Dear Readers,

False positives are turning out to be a significant problem in Monterey County. Not only are they inflating our coronavirus case numbers, they forced one very sizable business to close based on nothing more than a false alarm. Kelly Nix reports.

Carmel’s new city attorney has made a major change in city policy and will now allow people to submit comments on permits and other city businesses anonymously. Candidates for mayor and city council have a wide range of reactions to the idea. Mary Schley has that story.

An elected official in Pacific Grove say racism is everywhere in the city and is proposing an “equity an empowerment initiative” to get rid of it. Wait until you hear what she said when we asked her what the evidence of this racism was. Kelly Nix has that one, too.

The California Arts Council is imposing “racial equity” requirements for anyone who applies for one of its taxpayer-funded grants, and some local artists don’t exactly like the idea. Monterey County remains stuck in the most-restrictive coronavirus economic shutdown tier. Just days after announcing a ban on live music, the county health department gave Sunset Center the go-ahead for an outdoor concert. Dave Potter and Karen Ferlito have attracted the most campaign contributions in the race for city council. Candidates participated in a CRA-hosted forum last week, in which they talked about beach fires, affordable housing and other issues that matter to the electorate. A builder is being fined $34,000 for damaging trees while building a house. All Saints school has been given the go-ahead to reopen next week. The Dolan Fire is now 98 percent contained. A featherweight boxer from Salinas will fight this weekend for the world championship. Voters in P.G. may get the chance to overturn the decision to let a pot shop open in town. Don’t be concerned if you start seeing a lot of cops with beards — it’s a fundraiser. Somebody’s been stealing “facemask or $100 fine” signs. The elections office says mail-in ballots are being returned at a great rate. We have letters to the editor that run almost 4,000 words, so pour yourself an extra cup of coffee before you start tackling those. Writer Jack London was a frequent visitor to Carmel in the early 1900s, and we have a rundown of how The Pine Cone covered him. Neal Hotelling has the history of the various piers and wharves that were built into Monterey Bay over the decades — including one that was featured in a movie starring Marilyn Monroe and Barbara Stanwyck. We have a special section, “In Your Dreams,” featuring some of the Monterey Peninsula’s truly amazing homes. And my editorial says if you thought state and county officials were making things up before when it came to fighting the coronavirus, just wait until you hear what they’ve come up with now.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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