SQUIDFRY 08.19.21: At the Trough

AT THE TROUGH… Squid never quite understood why zombie flicks became so popular in recent years, but now Squid is starting to get it: Some things just won’t die. Take, for example, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority, which dissolved in 2020 after a disastrous 26-year run that saw little results for the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars flushed into salaries, consultants and even a dead-end road you can’t even drive on. But at least, Squid thought, it was finally dead.

Well, it turns out Squid might have been wrong about that. On Monday, Aug. 16, Squid opened the Seaside City Council agenda for its Aug. 19 meeting right after it was published, hoping to find that the council was set to approve a request for qualifications to find a firm to recruit a replacement for departing City Manager Craig Malin. Nope! But they’ll “review and discuss” the “draft” RFQ. Meanwhile, his last day is coming Aug. 31.

One action item Squid did see, though – tucked away on the consent agenda, as if anticipating zero discussion – is a proposed $50,000 contract with former FORA executive officer Michael Houlemard (who in 2020 collected $193,342.68 in pension money) to help the city manage its stewardship of former Fort Ord land. Squid wasn’t surprised though: In March, the council inexplicably voted 3-2 to give Seaside Mayor Ian Oglesby – a former FORA board member – the sole power to control the agenda, which is good for Oglesby’s friends, but not good for Seaside, or anyone else.

(UN)WELCOME HOME… Squid was recently searching around for some ways to redecorate Squid’s lair when Squid came across a startling interior trend: vases filled with pampas grass. Described as “boho” and “eco-friendly” by the multitudes of people selling stalks of the stuff on Etsy and at Pottery Barn, the decor promises to add “drama” to your home. And Squid believes there’s truth in advertising here – though perhaps not for the reason all these boho interior decorators think. That’s because pampas grass is classified as an “invasive to avoid” by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. And few things create drama like a good debate about invasive species. One of Squid’s colleagues reached out to PlantRight, a California organization that works with nurseries to keep invasives away, and asked about the trend. Project manager Alex Stubblefield tells Squid’s colleague that having pampas grass indoors seems less harmful than planting it outdoors. Plus, there may be other ways, like hair spray, to minimize any spread of the seeds. That said, Stubblefield says, “Generally speaking, I cannot recommend the use of pampas grass for any occasion.”

Squid quite agrees. Squid will not be spending $59 for three stalks (Pottery Barn price) of this rampant invasive, thank you very much.