Appearing as the last speaker of BOS Los Osos public comment, CSD director Maria Kelly seemed anxious, but defiant.
“I’m happy to be here and I’m happy to be here in support of the County — and I’m happy to be in support of County staff. I’ve been a broken record on that they’ve been extremely professional, helpful, diligent and very responsive to the community,” said Kelly.
Would it have resonated more if she dressed up in a high school cheerleader outfit and brought pom-poms to the podium?
Says Kelly: “I’m here today — as I always am – talking about maintaining our focus, maintaining our focus towards a resolution. It’s like the wheel with the spokes to the center where the center is the resolution. [I] learned it in philosophy classes. Some people are still running around outside of the wheel [...] The distractions are being repackaged for 30 years. These distractions are getting repackaged. They get a new name, they get a new spokesperson but the issues continue to be the same whether it’s seawater intrusion 30 years ago or seawater intrusion today. There’s a repackaging and a deja vu — and you go back and you speak to residents that were there 30 years ago, tracking this. It’s so frustrating.”
In philosophy class, they teach what is called a red herring, which is defined as “any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue.”
Ironically, Ms. Kelly, you talk about focusing on the center of the wheel, the resolution, while spending most of your time talking about those who are running around outside of the wheel, “repackaging distractions.” In light of dismissing those who are talking about seawater intrusion now, Ms. Kelly, it seems you did a little repackaging of your own, except that your organization — comprised of partisan hacks who have never publicly shown interest in water conservation — never once mentioned seawater intrusion on your site. The WH2O’s mission reads, “Our focus is water.” Ms. Kelly, if your focus was really on water, why would dismiss those who also have water as their focus?
Ms. Kelly, if you’ve kept in contact with those who have been tracking seawater intrusion for 30 years, how come they never released a water conservation plan for the current County project? How come those people never rallied behind — or contributed to — the conservation plan presented by the Los Osos Sustainability Group? How come you never released a water conservation plan? You are unfit to criticize due to these unanswered questions.
Kelly on taking another job to pay for the sewer: “I already had to take one job due to budget cuts at Cal Poly. I’m willing to take another. I love Los Osos that much. I’m willing to do what I have to do to keep my family there and raise my children.”
Today, it was reported that the national unemployment hit 9.7% as 216,000 jobs were lost. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in July that the California unemployment rate is now at 12.1%. Especially during a time when California is facing a massive budget crisis — one that is historically unprecedented — there are signs that the unemployment rate will rise significantly in the coming months. As the sewer saga rolls on, chances of people finding a job that can support their families become more and more slim. Not everyone is going to find that second job — even if they love Los Osos and even if they want to keep their families there and raise their children. These people love Los Osos, but they’ll have to leave — while you it’s easy for you to find another job.
How selfish.
Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Thanks to ambiguous campaign pledges like, “Let’s focus on solvency” and, “Let’s focus on water,” you won the support of a majority vote to become a member of the Los Osos Community Services District. Your husband, Shaun Kelly, works at Cal Poly (CAFES-BioRes & Ag Engineering) as an instructional AY with an average salary of at least $35,040 a year. Meanwhile, the rest of the middle class — many of those are already facing severe financial burdens from loss of employment, increasing utility rates and inflation — are stuck with paying the blank check that you’ve unequivocally supported. How much will the middle class have to pay for the sewer? How much will the middle class have to pay before they have to pack their bags and U-Haul their way out of town? $250 a month? $300? $400?
You’ve never answered those questions. You’ve never cared to or you would have. For an uncaring, self-appointed sewer messiah, you’re paid rather well.
According to your supporters, you are the beacon of light. To everyone else, your views are downright cold and belligerent. You say, “Let’s maintain the focus” — keep the wheel going while aiming for the resolution at its center — and then you stray from that focus by stating you’re “frustrated” by those who have different views than your own. If you didn’t speak at all on Tuesday, you would have helped the board maintain their focus. You’d be sparing them — and the listening audience — three minutes of complete nonsense.
Madam, you’re too predictable. Week after week, you’ve approached the podium to compliment the board and County staff while single-handedly berating those who you ought to be representing as a board director of the LOCSD. You are a clear and present danger to the concept of unity — and you have proved, once again, to be an ally of divisiveness.
– Aaron Ochs
