Pacific Grove City Council recesses to closed session for city manager review after public comment on housing, noise rules

The City Council of the City of Pacific Grove on May 7 recessed into closed session at a special meeting to consider the city manager's performance under Government Code section 54957 after a public comment raising concerns about information provided to the council.

Resident Miss Haynes told the council she generally trusts "Matt" as city manager but criticized how the council was being kept informed on planning and staffing matters that she said could have major consequences. "I trust Matt, and I believe he deserves high marks on most of those, but not for keeping the council advised of the city's needs," she said during public comment.

Why it matters: Miss Haynes warned that delay in certifying the housing element and recent planning changes could expose Pacific Grove to developers' remedies and large-scale redevelopment at sensitive sites. She said the theater lot is for sale for $3,500,000 and that a developer "could legally buy that lot and build a 10 story structure there, provided it includes approximately 12% affordable housing," a change she said would "permanently change Pacific Grove." She also said there are "over 500 candidate sites for 1,125 new housing units" in commercial areas and raised a possible interaction with a proposed increase in allowable noise levels.

Miss Haynes said that when the council voted on March 19 to direct the city attorney to draft ordinances to raise the allowable noise level in commercial zones to 80 decibels, "no one told you that this change could disqualify those 500 plus sites from residential uses because 80 decibels is disallowed where housing exists." She also said she had to email the city that afternoon to learn the cost if "all of you opted for the medical benefits," which she said was "$179,000," and that people "should have known that 72 hours before the meeting." Miss Haynes concluded: "Matt is a strong city manager in many respects, but he needs improvement in keeping you, our elected officials, fully and understandably informed so that you can make informed decisions in Pacific Grove's best interest."

Meeting procedure and next steps: Mayor (unnamed in the transcript) opened the special meeting at 5 p.m., noted all seven council members were present, and recognized Miss Haynes for public comment. After public comment, the council recessed to closed session on the single agenda item — "public employment under Government Code section 54957: City Manager performance evaluation." A staff member reported no hands were raised by online attendees. The mayor announced the council would "join the closed session at this time" and expected to return at 6 p.m. The transcript records no formal public action or vote on the item before recessing to closed session.

The council's closed-session discussion and any outcomes are not reported in the meeting transcript provided; Government Code section 54957 governs public agency closed sessions concerning public employee performance evaluations and allows the council to meet privately on those matters. The transcript does not provide subsequent public decisions or timelines for any personnel action.