Squid takes a dip into water politics with Supervisor John Phillips and the insane Pine Cone posse.

YIPPEE CHIPPY… Squid doesn’t get out to the movies as much as Squid used to. It’s mostly because Squid’s favorite genre, comedy, seems to have fallen out of favor with Hollywood creatives. How else to explain Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2?

So Squid looks for laughs wherever Squid can get them these days, which is often in the editorials of The Carmel Pine Cone. There it was Aug. 7, a whole column – written as an open letter to Car Week visitors titled “Welcome to the most interesting place on earth” – dedicated to poking fun at Carmel’s “lesser known” attributes. Examples: “It is front-page news if seagulls nest on your roof,” and “‘Affordable housing’ is an oxymoron.”

But a certain item caught the attention of Monterey Peninsula Water Management District General Manager Dave Stoldt: “We are spying on you to make sure you don’t drink a glass of water during dinner.”

Stoldt emailed Pine Cone Publisher Paul Miller, chastising him for distorting the truth and “being part of the problem.” Miller’s reply email offered another attempt at humor. “Pine Cone: What’s brown and sticky? A stick. Dave Stoldt: Get your facts straight. Sticks aren’t sticky.” Stoldt’s response? “Whaaaa? Chips aren’t chippy? What?”

Squid hopes for a chippy sequel. It’s like junior high, only with adults.

MUSICAL CHAIRS… Squid can think of plenty of ways grown-ups act like kids. Car Week means full-sized people drive all over town in tiny cars resembling antique toys. Some Salinas adults are holding onto a childhood tradition with a death-grip as they push a ballot initiative to keep fireworks legal in the city.

Grown-ups also play musical chairs, at least at the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. Former board member Silvio Bernardi was appointed by former County Supervisor Lou Calcagno; Calcagno retired and Bernardi resigned, opening up a seat for a Supervisor John Phillips appointee.

Phillips’ nominee: Abby Taylor-Silva, who works for the trade group Grower-Shipper Association. Only dilemma: The association gets to appoint its own member to represent the interests of its farmer-members, and that guy is Mike Scattini, a North County grower.

Phillips asked county counsel whether it would be legit for him to appoint Taylor-Silva, and got the thumbs up. But the team is going another route: Scattini will resign, and Phillips will appoint him to represent North County. Then Grower-Shipper will appoint Taylor-Silva as their rep.

“We thought it was cleaner,” Phillips explains. “Otherwise it would look like Grower-Shipper has two representatives on the board.”

Squid points out the obvious to the grown-ups again: It still does!