The Monterey City Council chambers were filled to standing room only on Tuesday afternoon, when the council considered approving a decorative rainbow crosswalk in downtown.
This comes after the council deadlocked 2-2 on the matter in a special meeting May 23 (Councilmember Kim Barber was absent, and the matter was continued until yesterday, June 3), a meeting that also drew a vocal public response with over 100 public comments submitted to the city in writing and a number of residents showing up to speak for or against the crosswalk.
Seeing more than 40 people wanting to comment on the matter, and noting that many points had already been aired at the May 23 meeting, Vice Mayor Gino Garcia, who presided over the meeting as Mayor Tyller Williamson participated via Zoom, limited public comment to one minute per speaker.
Monterey Management Analyst Mark Ackermann likewise kept his presentation brief when the matter came up around 5:30pm, noting that the city's informal outreach to the city's business community to gauge their support or opposition to the crosswalk found about a 50-50 split, and public comment moved along speedily from there.
Just under 40 speakers ultimately made comments, with just over half in support, and when the matter came before council just before 6:30pm, the councilmembers also kept their comments brief.
Councilmember Jean Rasch said that her initial concerns about the proposal had been addressed by city staff—she had been concerned that other groups would be precluded from submitting their own proposals—and added that she wasn't in support using public funds for decorative crosswalks, but in a nod to Monterey Pride organizers saying they would finance the crosswalk, said she would support it.
Councilmember Ed Smith, prefacing his vote against the rainbow crosswalk, emphasized that it was not based in any animosity, he just respectfully disagreed, and didn't think crosswalks should be used for public art.
So just after 6:30pm, the council, in a 4-1 vote (Smith), approved putting a rainbow crosswalk across Alvarado Street at its intersection with Pearl Street, near Simoneau Plaza and Alta Bakery.
Assistant City Manager Nat Rojanasathira says the crosswalk, which will be painted by the city's public works staff at a cost of about $2,000, will go in "as soon as possible."