Dear Readers,

With the Soberanes Fire confined to distant parts of the county, air quality over the Monterey Peninsula is back to its usual pristine state, which means the ban on beach fires has been lifted. And, with that, this week the mayor himself hosted one of the first fires on Carmel Beach. Mary Schley reports.

Former councilmember Victoria Beach and the city have settled her lawsuit over a $1,375 airplane ticket she bought while she was in office but never used. Mary Schley has that one, too.

A tax supporting the regional park district will be up for renewal on the November ballot, but will voters want to keep paying it? Chris Counts has that one.

Congressional candidate Casey Lucius has released her 2015 tax return and is challenging Jimmy Panetta to do the same thing (which he says he will). Kelly Nix has the details.

A Big Sur resident made quite a splash in the Nevada desert this week with his "love ship." A scammer used email to try to trick a local city into paying him $30,000. Speaking of scammers, if someone sent you a bill for a fire inspection that never happened, would you pay it? One of the biggest real estate sales in Monterey County history involves a dorm at CSUMB. And my editorial mourns the fact that so many experienced government employees are being cut down in their primes.

As always, I am available to respond to questions, comments or concerns, and to offer advice about how best to read our newspaper on your computer, smartphone or iPad.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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