As I’m talking to Residents, Proprietors, Businesses and Artists, I learn more about what everyone is looking for.
The Residents want a City Government that is concerned about what concerns them. Residents are telling me that when they voice a grievance with a Council Member, they are often told to go to the next Council Meeting and voice their opinion. But wait, the Residents tell me, I voted for them. They are sitting there to represent me, so why do they keep asking me to go represent myself? So the Residents long for true representation.
The Proprietors want a City Government that is fully functioning and efficient. A healthy government that helps them prosper in a safe city. A government who understands that an unsafe city is not good for anyone.
The businesses want a City Government that is fully staffed and knows them and understands how a business operates and looks to enhance conditions that helps them in conducting their business. A government that is ran like they run their businesses. They do not want a government that spends money, willy-nilly on absurd projects, but doesn’t fix the street where their customers need to park their cars.
The Artists long for a City Government that understand The Artistic Community is a big part of Sand City’s history. A City Government that looks to cherish this community rather than turn its back on it every time it thinks of dedicating founds to artistic and cultural activities. The artists want a government that will attract the artists rather than repel them.
If you think people on the City Council should represent us at every single Council Meeting. If you think a Council Member should be concerned when he/she sees the condition of the street in front of our landmark cafe/bakery, this November is the time to take the first step toward putting people on the City Council who actually care about these little things.
Interesting – since 2003 I own and have lived in a loft space built on Ortiz. With the advent of building the 6 unit project another one of the unit owners – artist Greg Hawthorne – branded this area of Sand City – naming it the West End. Mr. Hawthorne also founded the West End Sand City Festival – then managed the event for several of its formative years. Perhaps you have attended events at Greg’s loft or commercial space on Ortiz since he’s opened and donated his space for any number of community events for 17 years. And yes – Mr. Hawthorne is a SC Supervisor.
The Sand City Kitty “logo” was also done “gratis” by Mr. Hawthorne. While I have attended Supervisor Meetings for almost two decades – I have never seen you in attendance. For the sake of full disclosure I am on the Arts Committee. There are innumerable SC committees such as Design Review – West End Sand City Festival – Arts Committee – any of these platforms are available allowing you to contribute to the fabric of the community. Perhaps you’d like to attend a meeting or get on a Committee.
If your stated platform is to represent the voiceless – people who have been ignored by the elected officials – my observation is you have been absent and have not made any meaningful or measurable contribution to SC. As a concerned SC citizen and 17 year property owner who is highly invested in building a vibrant SC Community – perhaps this mini-historical critique might help you appreciate and understand the broad shoulders of those who have made a broad range of measurable contributions – over decades – the sole purpose to improve the Community fabric for all those who call SC home.
It appears you now are assuming the mantle of Mr. Law and Order. Do we have run away crime – do you think we should hire more police – isn’t a ratio of 1 policemen to 35 citizens adequate? Funny – the State average is 1 policemen to 700 citizens. Hmmmm – Carmel is about 1 policeman to 400 citizens. Gee – we certainly have 100’s of public serving businesses like Carmel.
Police – SC is the most over policed City in the US. Period.
NO City of our size in the United States has ANY stand alone police department. The Treasury Department, FBI, California Law Enforcement Officers Association ALL concluded – SC should contract with a regional or County law enforcement agency. Our town does not even register as a “beat” given SC has virtually NO non-commercial public serving businesses and no schools, churches, restaurants, hotels, libraries, bars…
Yet we spend well over 45% of the City budget for policing services.
In closing, no one is “abandoning” public safety or the Police Department. The Police have a very strong and powerful Union.
Stated another way – SC exists to raise money to pay for the Police Force. Are we doing innumerable identified and desirable projects for the Community improving the lives and fabric of all SC – no. SC income streams go to the Police Force, cars, equipment, health plans, and retirement benefits.
Not one SC policeman lives in this town. SC simply represents a gravy train and paycheck. Do the Policemen care if we improve access to our waterfront, care if we implement a community arts center, improve leisure activities for all the citizens of SC…
In a word – no. Annual raises, built in overtime, and better health/retirement plans are their number one priority.
SC represents a gravy train – being the least demanding “beat” in the US. As a Community – there are many improvements the City would like implement for the entire community but those goals of improving the town for all will not happen.
The budget is consumed by the Police Department, their health/retirement plans, and constant non-ending requests for new cars, raises, and even EXPANDING the size of the department.
Are you aware Pebble Beach gets its Police Services from the County Sheriffs Department. They have no police department or associated overhead, retirement, benefit or health plans.
Gee – I think SC and PB have comparable tax basis from real estate taxes, golf courses, hotel/food/alcohol taxes…
SC is played by the Police Department and as the “law and order” candidate you may want to do your homework. SC has had annual petty theft – crimes of opportunity – of around 300 incidents for each of the last 15 years. We spend about $15,000 for each “petty theft”.
IF we want to reduce crime – install cameras and those 300 annual petty thefts will drop significantly.
Continued best of luck…
Dear Brian,
Thank you for using this forum to make your comments. I wish more citizens would be vocal like you, and make their opinions known.
You make it abundantly clear, that you like Mr. Hawthorn very much. That is wonderful. He is a great person and has cast a prominent shadow over Sand City’s Artistic Community for many years and I am certain that lots people share your sentiments.
As to the subject of the Sand City Police Department. No Sir, I am not looking to be the Law & Order person. I don’t really even know what that means. But I understand that our police officers deserve to be treated with utmost dignity and respect. I also understand that when they leave home to go to work, they are not certain if they are coming back to their families, wherever they may be living. I also know that I don’t know anything about how a police department is run. I don’t know why people who are in this line of work, such as police officers and firefighters, have schedules that are not regular in any sense. I don’t know if our police department needs to get smaller or bigger. I don’t know if cities decide how many police officers they must have based on a simple headcount of their residents. Sounds a bit simplistic in my humble opinion, but we can ask some experts and find out. Looking up the number of residents and police officers in different cities online now days is a simple task, but can one just reverse engineer that and say ok we need 1.5 officers? I don’t know. Yes, you are correct. We only have 350 or so residents, but that is our night population, how many people are in Sand City during the day? I don’t know. The neighborhood north of Tioga street has the potential of effectively becoming a Needle Park, and I am talking from experience, I work part-time at one of the retailers and I have cleaned the stairs to the back door, I know. How many officer hours does it take to keep that area safe? I don’t know.
I believe what this research needs is a comprehensive understanding of how an organization in charge of people’s safety and security works. And I promise you that if elected, I intend to find out about these things before I think about messing with it.
Much Love & Blessings
K
Dear Mr. Kayhan –
Your comments in the Monterey Weekly and here are misguided. Fred Meurer, as a consulting City Manager, prepared an annual budget and assessment of future budgetary requirements.
The public safety – Policing Services – percentage of the annual budget is significant. Mr. Meurer analyzed revenue streams and cost centers – both current and with future projections.
Your leap of faith equating an analysis of the cost for police services – HOW TO PAY FOR THEM – and actually policing/staffing requirements has NOTHING to do with “disrespecting” the police.
Your DOG WHISTLE running around town with little posters “Support Your Local Police” has needlessly and FALSLY created an us against them narrative. Police vs. citizens…
The Police have been and are respected and appreciated. So if the Captain wants a raise and doesn’t get one – then we are disrespecting the Police. If they want a squad of new cars and don’t get them – that equates to “disrespecting the police”.
Of course not – but that is EXACTLY what your position actually means.
Your deeds by posting little police signs at businesses across SC implying our very safety and existence is under attack and at risk is a 100% false narrative MADE UP by you.
The Town Council and Mr. Meurer were doing their jobs by doing perhaps the FIRST annual budget including assessment of current cost centers, revenue streams, and future requirements for ALL City services.
The ability to review any number of options for cost effective police services IS available to you right now.
The heavy lifting has been done by ALL the major public safety agencies such as the FBI, innumerable California police organizations, the U.S. Treasury Department – and their are innumerable California case studies reviewing stand alone and combined policing agencies.
Your sentiments have no basis in reality – equating budget requirements and reviewing police staffing needs does NOT equate to disrespecting the police or their contributions.
You single handedly created a false and negative atmosphere in SC – a SC Citizens vs. Police. Your deeds have not been positive for the Community.
Regards,
Brian Clark –
A concerned Sand City Citizen and property
owner since 2003.
Brian Clark + Sand City Police = TRIGGERED
Kayhan -4- Council!
Thank you for your support.
Dear Mr. Kayhan –
You may want to review a comprehensive report of SC streets, current conditions, and options/budgets for upkeep and maintenance SC completed in 2019.
You refer to the poor road conditions in front of Sweet Elena’s – that SC won’t support our local bakery with a decent road.
I commend you for wanting to get the road repaired but you’ll need to go visit Seaside Public Works. That road is in Seaside –
not Sand City.
FYI –
Brian Clark
Homeowner @ 430 Ortiz
Dear Brian
I have learned that there are two ways we, as human beings, express ourselves.
One, by your words.
You voice budgetary concerns about the SCPD and, to make a long story short, you say there is not enough money for them. That we should figure out a way of spending less money on the Police.
Second, by your actions.
As a member of the Sand City Art Committee you voted to pay $7250.55 to a commercial artist from Colorado to spray paint, what you called Mr. Hawthorne’s cats, on the Contra Costa Ave. walls.
To address both your comments, I must point out that Frank Christy, John Fisk and Elena are small business owners. I know what they go though and how hard they work, I was one. As a small business owner you work 60-80 hours per week. Those hard hours of work produce revenue for Sand City.
You voted to take that revenue and give it, not to benefit one of the businesses that generated that revenue, but to someone from a different time zone, for entertainment purposes. This action does not tell me that you are concerned about money and budget or the success of the local businesses.
To close, let me say I was in operation for 40 years, “the street is in Seaside” is nothing but an excuse not get the job done. All the excuses in the world mean nothing to John, Elena & Frank. They are working hard producing revenue for the City and expect their customers to be able to park their cars. Is the end of Tioga street where lots of tourists go to enjoy the view, in Sand City? Is the road between The City Hall and Costco, in Sand City? Yet you, personally, voted to spend thousands of dollars of our revenue -the $7K was just a downpayment- on a festival that includes only one of at least three dozen Sand City Artists and non of the businesses.
I apologize for pointing out that your words and actions do not match, so your grievance toward the SCPD must have its roots in other matters beyond my knowledge, which I cannot comment on.
Much love & blessings
K
Me thinks you blew a fuse – the street in front of those businesses is in Seaside – so go talk to their Public Works Department Mr. Concerned Citizen.
Your thoughts and logic make no sense.
I did read your Election Statement – that you saved the SC Police Department – now how exactly did you do that???
SC Police have a Union and contract. You played no roll what-so-ever in “saving the SC Police Department”’in any formal or informal way because they were never at risk to need “saving”.
It is an election violation to make false and misleading statements. You may want to correct your statement regarding the Police that you stated you saved which has no factual basis.
Regards,
Brian Clark
Looks like your the one who blew a fuse Brian. How many times do you have to post your condescending comments on here? Maybe you should go back inside your castle, check your privilege, and find another city for you and your artist homies to use as your piggy bank.
My name is here for all to see. “piggy bank” – funny – I have never received any public funds of any kind.
‘Artist homies” – hmmmm… Yes – I support the artist community and those running who have a proven track record improving the community for all SC citizens.
If pointing out we are not responsible for maiming Seaside roads is condescending – then I am guilty. Such controversy.
Given the candidates Election Statement says “he saved SC Police force”. His statement – not mine. Fantastic. I certainly give credit where credit is due – SC Police Caption is a stand up guy and I am sure he’d gladly attest how candidate Mr. Kayhan saved them – assuming his declaration is indeed factual.
To summarize – SC is not obligated to maintain the road in front of Sweet Elenas since that road is within Seaside jurisdiction. Candidate Election statements by law are to be factual. I am sure the SC Police Captain is appreciative and would gladly attest how it is they were saved by candidate Kayhan.
Continued best of luck –
Brian Clark
Dear Brian
That is not what my candidate statement says, and now that you are bluntly twisting the truth, I will no longer allow you to comment on this site.
Blessings
K