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UPDATE (3/30/10, 11:45 PM): Comments are now enabled. You may fire when ready. For the past few days, I’ve received several e-mails from readers who asked me why CalCoastNews would do something so “heinous and catastrophic” as to disable comments on Piper Reilly’s viewpoint, “Looking for transparency in Los Osos.” I have an idea why CCN disabled comments in that article. Since the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors nixed Los Osos wastewater project updates, County Public Works worked on their response to the California Coastal Commission’s substantial issues. On Tuesday, it was revealed that the County sent 500+ pages to the Coastal Commission for review. If you want a copy, you are more than welcome to drive to Santa Cruz and pay $300 for printed copies or you can read the materials at the Public Works office. Bring your best reading glasses. They won’t let you take it home. Adding insult to injury, the County has declined to post their documents online at the LOWWP web site. According to sources who have read the documents, the County’s response to the substantial issues is nothing more than 500 pages of recycled verbage that was sent to CC staff previously. Continue reading TRANSPARENCY UPDATE: County Fails to Post Coastal Response → TYPO CLARIFICATION (6:00 PM PST): Fixed an obvious typo on the first paragraph (changed Los Osos to New Orleans) Around the time the New Orleans Inspector General’s report was posted on local news sites, San Luis Obispo County government supporters and MWH Americas, Inc. sympathizers littered blogs and message boards with character attacks against those who supported the report’s findings. Unwilling to read the report and dissect the details, which show that MWH overbilled the city of New Orleans for their work — after Hurricane Katrina hit the region in late 2005 — by billing 118% percent of the actual value of their work. This week, Los Osos Community Services District President Marshall Ochylski announced that he was running for San Luis Obispo County 2nd District, which is currently being represented by Bruce Gibson. Not even serving half of his first term as LOCSD board member, Ochylski decided that he had enough political capital to run against the incumbent representative. After former Alaska governor Sarah Palin left her post on July 26 last year, early estimated costs of her resignation were in the ballpark of $40,000 and Alaskan taxpayers picked up the tab. The district would have to pay at least $30,000 to hold a special election — and that cost would be incurred while the district continues to resolve its bankruptcy, that is if Ochylski were to win both the June 8, 2010 primary election and the November 2, 2010 consolidated general election against Gibson. On February 25, President Barack Obama met with congressional Democrats and Republicans for his bipartisan health care summit. For almost a year, both political parties sparred in seemingly countless, heated debates. Increasingly, the debates became more personal and polarizing due in part to the rise of the Tea Party and health insurance lobbyists funding conservative grassroots movements across the country. At one point, it became certain that the discussion became so complicated that it would take a widely broadcasted, public meeting of Democrats and Republicans to seek a consensus — or at least make the effort to show how divisive the debate has become. By the end of the summit, Obama thought the effort was worthwhile even though the majority of Republicans in attendance were in favor of completely scrapping the current health care bill. In Los Osos, the lines are drawn as clearly as the partisan lines that we see in Washington D.C. The Tribune’s Bob Cuddy has not stepped into Los Osos deeply enough to gauge public opinion regarding the wastewater project. In his article on March 2, Cuddy reported that Chairman Mecham is no longer allowing a “special speaking time” for Los Osos since it detracts from other board business. Where’s the comments from the sewer critics? Take that, journalism! Since Cuddy wouldn’t elaborate on the finer details, we’ll discuss them here. Pull the curtains. Draw the shades. The issue of transparency is no longer playing a part in the Los Osos wastewater project. Why? Is the $165 million sewer, to be paid for by only 4,500 homeowners, not an issue that beckons the need for San Luis Obispo County government to be open, honest and forthcoming with this selected group of homeowners? November 2009 was the last month that included a project update that was publicly considered by your board. December 15th was the last time County Public Works wrote something about the wastewater project on their blog. It would seem like the project has vanished into thin air — as if the issue is over and done with, as least as far as Board of Supervisors Chairman Frank Mecham and his crew are concerned. How is that even possible? By what brand of logic? |
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