City of Pacific Grove Government News Digest

The Pacific Grove City Council will hold a concept review of draft regulations for bringing cannabis retail to town.

With three, 50-foot-plus cypress trees in their front yard—and worries one or more will fall onto their home—Christie Monson and Tim Calvert have been wrestling with Pacific Grove to have the towering conifers removed.

On Nov. 9-10, the city is holding a series of workshops to receive feedback on how best to revamp the intersection of Sunset Drive, Congress Avenue and Cedar Street.

Measure O asks Pacific Grove voters to decide whether they want the City Council to shrink by two seats over the next four years.

After street repairs disturbed nursing harbor seals, the Pacific Grove City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that imposes road work restrictions during the seals’ pupping season.

In a couple of weeks, a state appeals court will hear oral arguments in a case brought by a conservative Arizona think tank against the city of Pacific Grove for what plaintiffs argue is an illegal way in which the city controls short-term rentals.

NOAA’s former Southwest Fisheries Science Center is still under consideration for Pacific Grove’s Historic Resources Inventory, despite the building’s new owners claiming it does not warrant the distinction. The Historic Resources Committee voted to recommend that a qualified consultant determine whether it is eligible.

Operated through a partnership between the city of Pacific Grove and environmental nonprofit Sustainable Pacific Grove, a venture to pick up trash in Pacific Grove is gaining momentum. The effort is typically held on the second Saturday of each month.

The Pacific Grove City Council has directed City Attorney Brian Pierik for a draft ordinance that would impose roadwork restrictions during harbor seal pupping season.

After opting to extend its pandemic-inspired parklet program earlier this year, the city of Pacific Grove will consider keeping the outdoor dining fixtures permanently.

Hopes for bringing Project Homekey to Pacific Grove ended when the Pacific Grove City Council voted 5-1, with one council member absent, against pursuing a new application.

In 2018, Bill Peake snagged Pacific Grove’s mayoral seat for the first time, winning with 39.8% of the votes. He ran unopposed in 2020. Saying he has unfinished business, Peake announced July 28 he is running for a third term.

After the announcement that Pacific Grove City Attorney David Laredo was leaving at the end of June, the Pacific Grove City Council took action, voting to retain Brian Pierik of Camarillo-based Burke, Williams & Sorensen LLP as the city’s new attorney.

Pacific Grove City Attorney David Laredo, who has served as the city’s legal counsel for more than 17 years, will leave his office on July 1.

The half-cent increase will bring Pacific Grove’s 8.75% sales tax up to par with most other cities along the Monterey Peninsula. The City Council is also discussing a ballot measure for a proposed tax on retail property owners in possession of storefronts vacant for more than 182 days total per calendar year.

Alyson Hunter, Pacific Grove’s community development director, will be leaving April 22 to work for the city of Marina. In a resignation letter, she thanked coworkers but also complained about disparagement of city staff and the general tenor of the city.

The American Tin Cannery hotel project, near the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has been halted by the California Coastal Commission after two of commissioners appealed Pacific Grove’s approval.

Too large and too big an impact on the local environment. That was the message from the Pacific Grove Architectural Review Board in December to the developers of a project on the American Tin Cannery site. Saying they’ve scaled back, developers will go before the Planning Commission on Oct. 28.

At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Pacific Grove Planning Commission will consider certifying the ATC Hotel and Commercial Project Environmental Impact Report and approve four permits sought—as recommended by staff.

The Pacific Grove City Council voted 7-0 to rescind an earlier vote to remove a 100-year-old American elm tree from Jewell Park after a huge protest that included a woman who scaled the tree to stop a crew the day it was scheduled to be felled.

Nearly five years after Pacific Grove officials broke ground for a wastewater reclamation plant on Point Pinos, hoping to raise revenue from the sale of recycled water and water credits, the city is finding out the returns aren’t what they hoped.

There’s been some friction between Pacific Grove and city manager Ben Harvey, which could explain the two months of closed-session negotiations between the council and Harvey over a new contract, finally approved by a 6-1 vote.

Nearly seven months after reversing a previous council’s vote to allow one cannabis dispensary in town, the Pacific Grove City Council is creating a Cannabis Outreach Subcommittee that will work with City Manager Ben Harvey.

The city is asking a judge to declare the measure as legally approved so it can collect revenue from its 0.5 percent sales tax increase, approved by nearly 60 percent of voters.

After its former executive director resigned amid internal strife in September, the museum gets a fresh start with the hiring of new executive director Carla Bitter.

The last piece of county land within the city’s sphere of influence is suitable for multi-unit housing.

Pacific Grove High School junior Marianna Zoellin found more than viral videos on Tiktok.