Slow Track

SLOW TRACK… Squid plans to ooze over to the Laguna Seca Recreation Area this weekend to watch some IndyCar action on the racetrack (see story, p. 36).

The cars might be fast, but the transition of this county-owned facility to new management is not. In July 2023, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors enthusiastically voted for a new agreement, approving a contract with nonprofit Friends of Laguna Seca to run the track for up to 55 years, if certain conditions were met. But Friends missed the first set of conditions, which were originally expected to take effect before the contract would kick in on Jan. 1, 2024. The deadline was extended to July 1, which is getting closer and still – the concessionaire has yet to show the $6 million required for the transition to take effect. “We still have faith they’re going to come through, we just don’t know at this time if the July 1 date is going to be hit,” says County Parks Chief Bryan Flores. “It’s still kind of a wait-and-see. Now it’s just waiting on the money.”

Meanwhile, it’s business as usual at the track, and the transition is on hold.

(NOT) ALL ABOARD… Squid was surprised to receive a perfectly pleasant press release on June 11 from Monterey-Salinas Transit, announcing new board leadership, with Mary Ann Carbone as chair and Lorraine Worthy as vice-chair. “The announcement was made at MST’s monthly Board of Directors meeting on June 10,” the press release said.

Squid would use a phrase more like “internecine battle” than “announcement” to describe the conversation on June 10. Outgoing chair Anna Velazquez had convened a subcommittee with Worthy and Kim Shirley to recommend nominees. While convention would have had them recommend simply moving Carbone from the vice chair role into the chair position, they voiced concern about what her dual role as Sand City mayor would mean for the future of MST’s SURF! Busway project – what if conflicts meant she would have to recuse? Instead, they nominated Jeff Baron of Carmel for the chairperson position for two years.

“I was just blown away at how you tried to justify that. I just feel it’s very disrespectful,” said Mike LeBarre, who instead supported the Carbone-Worthy team. Luis Alejo piled on to tell the nominating committee, “I not only find it disrespectful to try to snub her. I also think it’s discriminatory,” citing her Indigenous heritage. (No mention of the fact that Baron is gay, but Squid is not here for the oppression olympics, just the political antics.)

The board eventually voted 7-5 to appoint Carbone as chair. Ed Smith attempted a kumbaya moment (“the spirit is we are a team”) but the bus had already left the station.