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.
UPDATE (6/12/10 10:42 PM): The mob mentality is out in full force. County supporters have condemned the “obstructionists” for their speeches and appeals to the Coastal Commission. Meanwhile, former Los Osos Community Services Director Richard LeGros chides people for playing the “shame and blame game” regarding the LOWWP, while blaming people for not accepting the “technologically superior” Tri-W project that his recalled board proposed in 2005. The head of Taxpayers Watch issued a statement — and I’m paraphrasing — that PZ residents should either “pay or leave.” LeGros has actively demonstrated his social disconnect from low and fixed income homeowners in the Prohibition Zone who would have to pay for a sewer that will shatter records as being the most expensive public infrastructure project in the history of California at $181 million and counting.
Taxpayers Watch supporters have been fomenting their prejudice against the STEP collection system on several online mediums. To fact-check all the emotionally charged claims about STEP would be a daunting task, but many of the claims utilize similar criticism that was presented by County Public Works Paavo Ogren and his staff. Those claims, says Mike Saunders of Orenco, are “incomplete and biased in nature.” Neither the California Coastal Commission staff nor County officials addressed or refuted statements made by Saunders and Bill Cagle yesterday — so even if the foregone result is the removal of STEP from the process, the County’s assertions are left unverified and potentially libelous while Orenco’s several rebuttals are left untested and unaddressed.
UPDATE (9:30 PM): County supporters have been in full celebration mode tonight. Many of them have been calling for martinis and cigars (referencing Katcho’s remark at the end of the Coastal Commission meeting). Potential lawsuits by the “obstructionists” are also being discussed by supporters and County officials. Legal action is expected, but the effectiveness of such legal action is questionable at best.
UPDATE (3:36 PM): The approval of the CDP was an expected move by the Coastal Commission, who — on January 14 of this year — only sought a response from the County regarding the substantial issues. Even though the STEP vs. gravity served as a more prominent backdrop in this meeting, Public Works Director Paavo Ogren successfully convinced the commissioners to move forward based on a number of milestones while sidestepping some of the more specific challenges to the project that were presented by Orenco and Dana Ripley. The unanimous vote was more of a vote based on the County satisfying the quota of responses to the commission more than debunking or dismissing STEP and other alternatives as not being viable technologies for Los Osos.
The bigger question many were left with was: is it really within the purview of the California Coastal Commission to discuss and apply permit conditions based on costs?
Stay tuned for more analysis. If you spoke at the meeting, we’d like to hear your thoughts. Post in our comment section below.
