SQUID FRY 03.23.17: Short Term, Long Road…

SHORT TERM, LONG ROAD… Squid is pretty good at being patient. For example, Squid likes watching TV series like Big Little Lies as they debut on HBO, before it’s possible to binge-watch and Squid actually has to wait a week between episodes. But one area where Squid’s patience has already frayed: the county’s effort to regulate short-term rentals done through websites like Airbnb.

For a while, it seemed the Board of Supervisors was delaying a decision until after the June 2016 election, when now-Supervisor Mary Adams ousted Dave Potter. Years into discussing the divisive issue, the county Planning Commission was finally set to hear the matter March 29. But because Highway 1 is impassable, a change of plans: “Staff will be recommending continuing the hearing to a date uncertain,” Planning Commission Secretary Jacqueline Onciano announced March 20.

Some cephalopods have a lifespan of eight years. At this rate, Squid’s not sure Squid will be around for a resolution.

WAVING THE YELLOW FLAG… Squid commiserates with Pagrovians decrying invasive yellow oxalis overtaking the city’s prized “Magic Carpet,” made mostly of iceplant – another invasive – that lines Ocean View Boulevard and the Rec Trail. From early April to late May, the iceplant blooms into a riotous pink. It’s the subject of postcards and a Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce YouTube video.

As numerous complaints made their way to City Hall about the yellow invasion, City Manager Ben Harvey dispatched a crew of city workers for intensive weeding. At a March 15 City Council meeting, Harvey explained that weeding out oxalis’ bulbous tubers is probably impossible. With a potentially expensive – and recurring – weeding expense on the city’s hands, Harvey made a suggestion: Since the oxalis blooms ahead of the iceplant, call it the “Yellow carpet followed by the Magic Carpet.” That sounds to Squid like one weird ride.

SITTING ROCK… Squid, ever a fan of drama, got Squid’s tentacles in a bunch upon hearing that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management was meeting in Salinas March 16 about the possibility of opening up federal land on the Central Coast to oil development. One supporter of Measure Z – the 2016 ballot measure that bans fracking in the county – told Squid’s colleague that the issue might even become Monterey County’s own version of Standing Rock. Yeah, not so much.

The March 16 meeting was unrelated to any actions taken by the Trump administration, and was part of an environmental review process that began in 2013. As for the odds that leases would be sought on federal lands in Monterey County outside of existing oilfields, BLM’s Sky Murphy says there’s a “less-than 5-percent” chance.