Look Away

LOOK AWAY… With high-definition, camera-quality vision, Squid sees everything: the plankton, the drifters and swimmers. But something else recently caught Squid’s eye: a Facebook post by Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church. Squid learned he too, has excellent vision, but perhaps it is more of a curse than a blessing. “Many of you are probably as irritated as I am with the unsightly white poles with the orange tops that have popped up on North County roads,” Church wrote on July 13.

The poles mark fiber-optic lines that are part of the state’s Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, a $3.25 billion project launched in 2021 that aims to build a 10,000-mile, open-access public network acting as a digital highway, helping internet service providers connect underserved regions.

Church said his office has been fielding many complaints about the poles, which he described as “distinctly non-rural.” (No word on whether constituents also complain about lack of reliable internet.)

There are 151 miles of these lines being installed throughout Monterey County, leading Church to ask Public Works officials if the markers could be changed or removed. Although counties and cities have little influence, Church says he’ll keep pushing to limit the poles. Squid expects to see more complaints about them get posted on social media once everyone gets online.

PARADISE LOST… That Carmelites feel overwhelmed by tourists is nothing new, but a recent poll Squid came across shows that there are locations that are a lot crankier.

Out of 150 towns listed in a seasonal tourism study, “Pressure in Paradise,” commissioned by AMFM, a mental health treatment company, Carmel doesn’t crack the top 10, coming in at #18. Charleston, South Carolina is #1, followed by Destin, Florida and Hanalei, Hawaii. Carmel places ahead of South Lake Tahoe (#29) and Solvang (#59), the only three California cities on the entire list.

More than 6 in 10 residents overall said “they feel crowded out of their own town at least sometimes during peak season, while 46 percent said they have felt burned out by living somewhere other people visit for vacation,” according to the study.

Researchers found that traffic congestion was the biggest tourism-related pressure. Driving badly or ignoring local road rules was one of the most annoying visitor behaviors, followed by leaving trash behind and visitors acting as if the town is only for them. (Squid gets it – when the sardines swim through in big schools, Squid just blends in.)

Squid searched for solutions offered by the study, but found none. The clue might be in the company that commissioned the study, with over a dozen mental health treatment centers in California – there’s always therapy.