www.montereycountynow.com January 9-15, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Every week, just after the Weekly team completes an edition of the paper, our editorial department meets to pitch stories for the next issue. Then the team goes forth to report and write and photograph. Often, along the way, we change our plans. Events unfold, news happens. Sometimes, we realize a story isn’t a story at all. That was the case with a tip we discussed just after the New Year, which every year for 32 years has been observed with First Night Monterey at venues throughout downtown Monterey. Streets close to traffic. We heard that police were out towing vehicles around 10:30am, although the signage on Alvarado Street said no parking from 1pm-1am—it looked like they were over two hours early. Staff writer David Schmalz started reporting, and made calls to Monterey City Hall. He heard back from Assistant City Manager Nat Rojanasathira and learned that four spaces were marked as no parking all day; police saw two vehicles parked in those spaces, and did their usual practice of attempting to contact the owners. In one case, they succeeded, and the car was moved. In the other case, they towed at 10:37am. Basic journalistic questions revealed it was a false claim, there was no scandal, and we had no story. But I was curious about the source of this non-story, and how something untrue made it as far as our news meeting. A simple search led me to a Dec. 31 Facebook post from a downtown business, The Whisky Club. It had a photo of the tow truck in action, and nearby signage. “We want to apologize for those visiting [downtown] Monterey today who were towed on Alvarado Street amidst the confusing signage,” the post read in part. “Parking enforcement was in full force ticketing and TOWING cars at 10am that were parked by signs that said no parking at 1pm [and] 3pm.” The original post didn’t get a ton of attention, 20 total reactions. “Thanks for sharing this, so frustrating,” one commenter wrote. Two days later, it was shared on the Facebook page Monterey Bay Crime/Emergency, where it quickly generated over 80 reactions. While it was eventually updated to include MPD’s explanation, people with parking ticket frustrations were ready to pounce. “Monterey trying to make a quick buck on parking tickets,” one person wrote. “The city of Monterey had better stop harassing us locals or we will start fighting back,” said another. One suggested someone should be fired: “If city managers need to be replaced we as a people can and will get it done.” I saw a prime example of how a seemingly innocuous piece of misinformation can spread, starting with a post that perhaps unintentionally confirms the poster’s own bias—in this case, preexisting frustration with parking. I asked Rojanasathira about it, and he saw it as a prime example of the small ways in which general distrust in government can be observed at the local level. Of course, these two things are linked, and both can be corrected with truth. Rojanasathira walked over to the Whisky Club to talk to owners Mitchel and LisAnne Sawhney, who were happy to hear from him and to share ideas for downtown. “It starts off with respecting each other, one constituent at a time,” Rojanasathira says. “We hope to change the hearts and minds of those who don’t trust us. Local government is where we can make a difference.” I went to the Whisky Club a few hours later, for an Old Fashioned and a conversation with the Sawhneys. They were appreciative of Rojanasathira’s explanation, but still frustrated. “They should’ve ticketed and left the car. It’s not a fun way to start the new year,” says LisAnne, who also has experience as a government official, having served on the Monterey Regional Airport board of directors. That her post was not factually true seems less relevant than that her feelings about it are true. She found the no-parking signs confusing, and thinks they went up too soon, about a week ahead: “It’s not hospitable, not friendly.” Mitchel is frustrated every Tuesday by street closures for the farmers market, which he says is bad for business; he now closes on Tuesdays. They may never agree, but a new, respectful conversation has been initiated between City Hall and these business owners, who I hope succeed long-term. But still, the post remains up, even though it isn’t true. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. True Story How a piece of misinformation quickly gains a life of its own. By Sara Rubin Work It Out…Squid likes to set attainable New Year’s resolutions—wash well between the tentacles, stretch daily, pay the bills on time. Regular fitness routines make a lot of humans’ resolution lists (Squid gets what movement Squid needs by oozing around town). Here’s one thing that Squid is guessing was not on a fitness studio’s new year’s list: A lawsuit alleging breach of contract. But that’s what happened for Selina Sahba of Fusion Fitness P.G. LLC, which on Dec. 30 got sued in Monterey County Superior Court by landlord ROIC California for unpaid rent at the gym in the Country Club Gate shopping center in Pacific Grove. The landlord alleges that they and the tenant entered into a lease in February 2022—good timing for those with fitness-related new year’s resolutions—and later extended the $14,000-per-month lease to 2031. Only problem, according to ROIC’s claim: Fusion has failed to pay the rent, and as of Nov. 1, owes at least $120,090. Through the end of the lease, the gym will owe a whopping $1.13 million—that’s a lot of gym memberships and personal training sessions. Squid’s colleague did not hear back from Sahba, and the gym appears to be defunct. Meanwhile, Squid will quietly go back to a gentle stretching routine and do Squid’s best to keep Squid’s resolutions for 2025, including paying those pesky bills. Same Difference…Squid understands that brand identity is important. After all, Squid has a reputation for snarkiness to maintain— and a logo to match. But Squid also knows that brand loyalty can really last. For example, Monterey County Weekly recently added Monterey County Now, the name of its digital side, as its overall brand identity; however, some longtime readers still refer to the paper as Coast Weekly, a long-past name. So when Squid learned that Monterey Bay F.C. had launched a rebrand “following several years of deliberation,” Squid expected something big. The club is just entering its fourth season. But it took Squid a few minutes to realize that the brand was indeed different. The crest retains the same shape and colors. The biggest changes Squid noticed was that the team nickname—The Union—has been dropped from the crest, and the club now identifies as Monterey Bay FC, sans periods. A press release from MBFC suggests there was a trademark issue with the old brand. That it could be solved by deleting a couple of punctuation marks must have come as a relief to club executives. Indeed, MBFC President Mike DiGiulio was quoted as being “extremely excited” about a look that “will help us further our brand as a whole.” Squid isn’t sure whether fans will pick up on the difference or not—did anyone ever even notice two tiny dots, and will anyone miss them? the local spin SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. It was a false claim, there was no scandal. Send Squid a tip: squid@montereycountynow.com
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