Tribune headline: "Wilcox hired by SLO County Employees Association," noting that Gail Wilcox who, you will recall, was fired as Assistant County Administrator for canoodling with her negotiating opposite during contract negotiations, and other general "dumbth" carryings on with her Supervisor, County CEO Dave Edge. The same Wilcox who then sued Edge and the County for sexual harassment. And now she's hired by SLOCEA, the county's largest employee association on a contract basis (at will, one hopes?), to "conduct a job classification and compensation survey." Notes the Tribune, quoting Kim Daniels, general manager of the San Luis Obispo County Employees Association, "Who better?" . . . " adding that they got Wilcox for a good price in 'a steal of a deal.'"
A steal of a deal. What is it with SLO County, anyway? Has this place turned into the County where screw-ups are guaranteed lifetime employment? I can think of more than several former county mucky-mucks who were fired for a variety of Walking While Stupid violations, only to see them recycled into CSD jobs or other public employments.
Maybe that's it. SLOTown is "green" and heavily into recycling? Get fired for stupidities in one government job but instead of putting a paper bag on the head and skulking out of town, here in SLO County, your particular screw-up is NOT an employment problem. A little shuffling here and there and some other (lower level) government job will snap you up as a "steal of a deal."
Eternal employment. Yep, it's heaven here, alright.
Oh, NOW You Figure It Out?
The New York Times reports that the Vatican has finally gotten around to spelling out "for the first time that it now strongly urges bishops to report abuse cases to civil authorities if required by local law."
Urges? Strongly urges? Not demands? Requires? Directs? Mandates? Just "strongly urges?" Well, O.K. But then the guideline states that "civil law concerning reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities should always be followed." "Should?" How's about "must." Or something like, "All Catholic priests will now be considered -- like doctors and teachers -- mandatory reporters of suspected abuse?"
And what's with only having to report abuse if required by local law? Does anyone know of a place where local law allows child abuse to go unreported?
Well, maybe the new ruling will make things more clear, even if the new rules are a dollar short and about 100 years too short.
Showing posts with label Gail Wilcox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gail Wilcox. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Ya Wanna Run That One By Me One More Time?
So, let me see if I have this straight. Let’s say you’re an assistant CEO of a California County and your employment is a [correction] "non-civil service contract job, which means you can be unhired/fired for a variety of good reasons" And it turns out you were canoodling a gentleman with which your duties required you to negotiate over contracts, and otherwise engaging in inappropriate email banter with your immediate supervisor.
So your ultimate bosses, let’s say a Board of Supervisors, found out about this, spent over $300,000 of the taxpayer’s money to investigate you and your canoodling and then unhired your sorry [non civil service] behind.
So you sue the county for a bundle, claiming that you were sexually harassed by the Supervisor whom with you were exchanging inappropriate email. And the county – facing over a million in legal fees needed to defend themselves from you – decide to cut their losses and offer to settle for $180,000.
So you sign the settlement and walk away with $180,000.
Ah, well, nice work if you can get it.
Ask! Hup One, Two; Tell! Hup, One, Two
The Commander in Chief, President Obama, wants the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy rescinded this year. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified that he felt that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military is the right thing to do. General Powell, who derailed allowing gays to serve in 1993, has had a change of heart and now wants the ban “reviewed.” Defense Secretary Gates wants to issue orders that will relax the law’s enforcement until a year-long “review” can take place, but to date no stop-loss order has been issued regarding gay service personnel, a simple military order that would put dismissing gays on account of their gayness alone on hold.
Meanwhile, Joint Chief Mullen said the Pentagon will decide how to change the way the military is enforcing the law now and will begin a year-long “study” of how dumping the ban would work, including changes to be made in military benefits and other “equal treatment under military codes” would work.
John McCain, who had previously (when trolling for votes) said that if the top military brass told him lifting the ban was O.K. he’d be fine with that, has suddenly had a change of mind and after hearing from the top military brass saying they’re fine with lifting the ban, he now opposes it (trolling for future votes, fingers to the wind again, eh John?). And some of the loopier homophobe Congressmen went on record to speculate then hyperventilate about totally weird made-up “gay” scenarios pulled out of their psyches, which is always so creepily revealing. But scary, knowing those sexually kinky, fetid, roiling imaginariums are the same ones crafting laws that can do serious injury to the citizenry.
The whole thing brought about a very funny bit on The Daily Show wherein it was proposed that McCain wasn’t being a hypocrite but that he had forgotten what he’d previously said on account of his being old, so what we really need to keep our country safe is to ban OLD people from serving in Congress. After all, if they’re forgetting things, that’s a dangerous situation in a place that writes complex laws. Totally disrupts legislative preparedness and congressional cohesion. Worse, it becomes an awful burden on all the rest of Congress, having to deal daily with these OLD people all the time, often in close quarters, creeping up behind people, fiddling with their hearing aids in public, really icky stuff like that. We really shouldn’t have to subject our elected officials to such rampant OLDNESS. Awful!
Well, this is all déjà vu-ness. All the same tired old arguments were heard when it was proposed that Africa Americans be integrated into the general military population. Ditto when women wanted to sign up. Now, it’s the gays turn in the barrel. Nobody learns anything.
What remains so sad about all this is how willing, easy and quickly We The People are to enact laws that deny or remove basic rights and block or deny equal protections and deny equality under law from our fellow citizens.
And how hard and fiercely we battle -- spending years and years “reviewing” and “studying” and foot dragging -- when it finally becomes more than obvious that such laws need to be struck down or repealed.
Speaks volumes to our self-righteously, publicly professed commitment to “equal justice under law.”
So your ultimate bosses, let’s say a Board of Supervisors, found out about this, spent over $300,000 of the taxpayer’s money to investigate you and your canoodling and then unhired your sorry [non civil service] behind.
So you sue the county for a bundle, claiming that you were sexually harassed by the Supervisor whom with you were exchanging inappropriate email. And the county – facing over a million in legal fees needed to defend themselves from you – decide to cut their losses and offer to settle for $180,000.
So you sign the settlement and walk away with $180,000.
Ah, well, nice work if you can get it.
Ask! Hup One, Two; Tell! Hup, One, Two
The Commander in Chief, President Obama, wants the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy rescinded this year. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified that he felt that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military is the right thing to do. General Powell, who derailed allowing gays to serve in 1993, has had a change of heart and now wants the ban “reviewed.” Defense Secretary Gates wants to issue orders that will relax the law’s enforcement until a year-long “review” can take place, but to date no stop-loss order has been issued regarding gay service personnel, a simple military order that would put dismissing gays on account of their gayness alone on hold.
Meanwhile, Joint Chief Mullen said the Pentagon will decide how to change the way the military is enforcing the law now and will begin a year-long “study” of how dumping the ban would work, including changes to be made in military benefits and other “equal treatment under military codes” would work.
John McCain, who had previously (when trolling for votes) said that if the top military brass told him lifting the ban was O.K. he’d be fine with that, has suddenly had a change of mind and after hearing from the top military brass saying they’re fine with lifting the ban, he now opposes it (trolling for future votes, fingers to the wind again, eh John?). And some of the loopier homophobe Congressmen went on record to speculate then hyperventilate about totally weird made-up “gay” scenarios pulled out of their psyches, which is always so creepily revealing. But scary, knowing those sexually kinky, fetid, roiling imaginariums are the same ones crafting laws that can do serious injury to the citizenry.
The whole thing brought about a very funny bit on The Daily Show wherein it was proposed that McCain wasn’t being a hypocrite but that he had forgotten what he’d previously said on account of his being old, so what we really need to keep our country safe is to ban OLD people from serving in Congress. After all, if they’re forgetting things, that’s a dangerous situation in a place that writes complex laws. Totally disrupts legislative preparedness and congressional cohesion. Worse, it becomes an awful burden on all the rest of Congress, having to deal daily with these OLD people all the time, often in close quarters, creeping up behind people, fiddling with their hearing aids in public, really icky stuff like that. We really shouldn’t have to subject our elected officials to such rampant OLDNESS. Awful!
Well, this is all déjà vu-ness. All the same tired old arguments were heard when it was proposed that Africa Americans be integrated into the general military population. Ditto when women wanted to sign up. Now, it’s the gays turn in the barrel. Nobody learns anything.
What remains so sad about all this is how willing, easy and quickly We The People are to enact laws that deny or remove basic rights and block or deny equal protections and deny equality under law from our fellow citizens.
And how hard and fiercely we battle -- spending years and years “reviewing” and “studying” and foot dragging -- when it finally becomes more than obvious that such laws need to be struck down or repealed.
Speaks volumes to our self-righteously, publicly professed commitment to “equal justice under law.”
Monday, November 09, 2009
Dump That Lawn & Grab Yer Rutabagas!
The Sunday Tribune reports that the Paso Robles city council has okayed a demonstration “ food forest,” as organizers call it, to teach people how to convert grass yards into other vegetation types that require less water. They also plan to each people how to grow their own food.”
Right now, a plot of land in front of Paso Robles Centennial Park Community Center will be turned into a “food forest.” And instead of just settling for a community garden where people living in apartments or condos without any land available where they live, could “rent” in order to garden, the plans of the Transition Towns Paso Robles Food Group are far broader than that.
With mandatory water conservation likely to become a way of life (Paso’s water, like so many California cities, is in overdraft and unless the climate changes to “all wet” it’ll likely stay in overdraft from now on,) the City Council at least recognizes that lawns may be likely to become a thing of the past.
Which makes a lot of sense since urban lawns were always a middle-class affectation of the unhorsed and unbooted trying to ape their aristo betters who could demonstrate their wealth, in part, by building massive homes on acres and acres of servant-tended “lawns.”
In a water thrifty world, lawns may come to be seen as a wasteful public display of conspicuous consumption that will be ridiculed as arriviste tacky, an occasion for much risible finger pointing among neighbors. Indeed, lawns may become some sort of shameful secret sin, a little patch of grass hidden behind tall fences, drooled over and guarded from prying eyes like a collection of vintage pornography. Or, maybe lawns will become a horticultural obsession like that found among orchid growers – a passionate hobby with people spending hours laboring over their pampered patch, with prized cuttings, seeds and rhizomes collected and traded among afficionados--- “Psst, I’ll trade you one Bermuda plug for two Buffalo Grass clumps.” Maybe we’ll even see Grass Lawn Open House tours as a fund-raising event, with donors in long lines trooping from one secret lawn garden to another to gape and marvel. “My God, I haven’t seen a dichondra lawn for 50 years. Didn’t know they grew those any more!”)
Well, good for Paso Robles. I hope my fellow Los Ososians will follow their lead. Dump the lawn, plant natives and some turnips. Last year amongst the salvias and rock roses in the front yard, I stuck in a couple of salvaged rhubarb roots and darned if they didn’t grow and darned if I didn’t get a bunch of rhubarb all summer long so darned if I’m gonna plant a few more roots of the stuff come winter. True, I suspect that rhubarb is an acquired taste, (from a few people who have wrinkled their nose and run their tongue out and make ack-ack noises when I mentioned the word) but what the heck, I love the stuff so I’ll follow Paso’s lead and think seriously about what other foods will grow in a water-thrifty garden.
Please, Pluuuueeeese, Go Away
Sunday’s Tribune also had a long follow-up story on the Edge/Wilcox mess. The Tribune got access to a huge stack of Edge-Wilcox-Hossli (the county’s human resources director, Deb Hossli) interoffice emails before all of them ended up flying under a bus of their own making. I think the Tribune was trying to make sense of what happened with this mess. And their conclusion was that a system of checks and balances was removed the day the BOS changed the way the CAOs were set up, put one at-will guy in charge, then removed some key civil service procedures and protections and then acted surprised that this train went off a cliff. And ironically since the Supervisors thought that by putting the CAO directly under their control they’d avoid some of the problems of a more layered approach, without understanding that “politics” is always present, that even Civil Service Commissioners are not above “politics” and if staff understands that a CAO is the “darling” of a majority of the BOS (more “politics”), it could be career suicide for an employee to bring problems to their attention. Hence, things can fester quietly until the explosion, thereby defeating the notion that more direct control will result in quicker response time, faster problem-solving efforts, etc, all of which had been viewed as stymied or slowed by the clumsy Civil Service procedures of yore.
So, lessons? Well, one thing was clear to me when the Civil Service rules were removed and Edge jammed his own pick (Hossli) into a newly created slot, that those rules actually can avert problems: “by requiring open and competitive recruitment, tenure and discharge for cause, the civil service system is intended to protect employees from adverse actions during political power changes and is also intended to prevent favoritism.”
While you may get speedier results with an at-will CAO, having that same CAO operating an at-will system for departments and staff serving under him is asking for trouble. Fish rots from the head down, as the old saying goes. A “good” CAO under such a system can create an outstanding staff than can change direction (and department heads and re-staff) quickly, as needed. A “bad” CAO under such a system can result in a dysfunctional bunch of cronies working under a spoils system, all toadying up to each other and the boss in order to keep their jobs, with all indirect staff members having to keep mum for fear and favor.
Not good. Costly train wreck ahead. As the county taxpayers have found out.
Ah, Good, One Less Thing To Worry About!
The House has delivered a much-chewed up “health bill,” to the Senate where it will likely die because a tiny handful of Senators are a totally owned subsidiary of the insurance industry (Lieberman) or are so ego-wrapped that they serve only to further their own political interests, not the People’s Business (Lieberman). So, I’m pretty sure that the whole effort will end up DOA.
If, by some miracle, some chewed up form of “health care reform” does survive, it will come in a form which will still have Americans continuing to get crap health care and expensive crap health care coverage, all while still paying more for it (than most “civilized countries”) and they’ll still end up with worse medical outcomes (than other "civilized countries") and still have millions of uninsured, or underinsured and these folks will continue to die by the thousands for lack of decent health care/coverage. And through all of this, I’m betting the voters will STILL be unable to connect the dots.
In a way, it’s funny, this Lemming-like blindness, this clinging to “death panel” lies and other politically dishonest horse pucky. And all through this amazing sturm und drang, we have witnessed the bizarre spectacle of usually thrifty, bargain-hunting, excess-spending adverse Americans now ferociously insisting on sticking with a jerry-rigged, out-of-date system that costs more because it MUST guarantee fat profits for insurance companies and big pharma, and doing all this while begging for “health care reform” and “lower insurance costs.”
Phooey. Americans don’t want health care reform or even health insurance reform or even lower costs. If they did, they’d elect officials who would deliver just that. Instead, they’re still stuck in the same old, I’m all right, Jack, mode, so long as Bad Stuff happens to The Other Guy, not them, while they’re still all oblivious that they’re always a hair’s breath away from being . . . The Other Guy.
So, until they can connect those few dots, it’s futile to get concerned about “Health Care Reform.” Complete waste of time.
Right now, a plot of land in front of Paso Robles Centennial Park Community Center will be turned into a “food forest.” And instead of just settling for a community garden where people living in apartments or condos without any land available where they live, could “rent” in order to garden, the plans of the Transition Towns Paso Robles Food Group are far broader than that.
With mandatory water conservation likely to become a way of life (Paso’s water, like so many California cities, is in overdraft and unless the climate changes to “all wet” it’ll likely stay in overdraft from now on,) the City Council at least recognizes that lawns may be likely to become a thing of the past.
Which makes a lot of sense since urban lawns were always a middle-class affectation of the unhorsed and unbooted trying to ape their aristo betters who could demonstrate their wealth, in part, by building massive homes on acres and acres of servant-tended “lawns.”
In a water thrifty world, lawns may come to be seen as a wasteful public display of conspicuous consumption that will be ridiculed as arriviste tacky, an occasion for much risible finger pointing among neighbors. Indeed, lawns may become some sort of shameful secret sin, a little patch of grass hidden behind tall fences, drooled over and guarded from prying eyes like a collection of vintage pornography. Or, maybe lawns will become a horticultural obsession like that found among orchid growers – a passionate hobby with people spending hours laboring over their pampered patch, with prized cuttings, seeds and rhizomes collected and traded among afficionados--- “Psst, I’ll trade you one Bermuda plug for two Buffalo Grass clumps.” Maybe we’ll even see Grass Lawn Open House tours as a fund-raising event, with donors in long lines trooping from one secret lawn garden to another to gape and marvel. “My God, I haven’t seen a dichondra lawn for 50 years. Didn’t know they grew those any more!”)
Well, good for Paso Robles. I hope my fellow Los Ososians will follow their lead. Dump the lawn, plant natives and some turnips. Last year amongst the salvias and rock roses in the front yard, I stuck in a couple of salvaged rhubarb roots and darned if they didn’t grow and darned if I didn’t get a bunch of rhubarb all summer long so darned if I’m gonna plant a few more roots of the stuff come winter. True, I suspect that rhubarb is an acquired taste, (from a few people who have wrinkled their nose and run their tongue out and make ack-ack noises when I mentioned the word) but what the heck, I love the stuff so I’ll follow Paso’s lead and think seriously about what other foods will grow in a water-thrifty garden.
Please, Pluuuueeeese, Go Away
Sunday’s Tribune also had a long follow-up story on the Edge/Wilcox mess. The Tribune got access to a huge stack of Edge-Wilcox-Hossli (the county’s human resources director, Deb Hossli) interoffice emails before all of them ended up flying under a bus of their own making. I think the Tribune was trying to make sense of what happened with this mess. And their conclusion was that a system of checks and balances was removed the day the BOS changed the way the CAOs were set up, put one at-will guy in charge, then removed some key civil service procedures and protections and then acted surprised that this train went off a cliff. And ironically since the Supervisors thought that by putting the CAO directly under their control they’d avoid some of the problems of a more layered approach, without understanding that “politics” is always present, that even Civil Service Commissioners are not above “politics” and if staff understands that a CAO is the “darling” of a majority of the BOS (more “politics”), it could be career suicide for an employee to bring problems to their attention. Hence, things can fester quietly until the explosion, thereby defeating the notion that more direct control will result in quicker response time, faster problem-solving efforts, etc, all of which had been viewed as stymied or slowed by the clumsy Civil Service procedures of yore.
So, lessons? Well, one thing was clear to me when the Civil Service rules were removed and Edge jammed his own pick (Hossli) into a newly created slot, that those rules actually can avert problems: “by requiring open and competitive recruitment, tenure and discharge for cause, the civil service system is intended to protect employees from adverse actions during political power changes and is also intended to prevent favoritism.”
While you may get speedier results with an at-will CAO, having that same CAO operating an at-will system for departments and staff serving under him is asking for trouble. Fish rots from the head down, as the old saying goes. A “good” CAO under such a system can create an outstanding staff than can change direction (and department heads and re-staff) quickly, as needed. A “bad” CAO under such a system can result in a dysfunctional bunch of cronies working under a spoils system, all toadying up to each other and the boss in order to keep their jobs, with all indirect staff members having to keep mum for fear and favor.
Not good. Costly train wreck ahead. As the county taxpayers have found out.
Ah, Good, One Less Thing To Worry About!
The House has delivered a much-chewed up “health bill,” to the Senate where it will likely die because a tiny handful of Senators are a totally owned subsidiary of the insurance industry (Lieberman) or are so ego-wrapped that they serve only to further their own political interests, not the People’s Business (Lieberman). So, I’m pretty sure that the whole effort will end up DOA.
If, by some miracle, some chewed up form of “health care reform” does survive, it will come in a form which will still have Americans continuing to get crap health care and expensive crap health care coverage, all while still paying more for it (than most “civilized countries”) and they’ll still end up with worse medical outcomes (than other "civilized countries") and still have millions of uninsured, or underinsured and these folks will continue to die by the thousands for lack of decent health care/coverage. And through all of this, I’m betting the voters will STILL be unable to connect the dots.
In a way, it’s funny, this Lemming-like blindness, this clinging to “death panel” lies and other politically dishonest horse pucky. And all through this amazing sturm und drang, we have witnessed the bizarre spectacle of usually thrifty, bargain-hunting, excess-spending adverse Americans now ferociously insisting on sticking with a jerry-rigged, out-of-date system that costs more because it MUST guarantee fat profits for insurance companies and big pharma, and doing all this while begging for “health care reform” and “lower insurance costs.”
Phooey. Americans don’t want health care reform or even health insurance reform or even lower costs. If they did, they’d elect officials who would deliver just that. Instead, they’re still stuck in the same old, I’m all right, Jack, mode, so long as Bad Stuff happens to The Other Guy, not them, while they’re still all oblivious that they’re always a hair’s breath away from being . . . The Other Guy.
So, until they can connect those few dots, it’s futile to get concerned about “Health Care Reform.” Complete waste of time.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Grab The Rock, Call Your Lawyer And Head For The Fences
The Rock has been busy, as you can see below.
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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/829-county-counsel-tries-to-bury-schickers-mwhogren-complaint
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, additional fees and charges, further damage to Los Osos' 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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/830-next-speaker-shut-up-the-los-osos-public-comment-scandal
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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/828-best-of-summer-public-comment-los-osos-residents-fight-back-against-gibson-gag-with-wit-knowledge-and-advice
For comment and opinion on these articles and more, go to: http://www.rockofthecoast.com/razor
The ROCK is The RAZOR is The ROCK
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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/829-county-counsel-tries-to-bury-schickers-mwhogren-complaint
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, additional fees and charges, further damage to Los Osos' 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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/830-next-speaker-shut-up-the-los-osos-public-comment-scandal
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...» Read Articlehttp://www.rockofthecoast.com/news/local/828-best-of-summer-public-comment-los-osos-residents-fight-back-against-gibson-gag-with-wit-knowledge-and-advice
For comment and opinion on these articles and more, go to: http://www.rockofthecoast.com/razor
The ROCK is The RAZOR is The ROCK
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Head For The Fence, Again
Below is a public response by former CSD Director, Lisa Schicker, in response to SLO County Counsel, Warren Jensen’s preliminary report concerning allegations of possible conflicts concerning county Public Works director, Paavo Ogren, and the Los Osos Wastewater Project.
Dear Supervisors and members of the press:
The reason I am requesting an independent investigation is because Gail Wilcox, Warren Jensen and Paavo Ogren , working together, created the 2701 implementation strategy in the spring of 2006 which included the recommendation of SOLE SOURCE contracting to the same contractors that were ultimately hired to sit on both sides of the interview table for the Los Osos project; the same contractors who were hired in 2006, WITHOUT the required legal waivers; the same firms and contractors working on the Lopez Lake Project, including Mr. ogren who worked both on the private and public side of the table; and the same firms that both interviewed and selected each other for the Los Osos project.
No one has yet explained how this is NOT a conflict of interest or an indication of bid rigging or a conflict of the design build code.
These are all unanswered questions still requiring an independent investigation (see note below)
THIS version of my statement contains the revised link to the documents:https://cid-4552988ff6bd052f.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Supporting%20Documents%20-%20LOWTP%20Formal%20Complaint%20-%20Contract%20Procurement%20Process%20-2009Thank you from Lisa Schicker , Past LOCSD President and Board member 2004-2008
An Additional Response to The Press
An open statement to the press and Warren Jensen:
Here is my written statement to you and to the press:
I will be happy to make comments on your report after the County actually completes a complete review of all of the evidence submitted; this preliminary report states clearly that the review was not comprehensive and is incomplete. Warren Jensen has stated in this preliminary report that:- he doesn't have the time- he hasn't read the actual evidence- that the BOS hasn't reviewed it- that he has still not reviewed any of the source documents submitted or anything submitted after May 2009.
There is nothing in the report that refers to Lopez Lake Dam county project, where all of the same contractors were involved and paid on this project, too - when Paavo served as both a private consultant and a county employee - a very important link to be investigated still.
It is clear that neither Jensen nor his staff have undertaken any investigation of their own.This is far from a complete report. The test for bid rigging is fairly straightforward, and the exact statutes violated were backed up with hard evidence. The DA in 2006 called Ogren's knowledge and direction for the falsification of the CSD contract documents with MWH a serious crime. The rigging of the current contracts, and violation of the design build statutes is "bright-line" law.
To suggest that the complaint was merely "an opinion" suggests an unwillingness to investigate the documented allegations. Was not the firing of Ms. Gail Wilcox and David Edge based on an investigation and the main evidence was hearsay and opinion? This was also called a judgement based on the evidence and it involved an outside investigator.
To the contrary, the complaint against Ogren contains the actual documents and evidence of the violations reported. This brief report by Jensen, also called an "opinion" was one delivered without full review or outside counsel, and incorporates excuses for error in advance. It cannot be taken seriously.
A few of the violations that must be thoroughly investigated - STILL include:
California Public Contract Code section 20133 (Design-Build Procurement)
Penal Code Section 424 and Government Code section 6200
Government Code Section 12650 (False Claims Act)
Sherman Act – “bid-rigging”, undisclosed conflict of interest and “self dealing”.
Violations and conflict of interest related to Assembly Bill 2701
Material Breach of Contract - LOCSD Termination of MWH contract for default.
Over a month ago, I suggested to Warren Jensen that an independent investigator, similar to one hired for the Wilcox investigation, occur, as Mr, Jensen was also directly involved along with Gail Wilcox and Paavo Ogren in the crafting and implementation of AB 2701 and have suggested that he may have a conflict himself.
Considering the plethora of unethical and illegal activities happening at the highest levels of County government, it seems like there is a lack of motivation or ability to self-police staff at this time.
I stand by the actual evidence that has been submitted, which has yet to be evaluated. I request that the County hire and independent investigator in this matter, due to the time constraints and potential conflicts for Mr. Jensen. Here is the link to all of the documents for any who cares to review them.https://cid-4552988ff6bd052f.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SLO%20BOS%20Documents%20-%20May%202009
Thank you from Lisa Schicker
Past LOCSD President and Board member 2004-2008..
Dear Supervisors and members of the press:
The reason I am requesting an independent investigation is because Gail Wilcox, Warren Jensen and Paavo Ogren , working together, created the 2701 implementation strategy in the spring of 2006 which included the recommendation of SOLE SOURCE contracting to the same contractors that were ultimately hired to sit on both sides of the interview table for the Los Osos project; the same contractors who were hired in 2006, WITHOUT the required legal waivers; the same firms and contractors working on the Lopez Lake Project, including Mr. ogren who worked both on the private and public side of the table; and the same firms that both interviewed and selected each other for the Los Osos project.
No one has yet explained how this is NOT a conflict of interest or an indication of bid rigging or a conflict of the design build code.
These are all unanswered questions still requiring an independent investigation (see note below)
THIS version of my statement contains the revised link to the documents:https://cid-4552988ff6bd052f.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Supporting%20Documents%20-%20LOWTP%20Formal%20Complaint%20-%20Contract%20Procurement%20Process%20-2009Thank you from Lisa Schicker , Past LOCSD President and Board member 2004-2008
An Additional Response to The Press
An open statement to the press and Warren Jensen:
Here is my written statement to you and to the press:
I will be happy to make comments on your report after the County actually completes a complete review of all of the evidence submitted; this preliminary report states clearly that the review was not comprehensive and is incomplete. Warren Jensen has stated in this preliminary report that:- he doesn't have the time- he hasn't read the actual evidence- that the BOS hasn't reviewed it- that he has still not reviewed any of the source documents submitted or anything submitted after May 2009.
There is nothing in the report that refers to Lopez Lake Dam county project, where all of the same contractors were involved and paid on this project, too - when Paavo served as both a private consultant and a county employee - a very important link to be investigated still.
It is clear that neither Jensen nor his staff have undertaken any investigation of their own.This is far from a complete report. The test for bid rigging is fairly straightforward, and the exact statutes violated were backed up with hard evidence. The DA in 2006 called Ogren's knowledge and direction for the falsification of the CSD contract documents with MWH a serious crime. The rigging of the current contracts, and violation of the design build statutes is "bright-line" law.
To suggest that the complaint was merely "an opinion" suggests an unwillingness to investigate the documented allegations. Was not the firing of Ms. Gail Wilcox and David Edge based on an investigation and the main evidence was hearsay and opinion? This was also called a judgement based on the evidence and it involved an outside investigator.
To the contrary, the complaint against Ogren contains the actual documents and evidence of the violations reported. This brief report by Jensen, also called an "opinion" was one delivered without full review or outside counsel, and incorporates excuses for error in advance. It cannot be taken seriously.
A few of the violations that must be thoroughly investigated - STILL include:
California Public Contract Code section 20133 (Design-Build Procurement)
Penal Code Section 424 and Government Code section 6200
Government Code Section 12650 (False Claims Act)
Sherman Act – “bid-rigging”, undisclosed conflict of interest and “self dealing”.
Violations and conflict of interest related to Assembly Bill 2701
Material Breach of Contract - LOCSD Termination of MWH contract for default.
Over a month ago, I suggested to Warren Jensen that an independent investigator, similar to one hired for the Wilcox investigation, occur, as Mr, Jensen was also directly involved along with Gail Wilcox and Paavo Ogren in the crafting and implementation of AB 2701 and have suggested that he may have a conflict himself.
Considering the plethora of unethical and illegal activities happening at the highest levels of County government, it seems like there is a lack of motivation or ability to self-police staff at this time.
I stand by the actual evidence that has been submitted, which has yet to be evaluated. I request that the County hire and independent investigator in this matter, due to the time constraints and potential conflicts for Mr. Jensen. Here is the link to all of the documents for any who cares to review them.https://cid-4552988ff6bd052f.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/SLO%20BOS%20Documents%20-%20May%202009
Thank you from Lisa Schicker
Past LOCSD President and Board member 2004-2008..
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