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 The County says, "Take my card!" The County is tired of hearing from Los Osos residents about the County’s handling, or mangling, of the sewer project, for which Los Osos is paying, not the County. How tired are they? So tired that Supervisor Bruce Gibson, at a recent after-hours session in Los Osos, narrowed his usual lava flow of caustic, inflammatory comments to two words: “Sue me.”  This is where revolutions start. UPDATE (3:16 PM PST): Sources have stated that there were three policemen at the meeting: one deputy, the undersheriff, and the sheriff himself (Ian Parkinson). UPDATE (2/22 at 1:25 PM PST): Even more Sheriff’s deputies were in the back of the room during public comment at Tuesday’s SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting. For nearly 10 years, law enforcement has been dispatched to meetings that addressed — or had public comment speakers that addressed — issues pertaining to the Los Osos wastewater project. Typically, it’s been presumed that the police were summoned to deal with the allegedly unruly Los Osos residents, most of whom maintain a reasonable, measured tone without elevating the vitriol beyond “We’re getting screwed.” Several months ago, former Los Osos Community Services Director Lisa Schicker accused SLO County Public Works Director Paavo Ogren of having a conflict of interest with Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH). County Counsel Warren Jensen later shot down the claim, saying there was no evidence to support it. On December 16, Los Osos resident Al Barrow asked Johnathan Bishop, Coastal Planner of the California Coastal Commission about a possible conflict of interest involving SLO County Board of Supervisor Khatchik “Katcho” Achadjian serving as a representative. However, in that case, all voting representatives of the CCC represent a local government in their respective region. Section 30318 of the Coastal Act protects members and representatives’ vote and influence:
It begs the question. What is conflict of interest? During his office hours in Los Osos on Thursday, SLO County Board of Supervisors chairman Bruce Gibson confirmed that the board will proceed with the analysis of former LOCSD president Lisa Schicker’s conflict-of-interest complaint. Also appearing at the office hours was Paavo Ogren, the subject of Schicker’s complaint. He appeared shaken as he, for the first time, addressed the allegations. “I think it’s absurd, it really is,” said Ogren, who lowered his head in exasperation. “I never worked with Montgomery Watson-Harza. [The allegations] are just ridiculous.” After LOCAC board member Linde Owen got in a series of heated exchanges with Ogren, Gibson stated, “[The complaint] is a textbook case of a series of assertions. I’ve read most of the complaint and I don’t see any indications of conflict of interest — none at all.” In his defense, Ogren later stated that he never worked with Montgomery Watson-Harza. In fact, he worked on a team that competed against MWH — around the time the LOCSD started to work with MWH — but he never mentioned the team he was working with at the time. Ironically, Gibson declined to comment on pending personnel investigations involving Wilcox/Edge and Ghezzi/Keller. For additional commentary, click on “Read More” It’s been over 100 days since County Counsel Warren Jensen stated he would respond in two weeks to former LOCSD board president Lisa Schicker’s well-documented complaint against MWH and Paavo Ogren. (UPDATE: At the August 4 Board of Supervisors meeting, Counsel Jensen again refused to respond to the public’s request for his promised written response to the full complaint.) Continue reading UPDATE: County Counsel That Can’t Count to 100 Should Be Fired → |
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Here’s The Triple Whammy
The ROCK delivers the goods. Hot off the digital presses!
County Counsel Tries to Bury Schicker’s MWH/Ogren Complaint
Warren Jensen’s belated response to Lisa Schicker’s MWH/Ogren complaint paves the way for MWH to move forward, without legal impediments, in the design-build phase of the wastewater project as No. 1 contractor on the County’s handpicked short lists for both collection and treatment. At the same time, Counsel’s disclaimer shields the board. Schicker’s reaction…
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Next Speaker… Shut Up! The Los Osos Public Comment Scandal
It’s not sexy like the Edge/Wilcox scandal, but the Los Osos Public Comment scandal and coverup will cost Los Osos and County taxpayers millions of dollars more in rigged contracts, costs increases, more fees and charges, further damage to the threatened drinking water supply and probable litigation. The man pulling the strings behind the scenes of both scandals could pay at the polls in 2010, if voters take a deeper look…
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Best of Summer Public Comment: Los Osos Residents Fight Back Against Gibson Gag With Wit, Knowledge and Advice
Public comment on the Los Osos wastewater project at Board of Supervisors’ monthly updates is the time when no good deed goes unpunished, as Supervisor Gibson and idling board sidekicks turn the vice tighter and tighter on critics of the County’s town-sweeping $200-million megasewer built on the flimsiest foundation of lies and fraud. Following is a just a sampling of the vital public comment from Los Osos residents at monthly project updates on July 14 and August 4—ignored or dismissed by a board that almost never responds. We bring back some folks for an encore because public comment passes too quickly and should not be so quickly forgotten…
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Continue reading Here’s The Triple Whammy →