Kiosk In This Issue Through February 28 Robert Sadler, photography Reception Sat., Jan. 14 4:00 - 6:00 PM Free/refreshments At The Works, PG • Sun. Jan. 15 Meet R.L. Stevenson Charaterization by Howard Burnham The Works • 5:30PM • $10 cover • Writing on writers - 5 40 yrs. and 5000 miles - 10 Two Ton tourists- 16 Sat. 1/14 City of Pacific Grove Community budget update Public meetings at 11:00 AM Community Center • Jan. 16-22 Monterey to Big Sur Screenings 5 PM Sat. Jan. 21 and Sun. Jan. 22 Matinees 1 PM Lighthouse Cinemas • Sat. Jan. 21 Adult Art Class Times at Pacific Grove Art Center Jan. 13-19 2012 Your Community NEWSpaper Vol. IV, Issue 17 One-day intensive – Portraits in Pastels 10AM – 3:30PM Register: 831-901-5238. More ongoing classes offered 831-375-2208 Rate for ‘most serious crimes’ Cell on Wheels • Sat. Jan. 21 HOOTENANNY down dramatically in 2010 at Adult School at Pacific Grove Art Center ‘It’s a safe community but you aren’t immune’ 7-10PM FREE, songbooks provided Crime statistics are in from the Uni- robbery, aggravated assault, burglary 831-375-2208 form Crime Reporting Program, and the (breaking or entering), larceny-theft, motor • Pacific Grove Police Department reports vehicle theft, and arson. Fri. Jan. 27 that Part I crimes – the most serious – were In 2011 the Pacific Grove Police de- DJ Theo reduced by 24 percent in 2011. It is the sec- partment responded to more than 16,000 at Dance Jam 8-10 PM ond year in a row crimes have gone down. “events” and took 1,371 “general case” Adults $10/Teens $5/Youth Free Part I Crimes are the most serious reports and 1,074 information reports. Chautauqua Hall 16th and Central, PG crimes: criminal homicide, forcible rape, See CRIME Page 3 • Fri., Jan. 27 Lunar New Year Milonga “The Year of the Dragon” Tourist kicks up a fuss Wave Street Studios 774 Wave St., Monterey 8:00 PM - 12:00 AM Pre-Milonga Class & Milonga $20 DJ David, Los Angeles Tango Instructor • Sat., Jan. 28 Tango workshops Ladies Only Technique 12:30 -1:30 PM Tuition $25 Partnering Technique 2:00 - 5:00 PM Tuition: $60 Inside Cop Log .................................3 Green Page ....................15, 16 Health & Well-Being .............5 A 3-year old elephant seal has come to visit the beach near Hopkins Marine Lab, High Hats & Parasols .............4 attracting droves of visitors. He flips sand on himself, probably to protect his skin Legal Notices .........................8 from the sun. We’ve devoted a page to the phenomenon on page 16. Kim Wor- The temporary cell tower in question at Opinion ..........................(dark) rell, a volunteer for Bay Net, has taken many pictures of the seal and his buddy, Pacific Grove Adult School. Photo by Peter Peeps .....................................5 who showed up last week. Mounteer Rain Gauge ...........................2 Shelf Life ...............................8 Sports ................................6, 7 By Marge Ann Jameson Up & coming Events ........9, 10 Year in Review ...............11-14 Area mayors forming water JPA Young Writers’ Corner ....(dark) Six Peninsula mayors, including Pacif- not have been publicized, well or at all, but What if you went through proper chan- ic Grove Mayor Carmelita Garcia, recently each mayor’s signature is now going before nels for your agency and negotiated, on their agreed to form a joint Powers Authority their respective city councils, beginning behalf, a one-year contract with an option Make us your friend on ostensibly aimed at rescuing the Regional with Carmel on Tues., Jan. 11, continuing for a second year, signed it and filed it away, Facebook Water Project or finding another source of with Pacific Grove in a special meeting only to find out a year later that it was, in fact Follow us on Twitter water for the Peninsula to replace Carmel Thurs., Jan. 12 and continuing until all the a two-year contract? to receive calendar updates River water for Cal Am. four have met by Jan. 24. Carmel voted 5-0 This may be what happened as the Pacific and reminders on your These are the same six mayors who, for the agreement after discussion. Grove Unified School District Board of Trust- Facebook page! back in June, 2011, signed a “secret” non- At the Carmel City Council meeting, ees, in October of 2010, authorized a lease disclosure agreement to “memorialize their serious questions were raised about the agreement for a wireless, temporary, portable commitment” to maintain confidentiality authority and effectiveness of the Mayors antenna at the Adult School property at 1825 regarding controversial issues surround- to influence any result on the ongoing water Lighthouse Avenue. ing the proposed Regional Water Project. issue, given that they do not represent the The School Board, in 2010, had autho- That agreement backfired when Attorney entire constituency – some 34 percent lives rized staff to negotiate an agreement, but Michael Stamp filed a formal request for the in unincorporated areas – and the fact that negotiations did not take until late that year, Send your calendar items to: documents under the Public Records Act. there is already an agency charged with according to the October 21, 2010 school [email protected] Meetings leading up to the JPA might See JPA Page 3 See CELL Page 2 Page 2 • CEDAR STREET Times • January 13, 2012 pCELL From Page 1 Shop Locally board agenda report, “AT&T agent failed to respond to repeated communications.” Also according to the Oct. 21, 2010 agenda report, the income to the district – more exactly the Adult Education program – would be $500/month or $6,000 for the year. The temporary site license, under negotiation later, was to have been effective April 15, 2011 PACIFIC GROVE TRAVEL Presents… through April 15, 2012. It designated a license fee of $500 per month to be paid to the school district. The “extension of term” portion called for an extension of two additional six-month periods at the sole Princess Cruise discretion of the licensee, New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC and its affiliates. Fast forward to January, 2012. What’s in the School Board’s files, signed by a District official and from SF to Hawaii! a representative of AT&T, is a Temporary Site License dated Jan. 25, 2011 and effective Feb. 1, 2011 through Feb. 1, 2013. It lists a fee of $1000 per month and offers an extension at the sole discretion of March 19, 2012-15days the licensee, AT&T. What happened in the interim is anyone’s guess. The All transportation official has retired and there are no agenda items listing the from PG included! question of the cell tower. He has made phone calls to the As of January, 2012, statistics show District’s attorney, but it appears, according to Assistant that 92 percent of the adult population 373-0631 Superintendent Rick Miller, that it’s an airtight contract. has mobile/cell phones. Only 70 per- None of this would be as urgent if it weren’t for a cent – and dropping – have land lines. neighbor of the adult school, Karuna Gomez, who insists that the radio frequency emissions from the cell tower are Great selection of harmful to her, other nearby residents, school children in the preschool, and the butterflies at the sanctuary. She says she’ll go to the District Attorney if the cell Music-oriented gifts tower remains after February, 2012. and sheet music “I wonder if legal challenges wouldn’t take until the lease expires anyway,” to be resolved, said Miller. Legal fees for the District come directly from General Fund monies and would affect money BEGINNING DEC. 26TH ALL available for instruction, he said. CHRISTMAS ITEMS 50% OFF There are also discrepancies in the records of the licensee. AT&T’s representative John Britton says Bookmark Music their records show the site went on air in Nov. or Dec., 2011. He says it should have improved cover- age in the area of Pacific Grove from approximately the golf course to an area encompassing George 307 Forest Ave, Washington Park. He told Cedar Street Times that AT&T will likely seek a permanent site soon because 831-648-0508 of demand, but that it won’t necessarily be at the same site as the temporary one. At the June 2, 2011 meeting, there was an He says that AT&T normally invests about item on the Pacific Grove Unified School $450,000 in establishing a site once a need is indicated. District Board agenda seeking a lease for The Federal Communications Commission regu- a cell site at the District property. Ten mem- lates and strength of such cell sites (Federal Communi- bers of the community spoke “in adamant cation Commission Office of Engineering Technology opposition” to the cell tower being placed Bulletin 65). A report on the expected exposure to RF 229 Grand Ave. anywhere on Pacific Grove Unified School (Radio Frequency) emissions from the mobile cell site Pacific Grove District property. On a motion from Bill at the Adult School points out that that the antennas 831-375-7474 Phillips and John Thibeau, and after a 5-0 which actually emit the electromagnetic waves are 57’ vote, the project proposal was quashed. feet in the air. There are six such antennas mounted on the cell-on-wheels apparatus. The range at which The Palma family, former owners of Wharfside Minutes do not show what the objections “training for employees” is suggested is 11 feet from Restaurant for 20 years, are the new owners of PG were, however. the antennas’ face, or roughly a space 60 feet in the air Liquors.