Luke Coletti (Pacific Grove City Council At-large, California, candidate 2024)
Luke Coletti ran for election to the Pacific Grove City Council At-large in California. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.[source]
Coletti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Luke Coletti provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024:
- Birth date: February 1, 1965
- Birth place: Carmel, California
- High school: Pacific Grove High School
- Associate: Monterey Peninsula College, 1988
- Gender: Male
- Religion: Catholic
- Profession: Retired
- Prior offices held:
- Councilmember (2020-2024)
- Incumbent officeholder: Yes
- Campaign slogan: Your Voice On City Council
- Campaign website
- Campaign YouTube
- Campaign YouTube video
Elections
General election
General election for Pacific Grove City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Pacific Grove City Council At-large on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Luke Coletti (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Carmelita Garcia (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Chilla Kartalov (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Chaps Poduri (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Tina Rau (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Paul Walkingstick (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Coletti in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Luke Coletti completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Coletti's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am running for re-election because I want to continue to preserve the residential character of our community and the unique quality of life we share. I will represent the interests of residents and neighborhoods, protect our natural environment, pursue affordable housing opportunities, and help our managers and consultants understand the needs and values of our community.
Qualifications I am a lifelong resident of Pacific Grove and current city councilmember. For the past four years I have diligently pursued policies and reforms to provide Pacific Grove residents a more responsive local government. This includes my work on the city council subcommittee to select a new city manager.
I have authored over a dozen ordinances and policies covering government reform, the environment, land use, transparency, and finance (listed here). Prior to being elected to the City Council I helped author Measure M, the successful citizens’ initiative that limits short-term vacation rentals.
Priorites We must prioritize the upkeep of our city, including our business districts. This means better maintenance, landscaping, and repair of city assets. We must improve our roads and sidewalks and promote traffic safety. It’s time we get back to the basics.
https://lukeforpg.com- PROTECTING NEIGHBORHOODS:
• Introduced Ballot Measure ‘Q’ to strengthen the City’s longstanding prohibition of timeshare projects. • Introduced a city ordinance to increase short-term vacation rental penalties. • Voted NO for a roundabout at the intersection of Sunset and Congress.
https://lukeforpg.com/qualifications/ - PROTECTING OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: • Introduced a city ordinance that restricts roadwork during the harbor seal pupping season. • Initiated a baseline biological assessment of George Washington Park as part of revising the master plan for the park. • Initiated a budget item to hire a full-time city forester in order to better manage our urban forest and protect natural habitat. https://lukeforpg.com/qualifications/
- FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT: • Introduced a monthly reporting of all city-issued checks (check register). • Initiated a financial analysis of the golf course and local water project. • Initiated an actuarial analysis of the City’s pension plans. • Opposed city council salary increases. • Initiated an inquiry into the City’s proposed Homekey project with developer Shangri-La Industries. The developer recently filed for bankruptcy. https://lukeforpg.com/qualifications/
• Introduced a council policy allowing public comment from remote (Zoom) participants at all city meetings (council and committees).
• Introduced a council policy limiting the use of electronic communication devices (“texting”) by councilmembers during city council meetings.
• Introduced contract amendment to increase the number of council meetings shown on cable TV with added support for Facebook and YouTube viewing.
• Introduced a city ordinance to codify the Council’s Inquiry Authority as provided in Article 21 of the City Charter. This important ordinance clarifies the Council-Manager relationship and codifies Council’s free speech rights.
“Councilman Luke Coletti said his intention with the ordinance was to make it clear that “the city council has the same rights as the general public” which “includes free speech without fear of retaliation to engage the government.””
Ordinance Finding 6: “Council members have First Amendment protection when they comment individually, or respond to inquiries from the public, about the City's actions. Under the First Amendment, “‘legislators “are given the widest latitude to express their views” and there are no “stricter ‘free speech’ standards on [them] than on the general public.’” (See Levy v. City of Santa Monica (2004) 114 Cal.App.4th 1252, 1261, quoting Eller Outdoor Advertising Co. v. Board of Supervisors (1979) 89 Cal.App.3d 76, 80.)””
Ordinance Subsection (d): “An inquiry that communicates a grievance against the government of the City is protected by the First Amendment.”
Link to adopted ordinance - Codifying Council’s Inquiry Authority:
http://bit.ly/481sZv8
This ubiquitous city charter provision is thoroughly explained in my Dec 6, 2023, agenda report, presentation slides, and council video (see links below):
https://bit.ly/3ZPMvsk
https://bit.ly/3Yp4QeR
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
