View of Guadalupe Street from Mt. View Avenue towards 7th Avenue
Time: Saturday, September 8, 7:00 P.M., Forest Theater Production of "Peter Pan"
View of Guadalupe Street from Mt. View Avenue towards 7th Avenue
One of Seven "NO PARKING ANY TIME" Metal Signs Posted on the West Side of Guadalupe Street between 7th Avenue & Mt. View Avenue
UPDATE: The "NO PARKING" wooden post was observed gone from the west side of Guadalupe Street by Saturday, 8 September 2007.
UPDATE: As of today, Thursday, 6 September 2007, the 7 "NO PARKING ANY TIME" metal signs on the grape stake fence of Forest Theater on the west side of Guadalupe Street have been removed; there remains one "NO PARKING" wooden post on the west side of Guadalupe near 7th Avenue.
ABSTRACT: The City’s Ad Hoc Traffic Committee decided to post seven “NO PARKING ANY TIME” metal signs on the grape stake fence of the Forest Theater along the west side of Guadalupe Street between 7th Avenue and Mt. View Avenue based on information provided by City Hall, namely Resolution No. 2001-44. Subsequently, a resident discovered a superseding resolution, Resolution No. 2001-106 and brought this resolution to the attention of the Police Department and City Hall. Resolution No. 2001-106 amended Resolution No. 2001-44 to relocate the “NO PARKING ZONES” on Guadalupe Street from the “West Side to the East Side.” Finally, Sandy Farrell, Executive Assistant, found Resolution No. 2001-106, stated that the posting of the "NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs was a “grave error” and would forward Resolution No. 2001-106 to the Police Department and Public Works for the removal of the “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs. The “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs have yet to be removed.
On Thursday, August 30, 2007, seven “NO PARKING ANY TIME” metal signs were posted on the grape stake fence of the Forest Theater along the west side of Guadalupe Street between 7th Avenue & Mt. View Avenue (1 block)
Later, a resident living on the east side of Guadalupe Street called the police department about the signs. The resident said the police officer “sympathized” with the resident, but another resident had complained about vehicles parked on the west side of Guadalupe Street. Upon researching the issue, the police authorized the posting of the “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs citing Resolution No. 2001-44. Furthermore, the police had no choice but to post the signs when Resolution No. 2001-44 was brought to their attention, the police officer told the resident.
Resolution No. 2002-44 was unanimously passed by the City Council at their 3 April 2001 meeting, as follows:
City Council Minutes
Regular Meeting
3 April 2001
IX. Resolutions
A. Consideration of Resolution No. 2001-44 establishing no parking zones on Guadalupe Street, Santa Rita Street, Mt. View and Eighth Avenue, in the vicinity of the Forest Theater.
Entered into the record were memoranda from Public Works Director Cullem dated 20 March and Resolution No. 2001-44.
Public Works Director Cullem gave the staff report and addressed questions of Council.
Mayor McCloud opened the public hearing.
Linda Anderson, Stephan Moorer, Carolyn Hardy and Antonia Verleye addressed the Council.
There being no further public comment, the hearing was closed.
The Council discussed Provision 5 of the Resolution, which includes the unpaved areas within the Forest Theater fence in the designated no parking zone. City Attorney Freeman advised the Council that this area should not be included in the Resolution as it was not specifically identified in the notice that was provided to the general public. He advised the Council that the signage in that area may meet the criteria for administrative approval. If that is not the case, this area will be brought back for Council review. A MOTION WAS MADE BY LIVINGSTON, AND SECONDED BY HAZDOVAC TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 2001-44, EXCLUDING THE PROVISION FOR THE UNPAVED AREAS WITHIN THE FOREST THEATER FENCE. THE MOTION CARRIED ON THE FOLLOWING ROLL CALL VOTE:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Ely, Hazdovac, Livingston, Rose, McCloud
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: None
Over the Labor Day weekend, another resident discovered a superseding resolution which amended Resolution No. 2001-44. Resolution No. 2001-106, amending Resolution No. 2001-44, was unanimously passed as a Consent Calendar agenda item at the City Council’s 7 August 2001 meeting, as follows:
City Council Minutes
Regular Meeting
11 September 2001
The Regular Meeting
Tuesday, 7 August 2001
VII. Consent Calendar
D. CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NO. 2001-106 AMENDING RESOLUTIONS NO. 2001-44 TO RELOCATE THE NO PARKING ZONES ON GUADALUPE STREET, SOUTH OF 7TH AVENUE FROM THE WEST SIDE TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE STREET.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY ROSE, AND SECONDED BY ELY TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA, MINUS ITEMS E AND ITEM L. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Upon calling the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department, a resident spoke with the Watch Commander and related a Police Officer had informed concerned citizens who called about the posting of the seven “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs on Guadalupe St. about Resolution No. 2001-44, but failed to mention Resolution No. 2002-106. When Sgt Muki was asked the source of the Police Department’s information on this matter, he pleaded “ignorance,” as he was not part of the committee who made the decision. Furthermore, he assured the resident that the decision was not "arbitrary," but the Chief of Police would have to be informed about the new information.
A resident’s call to Police Chief/Public Safety Director George Rawson was returned by Sgt. Muki. (Previously, as Public Safety Director, George Rawson refused to directly address a citizen’s question regarding the reason the Fire Department failed to conduct standardized water flow tests for over ten years.) Sgt. Muki recited Resolution No. 2001-44, but failed to remember Resolution No. 2001-106.
Some time later, another resident called Sandy Farrell, Executive Assistant at City Hall; the resident specifically asked Ms. Farrell to look up Resolution No. 2001-106. During a three minute interval, Sandy Farrell located Resolution No. 2001-106 in the archives downstairs, read the Resolution and stated there had been a “grave error” and she would act as the “messenger” and forward Resolution No. 2001-106 to the Police Department and Public Works for the removal of the “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs on the west side of Guadalupe Street.
In this particular instance, it appears that the Ad Hoc Traffic Committee, including Police Chief/Public Safety Director George Rawson, decided to post seven “NO PARKING ANY TIME” metal signs along the west side of Guadalupe Street based on incomplete information provided by City Hall. Not only was a decision made without Resolution No. 2001-106, but there appears to have been little or no thought to the possibility of displacing parking from one area which had not had a record of public safety complaints to another area where public safety could be impacted to a greater extent.
This instance begs the following questions:
• Will the City Administration and Police Department rectify this situation with the prompt removal of the “NO PARKING ANY TIME” signs along the west side of Guadalupe Street?
• What other decisions and actions have been taken by the City’s Administration and Police Department based on incomplete, misleading or erroneous information?
• And how many of these dubious decisions and actions have not been brought to the attention of the City and rectified?
5 comments:
This account is troubling on a multiplicity of levels.
1. The Carmel police come across as Inspector Clouseau police.
2. Asethetics-the posting of 7 metal signs is overkill for one residential block. The choice of metal signs when our street name signs are wooden posts is tacky.
3. With limited parking for Forest Theater events, people have always parked here without incident. All this attention to this now is very suspect because it doesn't involve public safety.
4. The city administration giving incomplete info to a decision-making committee and police is really troubling. As you point out, how many times has this happened?
Bumbling, clumsy, stupid, incompetent and chaos inducing Inspector Clouseau of the Pine Panther series is accurate only to a point-Clouseau-Sellers would end up solving his cases, albeit inadvertently. Here residents had to save the city from itself.
Ah, but you are wrong. It is a public safety issue. And, there have been incidents. Please post another photo of the congestion of parked cars before/during a well-attended performance at the Forest Theater, then judge the effect. Parking should be limited to only one side of Guadalupe St. between Mountain View and 7th. Parking should not be allowed on both sides of Guadalupe because two-way traffic and emergency vehicles are unable to negotiate the street with cars parked on both sides. Ask the firemen who drive the engines.
Agreed -- the metal signs seemed out of place on the old historic fence. The fact that there were seven probably had to do with the fact that they have to be placed a certain number of feet apart. And I believe, to be enforceable, don't the signs have to be of a certain type?
Granted, theater neighbors living on the steep hill have very little space to park and do need a spot or two on the westside near the narrow top of the hill. 2001-44 was amended to 106 when some of the neighbors complained about their parking being taken away on the west side. The mistake the mayor made when appeasing them was that she didn't do anything to relieve the problems down the hill where the street is still too narrow for so many cars abreast.
Before you decide that there have been no incidents, maybe you should call the police department to see how many times they are called regarding problems around the theater. Any type of problem is an incident.
TO: anonymous
FROM: villageinforest
Thank you for your comments.
Resolution No. 2001-106 states, as follows:
Approve the elimination of the no parking zones on Guadalupe Street south of 7th Avenue except at four locations where parking on the east side would result in a travel way of less than 10 feet.
Ergo, parking is limited to the west side of Guadalupe Street between 7th Av. & Mt. View Av. and NO PARKING on the east side from 7th Av. to about mid-Guadalupe Street.
Note: The NO PARKING “signs” are 5’ wooden posts.
Several Carmelites spoke with Police Officers regarding this matter within the last week and there was NEVER a mention by any of the Police Officers that this was a “public safety issue.” On the contrary, one expressed sympathy, and another just stated the City was enforcing City Resolution No. 2001-44; as the Post describes the Police were not aware of the superseding, amended Resolution No. 2001-106.
Living nearby, empirical observation leads to the conclusion that theater attendees parking on the west side of Guadalupe do not significantly impact vehicular traffic on Guadalupe Street, including Fire Engines if required. Additionally, with the city’s penchant for studies, it is interesting that the city did not do a study to investigate whether NO PARKING ANY TIME on the west side of Guadalupe Street would not impact public safety to a greater degree at the locations of the displaced parked vehicles.
Because of street layout, SUV sizes, second homeowners vacationing, guest parking of residents, etc., any street in Carmel could qualify as a potentially hazardous street. On the weekends, for example, overflow parking from Scenic clog San Antonio making that street a narrow, one-way, almost impassable street. I know, I live in the golden rectangle.
In 6 years, 2001-now, there could not have been many complaints/incidents or the city would have acted sooner. Total government control over our lives is the issue, not public safety.
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