She’s always got Festival saves New generation her mind on the best makes a good show December for 23rd — INSIDE THIS WEEK BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 94 No. 26 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com June 27-July 3, 2008 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Big Sur hillside community devastated by wildfires ■ Governor declares state of emergency as 23,000 acres, 14 homes burn — lightning is cause BY CHRIS COUNTS THE PRIVILEGE of living high atop a ridge can come at a very steep price, Big Sur residents were remind- ed this week as a wildfire swept through Partington Ridge. At least 14 houses — including three historic buildings and a recently constructed trophy home — were destroyed late Sunday and early Monday after a lightning strike near Coast Gallery touched off what firefighters call the Basin Complex Fire. By midweek, the blaze had consumed about 23,000 acres. The lightning strike was just one of more than 8,000 observed throughout California Saturday when a dry thunderstorm swept through the state, igniting Historic more than 800 wildfires. Evacuating residents estate lost watched helplessly as columns of fire and smoke but inns and snaked their way up and library are down steep coastal canyons, threatening pock- spared ets of homes. “It looked like a scene from ‘Apocalypse Now,’” described longtime Partington Ridge resident Magnus Toren as he recalled watching the fire approach his prop- erty late Sunday. More than 690 firefighters, along with 46 engines, two air tankers and six helicopters have been deployed to fight the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The USFS was in command of the effort and said expenses had exceeded $1.5 million. Three firefighters reported minor injuries fighting the blaze, which moved swiftly up steep hillsides but was also carried downhill as burning limbs and trees fell. Highway 1 was closed for most of the week south of Post Ranch Inn, and dozens of households on the east side of the highway between Partington Canyon and the Ventana Inn were evacuated. The Ventana Inn, perched on a steep wooded hillside overlooking Highway 1, not only sent its guests away, but See FIRE page 9A CHOMP’s unpaid bills add up to $456 million PHOTOS (CLOCKWISE FROM LOWER LEFT) — LIFE MAGAZINE, GARY KOEPPEL, TORREY WAAG, By KELLY NIX NEPENTHE WEBCAM, RIVER GURTIN, STAN RUSSELL, TORREY WAAG A REPORT released this week reveals that (Top left) Four Nepenthe webcam stills capture the Basin Complex Fire as it sweeps Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula was down Graves Ridge Sunday night, burning several homes, including the historic Stone unable to collect nearly a half a billion dollars in medical House. (Top right) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses firefighters at bills last year. Andrew Molera State Park Wednesday as Sharon Crino, executive director of the The 2007 Annual Report shows that of the Carmel chapter of the Red Cross (far left of photo), 5th District Supervisor Dave Potter $860,773,000 CHOMP billed patients in 2007, the hospi- (third from the right) and Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Frank Pinney (far right) tal didn’t get paid for $455,868,000 — overshadowing the look on. (Middle left) The fire works its way down to Highway 1 near Graves hospital’s bottom line and forcing patients who pay full Canyon. (Middle right) Dimly visible through heavy smoke, a helicopter works to save the Henry Miller Library. (Above left) Firefighters extinguish a flare-up near Coast price to carry much of the burden for everybody else. Gallery. (Above right) A line of firefighters troops into Graves Canyon. (Left) A 1959 Most of the shortfall can be blamed on state and feder- Life Magazine photo shows Sam and Nancy Hopkins posing in front of their ally funded social programs such as Medicare and Medi- Partington Ridge pool. An article in the magazine prominently featured the Hopkins Cal, which often do not pay enough to CHOMP for ser- home, which was later the setting for the founding of the Big Sur Land Trust. It was vices it provides patients, according to Laura Zehm, destroyed by fire Sunday. See BILLS page 11A 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 June 27, 2008 Gardens & LAFCO mulls incorporation options FezQ nursery By CHRIS COUNTS ■ Approving an agreement with a consulting firm, Economic & Planning Systems, for the purpose of updating RELOCATION SALE PROPONENTS OF the drive to incorporate Carmel the Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis, which opponents of Valley will have to wait another week to find out if the incorporation have complained is now out of date; and June 26th to June 29th Monterey County Local Agency Commission is ready to ■ Approving a reimbursement schedule for payment by 10 am to 5 pm jump start the movement to put the issue on the ballot. the Carmel Valley Forum. LAFCO met in a closed session this week but was unable “The commissioners decided they needed more time to 25% off all exterior plants to come to an agreement on how to proceed, executive offi- review their options and digest the information,” McKenna cer Kate McKenna reported. In an effort to resolve the said. 28 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley 659-1268 impasse, the commission will host a special meeting The incorporation drive has been bogged down by legal Thursday, July 3, in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at action since March 2007, when proponents sued LAFCO for the Monterey County Government Building in Salinas. The requiring them to pay for a costly environmental impact REOPENING meeting starts at 3 p.m. report. The agency filed a countersuit April 5 alleging that The meeting’s agenda offers commissioners the option of the Carmel Valley Forum — a nonprofit dedicated to putting LATE JULY taking action on a variety of incorporation-related items, the incorporation issue before the voters — owes nearly including: $137,000 in costs associated with creating a town. ■ Approving a “work program and schedule” between Meanwhile, CVF’s attorney, Michael Stamp, will proba- LAFCO and proponents; bly also be asking for substantial compensation from taxpay- ers for his time and expenses suing LAFCO. That figure could be as high as $400,000, an incorporation opponent FezQ said. In the CVF lawsuit, Monterey County Superior Court of Carmel Judge Lydia Villarreal ruled May 2 that LAFCO could not require an environmental impact report on the incorporation Interior issue before submitting it to voters. plants and Incorporation opponents have urged LAFCO to appeal Villarreal’s ruling, even offering to help defray legal costs. uncommon ASSOCIATES PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SALES home accents Specializing in Property Management Did you know... and Fine Home sales. Mr. Sardine Man- Frank Booth was a Carmel Square salmon fisherman who built the second 20 Years Experience salmon cannery near Monterey’s wharf San Carlos between Ocean and 7th in 1902, then started experimenting with 831-626-2150 canning the sardines that were more plentiful in Monterey Bay. As interest www.vk-associates.com grew, the city directed smelly canneries Carmel reads The Pine Cone Randi Greene away from the wharf and toward a Chinese village in Pacific Grove that processed squid and abalone. Other canneries started appearing on the rut-filled dirt road known then as Ocean View Avenue and now as Cannery Row. There was actually more sardine reduction to obtain fish oil, fish meal, and fertilizer than actual canning of the fish, JULY 2008 leaving tons of waste to rot outside the plants and prompting a phrase to distinguish the communities then on the Monterey Peninsula: “Carmel by the sea, Pacific Grove by God and Monterey by the smell.” The stink became known as the smell of prosperity after the canneries boomed in World War I with a huge demand for canned fish, principally as protein in soldiers’ rations. Next week: Presidio of Monterey HealthyHappenings ® Randi Greene, Realtor , MBA, GRI, SRES Randi Delivers Results! International President’s Diamond Society (831) 622-2589 [email protected] www.RandiGreene.com A Conversation with Life ÛiÊvi°Ê >ÌiÊ `° Research by Thom Akeman, veteran newspaper reporter À«ÊÊÀÊV>ÊvÀÊ>Ê>««ÌiÌ° ÈÓx{n£{ Hartnell Professional Center, 576 Hartnell Street, Monterey i>Ì V>ÀiÊ*ÀÛ`iÀÊ *,Ê ­ >À`«Õ>ÀÞÊ,iÃÕÃVÌ>Ì® ->ÌÕÀ`>Þ]ÊÕÞÊ£Ó]ÊÊ>°°q{Ê«°°ÊÊ ,Þ>Ê,>V Ê"ÕÌ«>ÌiÌÊ >«ÕÃ]ÊÕ«iÊ>`Ê*««ÞÊVviÀiViÊÀà fÈäÊÊUÊÊ*ÀiÀi}ÃÌÀ>ÌÊÀiµÕÀi`ÊÊUÊÊÈ{ÇÇÇÇ 'HVLJQHGVSHFL¿FDOO\IRUSHRSOHZKRZRUNLQDKHDOWKFDUH VHWWLQJ$FRXUVHFRPSOHWLRQFDUGLVSURYLGHGWR SDUWLFLSDQWVZKRVXFFHVVIXOO\FRPSOHWHWKHFRXUVH Saturday, July 19, 9 a.m.–noon i>ÀÌ->ÀÌÊ-Õ«iÀ>ÀiÌÊ/ÕÀ >À`ÀÊÊUÊÊ*ÀiÀi}ÃÌÀ>ÌÊÀiµÕÀi`ÊÊUÊÊÈ{ÇÇnä / ÕÀÃ`>Þ]ÊÕÞÊ£ä]Ê££Ê>°°q£Ó\£xÊ«°° ->ÛiÊ>ÀÌÊÃÕ«iÀ>ÀiÌ]Ê >ÀiÊ,>V Ê- ««}Ê iÌiÀ -RLQXVIRUDQLQIRUPDWLRQDODQGGLVFXVVLRQSURJUDP f£xÉ«iÀÃ]ÊfÓäÉVÕ«iÊÊUÊÊ*ÀiÀi}ÃÌÀ>ÌÊÀiµÕÀi`ÊÊUÊÊÈÓx{ÇÈx RQWKHSHUVRQDOSUDFWLFDOPHGLFDODQGVSLULWXDO DVSHFWVRIHQGRIOLIHSUHSDUDWLRQ/HDUQKRZ 'RQ¶WPLVVWKLVH\HRSHQLQJWRXUWKURXJKWKHVXSHUPDUNHW WRSUHSDUHDQGKRZEHVWWRFRPPXQLFDWH\RXU ZLWKDUHJLVWHUHGGLHWLWLDQDV\RXUJXLGH/HDUQWRXVHWKH KHDOWKFDUHZLVKHVWR\RXUIDPLO\DQGPHGLFDOWHDP QXWULWLRQODEHOWRPDNHVPDUWGHFLVLRQVDERXWWKHIRRG\RX $FRS\RIWKH$GYDQFH+HDOWKFDUH'LUHFWLYH.LWZLOO EX\<RXZLOOUHFHLYHPDWHULDOVWKDWLQFOXGHUHFLSHVDQGD EHDYDLODEOH ORZIDWIRRG¿QGHU Speakers: Deborah Biller, MD; Zia Shapiro, chaplain; Ellen Watson, RN; Shary Farr, life-planning specialist *Ài >LiÌiÃ\Ê -Ì«Ê >LiÌiÃÊ ivÀiÊÌÊ-Ì>ÀÌà / ÕÀÃ`>ÞÃ]ÊÕÞÊÓ{qÕ}ÕÃÌÊ£{]ÊÈ\ÎäqnÊ«°° * ÊiiÌ}ÊÀÊUÊÊfÇxÊÊUÊÊ*ÀiÀi}ÃÌÀ>ÌÊÀiµÕÀi`ÊÊUÊÊÈ{ÇÓÓä $PNNVOJUZ)PTQJUBM ÊÜ>ÊÀi}ÃÌÀ>ÌÃÊÜÊLiÊÌ>i° PGUIF.POUFSFZ1FOJOTVMB 7KLVFODVVZLOOVKRZ\RXWKH¿YHEHKDYLRUFKDQJHVQHHGHG WRVWRSGLDEHWHVDQGKHOS\RXJHWVWDUWHGH[HUFLVLQJ SINCE 1970 Innovative healthcare with a human touch 5HJLVWHULQJIRUWalk and WinLVVWURQJO\HQFRXUDJHG 26542 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Carmel • (831) 622-0544 $OOFODVVHVDQGVXSSRUWJURXSVOLVWHGDUHKHOGDW&RPPXQLW\+RVSLWDOXQOHVVRWKHUZLVHQRWHG7KH+DUWQHOO3URIHVVLRQDO&HQWHULGHQWL¿HGDV+3&LVDW +DUWQHOO6WUHHWDFURVVIURPWKHPDLQSRVWRI¿FHLQGRZQWRZQ0RQWHUH\7KH5\DQ5DQFK2XWSDWLHQW&DPSXVLVDW8SSHU5DJVGDOH'ULYH3URIHVVLRQDO&HQWHU Showroom Hours: 11am - 5pm Mon.