Citizens rated four areas of their own neighborhood: safety, street cleanliness, street conditions, and police patrols. Ratings are favorable, however, street cleanliness has slipped and is lower than City street cleanliness.

Sample Comments:

• "Keep neighborhood streets cleaner than they are. Gutters are very dirty."
• "Vacant lots that become very unsightly due to excessive weeds, storage of vehicles, boats, etc. Why does the city tolerate these conditions?"
• "Police should randomly get out of their cars and walk around the block and also talk and get acquainted with citizens."

Citizens were asked to indicate if there were any places where they did not feel safe at night. The areas with the most frequent concerns are shown below. The most significant decline in concerns, from 22% in 1998 to 14% in 2002, is in Downtown Monterey. Nine-percent increases are noted for the Coastal/Rec Trail: Wharf to Aquarium (37 to 46%) and the Lighthouse Avenue business district (10 to 19%).

1. Concerns Up: Coastal Trail: Wharf to Aquarium, Lighthouse business district
2. Concerns High: Coastal Trail: El Estero to Seaside, Beaches, North Fremont business district
3. Concerns Down: Downtown Monterey
4. Concerns Low: Wharf, Cannery Row, Del Monte Center, Community Centers

Sample Comments:

Citizens were asked to indicate the three to four issues facing the community that should be the focus for the City during the next few years.

The top two items selected by citizens were:

• Encourage development of a plan to increase water supply
• Improve traffic management program

The next two important items were:

• Build multi- and single-family affordable housing
• Create more open space (e.g. Window on the Bay)

Of lesser importance were:

• Preserve historic resources, buildings
• Encourage/promote tourism
• Attract more businesses
• Put more resources into public safety programs

Other topics written in (but far less frequent than those listed above):

• "Keep cruises out. Fix up the Fairgrounds."
• "Rental housing needs to be more affordable, too."
• "We have a nascent gang problem in the Laguna Grande area and it scares me."
• "Need quality water, no salt intrusion into water supply."
• "Carmel Taxi Service doubles charges on rates to airport. Kick them out."
• "Get airlines to schedule flights to Chicago or Denver instead of SFO."
• "Youth activities for 18-21 year olds."
• "Road repairs."
• "Redevelop State Theater."
• "The key thing this city needs is a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center."
• "Work with MPUSD to improve schools."
• "Underground utilities."
• "I think our tourism needs to focus on our natural attributes/beauty, not stores or more restaurants."
• "Need more interesting downtown stores and attractions. Too many vacant buildings and banks."

A small section of the survey was devoted to exploring what citizens enjoy or don’t enjoy about visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Comments were slightly more favorable than unfavorable. The single most frequent comment related to parking.

What citizens enjoy most are:

• Restaurants
• Atmosphere/view
• The sea life
• Fish markets
• Water/boats
• People watching

What people don’t enjoy are:

• Parking (paying, far away, difficulty for employees)
• The shops (poor quality, yelling)
• Walkways dirty
• Restaurants (prices, food, service, no breakfast)
• Crowded with tourists
• The monkey (looks abused, though others like it)

1. "Monterey schools need to be independent of MPUSD, which is a proven failure."
2. "Thank you for the opportunity to complete this evaluation."
3. "Thank you for being proactive thru the Advisory vote on the water district."
4. "The proposed Civic Center building seems way too big."
5. "Please expand taxi service program for any resident unable to drive due to illness or injury."
6. "Stop development of multiplex theatre at Del Monte Center."
7. "Stop development of housing at Cannery Row."
8. "I think before building a new City Hall, the city should contribute to building new high schools and adding plumbing to the elementary and middle schools."
9. "Put DLI fence on opposite side of street and open Pvt. Bolio Rd, either from Pine Street to Lighthouse or extend Hawthorne thru Pvt. Bolio to Lighthouse."
10. "I think you need to explain why the City of Monterey can’t bail out MPUSD. I think too many people don’t understand that. Thank you for all that you do for the schools in Monterey, like DARE, PE at Monte Vista, library at Colton, gardening & landscaping. I would like to see the city take over all landscaping at all the schools."
11. "The volunteers in our City contribute a great deal to our community. The quality of everyone’s life in Monterey is enriched by their services!"
12. "I would like to see the City address the problem of light pollution…from skateboard park & softball fields. This prevents people from enjoying night skies and has environmental effects on migrating birds."
13. "We definitely need rent control."
14. "Good work with special events such as First Night, Fourth of July celebration."
15. "A City beautification movement, especially MST Bus Terminal. It’s a hub of downtown. This place gives us a bad impression."
16. "Stop the Civic Center! Why isn’t it on this survey?"
17. "You’re doing a great job—keep it up. I like most everything just the way it is. Try not to change too much. Keep the historic buildings and budget to maintain."