DROUGHT THREATENS BIG SUR… A 15-acre vegetation fire on Big Sur Pias Ranch Road gave nearby residents a scare April 19, underscoring the risk of early wildfires across California this year. Added to the paltry snowpack and a recent heat wave, the dry vegetation stokes worries of a repeat of last year’s Basin Complex Fire, which began unseasonably early and burned almost 163,000 acres. Though precipitation in 2009 has been higher than the previous two years, it’s still at only 80 percent of normal levels. [KA]

G.O. LOCAL… As we reported online this week, the sale of General Obligation bonds in March and April has freed up more than $13 billion for state projects, many of them in Monterey County. Last December, the state’s Pooled Money Investment Board froze most of its disbursements because the Legislature had not yet passed a budget, and the state couldn’t sell its bonds. With stocks plummeting, California was broke. The budget’s late passage in February allowed the Treasurer’s Office to start selling bonds again, but cash flow remained too low to fully re-open the funding spigot. Local projects stalled, and the county joined a lawsuit against the state. But recent bond sales allowed the Treasurer to re-start dozens of local projects. [KA]

SOUR APPLE… The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board on April 20 unanimously approved a slate of budget reductions totaling $5.3 million, in compliance with a state order to reduce spending. Twenty-one teaching positions were axed, including up to two of the district’s eight full-time equivalent music instructors. Strong community support for music education did, however, help boost the music budget by more than 20 percent. Middle-school athletics, school transportation services and elementary education took some of the biggest hits; elementary class sizes will expand next year. [KA]

MEASURE WAL-MART… Wal-Mart’s fight to open a supercenter in Salinas is one step closer to reaching voters. The Monterey County Registrar of Voters has certified enough signatures to send the referendum to overturn the City Council’s big box ordinance to the ballot. The results will be certified at the council’s May 5 meeting. On June 2, the council is expected to make a decision on whether to hold a special election or place the referendum on November 2010 ballot. [ZS]