Dress Down

DRESS DOWN… Squid knows that the sea is a dog-eat-dog world, or rather, a shark-eat-fish-eat-chum world. Squid is somewhat of an anomaly among sea creatures, having learned early on not to punch something that can’t fight back.

Not everyone on land thinks the same, though. In Salinas, home security footage that went viral shows a woman jogging by a display of Halloween decorations, only to jog back and punch an innocent witch figure to the ground. The woman goes on her way, only to come back seconds later and punch two other witches to the ground. She returns later to do the same thing.

Squid’s colleague reached out to Salinas Police to see if officers know what beef this woman has with witchy decorations. No idea, but Sgt. Zachary Dunagan adds that police haven’t received any similar reports this Halloween season. “We get decoration thefts all the time, but not decoration boxing matches,” he says.

Police found the woman and warned her to stay off the property, Dunagan says, with the homeowner declining to press charges.

Squid will put on Squid’s best costume as a sea monster to go out trick-or-treating for shrimp-flavored treats this Halloween, and hopes there are no fists raised along the way.

SHUT OUT… Speaking of Halloween candy, Squid’s least favorite is Airheads White Taffy Mystery. Squid demands full disclosure on the package to know what Squid is getting into. In Pacific Grove, the City Council is being as mysterious as that white taffy when it comes to appointing a new city attorney to replace Brian Pierik, who announced in August that he was stepping down. (Pierik, of Camarillo-based Burke, Williams & Sorenson LLP, remains the attorney for neighboring Carmel.)

There was no mention of a replacement on council agendas until Oct. 15, when that agenda included a closed session item regarding the “discussion of appointment process.” Squid found that problematic, since the state code referenced protects discussions of actual appointments, not discussions how the process will work.

Next a “special meeting” was announced for noon on Tuesday, Oct. 28 with a single agenda item: “Public Employee Appointment” regarding a city attorney. Squid attempted to dial into the Zoom meeting, only to find out the meeting was a closed session. Squid’s colleague reached out to City Clerk Sandra Kandell, who said city code only requires noting if a meeting is “special,” not “closed.”

As of Squid’s deadline there was no word if the council selected an attorney yet and if so, what process was used. Just like those mystery Airheads, Squid believes the wrapper on government workings should be clear about what’s going on inside.