UNLIKELY ALLIES… Squid never thought Squid would see the day that Al and Tipper Gore split up. (After all those photogenic campaign make-out sessions!) But an even bigger shocker is the sudden public display of affection between Cal Am and Citizens for Public Water. Just as the Gores call off their 40-year marriage, CPW is announcing it will sign onto the Regional Desalination Project, which bails out Cal Am for overpumping the Carmel River but puts ownership of the gazillion-dollar desal plant in the hands of Marina Coast Water District. CPW had been opposed to the water purchase agreements these past two months, partly because of the wide range of cost estimates ($250 million to triple that amount, to be picked up by Cal Am ratepayers). The most important thing, CPW founder George Riley tells Squid, is that the desal project will be publicly owned, and he’s convinced that means a lower cost than if Cal Am went about it alone. And besides, it’ll be easier for the irascible Riley to tweak the agreements from within – like twisting Cal Am’s nipple while smooching for the cameras.

LOVE’S ABLAZE… In other unusual political developments, Alan Perlmutter posted a pre-election message on the WildBigSur e-mail list, inviting locals to a June 1 meet-and-greet with Mike Kanalakis at the Coast Gallery: “Although there have been some ill feelings toward [Kanalakis] in the past, I think this would be an ideal opportunity for folks who have not met him to talk with him.” Squid’s all for kissing and making up with the maybe-inevitable triple-termer – there was no love lost between the sheriff and Big Sur folks after the martial-law-like moments of the summer 2008 fires – but this love affair could be just as hazy.

BIG MAC ATTACK… Squid is just a mollusk living in a McDonald’s world – Squid didn’t decide to learn by heart “two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” or to like their fries. It simply happened. But Squid does have a choice on where to spend Squid’s dollars, and those clams go to wholly locally owned eateries. This principle made Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce’s newsletter a little nauseating, though not nearly as much as fact that Mickey D’s once cooked its French fries in a mixture of 7 percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow. (They’ve since substituted engineered beef flavoring.) “Our June ‘Lunch Local’ will be held at McDonald’s,” it reads. “Help support our local businesses!” Forgive Squid if Squid doesn’t think patronizing the 47 million-customers-a-day super-sized corporation – with stores in more than 120 countries – feels like the best way to celebrate local lunching.