Dear Readers,

Candidates for mayor and city council are stepping up their campaign messages and, with election day just three weeks away, some absentee voters are already casting ballots. Mary Schley has the rundown.

Meanwhile, a survey of Pine Cone readers shows that the race for mayor is essentially tied, while two front-runners have clearly emerged for city council. We have the numbers.

If you think propane-fueled fire pits are a good solution for Carmel Beach, you'll be interested in the demo the city staged this week, with another one coming up March 23.

A county planning official wants special events -- such as Concours Week -- to be subject to new permit requirements. Chris Counts has that one.

After he leaves office, Jason Burnett may still have a role to play in helping to get the Monterey Peninsula's water project online. On the other hand, even as that was developing, the PUC announced a significant delay in the water project's EIR. Kelly Nix has those stories.

After a presentation by new city administrator Chip Rerig, the city council OK'd a list of major spending projects for the year ahead. A teenager from Marina is believed to be dead after falling off a cliff near Rocky Point. A new downtown building is getting raves from planning commissioners. This winter's storms have (temporarily) removed much of the sand from Carmel Beach. We have a special section, "In Your Dreams," featuring some of the Peninsula's most interesting and significant homes. And my editorial says, "Please, not a whole new kind of permit requirements to make people suffer through."

As always, I am available to respond to questions, comments or concerns, and to offer advice about how best to read our newspaper on your computer, smartphone or iPad.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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