NOVEMBER CALLING… The general election is still nine months away, but even as Squid enjoys hunkering down with a bowl of well-buttered, shrimp-flavored popcorn and a good GOP debate on TV, Squid is starting to become increasingly entranced by the antics in our local political scene. 


Cuddly Hero of the Masses Dennis Donohue shocked the hell out of the Lettuce Capital of the World by announcing last Friday he wouldn’t seek a fourth term as Salinas mayor. Councilmembers evidently didn’t know the announcement was coming: Pistol-packin’ mama Gloria de la Rosa cried, bound-for-glory Supervisor candidate Sergio Sanchez clutched his chest, and Kimbley Craig and Steve McShane wrapped themselves around cement gazillionaire/political shot-caller Don Chapin’s leg, screaming, “Pick me, pick me!” 


Squid kids about that last part. But what Squid does know is this: Perennial candidate Margaret Serna-Bonetti received a call just after Donohue’s announcement from someone representing a group interested in seeing her run. Kathryn Ramirez, who as a Salinas Union High School board member called the cops after Serna-Bonetti hip-checked her at a meeting, has formed an exploratory committee and is mulling a shot as well. With the delicious idea of those two going head-to-head in play, Squid’s offering a round of shrimp popcorn for everyone. Ag businessman Donohue, meanwhile, says he’ll steer clear of the fray for now and concentrate on convincing people that radicchio is more than a salad afterthought. 


HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED… Even antisocial Squid gets goosebumps at star-studded parties. So Squid was surprised to see the Monterey County Water Resources Agency board recoil when Supervisor Dave Potter extended an invitation to join him (and every other local water-related agency) in co-hosting a public forum. 


Call it the Salinas River Dance, in which MCWRA board members discuss their scarred pasts without naming former board chair Steve Collins, who went down in a cloud of felony charges partly related to the Regional Desalination Plan debacle. “I don’t want to defame anybody or be mean to people,” board member Ken Ekelund explained. 


Apparently the thought of pulling a Collins by associating with Potter – who’s a subject in an ongoing Fair Political Practices Commission investigation – spooked the board. “I think we should just send them our moral support,” said board member and Soledad Mayor Fred Ledesma. 


Squid agrees: Letting MCWRA officials toss salt over their shoulders is the only association they should ever have with brine.