Air Flow

AIR FLOW… Opinions are divided in Squid’s neighborhood about offshore wind energy. Will it harm wildlife and the fishing industry? Or will its benefits save wildlife and fish in the long run?

Some people are much clearer in their views. That includes people like Steve Black of Colorado-based Steve Black Strategies, Inc. He registered in California as a lobbyist to represent Castle Wind LLC, which envisions a 1,000-megawatt offshore wind farm.

In his work for Castle Wind, Black met Dawn Addis, who ran twice for the California State Assembly, and in 2022, won a seat representing District 30. Back in 2019, Black made a campaign contribution of $250 to Addis’ first (unsuccessful) bid for state office.

The problem: There’s a hard ban in California on lobbyists donating to political campaigns.

The California Fair Political Practices Commission started an investigation back in 2020, and found that both parties claimed they didn’t realize this was a no-no. “Neither I nor the candidate who solicited the contribution was aware of the ban. I regret the error,” Black wrote to the FPPC. Addis told FPPC officials she was similarly unaware. Once the FPPC started asking, she returned the cash.

All of this is mostly water under the bridge (err, turbine?) at this point, three years later. The FPPC proposes a $2,500 penalty that commissioners are set to vote on when they meet on Aug. 17. Think of it as a fee for learning a basic rule. Squid hopes they’ve learned it.

PITY THAT… Squid is no Swiftie, but Squid’s tween octopus neighbor is a Taylor Swift devotee, so a lot of Swift’s greatest hits have been playing lately, including “Cruel Summer,” which includes, “Killing me slow, out the window, I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below.” It reminds Squid of the situation billionaire developer Patrice Pastor of Monaco is in, waiting a few cruel summers in Carmel, hoping Carmelites will finally catch on to his proposal to rid the city of a lot known as “The Pit,” replacing it with a 22,400-square-foot, mixed-use building named Ulrika Plaza. His design plans have been rejected multiple times by the Carmel Planning Commission since 2021.

The giant hole in the ground where a former developer began a project then ran out of funding was snatched up by Pastor for $9 million in 2020. He set about creating his own plans, only no one liked his design aesthetic – in 2021 one former planning commissioner referred to one version as “ticky tacky.”

Pastor was back before the commission on Aug. 9 (after the Weekly’s deadline) with new plans that, in Squid’s estimation, look better than earlier ones. Perhaps commissioners will be enchanted, or Pastor will face another cruel summer. If he does, Squid hopes Pastor will be able to shake it off.