Dogs Closer To Returning To Downtown SC

Dogs Closer To Returning To Downtown SC: "The Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association voted Tuesday to recommend a repeal a decades-old law that bans dogs in downtown."

For decades, dogs have not been allowed in downtown Santa Cruz. Yesterday the Santa Cruz Downtown Business Association voted 8 - 1 in favor of repealing the doggie ban. The business people are thinking that if they can bring the dogs, then they'll bring the dog owners as well.

But what about all the poo? No one wants to walk downtown Santa Cruz and step in some steamy mush! And SC is full of hippies. Hippies go barefoot. That equals... gross-ness. Welp - fear not dog owning Santa Cruzians, the Walkers and Woofers business plans on supplying 5,000 biodegradable doggie bags.

Next step: Santa Cruz City Council will visit the issue in a couple weeks. Keep the leashes on their hooks, folks. At least for now.....

Marina's Plan and Aloha Tan

Marina's downtown plan taking shape: "A city effort to pump new life into downtown Marina will take another step forward Thursday. The Marina Planning Commission will meet to go over what should be addressed in a formal environmental report on the 'Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan." - Monterey Herald

When I drive into Marina, like I did last night, I never think to myself "what a cute little town!" It seems like a giant cut a sliver of Seaside and placed it a few miles north. There is nothing that really sets it apart from the surrounding towns. For example, Pacific Grove has its own character, as do Monterey and Carmel. Sand City is basically big-name store-land, three square miles of businesses - they don't even have a post office and their population is under 300 (based on the 2000 census). Seaside has some golden flecks as well - CSUMB, Fort Ord History, Message Mountain. But.... Marina? Um... let me think. There's a Walmart? That hardly counts as charm.

The Marina Planning Commission has developed a formal environmental report called the "Downtown Vitalization Specific Plan." Interesting.

What the plan entails:

• develop 225 acres that stretch across Reservation Road, Del Monte Boulevard, Reindollar Ave, Sunset Ave, Carmel Ave, and Crescent Ave.
• possibly change Reservation Road to 2 lanes (from the 4 current ones)
• transform Marina into a "lively mix of varied land uses"
• developing the culture of downtown Marina through the addition of a civic center at Del Monte/Reservation intersection
• establish development standards (infrastructure requirements, financing methods, etc)
• add 2,400 high-density housing units
• create 380,000 square feet of commercial space... for retail services along Del Monte Blvd

City Council makes the final decision in a couple of months, after lots of meeting with the project managers. I think that this is a great idea.... It seems faster for me to make the drive to Marina from Fort Ord than go all the way to Seaside via General Jim Moore road.

Last night I went to Marina .... not holding anything back on this blog so here goes ... to get a spray tan. I know, it's so silly! BUT - I'm going to Vegas and I have a job, so why not? I went to Aloha Tan (266-Q Reservation Rd, Marina) and I loved the experience. It was my first time doing an airbrush tan. I arrived 30 minutes until closing, no one was there. The airbursher took me into the back room and after about 20 minutes I was finished! Right next door was a CVS pharmacy, so I bought some travel shampoo, conditioner, and lotion that fit TSA's flying standards (under 3 ounces).

I can't wait for Vegas! Only a few more hours :)

I.O.U. $19 Million?!?

I just read that my humble town of Seaside has a 19 million dollar deficit and is looking for ways to get rid of it. There was a meeting that took place last Thursday where city officials said that they would be making cuts in the public safety area. That means bye-bye policemen and firemen. If the city is unable to offset its budget by July, layoffs are bound to happen. Could you imagine having to find $19 million by July? And I thought budgeting AOII's expenses for a few months was tricky! Apparently laying off the firefighters and policemen is a last resort, but I'm kind of worried, seeing as how I live behind a treasure trove of unexploded ordnance!

That's right! Lots of old explosive weapons like bombs, bullets, grenades, land mines, etc. They haven't exploded yet and could still detonate at literally any moment. There are more than 10,000 acres of this UXO stuff in my backyard and there are even unlined landfills! On Wikipedia, it says that the unlined landfills are "leaking trichloroethane and carbon tetrachloride into ground water under RESIDENTIAL areas"!!

But don't worry, I won't be morphing in to a jolly green giant/alien anytime soon. They have the water situation under control here (I hope). We use a special well or something? Or was it "special" well? OH NO! Is that a sixth toe??