Penny For Your Thoughts

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS… It’s good for Squid’s career as a columnist that Squid is translucent. It makes it easy for Squid to observe public meetings without being noticed and without making Squid’s opinion obvious (until it appears in this column).

So Squid’s colleague was surprised to receive an email questionnaire from Davies Public Affairs with 12 questions as part of a media audit, wanting to know on behalf of an unidentified client, “Which angles tend to resonate most with your readers when covering school investments or improvements?” and “Have you covered or noticed interest in controversies or challenges related to school infrastructure projects?”

Squid and Squid’s colleagues normally do the asking, but considered responding just to be nice. Only hitch: A response would generate a $50 Amazon e-gift card. Squid’s code of ethics, which clearly states, “Refuse gifts, favors, fees… ”

Squid’s colleague responded to Davies (which has offices in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.) to point that out and also ask who the unnamed client was, and heard nothing back. Maybe it’s because Squid didn’t offer $50 for the info? That’s also against Squid’s policy, so for now, Squid will just keep sniffing around to find out who the firm is consulting for.

SAFE OR OUT… When baseball season rolls around, Squid enjoys oozing over to Sollecito Ballpark to take in a Monterey Amberjacks game. There is suspense in the late innings of a close game. But now the Pecos League and City of Monterey’s Parks & Recreation Department has found a way to bring that same level of drama to the off-season.

Early in January, league owner Andrew Dunn took to social media to announce the Amberjacks would not return for the 2026 season. But the message came as a surprise to city officials. “We were in the dark,” Recreation Manager Shannon Leon tells Squid’s colleague. “We didn’t hear anything.” Dunn told Squid’s colleague a similar story, claiming that after a brief interaction with the city in November, “I’ve never heard from them since.”

On Jan. 21, Dunn reached out by phone to Recreation Supervisor Nate Cota. Shortly after the call, he again posted to social media, telling fans that he planned to bring the team back to Monterey. And once again, there was dismay at Parks & Rec: “It’s news to us,” Leon says.

The problem, it seems, is that the city is waiting for a proposal on paper to present to the parks board and then the City Council for approval; the Amberjacks played 2025 on a one-year agreement that has since expired. Until that happens, the team is in limbo.

Squid hopes the Amberjacks return. Squid plans to try out for third base. With 10 gloves (that’s eight tentacles, two tentacles), nothing will get by.