8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 29-SEPTEMBER 4, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS The sounds on a Monday morning at Deja Blue are not something to dance to—the pounding of hammers and whirl of drills fill the air. But the dance floor in the restaurant and entertainment venue is open during construction, and it is in the middle of an expansion that will increase its size. “I look at this facility as kind of like the new hub to help jumpstart Broadway and make Broadway become the new downtown for Seaside,” owner Darryl Choates says. Deja Blue programming currently features live jazz and blues, comedy shows and Latin dance nights. Choates envisions the expansion as a way to diversify business as well; he plans to rent out the space as a private event center for weddings, quinceañeras, trade shows, concerts and more. The expansion project is merging the existing Deja Blue with the building next door. Once complete, the bar will act like an aisle with access between the venue area and the restaurant. “We’re going to make it just like Embassy Suites and if you were in their ballroom and you go to the restroom,” Choates says by way of comparison. The project will more than double the size of Deja Blue from 2,100 to 5,600 square feet, with a maximum occupancy of 375 people. The venue first opened in 2020, just before the pandemic shutdown. The current stage area will be removed and there will be portable stages instead, as well as an accessible ramp. The patio doubled in size and it has a Mexican, rustic vibe with sprinkles of decorated tiles, mosaic-decorated tables and an outdoor stage area. Choates expects to open the new space soon; the project is about two months behind schedule and currently 80-percent complete. Big Stage A dance and music venue in Seaside is expanding, and hopes to grow the nightlife scene. By Celia Jiménez One of Pacific Grove’s latest entertainment hot spots, Pop and Hiss, was abuzz on Thursday, Aug. 22, with upwards of 70 people noshing on charcuterie and sipping drinks from the bar. They weren’t there to hear a popular DJ or musician, they were there in part to watch the Democratic National Convention on a large screen. The other part: To formally launch a new political group, Pacific Grove Progressives. “The energy in this room has been sky high,” said P.G. Progressives President Colleen Ingram, shortly after the loud cheers died down in the room in response to Kamala Harris’ speech. “We’re really proud you were here with us to witness this together.” Voters skew Democratic in P.G.—in the 2020 presidential election, 76 percent voted for President Joe Biden compared to 21 percent for Donald Trump—and yet it’s conservative voices at P.G. City Council meetings and online that have dominated local decisions. One example: A majority of residents voted in 2022 in favor of allowing a single retail cannabis store and yet no store is on the horizon due to opposition. “We can have nice things” is P.G. Progressives’ tagline, a response to recent decisions by the council that have rankled many residents, including acting to remove the popular existing restaurant parklets with sidewalk dining and blocking a proposed skatepark. It’s also a reaction to residents who regularly protest change. Case in point: Pop and Hiss faced resistance from a small number of people who didn’t want a new music venue, before successfully obtaining permits. The group is also a direct reaction to those who have consistently disrupted meetings of the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force for more than two years, or promoted anti-transgender, antiPride and other extreme conservative views on local social media groups. “We began as a small group of introverted activists,” Ingram said, prompting laughter. “[Witnessing] the worst of political practices occurring nationally happening right here in our little community” encouraged them to formally organize. As one example, she said there are calls to reinstate the Feast of Lanterns, which was ended after pressure from those contending it was cultural appropriation and racist. P.G. Progressives received status as a nonprofit, and registered with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, which gives them the ability to raise money for candidates, advertise and make endorsements. Ingram says they will be canvassing precincts for Pacific Grove candidates, as well as volunteering with the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee to promote other endorsed candidates. (They are also recognized as a club by the Democratic Central Committee.) The group is currently mulling endorsements in the three-person race for mayor; for City Council, with six candidates for two seats; and the race for the P.G. Unified School District board. A survey sent to the candidates includes several questions that range from establishing a code of conduct for elected officials, to addressing climate change and protection of the DEI Task Force. Celia Bosworth watches the Democratic National Convention with the Pacific Grove Progressives at Pop and Hiss in Pacific Grove. The crowd cheered when Vice President Kamala Harris spoke and formally accepted her party’s nomination. Political Force In blue P.G. where conservatives dominate the conversation, progressives find their voice. By Pam Marino Darryl Choates owns Deja Blue in Seaside and hopes to draw more comedy shows with an expanded space. “Our goal is going into more, larger entertainment,” he says. “We began as a small group of introverted activists.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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