12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com It’s been the proverbial “third rail” of Pacific Grove politics, whether to give the mayor and six councilmembers a raise. Each time it’s come up for a vote at council, it’s been rejected, following complaints by constituents that the jobs should be essentially volunteer and threats of defeat at the ballot box. That changed May 7, when the P.G. City Council, led by Mayor Nick Smith, voted 5-2 in favor of an increase based on Senate Bill 329, passed in 2023, which amended state law on compensating councilmembers. The changes allow for a five-percent increase per year since the last increase, in P.G.’s case, 1998. It means councilmembers would see an increase from $420 to $966 per month. In the mayor’s case the increase is $700 to $1,610. In either case, it’s a 130-percent increase. The law allows for an even greater increase in compensation based on inflation, not exceeding 10 percent per year. Other cities took that route—the Marina City Council approved raises from $200 to $2,000 for councilmembers and from $250 to $2,500 for mayor, a 900-percent increase. P.G. councilmembers who voted in favor of the raises—in part to encourage future participation of residents from diverse economic backgrounds— took a conservative approach, understanding there would be pushback. That pushback came two weeks later in the form of a referendum filed by former councilmember Luke Coletti, representing a group called Transparent Pacific Grove. Citing projected budget challenges in the coming years, Coletti called for the decision to go to the voters in an election or be rescinded by the council. In order to win, Transparent P.G. needs 10 percent of the city’s registered voters to sign a petition, or 1,060 certified signatures. Volunteers have been collecting signatures since early June and have until July 7. Opponents of the referendum have suggested that some volunteers were incorrectly telling people that the increase in compensation included health care and future raises. Former mayor Bill Peake brought up the question during a council meeting on June 18. Coletti clapped back, accusing Peake and others of spreading disinformation. “We’ve already gotten the signatures so it’s a moot point at this point,” Coletti said. He promised the group would deliver the signatures a week early on July 1. When asked how many signatures had been collected, Coletti did not give a specific number, only saying there were “lots.” In December 2020, the California Transportation Commission approved $20 million for a project that had been in work for over a decade: A complete overhaul of the intersection of Castroville Boulevard and Highway 156, where the existing traffic light would be removed and replaced with an interchange, with on- and offramps for vehicles to merge onto the highway at speed. But a few years went by and PG&E, despite pressing by Caltrans—which is co-sponsoring the project with the Transportation Agency for Monterey County—failed to assess the cost to relocate a high-pressure gas line, and TAMC was never able to put the project out to bid before losing the CTC grant, which had subsequently been increased to $28 million due to rising costs: The project was estimated to cost $29.5 million in 2019 and increased to $47.5 million by 2023, and has now increased to $126 million, largely because when PG&E finally completed its assessment it realized the gas line installation would be far more costly than Caltrans and TAMC estimates. Despite the ballooning price tag, the project remains very much alive, and when the CTC meets June 26-27 in Sacramento, the project will be included on a slate of projects that CTC staff is recommending for funding. CTC staff now recommends granting $80.3 million to the project (the remaining shortfall will come from other state and federal funds, as well as $15 million of local funding). “That’s the problem with not having the money to build a project—escalation is about 3 percent every year,” says TAMC Executive Director Todd Muck. “When you’re talking about a big project, it’s a lot of money.” CTC staff’s short note about the project says it will remove a “key bottleneck” along the highway, noting that a bridge over the highway will eliminate conflict points and improve truck speeds and throughput. TAMC estimates the project will prevent 4.6 “serious” collisions per year. Take Back A referendum to reverse a P.G. Council pay raise gathers steam—and acrimony. By Pam Marino NEWS BUILDING COMMUNITY As part of the City of Salinas’ Building Strong Neighborhoods series, the public is invited to have coffee with the Salinas Police Department and learn how to start a Neighborhood Watch initiative in their community. 6-7pm Thursday, June 26. Starbucks, 1598 N. Sanborn Road, Salinas. Free. 758-7166, tinyurl.com/2025BSN. EDUCATION IN FOCUS North Monterey County Unified School District Board of Trustees meets and accepts public comment. 6pm Thursday, June 26. North Monterey County High School, Media Center, 13990 Castroville Blvd., Castroville. Free. 633-3343, nmcusd.org. STAND WITH SUDAN Members of the local Sudanese American community, along with the Monterey Peace and Justice Center, host “Sudan: Stand Together for Peace and Humanitarian Relief.” The event features guest speakers on the war in Sudan, music, refreshments and more. 6-8pm Saturday, June 28. Marina Public Library, Community Room, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina. Free. RSVP at stand-with-sudan.eventbrite.com. 899-7322, montereypeaceandjustice@ gmail.com. PUBLIC PROCESS Monterey City Council meets and accepts public comment. Tell your elected officials what they are doing well and what you think they can do better. 4pm Tuesday, July 1. Colton Hall, 580 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.gov. DISCUSSION ON THE DAIS Marina City Council holds its regular meeting to discuss city business. Public comment is accepted. 6:30pm Tuesday, July 1. Council Chambers, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. 884-1278, cityofmarina.org. FUTURE LEADERS High school students in Salinas are invited to apply for the Youth Council. Members of the council are tasked with promoting civic engagement among the young people of the city. Deadline to apply is 11:59pm Sunday, July 6. 758-7407, cityofsalinas.org/ News/SalinasYouthCouncil. COMMUNITY SPACE The City of Salinas is considering building a community center at Northgate Park. The public is invited to share input. Survey available at bit.ly/D5RecCenter. Free. 758-7328. Change Up A key traffic project on Highway 156 has new life, and a lot more money. By David Schmalz Former P.G. mayor Carmelita Garcia outside the town’s post office, collecting signatures for a referendum to overturn a recent City Council vote to raise council salaries. E-MAIL: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “We’ve already gotten the signatures.” DANIEL DREIFUSS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==