By Aaron Ochs, on January 20th, 2013%
 District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson UPDATE (1/31/13 3:00 PM): Here is Mrs. Tornatzky’s comments that she’s made on The Tribune (Courtesy: DISQUS)
UPDATE (1/31/13 9:30 AM): Since the article was published, I’ve been in communication with Lynette Tornatzky, who insists that one of the quotes — though they’re all linked to and verified — we’ve shown of hers was “Photoshopped.” She’s been invited to send us an e-mail and explain specifically her issues with the content shown, but has continuously been unable to do so. Our contact form does work! She continues to insist that I am the “multi-monikered anonymous” who disagree with her views. Paranoia is not a good defense.
Shirley Montague-Devine also responded to the article by asking for my home address to send us her resume. The behavior we’ve seen from Gibson’s most ardent supporters — since this article was published — have been very bizarre and cult-like. We sincerely hope that Gibson doesn’t actually give tacit approval to this kind of behavior.
UPDATE (1/24/13): We received a reply from Lynette Tornatzky, who had this to say about the article and my statements about it. She italicized comments made by me in the Tribune’s January 23 editorial on Gibson, which reflected the nature of the article. “The above statements are all untruths,” she wrote. “But thanks for confirming for me that the bloggers using multiple monikers who spout these same words against me on the comment sections in the various venues are now revealed as being you!” Uh… OK!
News surfaced this week that District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson has re-hired Cherie Aispuro to be his legislative assistant a month after he revealed that he had an affair with her and subsequently transferred her to the County Clerk-Recorder’s office. This came as a surprise to many who thought that Gibson would not reintroduce the topic in such a bizarre way. It’s highly unusual for a sitting politician to continue working with his mistress after already removing her from his office. Gibson’s defiance has clearly overshadowed any of his politics or accomplishments. Because of Gibson’s defiance, the conversation has transmogrified from the morality of his actions to the way he’s handled the issue in spite of growing criticism.
Of course, Gibson has his supporters — and clearly they’re not the kind of surrogates he should have.
Continue reading Meet Bruce Gibson’s Surrogates →
By Aaron Ochs, on December 16th, 2012%
 Gewynn Taylor Gewynn Taylor’s life came to a premature end late Monday night on December 10. This is the same Gewynn Taylor who spoke every Tuesday morning for many years at the SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting, reminding every supervisor of their responsibility to the people of Los Osos. This is the same Gewynn Taylor who sacrificed her post-retirement life to protect and support people in need as well as the environment.
Continue reading The Glowing Compassion of Gewynn Taylor →
By Aaron Ochs, on November 7th, 2012%
 Gail Briggs McPherson UPDATED (11/17): The rehearing petition has been denied.
UPDATED (11/14): Citizens for Clean Water filed a rehearing petition on Wednesday. More details to come… [Source: Los Osos Sewer Saga]
On October 25, Los Osos’ Citizens for Clean Water (the organization formerly known as the Prohibition Zone Legal Defense Fund) filed for voluntary dismissal of their seemingly never-ending appeal against the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (CCRWQCB). It’s unclear why CCW filed for voluntary dismissal, but it’s clear that Los Osos sewer construction is underway. Because the group is no longer a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and doesn’t appear to be operating under any other group’s 501(c)(3), they will have to pay the water board’s legal expenses.
Continue reading The Lasting Tragedy of PZLDF →
By Aaron Ochs, on July 14th, 2012%
 Paso Robles spills wine of discord Confusion. Corruption. Chaos.
The City of Paso Robles is embroiled in a police department scandal that has rocked the community of just under 30,000 residents. The scandal, which started with accusations of misconduct against former city Police Chief Lisa Solomon, has been a widely discussed and hotly debated topic — and now it has snowballed into fiery hysterics from several sides of the debate.
People should recognize the dangers of getting too involved in the story and losing their perspective — and integrity in the process.
Continue reading Paso Robles is Burning →
By Aaron Ochs, on June 6th, 2012%
To my readers,
I want to enlighten you on a recent decision that I’ve made regarding controversial wastewater project in Los Osos. I’ve decided to no longer publish any articles about the Los Osos sewer on Razor Online. Hit the jump for more information.
Continue reading Final Thoughts on Los Osos →
By Aaron Ochs, on March 6th, 2012%
 Lou prepares for war “We forgot, though, that sewer opponents are nothing if not wily.”
The Tribune wrote that in their “Bouquets and Brickbats” editorial on Friday, March 2. The Tribune, which is notorious for publishing their disdain of Los Osos sewer critics, achieved a new low, even by their already non-existent standards. The “sewer opponents” are “nothing” and “wily.”
Continue reading Los Osos: Wild in the Streets →
By Aaron Ochs, on January 16th, 2012%
 Los Osos Internet Troll promotes "healing" This report is based on research that tracked online activity of Los Osos residents since the 2005 recall elections, which effectively stopped the controversial wastewater project on the Tri-W site. The recall was followed by a handful of lawsuits filed by contractors and a local group run by two of the three recalled district board members. Online, there was outcry from anonymous residents who — for more than five years — have conspired to undermine the “obstructionists” who were in support of recall efforts. Their campaign against the “obstructionists” persists to the present.
“Check this out. This is scary,” wrote former Los Osos Community Services District president Lisa Schicker to supporters in July 2006. Elected in November 2004 as a candidate who fought for an “affordable, environmentally superior sewer project,” Mrs. Schicker provided a link in her e-mail to comments made about her by anonymous pseudonyms on a message board operated by The Tribune.
Continue reading The Los Osos Sewer Wars: Fought in Cyberspace →
By Aaron Ochs, on December 21st, 2011%
 Saltwater intrusion ignored On December 13, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a $7.6 million contract to HDR Engineering, a Nebraska-based global firm that would provide construction management services for the Los Osos wastewater project. This came after District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson assailed the project opposition for being “irrelevant” and “in denial” in comments that weren’t directly related to the contract itself.
While the costs continue to rise for the project — despite assurances from County Public Works that they are working within their $174 million budget — the project is once again overshadowed by Gibson’s draconian provocations, and the County’s callous unwillingness to look at the social and environmental impacts that Prohibition Zone homeowners would have to face and ultimately pay to mitigate. The last BOS meeting of the year ended on a note of defiance from the board, with no legitimate reason for them to do so other than to lay down a smokescreen to obscure the many questions and concerns they left unanswered.
Continue reading Gibson Calls Saving Millions “Irrelevant” →
By Aaron, on December 6th, 2011%
 Do not cut these trees down! Los Osos environmental activist Joey Racano weighs in on the controversy surrounding the Morro Coast Audubon Society’s plans to remove Eucalyptus trees from the Sweet Springs Nature Preserve.
As misunderstood as King Kong and standing nearly twice as tall, the Eucalyptus of California is alive and well, and living in Sweet Springs Nature Preserve. There are as many varieties of Eucalyptus as there are flavors at Baskin Robbins, with names like Blue Gum, Wooly Butt and Black Peppermint. As with many trees inhabiting present-day California, the Eucalyptus originated elsewhere, and some, like the Black Peppermint, grow taller in their native lands. There are some who disparage the mighty Eucalyptus, branding her an alien, an invasive, a weed to be eradicated. But like it or not, this tree is now part of our ecosystem, and causing us to redefine the word native.
Continue reading Don’t Disparage the Mighty Eucalyptus →
By Aaron Ochs, on November 28th, 2011%
Everyone in the County agrees that the opposition to the County’s planned Los Osos wastewater project is a stubborn bunch of watchdogs. And it’s true. They are.
Because of their unyielding tenacity to present the sewer as a problem on a weekly basis, they have become political fodder for project supporters and outside observers who believe the project should be moving forward.
They have also been accused of desperately cajoling officials into investigating scandals. Scandals between contractors, their own employees, and the relationships between employees and individuals with special interests, any weak link in the chain that is also somehow in some way connected to the Los Osos sewer.
Continue reading Breaking Down the Fragmentation →
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