SQUIDFRY 10.25.18: Real Property

REAL PROPERTY… Squid likes the simple things in life: People-watching, walking Squid’s English bulldog Rosco P. Coltrane on the beach, ironic humor.

Irony abounds these days, leading up to the Nov. 6 election. Irony can be found in Salinas, where Councilman Steve McShane, who just a few months ago mulled floating an ordinance that would require downtown property owners to maintain their vacant properties better, has plastered campaign signs on the Dick Bruhn Building, which was gutted by fire in 2016 and now sits there, an epic blight. Irony can be found in campaign mailers that went out last week targeting Seaside Councilmember Jason Campbell, who’s running for re-election. With two seats open and five candidates vying, more than one someone is going to lose.

Here’s where the irony comes in. A campaign mailer that dropped last week, paid for by theCalifornia Real Estate Independent Expenditure Committee – California Association of Realtors, says that Campbell “voted to hire a shady city manager and pay him well over $200,000.” (“Well over” being $212,688, plus an auto allowance and housing subsidy.) And, the mailer states that unnamed city manager (him being Craig Malin), “was ‘already under a cloud for mismanaging city money.’”

The committee has spent $14,713 on the mailers, which don’t say who they are supporting. But Squid notes the National Association of Realtors has spent $3,160 supporting Ian Oglesbyfor mayor. Squid remembers a time not that long ago that Oglesby and Campbell were colleagues on City Council – and both voted to approve Malin’s contract. #irony

BIG SPENDERS… Squid was contemplating what to do with the tidal wave of glossy No on Jfliers that have come through Squid’s mailbox in the last month – make origami boats, maybe? Then Squid learned that Pacific Grove voters are about to get swamped with even more fancy paper, courtesy of $60,000 and counting in donations from companies and short-term rental owners intent on defeating Measure M, a ballot measure that would limit short-term rentals. That’s more than $5 per registered voter in P.G.

A big local player in the vacation rental business, Jan Leasure, formed the Monterey County Vacation Rental Alliance Political Action Committee earlier this month and the money started rolling in. Expedia, Inc., the Bellevue, Washington-based company that owns the HomeAwayrental platform, gave $20,000 on Oct. 16. Another nearly $15,000 came in from two vacation rental companies owned by Leasure, along with $15,000 from Sanctuary Vacation Rentals in Monterey.

Brace yourselves, Pagrovians. And if you don’t want all that paper, Squid is ready to start crafting anchors.