Herring heard twice

99 Ranch Market is known for its wide selection of fish, some of which still swim in the store's tanks. But does the store sell herring, particularly the red variety?

At the South Coast Air Quality Management District hearing yesterday, when the hearing board declared that 99 Ranch created a public nuisance, the red herring idiom cropped up on a couple of occasions.

The market argued that its neighbor Bobaland, a tea shop and eatery that opened within weeks of 99 Ranch's opening, is another source of odor.

But the AQMD attorney Karin Manwaring said inspectors ruled out Bobaland after several visits.

"Bobaland is nothing more than a red herring," she said.

Earlier in the hearing, the store's general manager testified that without the ability to barbecue and fry foods, the hot deli and seafood departments would no longer be viable. Philip Gonzales said without the two departments, the whole market would close.

But Manwaring pointed out there are stores in the 99 Ranch chain without a hot deli and they are still viable.

99 Ranch's attorney Byron Gee did not like that argument.

"By suggesting that some 99 Ranch does not have a hot deli and remains viable ... that is a red herring," he said.

Gee said the deli-less 99 Ranch stores are located in ethnic neighborhoods where there is a "captive audience" of Asian shoppers.

"Such conditions do not exist in Rancho Cucamonga," he said.

So there you go, red herring all over the place. Maybe the attorneys thought they were before a herring board.

By the way, red herring, the idiom has its own Wikipedia page, which states there is no such fish called the red herring. But if 99 Ranch sold such a fish, you would not be able to get it deep fried. At least not until July when the hearing board meets on this issue again.