The Razor Online

STEP vs. SLO County: The Case for Civil Fraud and Concealment

Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by Aaron.

When does product disparagement become an issue of fraud? At what point does the community of Los Osos become a victim of fraud? Razor Online continues our special “STEP vs. SLO County” series, documenting how honesty and fairness got lost in the sewer shuffle.

Previously, Razor Online discussed the potential case against San Luis Obispo County for product disparagement of the STEP collection system, which for two years was an integral part of the County’s design-build process — until April 7, 2009, when STEP was dropped without a plausible explanation and any chance of a true design-build process crumbled into failure. If what Orenco Systems’ Bill Cagle wrote in a letter to Chairman Frank Mecham on May 28, 2010 is accurate, and it appears to me that it certainly is, then the County’s Los Osos wastewater project team has intentionally and purposefully misrepresented STEP technology to the benefit of County coffers, MWH and County-friendly contractors and consultants.

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Los Osos Sewer: Environmental Achievement – or Disaster?

Posted on 15. Jul, 2010 by Aaron.

By ED OCHS

Sierra Club’s Andrew Christie is probably the single most influential voice speaking out on the environmental pitfalls and pratfalls of the County’s ill-conceived Los Osos sewer project. In “The Lessons of Los Osos,” Christie’s excellent summary of — as he sees it — the last major chapter in the 30-year Los Osos sewer saga, published in the July/August edition of the Santa Lucian newsletter, he chronicles the many achievements (and one notable failure) of the Sierra Club, SLO Green Build, Surfrider, Los Osos Sustainability Group and local activists in their combined efforts to substantially reshape the County’s predetermined project for Los Osos, which recently received a Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission.

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STEP vs. SLO County: The Case for Product Disparagement

Posted on 28. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

Corporations have been sued for product disparagement before, but the San Luis Obispo County government may be the first governing body to be held liable for such an act if they’re proven to be wrong about their facts in dismissing the STEP collection system.

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Torn Fabric 2

Posted on 18. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

The Coastal Commission granted the County of San Luis Obispo the Coastal Development Permit (CDP) for the Los Osos wastewater project after numerous complications, delays, lawsuits, shouting matches and evil stares from numerous, lengthy board meetings addressing the issue. The animosity in this small community has reached a critical mass, and while the County has encouraged “healing” in light of their most recent milestone, the onslaught of madness continues to envelop all prospects of peace and stability. Even with a sewer finally built in Los Osos, it will take generations for the anger to subside. To understand how deep this anger is — and why it will be ridiculously difficult to repair the “civil fabric” in Los Osos — let’s revisit a place where much of that anger was left to germinate, unchecked.

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‘Torn Fabric’

Posted on 15. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

During ex parte comments by commissioners at the June 11 Coastal Commission hearing in Marina del Rey — which resulted in a Coastal Development Permit unanimously granted to the Los Osos Wastewater Project — Commissioner Mary Shallenberger disclosed that the day before the hearing she had met with San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Gibson, County Counsels Jensen and McNulty, and County Public Works Director Ogren. She said in part:

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BREAKING NEWS: Coastal Commission Unanimously Approves LOWWP CDP

Posted on 11. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

On Friday, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved the currently proposed wastewater treatment facility for Los Osos and issued the Coastal Development Permit. After receiving comments from San Luis Obispo County staff and a handful of public speakers who raised objections to CCC staff recommendations, the Commission concluded their short de novo meeting by approving the CDP via an unanimous roll call vote.

Live-blogged developments after the jump.

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EXCLUSIVE: Tom Murphy Busted in Arizona

Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

Apparently, Tom Murphy, self-described inventor of the quirky “Reclamator” home water-reuse device, has been busy inventing new professions for himself. At least one particular profession might force him to hire an attorney — a real one — to keep him out of mounting legal troubles. The sometimes volatile Murphy was arrested Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at his residence in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, for impersonating a public servant, according to Lake Havasu City Police Department Sgt. Joe Harrold.

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June 8, 2010 San Luis Obispo County Election Results

Posted on 09. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

Click here to view the unofficial election results.

9:30 AM – The County-Clerk Recorder reports that Bruce Gibson is now keeping his seat as 2nd District Supervisor. With 100% of the precincts reporting, Gibson won 69.65% over Ochylski with 30.13%. This is a landslide victory.

June 9 (12:00 AM) – As I’ve reported on Razor Online, there has been a race for the County 2nd District representative seat between incumbent Bruce Gibson and Los Osos Community Services District President Marshall Ochylski. With just over 30% of the precincts reporting, Bruce Gibson (70%) now has a commanding lead over Ochylski (29%). It’s going to take nothing short of a miracle for Ochylski to break even by morning, but we will keep you up to date on the results. We’re unsure if Los Osos precincts have been counted already, but if they have, it would be heartbreaking defeat for Ochylski, who was expected to capitalize on the wave of anger and disappointment from those who voted for Gibson in 2006. That anger and disappointment stems from the belief that Gibson did not follow through on earlier promises he made regarding the wastewater project.

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The ROCK: Ogren’s MWH Gravity Bias Costing Los Osos Tens of Millions

Posted on 05. Jun, 2010 by Aaron.

UPDATE: Orenco’s Mike Saunders replies to the Coastal Commission. On Thursday, June 10, Mike Saunders of Orenco challenged the California Coastal Commission staff’s last-minute addendum, which echoed the County’s preference for a conventional gravity system and its concerns regarding the STEP collection system. “While we have an obvious interest in this project we have a greater interest in protecting the integrity of our core business,” wrote Saunders in a detailed e-mail to the commissioners and staff on the eve of the Commission’s de novo hearing in Marina del Rey. “While we understand that this is not your direct concern, we do believe that correcting poor information is part of your responsibility in properly administering the California Coastal Act.”

By ED OCHS

Why was the cheaper, environmentally-preferred STEP collection system suddenly dropped from the County’s design-build process for the Los Osos Wastewater Project last year? Why didn’t the only STEP design-build team in the mix appeal that decision? In a fascinating glimpse into Public Works’ dirty little secret war against STEP to promote MWH gravity collection, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Frank Mecham, occasionally the lone dissenter on the Board of Supervisors when it comes to voting more money for County Public Works to spend on the Los Osos project, has served as middle man in recent behind-the-scenes correspondence from Orenco Systems’ Bill Cagle and County Public Works Director Paavo Ogren. Their comments from this still-smoldering debate reveal some of the back story on Ogren’s STEP vendetta, his vicious disregard for the truth, and the brutal price Los Osos “Prohibition Zone” homeowners and the people of Los Osos will have to pay for it.

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