D.A. Backs Off Cop Case…There will be no criminal charges filed against Seaside Police Officer Barry Pasquarosa, who was accused of stalking Code Enforcement Officer Vanessa Alcaraz. (Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey didn’t ID Pasquarosa, but documents indicate he was the subject of Alcaraz's complaint.) The DA's office couldn’t find evidence that Alcaraz was intentionally threatened, Hulsey said. The city of Seaside is still conducting an internal investigation into the matter, which blew up in mid-August, when SSPD Chief Steve Cercone was put on administrative leave. [KA]

Cedar’s Web…A 75-year-old Carmel Valley resident is suing Monterey mortgage broker Treehouse Mortgage for getting her tied up in a $470,000 investment with Cedar Funding. Margaret Bennett filed suit Oct. 5 alleging Treehouse’s Heidi Daunt advised her to borrow $600,000 from Washington Mutual and falsely stated Bennett’s income in a “liar loan.” With Bennett’s investment now tied up in bankruptcy court and the principal on the loan due, the elderly woman could lose her home, according to the lawsuit. [ZS]

Salinas Shootout…About an hour after an Oct. 8 gang prevention meeting in East Salinas, a 24-year-old man was shot twice on the 1200 block of Del Monte Avenue. According to Salinas police, the man was walking to his car when a suspect asked him if he "banged." The suspect fired five rounds at the victim, hitting in his thigh and giving him a grazing wound to his back, police said. The shooting came in the wake of a forum hosted by the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace. [ZS]

Tanks and Praises…In the month of Monterey Bay Aquarium's 25th anniversary, two more pieces of good news have surfaced: $1.4 million in MBA grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to educate the public about how climate change is affecting the oceans, and a successful piece of legislation to develop an eco-seafood label. On Oct. 11 Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 1217, introduced by Assemblyman Bill Monning (D-Monterey) and sponsored by MBA. The bill creates a framework to create and implement a certification program for sustainable California seafood.  [KA]

NOAA Says No…Score another point for opponents to oil drilling. In an early September letter to Interior Department officials, NOAA marine scientists recommend creating buffer zones around the Southern California Ecological Preserve off the Santa Barbara Coast and putting more weight on the impact oil drilling could have on marine life, according to an Oct. 12 L.A. Times article. A deal to drill in state waters off Santa Barbara was included in a July version of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed state budget, but was ultimately removed by the Assembly. [KA]