Well, Cachagua Fire is certainly not issuing Resident Passes. Instead, a kind of mini-unified command, a bit ad-hoc I gather, is issuing them at the Sleep Hollow checkpoint on Carmel Valley Road, on behalf of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.
The officers staffing the checkpoint are quite delightful - very polite and expeditious - they won't waste your time. Most are Information Officers of the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire, while the CHP is handling traffic flow.
The "Pass" is simply the one page form that you fill out - name, address, phone number - and you put it on your dashboard, in plain view. They log the information, and you're on your way. It's done very smoothly and quickly.
I interviewed Sergeant Carl Churchfield who was running the CHP portion of the activity at the checkpoint. The audio is here, from KUSP's website. There's a bit of wind noise during the interview!
Sgt. Churchfield stated that they'd be out doing this through the weekend, until about 11:00 pm tomorrow night, then the staffing of the checkpoint will be cut back between fixed hours of the workday (I'll get this info later on). They expect to issue about 900 resident passes, and an unknown number for contractors and other employees.
Other folks had differing experiences, some confusing, but all good, it would seem...
"(We spoke) to CHP officers and a sheriff's deputy at the Sleepy Hollow roadblock this morning. When asked about the passes now required to enter Carmel Valley Road, one of the CHP officers said "I'm all about solutions. I've been all about solutions my whole life." (He) said that they are setting up a table at Sleepy Hollow with passes and a log book, from where they will be dispensing passes. We were told that this would all be set up by the time we returned from breakfast. He asked us to spread the word, so that's what I'm doing.
We were also told that passes issued by the Cachagua fire department were not legal(!) The CHP guys couldn't pronounce "Cachagua," so we helped them through that part of the conversation.
As of noon, there was no table or passes. The CHP guys had left the scene, leaving a lone Sheriff deputy who recognized us and let us through. I have a feeling the fire will be extinguished before the passes are ready for prime time.
And another report....
"I got a pass at 1:00. A bunch of forest service people at the Sleepy Hollow checkpoint were giving them out. They said to get one, you had to get by the CHP officer about fifty feet up the road towards the village. Everybody was very nice.
I asked about guests and employees. The Forest Service guy said that we couldn't get passes for them, but they could get passes for themselves, if they could get by the CHP officer. I asked how the CHP officer was deciding who was for real. He said that you have to know the address of the person you're intending to see, including the zip code. Since the CHP guy can't be expected to know all the addresses, I expect that the key bit of information that you need to get by the cop is the zip code.
So tell your employees and guests
1) tell the CHP officer your address.
2) stop at the table to get a pass.
If this doesn't work, please let me know what does."
and one more report from Cachagua Fire:
The Sheriff's Department asked Cachagua Fire to provided passes during theMandatory Phase, but did not specify the format nor did they offer to provide the form, so we (I) made our own. It had Cachagua Fire ID on it, and not the Sheriff's logo...
The passes which we are issuing now are the same passes which are obtained at 'Checkpoint Charlie', therefore, quite "legal."
The passes which we are issuing now are the same passes which are obtained at 'Checkpoint Charlie', therefore, quite "legal."
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Ha! I didn't need to get "past" the CHP officer. I just said. " Hi is that where I get my pass?" He said yes park up there. He stopped a car coming out of Sleepy Hollow and I pulled up and got my pass.
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