CAC appoints ad hoc committees for 110th birthday, reviews Memorial Day and public safety events

The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Activities Commission appointed two ad hoc committees to work with staff on the city’s 110th birthday celebration and the holiday celebration and reviewed a calendar of upcoming events including the Memorial Day ceremony and the Surfabout.

Commissioners Judy Referza and Ellen Martin were appointed to the 110th birthday ad hoc; Commissioners Katie Ania and Jeff Mechum were appointed to the holiday celebration ad hoc. Staff reminded commissioners of an upcoming city council budget workshop the same day and noted a proposed reduction of $7,825 in the commission’s requested budget (from $141,535 to $133,710), with the reduction attributed in the packet to lower holiday-event expenditures.

Staff also reviewed upcoming events and logistics: Carmel Art Festival setup, a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on May 25 with a special speaker, the 43rd annual Surfabout over Memorial Day weekend with extra toilets and dumpsters at Scenic and 11th, and an evacuation drill/public safety day on May 30 with multiple partner agencies. Staff encouraged commissioners to attend the budget workshop if they wished to advocate for funding support for special events tied to the 110th celebration.

Commissioners requested a staff workshop to clarify the commission’s role versus director and staff responsibilities to reduce future procedural confusion. The commission scheduled its next regular meeting for June 9.