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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Calhoun’s Cannons, The Bay News, Morro Bay, for November 9, 06


Hand Me That Cup of Hemlock, It’s Election Time

From sea to shining sea, from Washington, DC, to Sacramento, to our very own Sewerville By The Slough, we are awash in hokum, lies, balderdash, and conflated hooey all floated on a sea of endless (often hidden) money, money, money.

Yep, it’s Election Time and it’s getting harder and harder to observe the passing scene without throwing up.

At the national level, it’s beyond comprehension to me that Bush’s poll numbers are as high as they are. Has nobody been paying attention? At all? Ditto for the Republican controlled House and Senate. That the outcome should even be in question as I write this means that either we are still The Sleepwalking Nation, or have failed to understand the wisdom of our system of “checks and balances,” or are in the throes of a common phenomenon known as, “Yes, Congress Sucks, but MY Representative is Swell”—a malady of being unable to connect the dots.

Here in Caleeeforneeeah, unable to elect an assembly that actually works for We The People, we’re once again being governed by Special Interest Initiatives, so the state is awash in cash and lies. And, depending on what actually gets passed, will soon be awash in the very expensive Law of Unintended Consequences.

Our little County is, alas, not exempt from all this hideosity, including a “watchdog” newspaper of record asleep at the switch when it’s not actively shilling for certain special interests and/or ignoring major problems or engaging in embarrassing breeches of journalistic and editorial ethics, to say the least. Add in the mystery of a local candidate going weirdly “negative” at the last minute and, let’s not forget that here in Sewerville, we ended up with a genuine miracle!

In the Second District race for Supervisor, like you, I got several slick flyers from candidate Roger Anderson accusing his opponent of . . . well, something or other. Even after reading the thing three times, I’m not quite sure what evil Gibson was accused of doing – selling oranges? selling stocks? -- neither of which, last time I checked, was an illegal activity. Part of my surprise at these flyers was that from Day One of that race all the candidates had pledged to make Nice-Nice. Some perceptive Letters-To-The-Editor writers accused Roger’s “handlers” of being responsible for the weirdly conflated hit-piece. Why “handlers” were able to hijack Mr. Anderson at the last minute remains a mystery.

Maybe the “handlers” had hired the same Ad Guys that our very own Los Osos “Taxpayers Watch” uses for their weirdly conflated stuff, website included. They’re absolute masters at that game – putting Fact A next to Fact Z, while coolly knowing that the average reader will (incorrectly) conclude that it means Fact X. It’s an effective advertising misdirection strategy that treats citizens as marks to be sold soap or corn flakes. TPW has effectively used the technique from day one, since they can create a totally false and misleading “reality” of “facts,” while claiming plausible deniability and, most important, leaving no fingerprints -- Nuh-huh, I always never didn’t say that.

But in this election, TPW has apparently also managed a true miracle of the Loaves & Fishes variety: They sent out expensive flyers in support of a slate-of-three candidates for the same CSD they recently moved heaven and earth to destroy, which is sorta like saying,“Yes, your honor, we DID try to beat him to death with a baseball bat, but when he didn’t die, we figured, Aw, Heck, we’d better just marry him. THEN kill him off with a new board majority vote!”

But the miracle in all this? After LAFCO refused to dissolve the CSD, Taxpayers Watch asked that the costs for the whole dissolution process be waived (i.e. stick it to the county taxpayers) on account of They Wuz Broke! Yet they can now afford expensive campaign mailers? It’s a miracle!

So, as the dust settles over the ballot boxes, for me only two real questions remain: (1) Just how FEW people actually bothered to vote this time, and (2) How loud will the crying be when We The People start getting exactly what we deserve, followed by the Bill for Unintended Consequences, due and payable.

Well, can’t say we weren’t warned, now can we?

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha-ha-ha!

Ann says of TW:
They’re absolute masters at that game – putting Fact A next to Fact Z, while coolly knowing that the average reader will (incorrectly) conclude that it means Fact X."

No, the seated board far trumps that ploy with outright, boldface lies - $100 out of town, we won't lose the loan, we won't be fined! But will Ann comment on outright lies? Oh course not!

Ron said...

I have a f-ing question for the County Clerk-Recorder office:

When you post a document that contains things like this:

LOS OSOS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Total
Number of Precincts 9
Precincts Reporting 9 100.0 %
Vote For 3
Ballots Cast/Reg. Voters 5764/9803 58.8 %
Total Votes 14431
JOE SPARKS 2500 17.32%
CHUCK CESENA 2360 16.35%
MARIA KELLY 2257 15.64%
STEVE SENET 2240 15.52%

... would it be asking too much that you also include this tiny bit of information?:

Absentee ballots remaining to be counted: 1078

Here's the language from the "Ballots Remaining to be Counted" document currently posted on their web site:

This chart shows the number of absentee ballots remaining to be counted for each contest. Any contest in which the vote difference is less than the number of ballots remaining to be counted could be affected by the remaining count. In addition, there are 2,013 provisional ballots which have to be verified and processed countywide. Counting of remaining absentee ballots will begin on Thursday, November 9 at 10:00.
The results will be posted after counting is completed for the day and the numbers below will be updated.


Unbelievable.

Mike Green said...

Ron, Ya, that one caught me off gaurd too.
I realy wanted to stick it to the Tivial, but they did run a little article on it stuffed way in the back.
I just checked again and the uncounted ballots are down to ONLY about 650
The wheels of democracy roll slo.

Anonymous said...

It looks like after the 400 or so ballots counted today Kelly picked up a vote and is ahead of Senet now by 18 votes instead of the 17 yesterday. Sparks lead grows. Cesena continues to separate.

Ron said...

Here's how I'd list it if I was Clerk-Recorder:

UPDATED ON 11/09/06, 6:00 p.m.

LOS OSOS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Total
Number of Precincts 9
Precincts Reporting 9 100.0 %
Vote For 3
Ballots Cast/Reg. Voters 6163/9803 62.9 %
Total Votes 15384
JOE SPARKS 2682 17.43%
CHUCK CESENA 2508 16.30%
MARIA KELLY 2405 15.63%
STEVE SENET 2387 15.52%
LYNETTE TORNATZKY 1979 12.86%
ROB SHIPE 1115 7.25%
JEFF EDWARDS 785 5.10%
AL BARROW 607 3.95%
ED OCHS 518 3.37%
DAVID B. DUGGAN 334 2.17%
Write-in Votes 64 0.42%
ABSENTEE BALLOTS REMAINING: 679

In addition, there are 2,013 provisional ballots which have to be verified and processed countywide. Counting of remaining absentee ballots will continue on Friday, November 10 at 8:30. The results will be posted after counting is completed for the day and the numbers below will be updated.

(Ahhhh, much better.)

Mike Green said...

Well Ron! I think you have met your true calling!
You are a natural, a true savant!
RON CRAWFORD FOR CLERK RECORDER!
Uh, I forget can we even vote you in?

Sorry, that was too easy.
I love you man!

he he!

Anonymous said...

Sharky is laying 10-1 odds on Steve Senet with 679 absentee ballots and 2013 provisional ballots still in play?
I'll take that bet. I'll take 10-1 odds on a guy like Steve Senet over a bitch nag like Kelly any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I'd rather live homeless and on the street than under the rule of a carpetbagging bitch like Maria Kelly. Of course, this is what her evil goal is, isn't it? Sorry Taxpayers Waste. The good people of Los Osos are not going anywhere. Thank you Lord, one thing is still clear, the empty soulless bitch is still in the minority. Although, the fact that spectator is applauding Ron for anything, makes this whole thing reek of conspiracy. Thinking we need witnesses.......

Anonymous said...

Your language proves that you in fact already do live on the street and homeless. Just what Los Osos needs. Whew.

Churadogs said...

Anonymous sez:"I'll take 10-1 odds on a guy like Steve Senet over a bitch nag like Kelly any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I'd rather live homeless and on the street than under the rule of a carpetbagging bitch like Maria Kelly. Of course, this is what her evil goal is, isn't it? Sorry Taxpayers Waste."

I want you to identify yourself THEN repeat the above. This was totally unnecessary and out of line, right there alongside potty mouths and other immature nonsense by other "anonymous" posters. . You do yourself the real disservice here, not Maria.

FBLeG said...

Election update:

Right now the current leaders in the LOCSD election are Joe, Chuck and Steve.

Only 101 absentee ballots remaining to be counted. Senet now has a 34 vote lead over Kelly.

Anonymous said...

Ann, I was very pleasantly surprised by your 8:20 A.M. post! There is hope for you yet!

Shark Inlet said...

Sounds like the 5-600 absentee ballots which were counted today were quite different from the absentee ballots cast earlier. Those counted before election day and yesterday were breaking for Kelly 55% to 45% but those counted today were breaking for Senet 55% to 45%.

I wonder why this systematic change.

Mike Green said...

Got me puzzelin too Shark, maybe those folks used heavier lead and the ballots sank to the bottom?
One thing I'd like to find out is why is it taking so long? I know Judy has a stellar reputation, so maybe this is the best anyone can expect, but I'm sure Maria and Steve are on pins and needles.
They have my sympathy (before and after the results are known)

Mike Green said...

Well since we are all floating around here with no rudder....
Jon, when are you going to take that cool boat out again?

Shark Inlet said...

Maybe those who voted absentee ... but mailed their ballots on Friday or Saturday or who turned in their ballots at the polls were less likely to have been paying attention to local politics and so thought that Chuck and Steve have been doing a good job.

Anonymous said...

Hello all,
Thanks Ann for the comment to last night's anon - I couldn't agree more. As far as pins and needles, I'm doing great. It is what it is. I ran a clean, fun, honest, well researched campaign. I had interesting discussions with almost all the candidates and made a lot of new friends along the way - it appears as though I may have made some enemies too but the friends outweigh. Maybe I didn't get my message out clear enough or maybe people weren't listening. Either way, today was great, spent it with the kids, took a nap and all seems right in this world. Do I think I was the better candidate? No question about it! Do I think I have a lot to offer Los Osos, absolutely. I will be 110% behind Joe and trust that he will bring information out of closed session, I believe that he has the knowledge to know what questions to ask, I believe that the community will be served well by him. I think we would have had a lot more clout up there together but having at least one friendly face greeting him every meeting will hopefully mitigate some of the agnst with serving with people that he felt were directly responsible for the decisions that lead us into bankruptcy and an almost unbearable buden of debt.
Fortunately, I have gone back to work and that will help my family but I won't be able to help many others. If I was on the board, I know I could have done more.
Maybe the 101 will change the outcome but at this point the premonitions that I had in my sleep came true and I think they are going to hold, although I have been wrong before!
Thanks to all,
Sincerely,
Maria M. Kelly

Mike Green said...

Maria, Thank you for your time and resolve, whatever the outcome of this election, your message was heard.
It takes real guts to stand up!
You have my respect and admiration, I only hope you will find the time to let us know your thoughts on this blog in the future.
Mike Green

Ron said...

I feel like Tim Russert...

LOS OSOS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT DIRECTOR
Total
Number of Precincts 9
Precincts Reporting 9 100.0 %
Vote For 3
Ballots Cast/Reg. Voters 6742/9803 68.8 %
Total Votes 16782
JOE SPARKS 2914 17.36%
CHUCK CESENA 2767 16.49%
STEVE SENET 2644 15.75%
MARIA KELLY 2610 15.55%
LYNETTE TORNATZKY 2153 12.83%
ROB SHIPE 1212 7.22%
JEFF EDWARDS 854 5.09%
AL BARROW 643 3.83%
ED OCHS 559 3.33%
DAVID B. DUGGAN 361 2.15%
Write-in Votes 65 0.39%
Absentee Ballots Remaining: 101

UPDATED ON 11/10/06 AFTER ABSENTEE COUNT
Any contest in which the vote difference is less than the number of ballots remaining to be counted could be affected by the remaining count. In addition, there are 2,013 provisional ballots which have to be verified and processed countywide. Counting of remaining absentee ballots will continue on Thursday, November 16. The results will be posted after counting is completed for the day and the numbers below will be updated.


November 16th? OhhhhKaaay...

Quick observation: That 68.8 percent turnout is huge. It's about 20-points more than the statewide average and about 15-points more than the county average. Could it be? Has Los Osos finally woken up?

And, of course, gotta throw a jab at the Trib on the way out:

Los Osos elects two new board members
-- The Tribune, 11/07/06

Mike Green said...

Hey Jon, I'll bet them write in votes were for you (if I'm right I'm sorry)

Anonymous said...

Actually,
if the current board would stop the expenditures that are not line items, re-evaluate the budget, stop expenditures on fund 600, ie waste water, and get a good GM or a trustee to oversee the district's business, there is revenue to survive. There won't be reserves, but there will be a revenue stream to manage without having to sell anything. There is far too much reliance on the attorneys at this time.
See, to get out of the bankruptcy protection, they need a plan, they need to identify revenue. This will take some time to identify but it has to come from fees. We needed to have the WWTF online in a reasonalbe amount of time and under our jurisdiction to be able to let the court and others know that down the road, there would be a fee source to pay for loans and debts.
Right now, we are truely snowballing towards insovlency but the funny thing about that is that to actually be approved for Chapter 9 bankruptcy we would have had to be insolvent already! My question then becomes, was the filing for Chapter 9 awhile back a ploy to get the court to release the frozen funds? Was it used so that TriW could be sold? Was it used to hold up measure B? If so, why is there an effort to pull that out of the hold up of bankruptcy?
So many questions, so little time! With little to no actual business being accomplished by the board and no GM and no plan on the table, what has the past year been about?
Ironically, for the current board to accomplish much of what they would have liked to accomplish they should have filed for a general plan amendment instead of Measure B, they should have NOT sued the state and they should have kept a better eye on their contracted GM as well as question some of the advice given by their very expensive attorneys.
I work for an attorney and we have had several discussions as to why they are doing what they are doing and how did they arrive at that level of advice? Since we haven't had a report out of closed session in months, we are limited in what we as a community can surmise.
This is the beginning of the beginning and I am an optomist that trusts that the truth will prevail.
I typically don't blog but you know, this could be kind of entertaining!
Happy weekending to all,
Maria M. Kelly

Ron said...

Maria said:

"I typically don't blog but you know, this could be kind of entertaining!"

Blogging's fun, and you're good at it... much better than Shark.

"... the truth will prevail."

Yep.

Anonymous said...

With the letter that Lisa wrote to the Trib about the Planning Commissions staff recommendation (see the Trib's website), I see another lawsuit on the horizon for the CSD - well, us, as ultimately we get to pay for it.

It is clear that even though Tri-W will be one VALUABLE piece of property in the future when a WWTF is built, she is cutting off the community's nose to spite our face just to obstruct the County's job ahead. And we get to pay for one more absurd lawsuit. Lisa wants to sell it at a bargain basement price just to get it off the table. That is called cheating the community.

Thanks Lisa, we see that your religious mission to keep a WWTF off Tri-W even if it would be cheaper, is not an option that you care for the community to vote on - your righteous belief that YOU ARE RIGHT is more important than CHOICE for the community. You clearly think that YOU are more important and valuable than we are, that we cannot be trusted to vote Tri-W down. Could it be that you KNOW it would be cheaper and do not care to RISK that we might not vote it down?

Just because you are going after the judge on the Measure B case does not mean that Measure B is valid. More bad legal advice.

FBLeG said...

An Anon said,

"that we cannot be trusted to vote Tri-W down"

Unless you are a complete imbecile, the original successful recall vote (move the sewer) and the latest election which pretty clearly will end with the two incumbents (Chuck and Steve) holding onto their seats is a solid and consistent vote against TriW as designed and permitted. Get over it, the community doesn't want TriW. Need some of the land for a pumping station, fine. Want to put a treatment plant there? Sorry, two elections say, NO!

And to Anon Maria Kelly who said,

"I will be 110% behind Joe and trust that he will bring information out of closed session"

Closed sessions are closed for a reason. Of course, if your intent would be to undermine the CSD against the will of the people who elected them, you would maliciously prematurely divulge these closed session discussions before there was a formal report. Not a good trait for one might be elected to uphold the public trust.

Also, to be 110% behind someone who has yet to take an official position on something as complicated as the CSD solvency or the WWTF is irresponsible. Joe Sparks is not a messiah. This indicates to me that clearly you do not have the independence of thought necessary to help formulate good solutions to difficult problems. You also certainly do not seem interested in representing the will of the people. Your likely election loss seems quite appropriate.

Maybe you'll come around and help the community through these difficult times, rather than fight it by representing the will of the minority who align themselves with a well funded, but wrong-headed and spiteful organization like TW.

By the way, has TW filed for bankruptcy themselves yet?

Mike Green said...

Well I have to hand it to the Chuck and Steve spin machine, tying their campaigns to the TriW debacle worked, even though there is no evidence at all that they will get to have any influence on the Countys Sewer plans, people still thought that they were voting about TriW
Now it seems that the County may try to cicumvent the CSD and deal directly with the property owners.
Like I said before the real biggie is going to be the upcomming 218 votes.
Question to fbleg,
What do you think the breakdown of CSD votes would be if only property owners votes were tallied?
speculation to be sure, but important.

Anonymous said...

I guess we'll find out next year Mike. I've kidded my wife that the only way a sewer will be built in Los Osos will be when the National Guard comes marching down the street and either forces compliance or forces the residents to leave. I know that's an outcome people like fblg and Julie Tacker and the other sewer-as-religion people would LOVE to see. The ultimate fighting of the man! Hand to hand combat in thee street!! But seriously, there is now no doubt in my mind that the state will be involved in this mess, and a mess it will be no doubt. Seeing this election again as a mandate is just plain stupid. What it shows once again is that Los Osos is one f**ked up place. Reward those who have bankrupted the community, continue to support those who fight, delay, sue and screw, and hopefully I'll be dead before I have to pay for a sewer. The Los Osos way. And maybe it's the rain causing my defeatism, or the election results, but I truly think time is running out for Los Osos. As my man Bob says, a hard rain's gonna fall.

FBLeG said...

Mike Green said...

"What do you think the breakdown of CSD votes would be if only property owners votes were tallied?"

That's a great question - I really don't know. Plenty of property owners I know who are also PZ residents support the current CSD.

Another question would be how the vote broke down between the PZ and outside. Rather than confusion over the CSD role in the sewer project, I think many view the current CSD as the only protection against a vindictive water board and a historically negligent county. The vote may have had a different outcome if the water board had been taking a carrot rather than stick approach to the sewer diplomacy. The county showed the same stick approach when they filed their claim with bankruptcy court. I believe the actions of the water board and county are much more to blame for the outcome of this election than voter confusion.

Maybe it's time for the county and water board to learn a lesson?

I realize that prop owners like me will have to pay for the waste system, but I really don't like the implication that residents of Los Osos who are not property owners somehow do not the right to determine where a sewer plant is located. I've said it before, some have pay for it, some have to live next to it and some have to do both.

Anonymous said...

Another sad commentary of Los Osos. I was thinking this morning, it is going to be 20 years or more before this mess blends and becomes part of everyday life. A long time of getting any kind of improvements for our town.
When I went to vote the other day, I walked up the hill beyond the Church parking lot and got a view of Tri-W and the bay. And all the surrounding property. This is no place for a sewer plant.
Whenever I read "no sewer" I get mad. We're not no sewer, we just don't want what has been laid on us at Tri-W. Isn't that obvious? We have been lied to, hood winked, held to un-attainable standards, and held prisoner to a Board that has had a mandate for 23 years and has not produced a project that they required. Either they are incompetent to do this, or they had no valid reason to do this in the first place. Which, i'm inclined to believe. With no, or limited 25' lots built on and a septic management system in place when this all started, I think we would be in a different place.
Another thought I had, I hear how we are leaking, seeping, whatever 100,000 gallons a day of effluent into the bay. I thought we were leaking into the upper aquafier. Suspected leaking septic tanks has always bothered me too. Have they found leaking tanks? How many? Just rambling.
Sincerely, M

Mike Green said...

fbleg drove this down the fairway:
"Maybe it's time for the county and water board to learn a lesson?"

HOO HA that's good!

I'm sure the "Water Gods" and The Overlords of county control are quaking in FEAR!

We'll see who gets tought a lesson for sure.

Anonymous said...

M
You are right, Tri-W doesn't look very appealing as a sewr site. So the anti-Tri-W folks have their say. But how about affordability? How about the Bo and Lacy Cooper/Al Barrow faction? Al Barrow says anything over $75.00 per month is too expensive. You think we're ever going to see a sewer for $75.00 per month? Or even $175.00 per month? So another faction have their say. How about the Taxpayer Watch/Ron Crawford/Ann Calhoun faction, who find it impossible to get beyond the past and the blame game and instead look to the present and the future? And how about the people who just think there is no evidence whatsoever that the septic tanks in Los Osos are polluting. They have their say as well. It just goes on and on and on. Wait and see next year when it's time for the 218 vote. The spin; the threats; the lies; the nastiness; the misinformation will once again spew forth by all parties. On and on and on it goes. I'm convinced it will never end until something (see state) steps in and rams a project down every single property owner's throat in Los Osos. I just no longer see the outcome of this mess in any other terms. I'm looking to get out, with many others, but think I'm stuck and royaly srewed at this time.

FBLeG said...

Mike Green said...

"HOO HA that's good!" ...
"I'm sure the "Water Gods" and The Overlords of county control are quaking in FEAR!"

Mike, apparently I hit the Green - let me tap it in for the eagle.

You don't think the water board or the county can force evacuate 4500 homes do you without massive real litigation? As such, I see the water board action as vindictive posturing. Unless they work with the community to actually solve this problem in a way that is compatible with community sentiment, they will basically become an emasculated joke. They are headed that way right now for sure - look at how well they are handling the CDO proceedings.

The worst thing that happens, in my opinion, is the state builds the thing for us wherever is convenient for them, does a mandated affordability study and charges us some amount of money per month for the trouble.

It's not so much that they are quaking with fear they just need a "change of course" - the idea is to get the water cleaner sooner rather than later. They have some control over how things move forward - it's called diplomacy. The "stay the course" strategy isn't working too well.

Mike Green said...

fbleg, sorry, you just missed that putt
Congrats on the easy birdie though.
There is no evidence that I can find that indicates the water boards mind being a joke.
I would also suggest that as far as diplomacy goes that would be great, but I fear from their standpoint its already been tried for way too long.
Also, they now OWN the means with Sam's law in effect.
CDO's aint going away, I expect even worse.
You may want to invest in the stock of the company that makes honeyhuts.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's a shame what has been wrought on this community. As a 35 year resident, I have been through it all. I don't think my life-span will allow me to see it to it's conclusion. I just know that I love Los Osos and consider this my resting place. At least now they have Reverse Mortgage where I may be able to live out my days here. The equity of my house means nothing if I have to move some where else. More ramblings,
Sincerely, M

Anonymous said...

fbleg said:

"Unless you are a complete imbecile, the original successful recall vote (move the sewer) and the latest election which pretty clearly will end with the two incumbents (Chuck and Steve) holding onto their seats is a solid and consistent vote against TriW as designed and permitted."

Measure B won by only 20 votes. If non-resident property owners had been allowed to vote, the vote would have gone a lot differently.

The imbeciles are the voters who thought that Chuck and Steve would have some influence on WWTF options. Lisa is well aware that the CSD has almost ZERO input and obviously cannot trust that the voters will turn down Tri-W, hence the big need to sell it now. See fbleg, she isn't very confident it won't win.

You really have no idea fbleg, how much Chuck and Steve spent on their campaign of lies (illegal use of Blakeslee's picture comes to mind) as to their ability to deliver the "preferred" WWTF. Compare that to the pittance the other candidates spent. Well, don't hold your breath as Chuck and Steve were the ONLY candidates that didn't file their legally required paperwork to state what they spent, but just look at their fancy signs and glossy mailers and radio appearances. A lot different than what the other candidates put out. Joe only won because he walked EVERY damn neighborhood in Los Osos with his (inexpensive) flyers, spent $200 on signs, and is a long time and very respected resident.

Renters don't vote on the 218, it is likely to pass. Include the property owners in the site selection, Tri-W could well pass. Deal with that.

anon, 9:45am, as for the look of the property Tri-W, just envision the grand beauty of a mall, some low income housing, maybe a theater, and LOTS of blacktop. Compare that to the buried WWTF as shown in the architectural drawings. Did you see the drawings?

Time will tell. Just rest assured that there will be one more lawsuit againt the County (beyond the one that they just filed) as to the Tri-W sale restriction, we will become insolvent, and owe our firstborn sons to Burke, Williams and Sorenson.

Anonymous said...

Like I say, woe is us.
Sincerely, M

Shark Inlet said...

Sooooo many comments in the last 24 hours. My gosh.

First, as anonymous (11:38pm) wrote, Lisa does seem to feel that it is important to pay more to have an out of town sewer plant than to have the plant at TriW. Too bad that her only justification was based on lying to the voters that out of town is less expensive.

To claim (as FBLEG does) that the community doesn't want TriW is simply silly. They've never been presented the options. The previous board pushed hard for TriW and the current board (both to get elected and even recently for Chuck and Steve to get re-elected ... glad you noticed their spin machine, Mike) didn't tell our town the truth about the costs. Unless you tell a person the entire truth about their choices it is hard to say that we have a good idea about what they want.

Jesus Sparks might just not save our town but he will get more information to our community than the current board who seem to keep quite a few discussions under wraps by telling us that the items are closed session items. Simply put, Joe won't let them pull that sort of crap anymore.

The problem really seems to be that those in power don't want to trust us with all the facts and let us be involved in the decision. This was the case with the last board, but this current board has made it much much worse.

About the effluent volume ... it is about a million gallons per day. However, it is only during the rainy season that much of it would get into the bay ... and even then it is far less than 100,000 gallons in a day.

I'll agree with the sentiment that TriW isn't the best choice, but the one question that none of those who are cheering on Chuck and Steve want to answer is whether it would be better to have out of town at $300/month than TriW at $200/month. No matter how you slice it, it will be at least an extra $100/month now because of the choice to stop TriW.


The problem always has been that the campaigning process where those who want our votes tend to tell us stuff we want to hear rather than the truth ... just because they want to get their way.


What I have to say is this ... if the ultimate cost of our plant is much higher than $154/month will Chuck and Steve apologize to us for their deceptive campaign? Have they apologized yet for their last campaign add where they promised $100/month yet couldn't deliver? Will Ann apologize for her writings which have downplayed the cost increases as speculation all the while the costs have been going up?

Anonymous said...

Nobody has apologized and nobody will. Least of all the ones that truly are responsible for this.
Shark Inlet, you have said in the past that in the early days for 35 million a plant could have been done and paid for by grants. I'm sorry, but I missed that part when it was going to be paid for by grants. That certainly was not publicized. The fallacy promoted by everyone involved in not getting this done, is that a handfull of people that are fighting it in everyway are somehow responsible. A handfull of people holding up a State mandated project 23 yrs.? No. Weakness of goals? yes. I happened to catch the 11/02 CSD hearing at the very tail end , and I heard Lisa close with something about this being a Basin Plan issue, yet only those in the prohibition zone are being subject to it. Sorry Lisa, but I had that thought a long time ago. Are we the only ones over, or using the basin? Maybe that fact could hgave something to do with the resistance.
You also seem to be mitigating the effluent that gets into the bay. I always heard that was a major issue? 100 million gallons a day of effluent into the groundwater? Is that based on how much water we consume in a day, and then factoring in absorption, evaporation and such? Or is it just another figure that you can throw out there and sound informative? Greenpeace use to have a radio commercial about the rain forest, "every minute...of every hour...of every day...we lose an acre of rain forest!" I started doing the math and realized, "wait a minute, how big is this rain forest"?
Or Taxpayers Watch giving straight A's to someone who had not done anything so far, or straight f's to incumbents. They had done absolutely nothing right?

Anonymous said...

Don't worry about "affordability" folks. The government has always taken care of us and always will. After all, the government provides overpasses for homeless to sleep under, and does not evict them from squatting if no one complains. I just wonder how the "affordability" issue works with people living in $400,000 homes, when the people sleeping in tents on the ground have nothing.

Mike Green said...

Before ol El Tiburon goes on a feeding frezy, I'd like to add a few whirlpools to the Sharks domain:
fbleg is absolutly right about the community not wanting TriW,
You have to admit that the Chuck and Steve machine completly obfuscated the reality of what they are capable of achieving. In effect, making it a popularity vote on TriW.
I gotta admire the political savey, It worked!
But the bottom line is, people hate TriW.
You can argue all you want about it.
Use any spredsheet and get higher up officials swearing the we will all be stripped naked and whipped down LOVR.
Wont work, They HATE TriW.
Its a skunk at a dog show
It couldn't win an election opposing a bordello.
Jesus Sparks???
I like the guy, but realy!

Sewertoons AKA Lynette Tornatzky said...

Mike,
Will people hate Tri-W as much if it proves to be cheaper out of town? Cost was always the issue no matter how the haters say it was location.

anon,
As to "Jesus" Sparks - how idiotic is that? Joe hasn't even gotten into office yet - the guy is level headed and not a big ego - what's he done to you?

Mike Green said...

Sewertoons! howdy!
People will hate TriW because of what they gave heard, lets face it the general populace likes it easy, Remember "cheaper better faster?"
The same thing applies today just like it did in 90.
As for "Jesus Sparks"
I thought Sharkey was to blame for that one, am I wrong? If so, Sorry Shark!

Shark Inlet said...

I seem to remember the early '80s being the time when grants would have paid the bill. The Los Ranchos area near the airport in SLO put in a sewer back then and it was paid for by grants. There were some in that neighborhood who were opposed at the time because they would have been paying more than their friends within SLO city limits. Same thing here in Los Osos. The folks who opposed the sewering back then did so because they said that it was more costly than the sewer bills that Morro Bay and SLO had.

In any case, you are dead right that it is not a handful of people who are opposing a sewer, it is a lot of our friends and neighbors. The problem really is that each of them is forgetting that additional delay causes additional pollution and additional costs once we do get a sewer in place.

As for Jesus Sparks ... I was trying to make a funny. I guess that I shouldn't even try 'round here...

As I mentioned before, the problem here is really that the voters and most of us who don't pay close attention keep getting caught up in the latest "better, faster, cheaper", "$100/month" or "$154/month" promise. Lies irritate the heck out of me. In this case, I wonder why Ann and Ron and many who support the current board are so darn critical of "better, faster, cheaper" but haven't bothered to criticize the "$100/month" plan promised by Chuck and Steve during the recall campaign.

Had I been Lynette or Maria (sorry, Maria), I would have really harped on that issue. If Chuck and Steve told us they had a plan that would have cost only $100/month but after the end of one year the best they could offer was at least 50% higher than that ... it would seem that they either didn't have plan at all or that they were far too quick to promise us something that they should have known was unlikely to occur.

To those who are going to attempt to justify such campaign promises by saying that they are necessary to get elected ... I would have to ask why you feel it is okay to fudge the facts just to get elected. It would seem that those who would fudge the facts to get elected cannot be counted on to tell us the truth later on.

All in all, I can only say that only Joe Sparks and Maria Kelly ran campaigns that I felt were honest with the voters.

If the other boardmembers don't listen to Joe carefully, I suspect our CSD won't last a year.

Anonymous said...

Shark:
Can you see this board listening to anyone besides, say, Julie Biggs or Gail McPherson or their handful of supporters? Joe has been consistent all year long in his condemnation of Burke Williams and Sorenson. Do you think this board is going to listen him? My guess is they'll treat him as a nuisance and nothing more. But I sure hope that's not ture (altho I hoped this "community" didn't buy $154.00 per month/we're almost there" BS again and....well.....you know how that went.....)

Anonymous said...

Hi Shark,
Thanks for recognizing how we ran our campaigns. Honesty is vital and I find it to be a pity as to how many of our neighbors and friends are still sitting in the eye of the tornado and don't know how hard we are going to fall financially.
There was a great editorial on November 6th by Leonard Pitts Jr., and was titled "Plea for the new power brokers". Here is why I cut it out:
"I suspect I speak for many when I say I'm tired of wedge politics. I'm tired of stupid, I'm tired of greed, I'm tired of polarization, I'm tired of red and blue mattering more than the red white and blue".
He goes on to state that he wants to see honest men and women to honestly debate the issues.
"...we have seen the fissures between us widened, monorities among us demonized. All in the name of politics. Yet, we've seen very little of substance get done."
This ran one day before the election. It reflects the burden of our community, it reflects the burden of our nation. We seem to operate on a shallow level of our existence and ignore how our isses fit into the county, the state, the country, the world - the fight for clean water and the potential future water wars.
I agree with you in that Joe has a hard job ahead of him. We needed at least 2 new voices to bring some sort of balance and many felt that it required 3.
I'm looking forward to the next meeting! I hope to see many new faces. The time ahead will be what we make of it and if we should chose to, I say we make it just a little bit fun. I'll bring dip and then a toast to democracy at the Merrimaker - where no sewer talk is allowed - which is great because I have found there are many interesting topics worthy of debate!
Sincerely,
Maria M. Kelly

Mike Green said...

Sharkey Bubbled:
"As for Jesus Sparks ... I was trying to make a funny. I guess that I shouldn't even try 'round here..."
No! That was realy FUNNY! I loved it!
Heck if we aint got levity round here we might as well watch TV!

Mike Green said...

Heck, I'll wager Joe is going to buy a new monitor!

Mike Green said...

Sharkey bubbled:
"To those who are going to attempt to justify such campaign promises by saying that they are necessary to get elected ... I would have to ask why you feel it is okay to fudge the facts just to get elected. It would seem that those who would fudge the facts to get elected cannot be counted on to tell us the truth later on."
If that is in reference to my previous post admiring the political savey of the Steve and Chuck machine.
Please take it in the litteral sense.
I admire their tactics, not their substance.

Anonymous said...

"Jesus Sparks" is funny (because it's just funny) but it's not funny (because this is Los Osos and things like that tend to stick like glue) Joe does not deserve that kind of mockery. Cut the guy a break. We need him right now! I certainly don't want to see him fade away like John Fouche who is also intelligent and capable but I suspect just couldn't stand the political environment of this community. You guys know it sucks . Let's keep it fun so it doesn't suck so much!

Anonymous said...

To anonymous 7:08 PM:

I think the three elected Board members may enter this Board of Directors with a different attitude than the previous three.

I think the community can see the absolute incompetency of the two strong-willed women, (pity they are not strong in intelligence or common sense) and these new Directors will proceed cautiously. If it be Steve and Chuck, in addition to the obvious people's choice of Joe Sparks, I will wager that there will be a new power shift within the BOD.

Mike Green said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mike Green said...

KUMBAYA!

*Jesus Sparks" is funny (because it's just funny) but it's not funny (because this is Los Osos and things like that tend to stick like glue)*

Ouch! unintended consequences!

Sorry, still funny!

Anonymous said...

Darn straight, Anonymous 11:35 AM.

The opposition to Tri-W never looked at the scale drawings of the WWP facility as compared to other structures that would be near it- Commmunity Center, Catholic Church, etc. The Tri-W WWP site would have been far less obtrusive. For one thing, it was far from Los Osos Valley Road, it was partially underground, and there would have been enough landscaping between it and LOV Rd. to make it hardly visable.

Too, all the hysterical loudmouths kept grousing about smell. Not one of them addressed the MBR filtration system and the reverse air lock on the facility. I guess their idea of a WWP is just the old "technology" touted by the loudmouths.

Has anyone besides me been too the Japanese Gardens? I was skeptical until I saw it with my own eyes, and DID NOT SMELL it with my nose. Bue, again, the loudmouths never listen, nor learn.

I guess when you come to meetings all "likkered up" like most of the loudmouths, you can't learn anything except to not barf on your shoes, when it overtakes you.

Anonymous said...

You forgot those loudmouths on speed. They are hair-trigger in their over-reaction to everything.

Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll whirl themselves completely away from Los Osos, like Rumplestilskin.

Mike Green said...

Damn! I guess I missed the upper/ liquor parties at the CSD meetings.
I got to start going more!
Don't bogart at the meetings folks!

Anonymous said...

If you come to a meeting, Mike, take a chair and sit all the way to the back, bu the kitchen pass-through. And, do not even have a glass of wine before the meeting. What you see, hear and smell should give you enough information about the "back of the room bullies". You may just have your eyes opened to something you did not know existed.

Anonymous said...

shark said:
"All in all, I can only say that only Joe Sparks and Maria Kelly ran campaigns that I felt were honest with the voters."

Hi shark,

Maybe you can tell me why you thought I did not run my campaign honestly with the voters? I thought I stated clearly more than once that I was a member of Taxpayers' Watch - (and how much of my time did I spend telling everyone that Joe and Maria were not? No, they are not, never have been.) What else could it be if not that?

Lynette Tornatzky

Anonymous said...

I agree with Lyn. After watching Joe and Maria and Lyn sitting side by side by side in the TAXPAYERS WATCH BOOTH at Octoberfest with Richard Le Gros, I would say that Lyn was the only one of the three that DID run an honest campaign. She was honest about her affiliation with Taxpayers Watch. Joe and Maria lied about it.

By the way, I personally want to thank Richard "I HAVE FUCKING BALLS" le Gros for hanging out with Lyn and Maria at Farmers Market and Octoberfest. I'm guessing this was good for at least 34 votes. Thanks Dickhead le Gross.

Anonymous said...

Word on the town is that Maria Kelly works for one of Gordon Hensley's attorneys. Is this true Maria? I know how much you love to post. Can you set us straight on this. You're not a member of Taxpayers Waste but you indirectly work for Gordon Hensley????????????????????

Anonymous said...

Ah, Ann's blog once again is hijacked by the uneducated. The crass. The ignorant. The foul-mouthed. The Los Osos bottom-dwellers. That would be you Anon 8:28. I'm sure you're probably too stupid to realize it.

Anonymous said...

Of course many of us think that Joe and Maria are members of Taxpayers Waste. Because they are so closely aligned. Duh. So what if they're not members? That may be true but they obviously all support each other. Lynnette may be the only MEMBER but all three are in cahoots with TW! Anyone who can't see that is pretty out of it.

Anonymous said...

Does Maria work for a Hensley attorney? If so, that is RICH! Gee, I wonder why she didn't get elected?!

Anonymous said...

Looks like there might be thirty or so dumb people in los osos.
not a bad ratio realy

Anonymous said...

Has anyone considered that maybe the BOD is trying to solve the fact that only the people in the PZ are going to have to pay for the whole project? How was the PZ set up in the first place? Will the WWTF only be used by the people in the PZ, or will free loaders be able to connect? Just wondering.

Anonymous said...

Ann

It’s odd that you and Ron, with your sustained involvement in the Los Osos wastewater saga, get primary facts wrong. The underlying zoning on Tri-W hasn’t changed. The Coastal Commission didn’t use the doggie lot and other amenities to justify allowing a wastewater plant at the Tri-W site.

The Coastal Commission’s action added a Public Facilities use to the list of previously permitted uses. The office and commercial uses in the original Estero Plan are allowed if a public agency doesn’t build wastewater treatment facilities there.

Second, the Commission determined that permitting the treatment facility was “more protective of significant coastal resources than protection of degraded and fragmented sensitive habitat [on the Tri-W site]”. They cite the protection of the estuary and maintenance of water supplies as their prime considerations. The Coastal Commission even added conditions that raised the bar for permitting miscellaneous recreational uses at the site.

If its not on Ron’s wagon you can check all this out the Coastal Commission action at http://www.coastal.ca.gov/sc/slo-lcpa-3-01.pdf .

Anonymous said...

Hello Anon's who await my reply!
I was hired by a local attorney during my paralegal internship in August 2005. I met Gordon when he came by sometime after the recall to go to lunch with the attorney. In March the attorney and I parted ways and about 3 weeks ago he had some more work for me to do. I couldn't be more thrilled, I love the work and we could really use the money and I love that life works out like that. My husband and I were just discussing how much longer we could go without another income. No one loves a conspiracy spin better than me but this is kind of a small county and you do cross a lot paths when working in a certain sphere. Not unusual at all and hardly the makings of any big news. It's really pretty silly to continue to say that every interaction is guilt by association. So, just for fun, I would like to have lunch with Keith and be a part of CCLO, don't forget I met Al one day over a cup of coffee so that makes me one of his cohorts, then there is always the discussion I had one day with Jeff Edwards at Farmer's Market which then make me another player pushing for the Gorby site, one day I talked to Chuck a little bit but I don't think it was enough to get me membership on the LOTTF but maybe my husband could,he's an engineer, I did have a nice long discussion with a CDO recipient the other day so now I'm an "interested party" who also lives in the PZ, Vivian gave me jam so can I be labeled as part of the solutions group too please? The only organizations that I'm a card carrying member of is the PTA and the USCF(United States Chess Federation). Which, I would be playing chess right now if I hadn't felt so compelled to respond to anon's who like to spin conjecture and frankly, innocent until proven guilty - you have my blessing to spend endless hours wasting your precious time on my connections to people in the community. I'm proud of knowing Gordon, my husband and I both enjoy visiting with Richard LeGros, meeting Lynette has been a blast, her husband is like a "brother" I never had, and their neighbors are hilarious, down on 10th street there is a family I like hanging out with and my neighbors around the corner that like to talk about life in Los Osos, and don't forget about all the Little League folks, I hope they don't have to be TW too because we hung out at the baseball games together and I'm not sure who was TW because no one used the secret handshake! All I know is that in 18 months I have made friends for life. If that's the crime, o.k. It makes me feel very special to know that people have deep care and concern for whom I may be consorting with.
It is my hope that over time, our labels really won't matter and people will see that the bottom line is care and concern for Los Osos - I'm really looking forward to the next several years because I can say without hesitation, this community is fascinating and I'm not one bit sorry we moved here and I'm really hopeful that the people I have heard muttering about moving because they are tired and frustrated don't go. There is always a little fun to be had just around the corner.
Take care anons! Thank you for spending time figuring out my "tawdry past" of working for an attorney whose main clients consist of independent environmental groups and the Sierra Club over in the Valley. I couldn't be more proud.
Sincerely,
Maria M. Kelly

Mike Green said...

I hope you get those last 100 votes.

Smackdown anons!

Maria 1, anons 0