Squidfry August 4, 2022: Name Change

NAME CHANGE… Like all creatures of the land or sea, Squid took a while off of traveling during the pandemic. Now Squid is jet-setting around to make up for lost time, and recently boarded an Alaska Airlines flight home to MRY, and was surprised to see the airport name listed as “Monterey/Carmel” on Squid’s boarding pass. Last Squid checked, it’s called Monterey Regional Airport.

So Squid did some digging, and discovered that last March, while Squid was sheltering in the lair, the staff of Visit Carmel lobbied the MRY board of directors to change the name of the airport. They cited other hybrid name changes like Hollywood-Burbank and Reno-Tahoe airports, and made the case, essentially, that travelers booking flights to MRY are really in it for Carmel. “Carmel is on its own a motivator [for travelers],” Visit Carmel CEO Amy Herzog said.

The airport board discussed the potential name change on May 19, 2021, and came back with a thanks, but no thanks. Board member Gary Cursio imagined other local cities responding: “Why can we not see Salinas, or Pacific Grove?” (Squid’s question exactly.) Board member MaryAnn Leffel recalled once rejecting the name Monterey Peninsula Airport, because it was too geographically narrow.

Instead of changing the name, airport and Visit Carmel staff agreed they’d instead pitch the idea to individual airlines to boost ticket sales. And in at least some cases, the idea has landed.

GEARED UP… As a translucent cephalopod, Squid is preternaturally inclined to like transparency. So Squid is a fan of Assembly Bill 481, which requires law enforcement agencies in California to establish guidelines around their acquisition policies of military gear and to disclose the inventory to the public. “Decisions regarding whether and how military equipment is funded, acquired, or used should give strong consideration to the public’s welfare, safety, civil rights, and civil liberties, and should be based on meaningful public input,” according to the law.

Good idea. So Squid oozed over to Salinas City Hall on July 27 for a community forum hosted by the Salinas Police Department, where officers showed their arsenal of equipment obtained from the military. Squid got to see drones, robotic cameras, ExactImpact 40mm bullets and a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle (MRAP) that looks built for a war zone… because it is.

Squid expected to be among throngs of curious members of the public, but the event was attended by barely anyone beyond city staff. “It’s embarrassing that no community member showed,” says Jeff Stillwell, one of the few in attendance.

Still, Salinas PD can get credit for public engagement, then return to business as usual.