CRA News May 2003

Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association

CRA Summer Activities

COUNCIL WATCH

Do budgets glaze your eyes?

Does the word "budget" cause a knot in your stomach? Or conjure up visions of endless indecipherable numbers?

Each year the City Council goes through the process of deciding exactly what the next year's budget will contain, as well as goals for the next three years. The first council workshop, held on April 17, was, as always, very poorly attended.

The big picture of this seemingly tedious process is the effect it has on Carmel, its residents and visitors. This is the time when the City Council decides upon its priorities for the future of the city. And, in theory, residents have a chance to make a difference by telling the council what their priorities are. Do we want more trees? Should the library cut back its hours? Should city property be sold? Should staff members be replaced by consultants? Which of the many deferred maintenance projects are most urgent? How will the city find new sources of revenue? Will the city continue to give $100,000 to the Carmel Business Association for advertising even if the Business Improvement District (BID) passes?

At the workshop, City Administrator Rich Guillen gave council the bad news that the city will probably face a $200,000 shortfall in sales tax this year. The good news is that the hotel tax should remain steady or rise. Many people from the Bay Area are traveling to Carmel rather than go overseas. However, Guillen cautioned, "People may be staying in our inns, but they are not shopping in our stores."

CRA board member Monte Miller said he would like the council to be more proactive in searching for new revenue sources, saying that paid parking is dead, the BID won't generate money for the city and the voters might not support the stormwater utility tax. And, with the discovery that the BID hearing was not legally noticed, no one is sure if the project is alive or dead.

Agreeing with Barbara Livingston, Dick Ely said, "It would be prudent to plan for a ballot measure in April and to look at alternate revenue sources. Until I get information that shows net revenue, I will not endorse paid parking." Guillen said he will bring paid parking back after the BID and stormwater tax are settled. He also cited a 1993 report by then City Administrator Jere Kersnar suggesting that the city eliminate management positions. Guillen has often stated his preference for replacing employees with "outsourced" consultants.

At Mr. Guillen's suggestion, the council went through a long Project Status Report, listing all city projects, some in progress, some completed and many on hold, to come up with ten priorities-pretty much all the city can afford for next year. This list should be available at the May 20 meeting, when council will receive the preliminary budget developed with additional input from staff and the Planning Commission. See Calendar for dates of other budget meetings.

President's Message
Carmel not like it used to be, it's all been sold

by Larry Rodocker

This is a story of Carmel, village so rare;
full of beauty, place for which residents care.
Why is this narrative being told?
Listen and relate to the details as they unfold.
Visitors worldwide drawn to this village to see
art, history and character--set among many a tree.
History and character formed by poets, painters, writers caused the lore.
Also contributing, houses, buildings nestled on the shore.
City treasury full, no problems in this place.
Suddenly, economic downturn, worry appears on city face.
Expenditures received, revenues compared.
Business off every place, fear is shared.
City slow to react though cash flow has slowed.
"We have solutions," everyone is told.
New revenues--paid parking, BID, stormwater assessment fee--
But residents, businesses review, don't agree.
Now time to look at other revenue stream?
Not yet, let us continue to dream.
Pine Cone editorial--no new taxes, only minority power.
As he writes from stained ivory tower.
But wait! Forget about new revenue sources to seek.
We have city assets to sell, don't look bleak.
Scout House, Flanders, fire house, to name a few.
They're just old buildings in disrepair--don't look blue.
Monies to collect from their sale, what a catch!
Who cares just old buildings in disrepair, in need of a patch.
All pieces of Carmel history and character, sold without a glance.
Money instant, no work, no chance.
But one day tourists cease to come, money doesn't flow.
In Carmel what is there to see, where to go?
Visitors ask about history, character and are told.
"Carmel's not like it used to be, it's all been sold."

David Maradei receives award

Recently at the 2003 Awards Breakfast Program, Bill Rentz, Chairman of the Board of the Child Abuse Prevention Council, honored former CRA president David Maradei for his dedicated service to the organization. Currently serving as director of the Council, Maradei has presented workshops to over 1,500 people who interact with children and are required by state law to report any suspected child abuse. His work has been of great benefit in educating these key persons on the laws associated with child abuse and how to recognize symptoms in children that might indicate they are being or have been abused.

CRA PROFILES
by Walter Gourlay

Man of Many Talents

Stan Spohn is a man of many, many talents and interests. Accomplished painter of landscapes and figure studies, set designer, illustrator, architect, gardener, lover of music, singer, raconteur, devoted father, this modest eighty-eight-year-old CRA member has lived in Carmel for almost fifty years.

Spohn was born in Southern California. At an early age he began to paint landscapes. They were so good that Walt Disney hired him to do the background illustrations for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1938. Several other commissions from Disney included the animated classics Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi. "I painted thousands of leaves and trees for 'Bambi,' " Spohn says. "Every little dot on Bambi's body had to be done over and over. Millions of dots for very few seconds of film. Disney was very much a perfectionist. It's what made his work so great."

Spohn used to sail in Los Angeles harbor, and one day he decided to change his moorage to Balboa Island. There he met Lettie (Leticia) Smith, sister of a fellow student at the Art Center. He and Lettie were married in June, 1940, and honeymooned (where else?) in Carmel. They were charmed by the place and came back often.

During the war Stan enlisted in the Navy, and as Photographer's Mate First Class helped turn out animated training films.

After the war, on the G.I. Bill, he attended the Art Center College in L.A. and Pasadena and also took classes at UCLA. Then he attended Immaculate Heart College, where he was "lucky enough" to study with the famous "painting nun," Sister Mary Corita. Better known today as Corita Kent, she was a celebrated artist, renowned for her imaginative use of vibrant color and for social activism. Corita, Spohn says, "was on the cutting edge of Catholic feminism."

A daughter, Juliet, was born in 1943, and then came Jennifer in 1952. Not surprisingly, each of the daughters has followed a career in the art world.

As a child, Juliet would accompany Stan to his classes with Sister Corita, and was deeply influenced by her. She is now at the Peace and Justice Center of the Immaculate Heart Community, a retreat in Montecito owned and operated by the former nuns of Immaculate Heart College. These women have dissolved their ties to the Vatican and formed an ecumenical community designed to fulfill the promises of the Second Vatican Council. At the Corita Art Center there, Juliet paints landscapes and "designs her own Christmas cards," Spohn says.

Jennifer, who holds a Ph.D. in art restoration, was formerly on the staff of the Monterey Museum of Art, then did restoration work at the Fogg Museum of Art at Harvard. She now lives in Bath, England, and paints for pleasure.

In 1965 the Spohns decided to move to Carmel, lured by its many musical and other cultural events. They bought property at Mission and Tenth, opposite the Sunset School. Stan designed and drew up the architectural plans for their house "to fit between the trees," an accomplishment of which he is very proud. The house is "mansarded French," with venerable oaks almost pressing the walls and windows. In addition to comfortable living quarters, carefully panelled in black walnut and other beautiful wood, it has a two-story artist's studio.

Spohn landscaped a bosky garden retreat, slightly below street level, providing a quiet nook for conversation and meditation. He also designed a guesthouse, Tudor-style "like a movie set," he says, made of brick and Monterey stone. The brick came from houses torn down in Monterey in the sixties to make way for "urban renewal," and the Monterey stone came from the San Carlos Ranch for about twenty-five dollars a carload. Inside, the walls are covered with Spohn's landscapes, local scenes, figure studies and sketches, as well as with antique drawings, silhouettes, and ceramics he's collected.

When the Spohns first came to Carmel, Stan exhibited in several galleries no longer in existence. He participated in community art shows, and has designed stage sets for local groups, such as the Staff Players and the Hidden Valley Opera in Carmel Valley.

Almost from his arrival here, Spohn has been singing in the Carmel Mission Choir, under several choir leaders. He loves opera, especially Italian opera, symphonies, and chamber music. He's delighted with the renovation of the Sunset Center, and can hardly wait for the new season to begin.

Lettie died eleven years ago, and Stan lives alone in his comfortable retreat. Three days a week he exercises at the Carmel Foundation. He has just finished a painting for one daughter, and lately has been developing an interest in Native American art. Stan Spohn continues to grow, like the oak trees in his garden.

Springtime fire and safety awareness
by Carmel Fire Department Captain Mitch Kastros

Although we are still getting some rain as we enter into spring, it is not too early to start thinking about the things that shout "watch out!" when it comes to fire and safety. With the recent change to daylight savings time, we are reminded to inspect our smoke detectors and change their batteries.

This time of year is when a lot of people plan or coordinate major cleanup around the house, both inside and out. Trash that has accumulated in the house, attic and/or basement and garage during the year is gathered and disposed of. Now is a good time to check furnaces, water heaters and other heat producing appliances to make sure no combustibles have ended up dangerously close to them. Please do not allow paper, wood and other combustibles to come within a minimum three-foot radius of these appliances. While cleaning, inspect electrical outlets and light switches for damage and make necessary repairs if able to, or contact a licensed electrician to do so.

April showers bring May flowers, and also bring weeds and tall grass that will soon be dry and vulnerable to fire. It is a standard recommendation to cut or clear all dry vegetation within a minimum 30-foot radius of any building. If this is done with power mowers or similar tools and equipment, a functional fire extinguisher or charged water hose with adjustable nozzle should be readily available and quickly attainable. It is safer to cut grass and weeds using powered equipment when the vegetation is still green, or at least not completely dry. It is always safest to fuel gasoline-powered equipment when it is cold, but on big jobs it is not always possible. Keep a fire extinguisher close by when fueling a hot piece of equipment, and try to do this away from dry vegetation and other combustibles.

In this area it is common for our roofs and rain gutters to accumulate pine needles, oak leaves and other debris. In the springtime, when things are drying out, it is a good practice to clean roofs and gutters, maintain 10 feet of combustible clearance around the tops of chimneys, and to secure spark arresters, if you have not done so already.

Those with pools and hot tubs should make sure that gates are secure and locks are functioning properly.

If you have a dry chemical fire extinguisher, inspect it to ensure that all the parts are intact, the pin is secure and the gauge shows it is fully charged with air. You can find out if the powder is still loose and functional by holding the extinguisher to your ear, turning it upside down and listening and feeling for movement of the powder. If you are not sure if your extinguisher is operable, contact a licensed fire extinguisher company. They are located in the yellow pages of the phone book under Fire Extinguishers or Fire Protection Equipment and Supplies. We offer free training to the public in the use of fire extinguishers, including actually fighting a substantial liquid fuel fire. Those interested please call 620-2030 and ask for "B Shift."

OLD CARMEL
by Connie Wright

Langston Hughes: Black Poet in Carmel

Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, essentially a motherless and fatherless black child. His father early abandoned his family; his mother wanted a dramatic career and frequently traveled, leaving her son behind.

Langston was raised by his grandmother, whose first husband (not Langston's grandfather) had fallen gallantly at Harper's Ferry with John Brown, fighting for Abolition. His grandmother frequently held up this example of heroic action to her grandson. After his grandmother's death, his mother moved Langston to Cleveland, where he attended the Central High School, which, unusually, was integrated. Langston began to publish in the school magazine, then after his graduation, at nineteen, in professional magazines. He decided that he would become a professional writer and, with great difficulty, became the first American black writer to do so.

In 1932, Noel Sullivan, wealthy supporter of liberal causes, who had entertained as social equals Roland Hayes (who sang at the Bach Festival), Marian Anderson, Bill (Bojangles) Robinson and Duke Ellington, invited Hughes to visit him. They went to Carmel where Noel owned a house and, in a program for the John Reed Club, Noel sang spirituals, while Langston read his poetry. The John Reed Club was controlled by the Communist Party, and Langston, who belonged to the New York branch, had published in New Masses, the official organ of the club. Ella ("Red Ella") Winter, who had visited the Soviet Union and published a book about it, chaired the meeting and Robin and Una Jeffers attended. The next day Langston visited the old muckraker Lincoln Steffens, John Reed's mentor, and at Tor House he drank tea with Robin and Una. Edward Weston took his photograph. On another occasion, February 1, 1934, he went on a picnic with Robin, Una and Noel at Big Sur, where they drank wine and ate salami.

In the meantime, some elements of the Carmel populace had become upset about the founding of the John Reed Club. Some fictitious statements about the members of the club had been published in the Pine Cone, and the editor of The Carmelite had written of the club: "For some time there has been an obvious need for a good, old-fashioned-tar-and-feather-out-of-town-on-a-rail party. Volunteers form on the right and no crowding." (April 28, 1932) In June of 1932, Hughes sailed for Russia as part of a group which was to make a film about American race relations. It was sponsored by the Soviet Union. Hughes returned in 1933, and took up Noel Sullivan's invitation to spend a year writing at Noel's cottage "Enisfree," at 13th and Carmelo. During this time, Hughes published in the New Yorker, Women's Home Companion, Esquire and Scribner's.

The John Reed Club supported the workers against the cotton growers in Visalia, and also supported the International Longshoremen's Association under Harry Bridges, which began a strike that tied up shipping up and down the California coast. The Carmel Pine Cone and the Sun were among the newspapers reporting that the communists were planning on destroying harvests. On July 8, Carmel residents voiced angry opposition to the John Reed Club; the city council ordered the purchase of tear gas against the anticipated civil insurrection and the American Legion post was founded. Since Langston was the only black among the "commies," he was soon focused upon. Warned that he could not be protected in case of an attack, which seemed imminent, Hughes escaped, going to San Francisco. When the strike was broken he returned, only to discover that racism and fear of miscegenation had joined anticommunism. F.F. Punch, the editor of the Sun, wrote: "White girls have ridden down the streets with him [Hughes], have walked with him, smiling into his face." (August 25, 1934) He was accused of sleeping with Ella Winter, along with twenty-eight other black men. The next week the Sun accused Hughes of being a tireless and violent advocate for Soviet rule. Langston now left Carmel.

He settled permanently in Harlem and died in 1967, the Dean of Black American poets, who had aided poets and other writers throughout the world.

Remember that your City Council is on T.V.

City Council meetings are taped and re-broadcast
Sundays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon on
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