Monterey Downs implosion
The year 2016 was full of political surprises, the local level included. Developer Brian Boudreau had been shepherding a proposed equestrian-themed mega-development through the approval process in Seaside for six years, and with the project finally on the brink of approval, Seaside voters elected anti-Downs candidate Kayla Jones to City Council. Before she was even sworn in, Boudreau appeared to see the writing on the wall: With a promised citizen-led initiative to get a ballot measure to overturn the project, plus two lawsuits aiming to block it, he knew the split council would shift from 3-2 in support of his project to 3-2 against it, so he withdrew the proposal and quietly rode out of town.