mayor Kendrick for making the announced Tuesday night he and council evenings a success. had changed his mind. “After some serious delib- member say PHOTO/PAUL MILLER eration, I have decided that their expertise my time commitments to my family and business will not is valuable allow me to pursue a cam- paign for an elected Carmel P.G. council votes to undo ban on vacation rentals position at this time,” he said. “I do plan to stay involved and continue to be a voice for our By KELLY NIX The new ordinance requires landlords to obtain a license special community.” from the city and pay a 10 percent transient occupancy tax in The three incumbents cited the dire economy and several PACIFIC GROVE will allow landlords to rent out their order to rent out their units for less than 30 days at a time. major pending city projects as reasons for their desire to con- homes on a short-term basis — previously banned in the city The ordinance puts homeowners in line with the city’s hotels tinue serving. — as long as they pay an annual flat tax and register their and inns. If elected, McCloud would be embarking on her sixth units, the city council voted Wednesday night. “The revenue generated from the license fees and [tran- two-year term — a record — while Hazdovac’s next four- The council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance sient occupancy tax] will help pay for a code enforcement year term would be her fifth — another record. It would be reversing the ban on short-term rentals, which the city hopes officer,” Pacific Grove city manager Tom Frutchey said. Rose’s third full term, since he was appointed to the council will generate at least $200,000 in revenue each year. The council fine-tuned the ordinance’s requirements by McCloud after she became mayor in 2000. based on public comment from Jan Leasure with Monterey The mayor serves for two years, while council members Bay Property Management. serve for four. The filing period for the April 13, 2010, elec- Though there was no strong opposition to the ordinance, tion opens Dec. 21 and closes Jan. 15, 2010. resident John Fischer and council members Robert Huitt and Dual investigations Lisa Bennett expressed concern about enforcing it. See ELECTION page 12A ongoing in art See RENTALS page 22A heist/fraud case By MARY BROWNFIELD Carmel Woods INVESTIGATORS ARE keeping mum on the neighbors don’t want progress of the convoluted Pebble Beach art-heist case, but Monterey County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Mike Richards wells in their backyard confirmed Wednesday that research into the purported September burglary of a Pebble Beach home — and the resulting disappearance of millions of dollars’ By KELLY NIX worth of artwork — is ongoing. And the alleged victims, A. Benjamin Amadio and A SMALL group of residents in Carmel Woods has Ralph Kennaugh, are suspected of committing insur- started a campaign against new water wells in their neigh- Sue McCloud Paula Hazdovac ance fraud in the same case. borhood, contending they would create a host of problems. Neighbors of a parcel at 24479 San Juan Road have taken Paucity of facts issue with the Nov. 18 approval by the Monterey County Since the Sept. 25 break-in at the men’s rental house Planning Commission of a well applied for by architect Erik that resulted in the reported theft of an estimated $80 Dyar, who represents Chopin Enterprises. The well would million in artwork, including a painting by Jackson supply water for the single-family lot, which cannot be sup- Pollock the victims said is worth $20 million, authori- plied from the Cal Am system because of the water permit ties have decried the men’s reluctance to provide use- moratorium which has been in place since 1995. ful information on the alleged crime. The pair issued Though planners said the well, which has already been their own press release and continued to communicate tested, would be safe and in compliance with the county’s with select members of the media — particularly the zoning laws, neighbors Steve and Mitzi Dallas, Peter Fallon Monterey County Herald and KSBW TV — while and others have appealed planners’ approval of the perma- failing to turn over information to the Monterey nent well to the county board of supervisors. County Sheriff’s Office, Richards reported in October. The group contends drilling into the lot’s fractured gran- ite is problematic because it could mean low water yields and See FRAUD page 22A See WELLS page 24A Gerard Rose Jason Burnett 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 December 18, 2009 An Intensive Lecture Lawsuits to follow as coastal commission rejects hotel plan By KELLY NIX mission without due process,” said You’ve Lived, Loved & Learned Ghandour, who is ardently supported by Now Keep Moving Forward A local 2 hour workshop to discover timeless THE DEVELOPER who wants to build Sand City’s elected officials. healing techniques to feel whole again. a green resort on the Sand City coastline may “They cannot, on the fly, create their own $97 pre-registered $147 at door go back to court after the California Coastal standards of review and bring them to this You may bring 1 guest complimentary. Call for details Commission unanimously rejected his pro- site,” Ghandour maintained. ject Dec. 11. Mayor David Pendergrass told The Pine Sand City — which has no oceanfront Cone the city will take the coastal panel to development — also plans legal action court for its decision. against the coastal commission. “We intend to file a lawsuit,” Pendergrass In 2000, the commission rejected Ed said. “We have to get the solid facts together “I share the healing in my life so you can heal yours.” Ghandour’s $300 million hotel plan, claim- first.” Dr. Aristotle Economou D.C., FIAMA, Dipl.Ac. (IAMA) ing it would unduly harm plants and animal Plans for the resort, which would nestle on the 39-acre site across Highway 1 from into the sand dunes and barely be visible Seaside High School. from Highway 1, include a 160-room hotel, But in 2008, a California court of appeal 180 condominiums, a conference center, tossed out the habitat argument, citing an underground parking and a dune restoration earlier coastal commission ruling that the project. The facility would create 500 new property contained no “environmentally sen- jobs, Ghandour said. sitive habitat.” Sand City officials, who have already Flash This time, the commission cited other agreed to put most of the city’s oceanfront Some of our Beanie concerns in refusing to approve a permit for property off-limits to development, also the hotel, including coastal views, water sup- want the tax revenues the hotel would gener- ply and erosion. ate. “I’m very frustrated that the greenest, “The coastal commission gave us a Local favorite things. most environmental project in the country Coastal Plan, which we amended three times could be thrown out recklessly by the com- and they approved it,” Pendergrass said. “The amount of develop- ment allowed on that site is Denali Jacket 650 rooms, a mix and match of condos and hotel.” But the coastal commis- sion’s planners said a “much pre-holiday smaller” project should be considered that protects nat- ural resources such as the Monterey spineflower and SALE Western snowy plover, and minimizes impacts to views and addresses traffic con- cerns. VKLUWVÃVZHDWHUV While the coastal com- MDFNHWVÃVSRUWFRDWV mission’s analysis of the and more larger project said Sand City’s dunes are eroding as much as 6.5 feet per year, Discover yours! Ghandour and Pendergrass said studies show there is Mammoth 1/4 Zip actually accretion of sand on the site. And Pendergrass accused Gift Certificates & Free Gift Boxing Available! the commission of rewriting 111 The Crossroads in Carmel / 624.4112 / Treadmill.com / Mon.–Sat. 10 to 6, Sun. 12 to 5 the city’s coastal develop- One mile south of Ocean Ave.; Exit on Hwy 1 at Carmel Valley Right on Carmel Rancho Blvd.Right on Carmel Rancho Lane See SAND page 22A Take Advantage of the Area’s Best Value in Retirement Living Now Choose an Apartment at Forest Hill Manor Save as much as $53,000 in Entrance Fees! With the ups and downs in today’s economic environment, it’s more important than ever to take advantage of the best value in retirement living when you find it and secure your future.