06/01/2026
Saturday, May 30th, Carmel-by-the-Sea took an important step forward in emergency preparedness with our inaugural evacuation drill. On behalf of the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department, I want to sincerely thank our community members who participated, provided thoughtful feedback, and trusted us throughout the process. Your input regarding the alert system, communication, traffic flow, and overall experience will help us continue to improve and strengthen our preparedness efforts for the future.
I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of our local and regional partners who courageously stepped into their roles during this drill. From public safety agencies and city staff to transportation, emergency management, CERT, VIPS, and countless supporting organizations — the collaboration and professionalism displayed today was extraordinary. More importantly, we have built partnerships and relationships that will serve this community for decades to come.
A special thank you goes to City Administrator Brandon Swanson and Assistant City Administrator Marisa Bermudez for their unwavering support, leadership, and belief in this effort from the very beginning. I also want to recognize our incredible Public Works team under the leadership of Shari and Rob for the countless behind-the-scenes details they handled to help make this drill a success. Jesse Garibay… we don’t know how you juggled making all of those signs, but THANK YOU as well… I will keep a few in my office during my time here!
And a truly ginormous thank you to Leslie Fenton, whose coordination of the Safety Fair and attention to every intricate detail provided the perfect finishing touch to this entire event. None of this would have been possible without the incredible team at the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department. Sgt. Bruno and Sgt. Clifford organized the behind the scenes plans to ensure the drill was effective.
To our dispatchers, our dedicated Animal Control and Parking Officer Cindi Mitchell, and the men and women of our department who committed countless hours over the past several months — thank you for stepping up and making this vision a reality. Our IT team, Joel and Daniel, you persevered through some real IT challenges and I know we are better today after your hard work!
And finally, to the more than 50 volunteers from our VIPS (under Deanna and Diana) and CERT (under Wanda and Scot) teams: your drive, determination, professionalism, and effectiveness during this drill were inspiring. Carmel-by-the-Sea is stronger and safer because of your service. Prepared Together. Stronger Together.
~ Chief Trayer
