On Nov. 17, 2014, Weekly Assistant Editor Kera Abraham sent a highly targeted Public Records Act request to the state Water Resources Control Board. With the Dec. 31, 2016, deadline for California American Water to stop overpumping from the Carmel River – under a state cease-and-desist order, that date triggers a 70-percent cutback on pumping – we knew local electeds and stakeholders in the hospitality industry were scrambling to get that deadline pushed back.

In December, the Weekly broke news on a truly cringeworthy moment in the ongoing effort to produce an environmental impact report on the Monterey Downs project. That moment: In response to a Public Records Act request, the city of Seaside accidentally released a confidential attorney memo that discussed the fact there isn’t enough water for the full build out of Downs, the homes-and-horse-track project proposed for development on part of the former Fort Ord. As a result of that accidental release, and the subsequent reporting by this newspaper and other media, the city decided to hold off on releasing the draft EIR that same week.