Deadline City Hall
Deadline City Hall
City Council Actions
(This section of the new Beacon will report the votes taken at the City Council meeting the Wednesday before Monday publication day. The full Council packet regarding each issue is online on the City’s web site. Consent, routine or no action items, will generally not be reported.)
At the Wednesday, July 16, 2025 meeting of the Pacific Grove City Council, our elected representatives took the following actions:
Mayor Smith kicked off proceedings by issuing a congratulatory proclamation to the intrepid folks who celebrated our community spirit by walking every street in Pacific Grove.
Photo taken by Assistant City Manager Joyce Hariba
Agenda item 7-A Cannabis Sales
Cannabis sales for medicinal and recreational use will be legal in P.G. in thirty days. The sale of cannabis was approved by voters in November’s general election. The City Council on Wednesday gave a final reading of the language in the Municipal Code permitting this use. The sales tax revenue to the city from cannabis sales is expected to be $50,000 annually.
Agenda item 7-B Fire Hazard Map
The Council received an updated state-generated fire hazard report and map of areas showing the degree of fire risk in the City of
Pacific Grove by areas. (Note: This item is included here because this map can have a significant impact on homeowner insurance fire hazard premiums.)
Agenda Item #8A Check Register
Staff reporting by way of a check register of the money expended by the City. See the agenda packet online at the City website for details.
Agenda item #9b DEI Task Force
This item concerned the ongoing work of the City’s D.E.I. Task Force in coming up with some sort of public acknowledgment of the contribution of Native Americans to Pacific Grove’s history and culture.
After being the subject of some citizen controversy at the podium during public comment, the Council voted to table the issue of the work of the Task Force and give the matter a full discussion when their work is completed and the issue is back before the City Council. The Council’s consensus was that acknowledging on a regular basis at Council meetings, the role of Native Americans who used to make their home in Pacific Grove was a positive thing.
Agenda item # 11-C City Manager’s Raise
After City Council members expressed universal laudatory comments about the City Manager’s performance in his first year of service, the Council voted unanimously to give him a raise of $14,789789. and an increase in deferred compensation benefits of $3,900. a year.
Agenda # The Council voted unanimously to honor the over a decade-old invoice (9-23-21) of the City of Monterey of $113101.66, which apparently slipped through the cracks. City staff reported that the bill had not been paid, was owed, and that interest and penalties were waived. The bill was related to the joint public works project on Prospect Ave, a street spanning portions of Monterey and Pacific Grove.
14A Council received for consideration the annual report of P.G.P.D.
Other City Issues:
(Editor’s note, some of these issues will remain and will sometimes updated on this section at a lower position than the issues raised in the current issue.)
What’s this about the establishment of voting districts in Pacific Grove?
After a good deal of research and study, including holding numerous public meetings, the City Council on March 19, 2025, transitioned Pacific Grove into a district voting city for the election of council members. This means candidates can only run in the district where they live, and voters can only vote for candidates up for election in their district. The mayor will still be a city-wide race. The election sequence under this new system is: In 2026: Districts 1,3,5 will be on the ballot, In 2028, Districts 2,4.6 will be on the ballot. The terms of councilmembers are staggered, which is why there may be no councilmember vacancy in your district in a particular election. And even though councilmembers have four-year terms, if they don’t live in a district that has a vacancy, they need to move to run for reelection that year.
Pacific Grove District Voting Map
What is the status of the proposed roundabout at the intersection of Congress, Sunset and Cedar?
In 2023, T.A.M.C. (Transportation Agency of Monterey County) recommended this project and granted five million dollars to get it done here in Pacific Grove. One million dollars of that grant has been given to the City to fund the planning and investigation phase of the roundabout project. This includes such things as environmental impact, traffic, and geotechnical studies, as well as preparing cost estimates. Public Works Director Daniel Gho told the City Council in a progress report on the project in March 2025 that the first phase would take 16 months.
Will Carl’s Jr. on Lighthouse and Eardley be rebuilt? Yes. The teardown has been completed and the rebuilding process will soon follow.
When will the Klimpton Hotel on Central be opening? Best estimate: February or March 2026
Architect’s rendering of the completed Klimpton Hotel
