Calhouns Can(n)ons

Mommy, Mommy, Why Are Roger & Gordon Hopping Up And Down On The County’s Sewer Scale?

That’s the first question that went through my head after reading today’s Tribune story about the county staff recommending that the Board of Supervisors NOT grant an extension for the Coastal Commission’s Tri-W Project permit while Gordon Hensley, recalled CSD Director and Roger Briggs, CEO of the RWQCB were pushing for that same extension to stay attached to Tri-W.

The next question was equally important: Why are Gordon and Roger deliberately trying to sabotage the County Process, sabotage the TAC and screw up the 218 vote as well? Do they both suffer from tin ears? Or are they pursuing hidden agendas?

That puzzle was followed by this question: Has the Board of Supervisors been keeping up with Ron Crawford’s blogsite, www.sewerwatch.blogspot.com as well as various comments he’s posted here vis a vis various, uh, coastal permit documents he’s shared and discussed with Steve Monowitz, the Head Staff Guy at the Coastal Commission?

And did Steve, in turn, share those same documents with County Staff and the County Engineers working on this project? (The staff report notes that county staff had been communicating “with staff of the Coastal Commission over the past 6-9 months on the status of the existing CDP and issues that might be related to that assignment.”) Did and of those “communications” about those “issues” make it to the TAC for their review? If not, why not?

Did Gordon & Roger contact Steve Monowitz? No? Why not? Before authorizing Briggs’ letter, shouldn’t some Regional Board member have contacted Mr. Monowitz? The Tribune further notes that “ Paavo Ogren, county deputy director of Public works, said he worried about how the state water board – which oversees the regional board – would react.”

I’d worry about that too, but I’d worry that the State Water Board might call Steve Monowitz and end up getting an earful. Especially since the Tri-W project involved state revolving fund monies and “parks,” and all kinds of stuff that Ron keeps babbling on about. Maybe they all need to place a conference call to Ron & Steve and have a nice little chatty-poo to see if somebody can FINALLY straighten out the, uh, issues clouding that permit?

And what’s with the Tribune reporting that Roger’s “terse” letter to the BOS states that not extending that permit “would tack on several more years and extra costs to the sewer project.” If Roger had bothered to read Ron’s blog, he would have been reminded that it was Roger who did absolutely NOTHING for two years while the original CSD futzed around with The Ponds of Avalon even after being told by Roger that those Ponds would never be permitted by him or the board, ever, ever. Now . . . . NOW he’s whining about “several years” delay? Jeeze, Rog, you’re way too little and waaaaaayyyyy too late.

And what’s with Gordon? Most people who get recalled from office have the sense to understand the message: Thank you for your service, you screwed up big time, there’s the door, please go away. But not our Gordy. Like some bad penny, everywhere you turn, there he is. Here’s his quote, “it’s incredibly shortsighted on the part of the county. It demonstrates to the water board a lack of will to move ahead and eliminates the site for what appears to be purely political reasons.”

Uh, Gordon, I suggest you take a peek at Ron’s blog and go click on his links to the documents in question. Political reasons? No, what appears to have been of concern to Monowitz and the CC is the validity of the original permit, a validity or lack of same, that puts a cloud over this Process and could well derail the county’s efforts if it remains attached to Tri-W.

In short, that permit and the circumstances under which it was granted, are a potential poison pill that needs to be removed exactly so the process stops being “political” and returns all the projects being evaluated to a level playing field, to be evaluated without fear and without favor.

Unless, of course, certain people don’t want a level playing field, don’t want a balanced scale with no thumbs on it, in short, don’t want a fair, clean Process?

Is that why Gordon & Roger have taken their thumbs off the scale and instead have climbed on top of it and are now leaping up and down? Boing! Boing! Boing?

If so, I can only hope that the BoS can see through their game and will tell them, Thank You for Sharing, Now Kindly Shut Up & Sit Down. Thank You.

BOS agenda item D1 will start at 2 p.m. in the BOS meeting chambers, Tuesday, August 7th.