Dead On Arrival

DEAD ON ARRIVAL… As a cephalopod columnist, Squid is all too familiar with the phrase “stop the presses.” Squid has an endless supply of ink, so it wouldn’t be a crisis if something needed to be reprinted.

But Squid realizes humans aren’t so fortunate, and it costs time and money to roll the presses, so they better make sure all’s good before the ink hits the paper. Marina resident John DiCarlo, however, called for the Monterey County Elections Department to stop the press – after the ink already dried.

On July 15, the Marina City Council finalized the language for Measure Q, a 7-percent utility users tax on the November ballot. On Sept. 1, DiCarlo filed a petition in Monterey County Superior Court, arguing that the ballot question was misleading.

Measure Q is a general fund tax, meaning it can be used for any city purpose. The measure, and the fliers promoting it, calls it a “911 Emergency, Public Safety and Community Services Measure.” DiCarlo argues it needs to be changed to strictly “City of Marina 7% Utility Users Tax Measure.”

Marina City Attorney René Ortega says the last day for someone to file a timely lawsuit requesting a change was July 27. “Both legally and practically, it is too late for the Council to make any changes to the ballot question,” he says.

Judge Ian Rivamonte agreed, denying DiCarlo’s petition on Sept. 8.

Squid knows deadlines exist for a reason. DiCarlo learned that lesson in the courtroom.

BUZZ OFF… Besides that ever-replenishing ink supply, Squid thinks cephalopods enjoy many advantages compared to their human counterparts, including statocysts instead of ears. Humans are so sensitive to so many sounds at so many frequencies. And that was true at the Monterey Jazz Festival Sept. 25-27 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, where dozens of acts played a lot of fabulous music.

There was also the persistent sound of commercial and private aircraft overhead thanks to the nearby Monterey Regional Airport, and a flight path that went directly over the main stage. Add to the mix the jets participating in the California International Airshow Salinas, held on the same weekend.

But most people seemed to be talking about something else: a drone hovering over the main stage on Friday night. Some angry audience members made their way straight to MJF Managing Director Bobbie Young, who assured them it was some kind of rogue pest – nobody affiliated with the festival would fly such a big, loud drone so obnoxiously close to the stage.

A few hours later, Young had an update for Squid’s colleague: It was indeed their own marketing team, perhaps gathering footage of a crowd covering their ears to block the buzz – not the best marketing material.