A little tremor of fear ran through Squid’s tentacles while eating a shrimp-and-spinach salad recently at the thought of a hypothetical worst-case scenario: What would Squid do should an earthquake shake up the spinach fields of the Salinas Valley, making it impossible for Squid to incorporate greens into an otherwise all-protein diet?

That’s where Squid (and the local ag industry), should feel lucky former Salinas Mayor and former Assemblywoman Anna Caballero serves as secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency. Caballero stopped in to munch on artichoke hearts and strawberries at the Grower-Shipper Association in Salinas last week to brainstorm ways to help ag keep harvesting in the event of an earthquake.

Felt to Squid a little bit like legit earthquake preparedness, a bit like the earliest phase of a 2014 campaign. Considering North County Fire Protection District Chief Chris Orman is reportedly already meeting with enviros and business interests looking for early endorsements in his plans to take over County Supervisor Lou Calcagno’s North County seat, Caballero might as well get started if she’s going to run, too.

That’s right, she’s mulling over a run for supes. When Gov. Jerry Brown’s reorg takes effect on July 1, Caballero might be out of a job.

“I’m waiting to find out what the governor has in mind for me,” Caballero tells Squid. “I love doing what I’m doing.”

The governor’s “done exactly what’s needed to be done. I’d like to be a part of that success,” Caballero says. But if there’s no obvious spot for her, she might resume the berry and ’choke cocktail hour routine.

No better place to tell the media about your tentative plans to run for public office than at an emergency preparedness event. Caballero’s public service announcement: It’s important to update the dusty stocks of water and canned food that’s been stashed in the garage since the ’70s. Her old stockpile, she says, had gotten bloated and corroded.

The moral of the story being, perhaps, that a few tweaks can give a former politician new life.