Calhouns Can(n)ons

“Put the Spin Machine down, Mr. Drake, and step away from the computer and nobody will get hurt. O.K. Sure, it could be considered ‘material misrepresentation or insurance fraud.’ Let’s just not talk about it any more, O.K?” Part Duh.

So, first the Los Osos CSD votes to pay for a bond at a special hurry-hurry 8 a.m. meeting to cover the cost of returning the graded Tri-W site to a condition of safety and to stop any erosion problems, should the recall succeed and the digging and grading is stopped, and CSD Board Member, Tacker, gets on the phone and calls Insco/Dico, the company that was going to issue the bond, and asks: “Did you know that property in question is ESHA, has some lawsuits on it, a recall hurtling down the pike, & etc?” And Insco/Dico says, WHAAAAA. . .???? and soon there follows the skitter-skatter of little Insco/Dico feet galloping down Glendale Blvd. saying, “Nuh-huh we changed our minds, we’re outta here hasta la vista we must away to France!” (See my blog post of Sept 13)

So then the district shops around and finds some other company to buy the bond from, this time Safeco, and Board Member Tacker calls them and they say, “Uh, oh, wait, something’s not kosher here, we’ll get back to you click!” And then there’s some thrashing around in the Los Osos bushes and ka-poof! next thing you know a bond is secured BUT, magically, this time Monterey Mechanical is listed as a co-principal with the CSD and Tacker tells the Bay News that she has to conclude that this was done so the bond could be secured for less than $5,000 because anything over $5,000 would require a public meeting with the full board and that would mean that the &%#@#^&#*#! public would show up and ask a whole bunch of #@%#@*! questions.

Then emails start flying accusing Tacker of “contractual interference,” with our very own Public Information Officer, Mr. “No Spin” Michael Drake saying of Tacker, “The issue we’re looking into is her intervention following board approval. She is kind of countermanding and superceding the board’s wishes.”

“ . . . kind of countermanding?” Asking if a bonding company knew the property they were supposed to be insuring for X amount was property that was actually a big mess and should have been insured for Y amount is “kind of countermanding?” Well, no matter. Mr. Drake went on to say, “It may not be illegal, but it’s unethical. The matter is being looked into for legal ramifications and liability.”

Then Michael Wright, owner of the Michael Wright Insurance Agency, chimes in by observing that “ . . . the district’s failure to discuss all the facts surround the property could be construed as material misrepresentation or insurance fraud.”

Insurance fraud? Or maybe we should say, kind of insurance fraud? Or kind of material misrepesentation?

Which does raise a critical issue: If you buy fire insurance and state on the form that you live in a brick house twenty-five feet from a fire hydrant and don’t smoke, and you sign that application and the company issues you a fire policy and your house burns down and it turns out you live in a straw house five miles from the nearest hydrant, smoke like a chimney AND you store gasoline in your basement and the insurance company says, “Whoa, we’re outta here, we’re not gonna make good on this policy since you kind of lied about really important facts bye-bye we’re off to France,” then there you are, stuck with having to pay out of pocket for all the damage. Which is exactly the pickle the good citizens of Los Osos could have ended up in, had Tacker not made that “unethical” phone call.

So, Bay News reporter, Jack Beardwood, writes this all up in the Sept 21 edition and closes with this: “Attempts to cast more light on the matter were declined by Drake, who refused to discuss the second bond arrangement, saying they didn’t want to comment because of possible legal ramifications caused by Tacker’s interference. ‘We don’t want a whole lot out on this,’ he said."

Gosh, I’ll say not. I wouldn’t want a whole lot out on this either. It might start people asking questions.

Mum's the word, Mike! Now, let’s start the Spin Machine back up. And can we have bubbles and accordion music with it this time?

UPDATE (9/23): For more on the wonderful "bait & switch" scheme -- the one that made sure all those little tots that are overrunning Los Osos got a multi-million dollar Tot Lot next to their sewer treatment plant in the middle of their town (paid for by the prohibition zone folks only but enjoyed by tots all over town) see Ron Crawford's new post at: www.sewerwatch.blogspot.com. Ah, Trust the Truth! Read and learn! Then it's time for milk and cookies and a little nappy-poo.