Squidfry 08.11.22: Market Force

MARKET FORCE… Squid sometimes remembers to eat Squid’s vegetables. After all, Squid’s lair is right here in the Salad Bowl of the World, and the strawberries (correct, not a vegetable) are delicious this time of year.

So Squid was happy to see that it’s time to celebrate National Farmers Market Week (Aug. 7-13), thanks to one of those Top 10 lists as ranked by the lawn care blog Lawn Love. Somehow the concrete jungle of New York City earned the No. 1 spot for the best city for a farmers market, followed by San Francisco and Los Angeles. Then came Salinas in the No. 4 spot – which, Squid agrees, is well deserved.

What’s funny/sad about the accolade is that Oldtown Salinas merchants are hating on their own farmers market right now, saying it’s cutting into sales at their brick-and-mortar businesses. The Saturday market, operated by the West Coast Farmers Market Association, was looking to expand, until city officials put the kibosh on things June 8. City Manager Steve Carrigan requested the Oldtown Salinas Foundation meet individually with all merchants on the 200 and 300 blocks of Main Street to “work to build consensus.” Two months later, the expansion request is still pending.

Maybe it would change things for market haters if they knew their city was better than Chicago, Seattle or San Diego – but probably not. Consensus is harder than digging in.

ZONING CODE… Two things Squid is a fan of are alliteration and a clever turn of phrase: Rat Race. Big Brother. Family Feud. There’s a melody to it. Mostly.

On July 27, the Monterey City Council received a presentation about a concept of collegial, unified governance called “Mutually Monterey.” It’s not clear exactly what that is – nothing binding was decided upon. The whole conceit comes as a result of Monterey entering district-based elections this November, and the city is trying to wax the skis as we slide into the future: Let’s all just get along.

Councilmember Alan Haffa, among others, objected to the language of the proposed, non-binding ordinance, which sought to encourage that councilmembers act in the best interests of the city as a whole, despite new districts. “The reality is there are different political subdivisions of the city,” Haffa said.

Jean Rasch, president of the Monte Vista Neighborhood Association, chimed in to say, “I think the council thinks things are going better than I think they’re going, or residents think they’re going.” When she hears “Mutually Monterey,” she added, it “feels coercive, as if you want everybody to come to the middle, to be good girl scouts and behave.” Kent Glenzer, a professor at MIIS, offered this observation: “Mostly what I’ve been hearing is fear.”

Squid’s feelings are mutual.