Stars Struck

STARS STRUCK… Squid’s never much cared about being famous – Squid gets to squirt enough ink around – and furthermore, Squid prefers to ooze around town under the radar when Squid has to go on a run for shrimp-flavored popcorn.

But Squid was nonetheless crestfallen when Squid’s application for a star on Seaside’s Broadway Walk of Fame was roundly denied. The sad news came via an email Seaside Recreation Director Dan Meewis sent to Squid on Aug. 30 which read, “Because of the high caliber of the [14] nominated individuals… It is with regret that we inform you that you were not selected.” A cephalopod can’t get no respect.

The Seaside City Council – which first approved the Walk of Fame concept in February 2022 and installed the first six stars earlier this year – considered its second slate of six (maybe seven) nominees on Sept. 1, along with a construction budget. But before Squid gets into how much it will cost, get this: The city is changing the name of the program from “Walk of Fame” to “Seaside Stars.” Squid’s colleague inquired about why the branding is changing, only to be told it cannot be discussed at the moment, because it’s a legal matter the council, city manager and attorney discuss behind closed doors. Wait, what?

Turns out that on May 8, Derek Yee, general counsel for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, sent the city a cease-and-desist order demanding that Seaside both change the name of the program, remove the existing stars and redesign new ones. Should the city not comply, the letter lays out a litany of trademark law violations that the chamber will sue Seaside over (plus attorney’s fees). Whoopsies!

So over the past months, the city has redesigned a new, different style of star. What’s more is that the city must rip out all the old stars and replace them with new ones for an estimated $58,784, which was not in the budget (staff recommends pulling from the general fund). That’s on top of the $42,574 approved for this year’s stars, plus another potential $6,000 or so for a seventh candidate who didn’t make the cut, barely (environmental activist Kay Cline, whose star the council ultimately approved). So less than two years into the program, it’s sapped countless hours of staff time and to date, more than $100,000 of treasure.

There are plenty of laudable, err, “high-caliber” names on this year’s nominees – Mel Mason of The Village Project stands out – but the one that sticks in Squid’s craw is Tim Brown, who served as Seaside’s city manager from 1994-1998, but resigned after his staff issued a vote of no confidence against him, and after then-mayor Don Jordan, a Brown ally, lost re-election. Furthermore, audits of the city’s finances from 1995-97 showed $3.6 million in deficit spending.

High-caliber, indeed.