WATER BOARD DAMPENS ECORESORT… Developer Ed Ghandour’s proposed hotel and conference center on Sand City’s shoreline has taken another setback – and we don’t mean its distance from the high tide line. On Feb. 26, the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board voted 4-3 to require a new environmental impact report related to the developer’s water plans, rejecting his request to tap 90 of the 149 acre-feet allocated to his property. On March 4, Ghandour held another in a series of community meetings making the case for his green designs. The Coastal Commission was scheduled to consider Ghandour’s application March 13 in Monterey, but the agenda item has been postponed. [KA]

WAL-MART PUT ON LOCKDOWN… Last month the Weekly broke the news that the Salinas City Council was considering a big box ordinance to prevent Wal-Mart from opening a superstore at Harden Ranch. On March 3 the council introduced a zoning code amendment that will prevent large-scale retailers – stores 90,000 square feet or bigger – from dedicating 5 percent or more of their floor area to non-taxable groceries. This means Wal-Mart won’t be offering a full line of discount groceries when it opens a new store at the former Home Depot site. [ZS]

MUSIC SUPPORTERS UPBEAT… Last week, the Weekly revealed that Monterey Peninsula Unified School District might lay off its music teachers in an effort to trim expenses. Not all is lost, says MPUSD Education Foundation President Dana Russell: The nonprofit, which is not affiliated with the district, is exploring the idea of employing music teachers on its own, or in part. Walter Clark, father of school board member Debra Gramespacher, has already given the foundation $5,000 to support music programs, with an offer of $10,000 more to match donations from the community, Russell reports. The foundation accepts contributions at www.efmpusd.org/donations.htm. [KA]

CLOSING THE GAP… At www.montereycountyweekly.com, we previously reported Monterey officials have asked city employees to take furlough days as part of a plan to close a $3.1 million budget gap this year. Next year, however, looks worse: a $5.85 million deficit. Monterey city leaders will begin to review the 2009-10 budget at a public meeting March 12. [JL]