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Headlight Herald
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Citizen North Coast
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VOL. 47, ISSUE 3
www.northcoastcitizen.com
Spring
2023
FREE
CANNONBEACHGAZETTE.COM
February 3, 2023
Eli Ramirez’s pursuit of the ‘American Dream’ from housekeeping to hospitality-industry leader Miska Salemann
T
For the Gazette
he ‘American Dream’ wasn’t just a fantasy for Eli Ramirez. The young man knew that coming to the United States would allow him the best opportunity to support his family back in Irapuato City, Guanajuato, Mexico. “I am coming from a very humble family, and unfortunately things in Mexico are not like how they are in the United states,” said Ramirez. “I love Mexico in so many ways but it’s very difficult to be successful.” Ramirez was only around 17-year-old when he left behind everything to move in with relatives that had already settled in the United States. The ambitious teenager hadn’t realised just how much he needed his parents. While he had a close relationship with his Aunt and Uncle, he admitted that “it just was not the same.” A couple years after the move, Ramirez even considered going back home, but something his father told him changed his mind. Ramirez had asked his father why he hadn’t stopped him from coming to the United States. “I needed to let you go and pursue your dreams,” his father told him. “I am not going to be the one to cut your wings.” Following his father’s wishes,
Ramirez kicked his wings into full-gear and pushed himself to grab whatever opportunity laid ahead of him. The first place that led him was McDonald’s. Ramirez acknowledges that McDonald’s carries a certain reputation that might off-put some people. However, his experience was not traditional in any sense. “It unfortunately has this image, it might not be so great, but that particular McDonald’s where I was working had great people,” said Ramirez. Stepping into the fast-food industry left Ramirez little time to stumble, but he certainly made some mistakes. The first was attempting to speak Spanish with another employee who turned out to be Native American. In the beginning, communication wasn’t his strong suit. “My English at the time was not fluent,” he admitted. Luckily, McDonald’s was one of the few places willing to take a chance on a young immigrant like himself. And, in time, things got much easier. Especially after Ramirez met his shift manager, who later became his wife. While his wife stayed at McDonald’s, working her way up to General Manager after twenty years, Ramirez knew he would need to pick up-another side job to bring in enough income to support their growing family. “Working two jobs was something common in our community,”
Eli Ramirez. he added. Around 2007, Ramirez took a whim and followed a friend’s recommendation to apply to the Ocean Lodge, one of Cannon Beach’s up-scale hotels. He had never envisioned himself as a housekeeper. “I didn’t even know how to clean a room, but I decided to give it a try,” he explained. Ramirez was grateful that the Ocean Lodge was very patient with him as he found his footing.
He still remembers his first day of training. After washing all the linens, and laying them back out, his supervisor noticed he missed a critical step of the cleaning process. “I forgot to dry everything,” he laughed. “It was my first day. My first time.” What began as a side-job to bring in a little more income, became a pivotal turning-point in
n See
LEADER, Page 6
Cannon Beach is a dog haven P
Deb Atiyeh
For the Gazette
eople love dogs in Cannon Beach, and from a dog’s perspective, Cannon Beach is as good as it gets. Dogs get to be with their humans and go most everywhere with them. On the beach, whether on a leash or running free, there is water to swim and splash in, sand to roll in, sticks to chew on, and friends to play with. After the beach, their humans take them on a walk along the streets of Cannon Beach, and they even get to rest under the outdoor tables at some restaurants while their humans eat, catching some tasty human food bits that drop their way. Sometimes they even get a piece of bread. Dogs have their choice of one or both of the fun pet stores at each end of downtown, where they are loved, petted and given wonderful treats that they have never tasted
before. They can look around and choose a toy or find a chew for the trip home. Everyone pets them and pays attention to them. Then they get to sleep on their way home or stay in a hotel with their humans where there are more treats. Some hotels even have a shower to wash the sand off before they go to sleep with their humans. On the 4th of July, dogs get to lay on the beach, chewing on a stick by a campfire, watching the moon and stars at night with their humans, quietly and safely, as there are no fireworks to frighten them. In Cannon Beach, there is no other place my humans and I would rather be. Everyone is happy at the beach and it is a blissful existence for all of us. I am sure Cannon Beach is what Heaven must be like. It is a place I never want to leave. In Cannon Beach I know that I am loved. Cannon Beach is lucky to have
Fetch Cannon Beach on Hemlock Street. two high quality pet stores, Fetch Cannon Beach and Four Paws on the Beach, right along Hemlock Street at opposite ends of the downtown area. The owners tell their stories below: Fetch Cannon Beach
Four Paws on the Beach owners operate in Cannon Beach and Manzanita.
We are a small family-owned business that opened in March 2020 (or at least tried to; we were open for about 3 hours before the town shut down for 2 months). I have been making dog collars since I was 11, and have always wanted to open a shop someday. So after I graduated from college, my parents and I had the great idea of opening a dog store in the greatest town in the world. My dad has been coming to Cannon Beach since he was a kid, and so have I. After spending multiple summers working at Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, I knew that I wanted to live here and get more involved in the community. So my dad contacted the person who owned Puppy Love and made a deal that we would buy the merchandise and take over the space (we started our own lease with the landlord) I researched every single product that we wanted to carry in the store and figured out how to set up wholesale accounts. We had a vision of how we wanted the store to look. We completely renovated the inside; my dad has incredible building skills, so he was able to make all of that happen.
We carry a wide variety of products for dogs of all sizes. We try to carry as many local products as possible; lots of our treats are made in Portland, and all of our “body part treats’” such as pig ears are from a local farm in the Portland area. We test a lot of these products on our Chocolate Lab, and make sure these are items that we would buy if we were the customers. We value our customers and the fact that they often support us every time they come to town, so we try to keep our prices as fair as possible and are constantly trying to find new products. Fun fact: the Cannon Beach Gazette wrote an article about my dog collar business back in 2008 because my first customer was Puppy Love! They bought $225 worth of my dog collars, which was enough for me to buy a dog from the Humane Society. So it’s kind of funny how it came full circle; Puppy Love was my first customer, and now I own the store (The Reed Family - Owners) Four Paws on the Beach When seeking out treats, toys, food, apparel, or just about anything for your pups and kitties, you’ll find high quality at Four Paws on the Beach. You feel the passion this boutique has for our furry companions as you walk through their doors on Hemlock Street across from The Coaster
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HEVEN, Page 3
Planning Commission hears wetlands protection advances Will Chappell
C
Gazette Reporter
annon Beach’s planning commission was given a presentation on advances in wetlands protection on January 26, in preparation for updates to the city’s wetlands ordinance. Cameron La Follette of the Oregon Coast Alliance told the commissioners that Cannon Beach was already in a good position vis a vis wetlands, but that updates were needed. The city’s current wetlands protection ordinance was passed in 1993. At that time, the city developed an inventory of available wetlands and created a wetland overlay map. Cannon Beach’s ordinance does not allow building in wetlands or a five-foot buffer zone around them. That size of buffer was standard when Cannon Beach’s ordinance was passed, but over the intervening thirty years has become outdated. La Follette said that while five feet was an inadequate buffer, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating wetland-protecting rules. A member of a working group who has been looking at the wetlands ordinance said that they planned to recommend a 50-foot buffer. Wetlands preservation is complicated by several factors, chief among which is divergence in state and federal policy. The state’s wetlands management program is overseen by the Oregon Department of State Lands while the Army Corps of Engineers oversees the federal program. State law lets cities allow developers to mitigate wetlands damage with in lieu mitigation projects at another site, federal law does not, forcing developers to mitigate on their property. Oregon law also does not require wetlands protection, leaving the choice to localities. In addition to hearing the wetlands presentation, the commission also approved a parking variance for the Cannon Beach Elementary School rejuvenation project. The commission waived the 31spot requirement, allowing the project to rely on seven on-street parking spots in front of the school. A representative from CIDA, the firm leading the project, said that building the code-required parking would not be compatible with the project’s goals. The future site will not only provide an event venue in the renovated school, but also preserve and share the history of the native village that previously sat on the site. The CIDA representative said that adding a parking lot would disturb culturally and historically significant artifacts and fundamentally change the character of the site. The variance passed by a vote of 5-2, with Commissioners Erik Ostrander and Dorian Farrow voting nay. Please send any comments to headlightreporter@countrymedia. net.