Squid Fry

Last month I reported how Save Monterey!, the folks fighting against the Monterey Coastal Initiative (Measure B), misused the federally protected image of our national legend Smokey the Bear in an effort to scare voters into thinking that petitions act like forest fires--starting with a spark, they easily get out of control.

Well folks, I''m sorry to report that those nice folks fighting for Measure B apparently think that misinformation and scare tactics are now fair game.

Last weekend, Monterey residents received a mailer with the question, "Who Do You Trust to Save Our Coast From the Future?" Clever title. And there''s a cute picture of Colton Hall with one of those thought bubbles coming from the chamber, as if someone inside is speaking. Speaking misinformation, that is:

"QE-2 sized cruise ships docking at a massively expanded Wharf 2," Measure B proponents warn. And "parking lots in Window on the Bay, just like the one constructed, with more on the way."

Now wait a minute, people. The Queen Elizabeth 2 is 963 feet long and can carry 1,810 passengers, with 1,015 crew, all in 963 cabins. Are you telling me that the city officials have plans for that size boat to dock off Wharf 2? Excuse me for asking, but how are those friendly folks at the travel agency going to explain why the ship can''t depart from Monterey? Will they say she''s stuck in the mud?

Even though those honest folks might be telling fish stories, you anti-cruise shippies out there should take note. Several years ago, Councilmember Don Edgren started floating the idea that Monterey would benefit from cruise ships docking here. Edgren believes they offer great economic opportunity, bringing Bermuda-clad, photo-shooting tourists to the great city without the burden of auto traffic.

No offense Don, but I think that''s an awful idea. Good for the T-shirt shops, but who wants to be sipping a margarita at Schooners or El Torito and have their view of the bay blocked by an anchored cruise ship? And while current maritime laws prevent those ships from landing here, my co-worker reported last August that the U.S. Cruise Ship and Tourism Development Act of 1999, introduced by senators John McCain and Dianne Feinstein, would change a century-old law that restricts foreign-flagged ships from traveling between U.S. ports without hitting a foreign port in between.

That would open up the possibility of cruise ships coming to Monterey, theoretically. Whether the city of Monterey will embrace cruise ships dropping anchor locally, however, is another matter. "I don''t think that you should automatically draw as the next conclusion," Monterey City Manager Fred Meurer said last year, "that the city of Monterey is going to get into the cruise ship business big time."

My suggestion? The City Council should put it in writing: We don''t want no stinkin'' cruise ships! That would put a lot of squids at ease.

Now about that new parking lot in Window on the Bay. Barbara Bass Evans, chief muckraker and principal signature gatherer for Measure B, was on the Monterey Planning Commission back in 1990 when it approved a plan that included (you guessed it folks) "better vehicular access," which allowed for the new parking lot. And the record shows that she seconded the motion.

Now, her group is trying to scare us voters into believing that City Hall is and will be shoving parking lots and QE-2s down our throats, without any public (or committee) input. But Babs voted for that blacktop--as our appointed representative! Squid can only squirm.

Which brings me back to the original question, who should we trust on this darn initiative?

Wake me up when it''s finally over: squid@coastweekly.com.

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