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Resident urges council to prioritize environmental stewardship, wildlife protection and City Forester role
Summary
A public commenter asked the Pacific Grove City Council to keep environmental stewardship as a core focus, complete the Climate Action Plan and fully implement wildlife protection ordinances and Local Coastal Program amendments.
During public comment at Wednesday’s goal‑setting session, resident Lisa Tiani urged the Pacific Grove City Council to retain environmental stewardship as a core focus area in the new work plan and to complete several specific tasks carried over from prior years.
Tiani asked the council to finish the Climate Action Plan then being prepared by a consultant, finalize revisions to Title 12 (the city’s tree ordinance) incorporating recommendations from the Bay and Natural Resource Committee (BNRC), address the City Forester position, and complete a long‑term George Washington Park management plan.
"I request a continued focus or core area of environmental stewardship," Tiani told the council. She also pressed the council to implement wildlife protection ordinances and Local Coastal Program (LCP) amendments so that protections for coastal wildlife are enforceable.
Tiani said the Coastal Wildlife Protection Advisory Committee (CWPAC), composed of local scientific and natural‑resource volunteers, had developed recommendations that should not be lost. She asked the council to reconstitute its Coastal Wildlife Protection Subcommittee to work with staff and any consultant to ensure the scope and output match the advisory committees’ recommendations. Tiani criticized what she said was conflicting budget guidance and scope lines in city documents — noting that the original RFP was for roughly $300,000 while a consolidated work plan entry suggested a consultant could do some work for $40,000, which she said risked producing an inadequate product.
Council members acknowledged Tiani’s comments; the staff presentation noted wildlife protection work had stalled for funding and staffing reasons and recommended the issue as a potential carryover for the next cycle.
Tiani also asked the council to ensure the Climate Action Plan is not the overriding environmental priority and to preserve the protections recommended by the volunteer committees.
