Big Sur Health Center Hosts Online Fundraiser In-Lieu of In-Person Auction at 2022 Foragers Festival

BIG SUR, CA. (Dec. 4, 2021) — While The Big Sur Foragers Festival will be back for an in-person festival from Thursday, Jan. 20 through Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, the popular in-person auction will be replaced by an online Marketplace. 

All items in the online store have been donated by supporters of Big Sur Health Center, and all of the sales go to Big Sur Health Center. To purchase an item at the online auction site, go to https://www.bigsurhealthcenteronlinestore.org/.

You can either pay the published price or go with several discount options depending on your ability and desire to pay:

PUBLISHED PRICE: This is just above retail value for those who want to give a little extra.

Code HEALTH: This will take 25% off the highest price.

Code BIG SUR: This will take 35% off the highest price and still allow folks to support Big Sur Health Center.

Code COMMUNITY: This will take 50% off the highest price and will allow the purchaser to get the items for an amazing deal while still giving to Big Sur Health Center.

There will also be a “Hike With The King Of Mushrooms,” Todd Spanier, on Jan. 22, 2022, and a “Beer and Brunch” following the hike at the Big Sur River Inn. Whether you take the hike or not you are still welcome to attend the brunch. Hikes and brunches are not available to be discounted due to the high demand. All proceeds of the hike and brunch go to the Big Sur Health Center.

To participate in the hike and/or the brunch, go to https://www.bigsurhealthcenteronlinestore.org/hikes-brunch.

Hike With The King of Mushrooms

Join us for a memorable foraging experience in the Big Sur woods with Todd Spanier, known by many as the “The King of Mushrooms,” within the food industry. Spanier is considered to be a pioneer of the “sustainable“ and “wild food” movements in California. He is an expert chef, mushroomer and forager.

Lisa Haas and her crew will start the event with their now-famous and very popular and extensive wild mushroom display and educational introduction.  Lisa and Maryia Hyrharenka are the ultimate “backyard mycology” team.  Their knowledge and support along with their artistic flair has been a highlight of our event for years.

The hike is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. Meet at the Big Sur River Inn parking lot, north of the gas station, on Highway 1.

Tickets are $60, with 35 spaces available. This popular event fills up rapidly.

The Beer and Brunch, a 3-course meal paired with craft beer (wine available for non-beer drinkers) will be held at noon at the Big Sur River Inn.  This is a perfect post-hike brunch. Tickets are $50.

COVID-19: All CDC recommendations will be followed in order to protect the health and safety of participants during both events.  More information will be available as events are updated.

If you would like to donate an item to be sold at the online auction, please contact Kara at kara@therandompickler.com.

If you would like to donate money directly to Big Sur Health Center please click here: https://www.montereycountygives.com.

The Foragers Festival has traditionally served as a fundraiser for the Big Sur Health Center. The community’s non-profit health center will receive 100% of proceeds from the various events to continue to support the presence of local health care services in the Big Sur area. In 2020, the last time the festival was held in-person, more than $31,000 was raised at the event.

Call (831) 667-2580 for more information.

I stayed neutral on this issue for years, but after watching what it has done to our community — done away with former housing for teachers at our school (one of the illegal STRs) and now watching our USFS LEO struggle to find ANY housing for a single guy with no pets, and the unavailability of housing to support our basic community services, I changed my position a few years back. I am speaking out today by posting a recent weekly newsletter from the Carmel Valley Association, that faces the same issues Big Sur does, and a notice about the Board of Supervisors Meeting next week and how to join in.

Carmel Valley Association Weekly Bulletin

Short-Term Rentals in Carmel Valley A well-funded group of short-term rental owners and managers recently has taken out ads attempting to discredit Supervisor Mary Adams’ effort to address the impacts of unpermitted vacation rentals in the 5th District. The ads are misleading, histrionic and filled with erroneous information about a proposed action to enforce existing regulations on transient use of residential properties. The number of vacation rentals (formerly known as short-term Rentals STRS) has increased dramatically during the inexplicably seven long years taken to develop a vacation rental ordinance with effective enforcement. According to county staff, there are more than 600 identified vacation rentals in Monterey County, of which only 24 properties have required permits. The overwhelming majority of these unpermitted vacation rentals are in the 5th District, including Carmel Valley. At its last meeting, at the urging of 5th District Supervisor Mary Adams, the Board of Supervisors unanimously took the first step to deal with this urgent problem. The Board directed county staff to take action to enforce the existing regulations on short term rentals in the 5th District. The response by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is to be commended. This enforcement action is to determine how resources will be allocated to enforce existing regulations. Additionally, enforcement will serve to provide information on how vacation rentals can be effectively regulated and the best enforcement practices for potential inclusion in the final vacation rental ordinance. Immediate enforcement is also needed because, according to county staff, it may take more than another year to develop an effective vacation rental ordinance. If there is no control exerted now, the negative impacts of vacation rentals will continue to grow: Hotel, resort, and motel businesses will suffer.The number of long term rentals available for people who live and work here will decrease, and rents will continue to rise.The quality of life for residents will further decline as residential neighborhoods become de facto commercial zones. CVA believes that the enforcement of current regulations is critically important to maintaining the residential character of our neighborhoods. Not surprisingly, a group representing the owners and managers of vacation rentals is trying to stop enforcement. Our opponents are well-funded by vacation rental owners, guests, managers, and national and international investors. They are soliciting more funds to defeat any attempt to enforce existing regulations. That’s why we need you to take action to fight back now. Please write a letter to the Board of Supervisors. Their addresses are: district1@co.monterey.ca.us, Luis Alejodistrict2@co.monterey.ca.us, John M. Phillipsdistrict3@co.monterey.ca.us, Chris Lopezdistrict4@co.monterey.ca.us, Wendy Root Askewdistrict5@co.monterey.ca.us, Mary Adams Also, plan to voice your support for the enforcement of the existing regulations for short-term rentals at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on December 8, 2021. We’ll be sending out a ZOOM link later this week or early next. You could make the difference! Thank you for helping to protect our residential neighborhoods and to preserve the rural character of Carmel Valley.

Attached you will find the Final Agenda for the Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.. The agenda(s) and agenda packet(s) can be found online by visiting the following link: https://monterey.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx Due to the size limitations the agenda packet could not be attached to this e-mail, but can be found by visiting the following link.  Once there, you can navigate to the agenda packet by:

1. Locating the correct legislative meeting body followed by date.
2. On the same row, you will find a list of available options be sure to select “Agenda Packet”
3. If the option is not presented, the packet may be located by selecting “Searchable Meeting Details.”
4. You will be taken to a separate page and the packet may be found under the header entitled, “attachments”

you may participate through ZOOM. For ZOOM participation please join by computer audio at:https://montereycty.zoom.us/j/224397747OR to participate by phone call any of these numbers below:+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)+1 253 215 8782 US+1 301 715 8592 USEnter this Meeting ID number: 224397747 when prompted. Please note there is no ParticipantCode, you will just hit # again after the recording prompts you.

There are a substantial number of issues that will be addressed at both meetings that may be of interest to you. 

Item 7 – December 8, 2021 Agenda (physical page 7) PDF page 8

Consider a comprehensive analysis in response to revised Board Referral 2016.02, regarding enforcement of existing County regulations relating to transient use of residential properties, also known as short term rentals or vacation rentals, and provide direction to staff regarding unauthorized vacation rentals and potential funding sources to cover costs.