About 4 p.m., the Monterey Fire Department received a report of a pink liquid leaking onto McAbee Beach near Hoffman Street and Cannery Row, firefighters said.
Someone from the Monterey city street department spotted Gilberto Leon Ruelas dumping the paint into a storm drain near Jose’s Mexican Bar and Grill, a block from Cannery Row, said Robert B. Fernández, environmental health specialist for the Monterey County Health Department. Ruelas was performing a painting job at the restaurant.
Ruelas could face a penalty of up to $2,500 for the trouble caused to the city and possible damage to the environment, Fernández said.