Second Strike

SECOND STRIKE… Squid knows that sequels always bring mixed feelings. Was it better or worse than the original? In the case of a recall attempt to remove Andrew Sandoval from his position representing District 5 on Salinas City Council, the first episode was a bust. The original proponent, Tyler Burrola, tells Squid’s colleague via email that his effort is kaput: “I have ended all involvement with the recall and am unaware of any ongoing efforts.”

But Squid is getting ready with a big bucket of shrimp-flavored popcorn for a sequel, because a group of Big Ag companies including Taylor Farms, Tanimura & Antle and Premium Packing donated $69,500 combined to Citizens Supporting the Recall of Andrew Sandoval in 2024, according to the latest campaign finance forms. It makes Squid think they are just gearing up for the sequel. (As of Feb. 14, there is no second attempt yet underway; Salinas City Clerk Patricia Barajas says nobody has filed a fresh recall petition at City Hall.)

Meanwhile, Sandoval is working on his own follow-up with TikTok videos mocking the big bucks. He buys the company’s salad mix for his kids, he says, with a tone of fake disbelief: “Oh, no! I’m paying for my own recall!” Given that Taylor Farms has so far given $49,000 to the cause, that’s a lot of lettuce.

SAFETY SIXTH… Squid has been checking out some new businesses lately, including Monterey’s first cannabis dispensary, which opened nine years after California voters legalized it. It’s far easier to open a gun shop. Just last week, Squid wrote about it, set to open in Monterey’s Oak Grove neighborhood, a quiet residential area with a few spots zoned for commercial use.

Upon discovering that the shop was set to open, local residents aired their concerns to the Monterey City Council, arguing such a use was incompatible with a sleepy residential neighborhood. But the die had already been cast – the city granted L&B its business license late last year – and Squid wrote of the residents’ efforts, “Resistance is futile.” It turns out, Squid was at least partly wrong about that: On Feb. 18, after Squid’s deadline, council considered an urgency ordinance to temporarily put a hold on licensing new retail businesses that sell firearms and/or ammunition – L&B brings the total in the city to five – while staff reexamines the city’s zoning codes to prevent “a proliferation of firearm business locations in the City without regard to the appropriateness of their location.”

Considering that Monterey Police seized 20 firearms from a convicted felon on Feb. 12, which they discovered while investigating an unrelated crime involving an e-motorcycle chase, suggests this ordinance is long overdue. But hey – at least cannabis is finally allowed.