APPLES AND ORANGES… Squid is a biased mollusk when it comes to farmers markets. They connect shoppers with farmers, keep money and food local, create healthier communities and enliven city centers. Dissing farmers markets is like pooh-poohing puppies – which may explain why members of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Improvement District won’t come right out and say they want to run the Everyone’s Harvest market out of town. But they do want to run it off Lighthouse Avenue; a vocal minority of downtown merchants say the market hurts Monday night sales. After some bizarre back-and-forth with Chamber prez Moe Ammar, market organizer Iris Peppard and her board recently agreed that if, after a public hearing, the City Council wants to move the market to Central and Grand avenues, they’ll go – for a few small concessions on the city’s part. They considered a compromise May 5 (conveniently, resigning Councilwoman and market supporter Deborah Lindsay’s last meeting). If the council gives the green light, the move will then have to clear the Planning Commission. But as the debate drags on, it strikes Squid as not so odd that those who want the market moved also tend to be those who heckled the city’s quickly disappearing progressive leaders – Lindsay, former mayor Dan Cort, and fellow council-quitter Vicki Stilwell. Dissent is fine; Squid just wishes they didn’t take it out on the arugula.

BEAN BAN… After recently declaring her intent to run for Salinas mayor, Margaret Serna-Bonetti’s campaign got a caffeinated jolt when Cherry Bean Coffeehouse on Monday, May 3 apparently kicked her out – for good. According to one of the café’s owners, Serna-Bonetti was already on their watch list. “She verbally browbeats my staff to get what she wants,” the owner says. “She has come flat out and called staff members liars at the top of her lungs.” On Monday Serna-Bonetti asked for a change to her order after already paying for it and told off a barista, the owner says. When the Bean told her to take her business elsewhere, Serna-Bonetti said she’d call the cops. Police showed up and the owner got a no trespassing order against her. Serna-Bonetti, who in November lost her seat on the Salinas Union High School District board, says she’d rather discuss real issues like graduation rates than chisme (gossip). Hmmm… Squid didn’t think it was possible to get 86’d from a loiterer-friendly café where you can surf the web all day for free sipping the same cup of joe.