To quote Ara, a great neighbor I recently met, “Common sense is not that common.” I was thinking of him and what he said, when I got a copy of the proposed budget for the Art Committee’s Mural Festival. North of $82,000. Don’t take my word for it, ask them yourself.
Despite the very noticeable absence of the majority of the Sand City artists, if we look at the whole project as something great, because it will bring lots of people and hopefully new people to Sand City, awesome says everyone. What are they going to see when they get here? I worked in the hospitality industry for many years, and common sense in hospitality asks for fixing everything and making it look good before the guests arrive.
Just like Sand City a little hidden and out of site, one of the most popular locations in our little town is where Tioga street dead ends into the Pacific Ocean. Folks come from everywhere to enjoy one of the best views Monterey Bay has to offer. But what do the visitors see once they get there? I am certain as a Sand City Resident I do not have to answer that question for you. It is embarrassing.
I don’t know how much it costs to fix the Vista Point at the end of Tioga or where we and our visitors park to buy a truly French croissant in Sand City. But I intend to find out and do my best to push it to the top of the administration’s agenda, if elected.
Seriously, $82,000 and one Sand City Artist? Ara is right, common sense is not that common.
Please Vote.
I am startled at some of the inaccuracies in these paragraphs. How in this world do you come to some of your conclusions?
The question was asked of our City Manager at a City Arts Council meeting, what would it cost to do a large mural festival in Sand City? The answer was something along the line of… it was dialogued about. It was projected that to really do a bang up job you would want to budget for such and such amount, etc.
There was a discussion on the subject. It was not a proposed amount for the budget and has never been presented to the city council as a line item on the final City budget. A draft budget is exactly that. Something that is talked over so it can be addressed with facts and decided upon in a democratic fashion. To pretend this was an approved amount is very disingenuous.
For where Tioga goes into the Pacific. There is a grant in the works for that.
For the street in front of Sweet Elian’s. Olympia belongs to Seaside.
It will most likely be picked up BY Sea Side when renovation to Catalina begins next year as Seaside will be putting in its new storm system along Catalina. This is being addressed. Sand City has received a grant for that work as well.
I think if you would attend even one council meeting you might get your facts strait.
It’s problematic that you are spreading inaccuracies because you refuse to attend the City Council or Art Council Meetings. If you are not going to make the effort to get accurate first hand information by hearing the discussion and information as presented with the facts, how in this world are you going to be a competent member of a functioning democratic body? You have not been present even once for a whole City Council meeting since I have been elected.
Please do your research before posting false information.
I quote an old Indigenous friend
“ a warrior can reach down and help someone else up”
In other words, you don’t have to tear others down in order for you to get up. Why not run on your own merits instead of attacking others on the City Council. Especially when you are not accurate?
My best advice is show up so you know what’s up
Regards
Libby
Dear Libby
I am very sorry you feel that way about me. I don’t feel that way about you. In fact I do not feel that way about anyone, that creates Karma. I actually voted for you. I signed your petition, put your sign in my window, took your election portrait and was very excited when you won. I hope you remember.
If you don’t remember who showed up at the many City Council & Budget meetings, where dissolving the SCPD was discussed, then you may ask someone. They will tell you I was there. I was the one who asked whom initiated that action and no one would answer. I also read all the minutes of the meetings where decision, that I talk about, were made. Everyone, short of Jerry who was ill, voted to approve a $7,000+ payment to a company from Colorado to organize a Mural Festival, $750 of which was to develop the final budget of $82,000. I received all this information from the city. If you are not comfortable with that budget then say so, I will be on your side. I am not comfortable with it either.
I understand you want to defend what you have done for the past couple of years but that does not mean that I am not looking at the right things or am ignorant of what is going on. I listen. I read. I confer with others and I contemplate. The City Manager gave me the great honor of personally coming to my place twice. I presented him with all my plans for validating the Sand City’s Artistic Community. In fact I even applied for a permit to put up a mural of Suzanne St.John’s artwork on my building -the artwork that you liked so much that you hugged me when I showed it to you at my place- that got lost for a whole year, even though the check was cashed. At the same time that my application was lost, Sand City Art Committee was ordering a mural festival from a very talented person from somewhere else. Please do not say I have not been trying. The last time I talked to Mayor Pendergrass at Elena’s Cafe, that is what I talked to him about. I have nothing but tried.
I do not want to put up the invoices and payments that I have obtained from public records, but I am certain that if you want to examine them you know where to find them. To finish, please allow me to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address these matters.
Blessings,
K
“If you see something that is not right, you must say something, you must do something.”
– Congressman John Robert Lewis.
There is no final budget of 82k that is not accurate. I’ll see you at the next City Council meeting. It would be great if you would stay for the entire thing.
Regards
Libby
Dear Libby
I am glad that you read my response and understand what I am talking about. Now allow me to humbly ask you a few questions.
Did a crowd of citizens show up to voice their misgivings about the way the council was going about approving the Tioga project?
Did a lot of folks show up to protest the council’s miss treatment of the SCPD?
Was the City Council aware of the existence of, at least two dozen Sand City Artists, while it was voting to have a Mural Festival without their participation?
Did anyone ask if there was someone here in Sand City who could do something like that, before voting to write him a check for $7250.50?
Just off the top my head, people like, Manny Espinoza, Logan Norton, Holly & Ashlee Temple, Domini Ann, Frank Christy, Hanif, Krimp….. ??
When I showed you my project for my building, you told me to go apply for a permit. Do you know why my application for putting Suzann St.John’s painting on my building got lost for over a year? Even though I was not asking the city for money? Do you know why a year later, that application has not yet been approved? Do you know why painting the cats on the wall by an out of town commercial artist was immediately approved and even paid for while my application was hiding under the table?
Do you know why Sand City property owners were told not to let Krimp paint their wall because the city wanted it for its Colorado festival? Do you know why Krimp was told she doesn’t qualify to participate by the organizer of the Colorado festival?
Do you know one of the members of Sand City Art Committee is actively advocating for the removal of Eleen Auvil’s work? I repeat, a member of the ART committee, wants to paint over Eleen’s artwork. Should I start hiding my art books? Are we burning them next? How does someone like that even enters a room where the subject of art is going to be discussed?
Libby, in 2018 we asked you to run so things like this wouldn’t happen. Remember you are the only Elected Member of that Council. Everyone else was at some point appointed. You entered that chamber by the will of the Sand City Citizens. So please, I here by invite you to stand up and say this is not right.
Yes, I will come to the next City Council meeting, but not because the presence of citizens makes any difference, as it has been demonstrated in the past, but I will come to celebrate you standing with conviction, just like you did in the town hall meeting before your election, and say I am standing with the Sand City Citizens and its Artistic Community. It is time to tell it like it is.
Blessings,
K
I have not seen Kayhan tear down anyone in not one of his posts. In fact I have only seen the opposite. I see someone who is engaged with the citizens and business owners of Sand City and wants to be their voice. I see someone who is supporting the artists in Sand City not from elsewhere. I see someone who genuinely wants to make his community a better place.
The only “tearing down” I have seen has been toward Kayhan by an elected Council member and by an ally of an appointed Council member. It’s unfortunate that attending every council meeting has become the arbitrary standard to be informed citizen. One would think the posted meeting minutes which are supposed to be an accurate representation of the city council meetings would suffice. Then again the Arts committee rarely posts meeting minutes and the other committees don’t even bother.
Attending council meetings if you want to be on the city Council so you can understand the process is a logical thing to do. Otherwise you post inaccurate information. Such as this.
Jerry Blackwelder is an elected council member as am I. The Mayor has also been elected. That’s three of the four on city council.
The other two Kim Cruz and Hawthorn were appointments. They are both running for office this year.
There was great input from the residents regarding South of Tioga. Most of it was happening while I was attending a years worth of City Council meetings in preparation for my run for City Council. It certainly was hashed over and voted on by previous councils.
As far as the Sand City Police Department. Kayhan you admitted you had gotten the wrong end of the stick in your interview with the Weekly. There has never been a threat to our police department. One person on city council has a differing opinion. That’s fine. He gets voted out when it’s illogical. That’s how democracy works.
Don’t know what your referring to There is no money being sent to Colorado or any other art group other than the arts in Sand City.
I personally walked the New City Manager around and introduced him to as many artists in Sand City as I could reach. I know that he personally asked both artists and business owners to participate because I heard him do so.
Don’t know why your project of painting a building without going through the same process as everyone else has to go through in town to get approval for a sign or mural got done without the opportunity for others to comment or review it. that is the way all signs and additions are processed in Sand City. Don’t know why some people don’t like it and want it panted over. If it had gone through the public vetting process as all the Other Mural Applicants have. You might not have had that problem.
Don’t know why more artists in Sand City chose not to apply to paint murals in this project. There will be more opportunities in the future for those who missed this I hop. Wouldn’t mind doing one myself.
This art project was publicized in media and posted in town and on the web page. That’s a record of fact. I read it myself. A lot of other artists saw it and did respond and there is great excitement about what is being done. We could not have a West End this year so we are having to adjust to we can support and show case the arts. We are not spending any more on this endeavor than we have on the past with the West End. We are spending less. We have been hit with about a 20% revenue reduction because of the Virus and can’t party like we used to. This is a way to show case the arts this year and you were asked personally to be involved but you have declined.
I do know that when you came to this city I was one of the people who reached out and supported you as an artist. Whether you belonged and were recognized as a “Sand City Artist” or not. Just as I have done since I came here myself. As far as I know we have never discriminated before against artists or musicians who wanted to participate and contribute from other Cities. If we had there would not have been a West End in the past. We have always supported the arts in our region. You are the first I’ve heard of to discriminate against artists who want to be involved. I’m not clear on why you are doing this.
Being on the City Council is a multi layered job. It has to do with the many layers it takes to run a city. Not just getting your nose out of joint because you didn’t get your way as an artist. It takes a Democratic process. It takes the honest ability to. Process a lot of information as accurately as possible. It takes someone who will do that with due diligence and honesty. It takes an average of about 40 hours a week to do a good job. So you certainly should be willing to go to the meetings and belong to the the committees required to do the job.
I hope In the future you will Volunteer the hours required to do the job effectively. I’m sure you will be eager to work harder to get your facts strait before you post.
Also In regards to Catalina Cruz, what kind of person won’t use their real name when making comments about others? Anybody who lives here knows who you are anyway.
Wishing you the best
Regards
Libby
Libby. I’m the type of person who doesn’t use her real name out of fear for retaliation from unscrupulous politicians and thier allies.