Squid speaks on extravagant Napster nuptials in Big Sur.
Napster Getting Married…Squid has eagerly been awaiting Squid’s invite to the Big Sur wedding of the year—nay, make that the Big Sur wedding of the century—one that will undoubtedly eclipse Anne Hathaway’s (at a private ...
The Beak That Speaks
ALL THE MAYOR’S HORSES… When Squid tires of the C-SPAN static, Squid turns for entertainment to tabloid rumors of Beyonce’s latest pregnancy, or little-watched local agencies and their political shenanigans. Squid recently tuned in to ...
Extra Helping of Squid — 5-13-13
Prunedale residents say 'Blood Alley' section of Highway 101 made more dangerous by confusing signage.
GPS for the PIP…Squid can sometimes be slow at adopting new technologies. Squid still uses a mortar and pestle, a flip phone and envelopes you have to lick to close. And Squid still prefers old-school ...
$7,030.16: amount of non-city money that has sat in the city of Seaside’s treasury for more than three years.
HUMMUS RUCKUS… Squid was chagrined when, after oozing over to Carmel for a little mid-week baba ghanouj, Squid found Squid’s favorite Middle Eastern joint had been closed. As in, do-not-enter-under-threat-of-court-order closed. Dametra Cafe found itself ...
Extra Helping of Squid 5-6-13
Pacific Grove harbor seal pups are cute and controversial
Seal Wars…It’s getting hot on the beaches of Pacific Grove. And Squid’s not talking about the summery weather last weekend, but the whiskered menace at Lovers Point Beach: a dreaded mama harbor seal and her ...
SQUID FRY 05.02.13 - Bite of the Apple…
$209 Mil: Total cost of the Prunedale Improvement Project, which will eliminate left turns across 9 miles of Highway 101.
BITE OF THE APPLE… Squid’s preference is for deep, dark places far from the sun. But this time of year, even Squid can’t resist the taste of a fresh, garden-grown strawberry. So do policy and ...
Extra Helping of Squid 4.29.13
The loss of a Salinas cupcake shop leaves a bitter taste in Squid's beak.
FEED THE NEED…Squid spent the weekend holed up in the lair, shaken and shaking. The shaken part came because the New York Times food section had not one, but two stories on cooking Squid—“Cooking Squid ...
360: Number of good air-quality days in the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District in 2012.
WAR OF THE PATTIES… Squid likes Squid’s burgers like Squid likes Squid’s politics: messy. But Squid’s sad to see Phat Burger in Seaside dealing with both. Seems landlord Yaghoob Hakim Baba isn’t renewing the lease, ...
Extra Helping of Squid 4.22.13
Extra Helping of Squid 4.22.13
Need an Intervention…In theory, the California Public Utilities Commission has a good rule about letting the little guys weigh in on heavy stuff like the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project—aka Cal Am’s $400-million boondoggle. The ...
Squid Speaks
BAD APPLE… Squid fantasizes about ultra-trendy Apple products, especially when Squid’s tentacles are tangled up in the old landline. Gadgetry isn’t what’s usually on Squid’s mind, though, when Squid finds Squidself drunk-dialing. That’s precisely the ...
Extra Helping of Squid — 4.15.13
NPS cracks down on peacocks due to vandalism, noise pollution.
Silence of the Peacocks…Squid generally prefers shrimp-watching to birdwatching, but has learned to take delight in recognizing one particular bird call. It’s a an unmistakably loud, piercing shriek that a peacock makes, one that Squid ...
Extra Helping of Squid 4.8.13
Squid clarifies KSBW's questionable posting policy.
CLIP JOB…Squid takes great pleasure in getting along with all types of species. In Squid’s underwater lair alone, you’ll find a clean litter box for Squid’s cat, an aloof Abyssinian named Ms. Ganglion; a sweet ...
7: Monterey County’s rank among CA's 58 counties for the lowest age-adjusted death rate; 590.4 deaths/100,000 people.
SET IT ON FIRE… Suddenly Sunday night is Squid’s big night out. Traditionally the night was reserved for lonely TV dinners, maybe a little stolen Internet from the neighbors to watch Paula Deen YouTubes. But ...
Extra Helping of Squid 4.1.13
Jose Castañeda finally resigns—from everything!
ALISAL EXTRATERRESTRIAL…Salinas City Councilman/Alisal School District member Jose Castañeda has been under fire for holding both offices ever since he was elected to City Council in November. The situation has gotten so out of hand, ...
57: Number of nonprofit groups that applied to sell fireworks at stands within the city of Salinas for Independence Day.
LEADERLESS RESISTANCE… Squid gets the old tentacles tangled up with Squidself all the time doing the simplest things – opening the jar of pickled herring, signing restraining orders, blah blah blah – so Squid can ...
Extra Helping of Squid 3.25.13
Squid's not-so-close encounter of the Short kind.
One of Squid's biggest dreams is to do the Three Amigos dance with one of the amigos. You know: Cross chest one-two, hands on hip one-two, turn head, pelvic thrust. Uh! OK, Squid's only dream ...
3.5 Cents: Increase of the gas excise tax, effective July 1, bringing the total to 39.5 cents per gallon.
SCRUB A CLUB… When Squid gets an itch to dance, it can be a challenge to contain all that tentacle energy. Ever since downtown Monterey lost its best venues for late-night grooving, Hippodrome and Luxe ...
Mariscos Puerto Nuevo
3022 Dela Rosa Sr. St. Suite H, Soledad 678-9234 Aside from superb standards like al pastor tacos, shredded beef tortas and super fresh guacamole, Puerto Nuevo lists an impressive amount of seafood dishes befitting its ...
Squidspeak, Spoken Here
POLICING ONE SQUARE MILE… On a recent stroll down Carmel’s Ocean Avenue, Squid discovered the quaint street just crawling with cops. Even though the bulk of Carmel police responses are to traffic violations, the PD ...
18,900: Monterey County children previously enrolled in the Healthy Families program who were moved to Medi-Cal, paying lower provider rates.
GRAPE CRUSH… Squid meets Squid’s fair share of gadflies, wonks and scary people, and has honed a pretty good radar for wackos. But the Squiddy Sense went out the window when winemaker Dan Tudor, who ...
Extra Helping of Squid 3.4.13
Squid explains The Taylor Effect.
Taylor Made…Squid oozed behind the lettuce curtain and over to Salinas last Friday for a little indulgence in the city’s First Friday Artwalk. Things were hopping, at least in certain limited circles: First Friday founder ...
2: Number of plastic bags picked up from Monterey city beaches in 2012, after a citywide plastic bag ban took effect.
POWER OF THE PEN… Squid gets it: Newspapers can seem kinda retro, but lots of people still care about the press. Including most elected officials, who are generally interested in getting their messages out to ...
Extra Helping of Squid 2.25.13
Squid ponders the vulgarities used against a young Oscar nominee.
SPOOF PROOF…Squid thinks of Oscar night a bit like Catholics think of Easter: It’s a Holy Day of Obligation, one in which guests are invited to attend, but discouraged from talking so as to better ...
1684: Number of returns prepared last year by United Way Monterey County’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
IN ONE EAR… Squid watched in amusement as Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency board members bickered at their Feb. 11 meeting. At issue: whether the Peninsula should get a crack at some of the ...
Squid speaks on the downfall of Monterey News & Views
A MOMENT OF SILENCE… Squid is a creature of habit, accustomed to welcoming each day with a lox-schmeared bagel and a cursory glance at the county’s two daily newspapers. So when The Californian failed to ...
Extra Helping of Squid 2.11.13
Squid speaks on things not to say to your boss.
Drip, Drip…Squid has done some pretty stupid stuff in the course of Squid’s career. There was the time Squid accidentally forwarded a racy photo meant for Squid’s sweetie to Squid's boss, revealing tentacle undersides he ...
61.2%: The increase in childhood poverty in Monterey County from 2008 (15.8 percent) to 2011 (25.5 percent). Senior poverty rose from 7.4 to 7.6 percent.
TIDE TURN… Squid, being an accomplished seafarer, knows a thing or two about ripple effects. You know, plop a big rock into the water and watch the waves. Turns out it doesn’t require water. Last ...
Squid Fry 01.31.13
16,000: Gallons of sauce Papa Murphy’s Pizza uses on Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest day of the year for pizza sales.
OIL AND WATER… The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District has a bestie in Sand City Mayor David Pendergrass, who’s sat on the board almost long enough to legally start drinking on it. Or at least, ...
Extra Helping of Squid 1.28.13
Squid's Senatorial Super Bowl Scoop
The Big Game…Squid loves to gamble. And win: When it comes to horse races of eight or less Squid never loses. One ticket per tentacle insures victory, if not financial gain. U.S. Senators are also ...
$216,000: Total funding for Monterey Skate Park repairs, $40,000 higher than the initial budget.
ROYAL SCOLDING… Over on Ragsdale Drive, Monterey County Herald Editor Royal Calkins wrote an editorial Jan. 17 in which he acknowledged non-journalist Mike Dove (who along with non-journalist Don Buraglio wrote the paper’s “The Running ...
Extra Helping of Squid 1.21.13
Squid raps on Carmel restaurant Lokal's Trip Advisor woes.
Carne-vores…Squid is yearning for the dog days of summer—the time of year Squid lights up the barbie and grills krill-marinated skirt steak whilst sipping Singapore slings—and it can’t come soon enough, because the price of ...
209 Mil: total cost of the Prunedale Improvement Project, which will eliminate left turns across 9 miles of Highway 101. The first interchange, an overpass to Prunedale’s Blackie and Reese roads, open
TEARS OF A CHOWN… Squid can’t believe it’s been almost a whole year since Pacific Grove rich guy Nader Agha launched his vanity paper, Monterey Bay News & Views. From what Squid has seen, Agha ...
Squid Speak, Spoken Here
CATCH AND RELEASE… Squid’s in favor of people eating less calamari; it gives other ocean species a chance to be consumed with lemon and tartar sauce. Still, Squid was sad to see the Salinas Valley ...
Squid Fry 01.03.13
Squid Fry 01.03.13
ZERO DARK… Squid loves the week between Christmas and New Year’s because it allows Squid to hunker down in a dark movie theater, watching movie after movie and making Oscar predictions. While the based-on-reality thriller ...
Squid Speaks
COP WATCH… Squid has a way of behaving that sometimes makes people uncomfortable: sidelong glances one minute, chatty and forward the next. Mostly it’s Squid’s habit of sliding into public meetings and eavesdropping in courthouse ...
Squid speaks on water wars.
HOT WATER… When Squid wants to get away from it all, particularly after an action-packed Salinas City Council meeting, Squid detours down into the deep, where the water is cold and still and pretty much ...
Extra Helping of Squid 12.17.12
The twelve months of Squid-mas.
On the first day of Squidmas, Squid sent to thee…some snarking in a pear tree. One the second day of Squidmas, Squid sent to thee…ah hell. It’s hard, what with all the last minute shopping, ...
Squid Speaks
LABOR’S LOVE LOST… Squid figured it was a lock when ex-Coastal Commissioner Mark Stone recommended Monterey County Supe Jane Parker to his empty spot. But a funny thing happened to Parker on her way to ...
Squid Fry 11.21.12
26 - The number of monitored nesting pairs of bald eagles in Central California, an all-time high thanks to intensive conservation efforts.
TAX MAN… Squid had just barely started recovering from this month’s election frenzy (the outsized Uncle Sam hat was wrapped gently in tissue paper and put back in storage, the piggy bank devoted to the ...
Squid Speaks
MONTEREY UNCORKED… Squid has impeccable party manners and knows that when one is invited to a holiday festivus (and this week, that’s turkey-n-trimmings at Squid’s favorite aunt’s house), one brings a gift. And as Monterey ...
Squid Fry 11.15.12
BOWING OUT… Squid remembers fondly the ritual of high-fiving after losing a Little League game (made more bitter when you have suction cups). If there’s an art to losing gracefully, erstwhile county supervisor candidate Marc ...
Squid speaks on coastal clowns.
Tears of a Clown (Posse)…Squid admits to being a little bit sniffly on election night, wiping tear after tear from Squid’s giant eye as results came in from around the county. A tear of joy ...
10 : Number of American Red Cross Monterey Bay Area Chapter volunteers deployed to the East Coast for Superstorm Sandy disaster relief. Source - American Red Cross.
URINETOWN… Squid’s always known the Peninsula was short on water, but Squid never expected it to get so bad officials would fight over sewage. As the Weekly first reported Oct. 31, the Monterey Regional Water ...
Squid Speaks on District 5 Supe Race
JUMPING THE AISLE…Squid’s been addicted to a few reality TV shows over the years, but then the Romney-Obama race began, and Squid felt a certain civic-minded smugness about spending hours glued to cable television while ...
Squid Fry 11.01.12
168: appx. number of communities in CA that rely on contaminated groundwater. Source: State Water Resources Control Board, Oct. 16 press release
INSTANT GRATIFICATION… A month into Squid’s low-carb diet, Squid is slowly cultivating a thing called patience. It means, for example, passing up Halloween candy to make a Niçoise salad. Squid thinks Seaside Mayor Felix Bachofner ...
Squid Speaks
LETTUCE ENTERTAIN YOU… There’s nothing quite like a late summer Bacchanalia of food, wine and young Republicans at play to make Squid gleeful. And so last weekend Squid put on the finest party regalia (popped-collar ...
4: The number of U.S. states that now require a photo ID to vote, no exceptions. Source: The Office of U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel)
FLIPPY FLOPPY… Ten tentacles aside, Squid’s good at staying focused. Unlike District 5 Supervisor candidate Marc Del Piero, who’s playing multiple identities to different constituencies While incumbent Dave Potter has certainly alienated some fellow dems ...
Squid Fry 10.04.12
Squid Speaks
TEN-HUT… Squid has lots of surprising habits – like skeet shooting and chess-boxing. Another one that catches other creatures off guard: Squid’s penchant for reminding people how central the military is to Monterey County’s economy. ...
Squid Speaks
BRIGHT AS NEON… Squid is the exception to the rule when it comes to big, brutish ocean predators. Many, like the sperm whale, white shark and orca, are mysterious. Scientists hustle to tag and track ...
Squid Fry: Extra Helping 9-24-12
How (Not) to Win Friends…Even flexible Squid isn’t always good at being in multiple places at once, and Squid knows how exhausting the campaign trail can be. But Squid’s not sure why Larry Beaman, president ...
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