Calhouns Can(n)ons

Design Build Seminar

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

This is vitally a important seminar with outstanding experts. Barbara Jackson is a nationally recognized expert on delivering "Best Value" projects. Congress is requiring "best value" for the Army Corps of Engineers, and grant funded projects. SRF loans are funding Design-Build projects, and innovative projects are being approved that meet the needs of community, while saving millions in taxpayers dollars. The governor announced the strategic growth plan that releases billons in bonds for infrastructure.

"Governor Schwarzenegger proposes a set of new policies to leverage partnerships with the private sector, increase synergy between public agencies and educate thousands of new engineers to build the California of tomorrow.Empowering California to build, operate and maintain infrastructure better, faster and for less. In December, the Governor called on California to pass legislation that will permit the broad use of Performance Based Infrastructure (PBI)-also referred to as public-private partnerships-when this method can boost service for citizens or lower costs for taxpayers."

Are you interested in the builders ability to design-build to green specs and save taxpayers money? Control for smart planning and provide sustainable infrastructure?----This seminar is a must for those interested in protection of our resources and watersheds. The Seminar isn't only for the contractors or consultants---it is especially for communities with projects that require new or expanded public water and wastewater/recycling ands Desal projects -(and all will definately face projects in the near future)

YOU or Your decision makers and their staff need to know how to deliver sustainable projects for less!
Please forward the information below ALL on your lists, and send your community representatives and their staff.



For further information go to www.construction.calpoly.edu.

Seminar will be: Networking Reception: Edna Valley Winery Friday, May 16, 5 -7:30
$35.
Seminar: Cal Poly, Saturday, May 17, 7:30 a.m. – 5 pm,
$149 Owner/Agency -- $249 Practitioner/Industry.

For further Info, call Gail McPherson – 459-4535, or Barbara Jackson 620-6130 or 756-67381 or go to the website listed above. - end -

For any Los Ososites, this seminar provides a great chance to find out what design/build can mean for the community IF the County decides to go down that path for their wastewater treatment plans.

Stealth Basin Plan Update 0005 & 0006 Hearing

May 9th, at the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Aerovista Place hearing room in SLO Town. Last chance for public comment before this documents stealths its way up to Sacramento to return in the form of a CAO on some hapless homeowner in Santa Margarita. Bwa-hahahahah. Oh, the Irony!

PZLDF Lawsuit Update

Some “anonymous” commenter posted a comment on a previous posting, that the PZLDF lawsuit was dead after reading the State’s latest arguments. I think the “anonymous” “expert” is a bit confused. He/she mistook an argument by one party for a ruling of some kind. Near as I can tell All Lawsuit Game Plans alway go as follows: The State, fully financed by the taxpayers, sez: Neener-Neener. Plaintiffs, financed by a handful of citizens struggling for some form of “justice,” say: Nuh-huh. State sez: Neener-Neener, and so forth until the plaintiffs are bled dry and die by the side of the road from sheer exhaustion, while the State, rolling in tax money, (tax money collected from – O Irony – the plaintiffs as well) prevails.

Or, as mentioned here, are bled dry before they can even get into a court of law. It’s called “equal Justice under Law.” (I find it interesting that apparently PZLDF was charged $5,000 by the RWQCB for “the official record” only to find out that the complete, official record they bought has, uh, holes in it? Hey, time for a refund here? Weirder yet, if the Official Record has holes in it, i.e. missing documents, how can the State’s Attorneys go into court to argue a case based on the Official Record only to find out that that Record has documentary holes in it? Like, the State’s Attorney could end up making some major point and then dramatically pointing to some “document” only to be asked to produce it and, Dang, it isn’t there, so the Judge asks, Where is it? And the attorney starts shuffling through the paper or clicking furiously through the CD and has to say, “Hold on, Your Honor, it was supposed to be right here, Wait, I’m looking, I’m looking . . .” No, no that’d be too embarrassing. Might make people think that the RWQCB was engaging in some more sneaky “stealthing.” Or just more incompetence? Eeeeuuuuuu, that’s sooooooo not good. )

From an email from PZLDF:

“Enforcement Petition:
This is the process to get our case to court. It is not a hearing of the evidence or case, but an effort by the State to deny us the very right to our appeal, and the evidence against the State. The State Attorney General, in behalf of the Regional Water Board, is trying to deny the parties the rights to present our case.

Shaunna is preparing the issues in a revised (4th petition) to put forth for reasons we should be heard by the Court. We anticipated this kind of preliminary fight, as the agencies of the State method to deny justice is to seek to bleed the (citizens) petitioners before we can get in from of a judge for the actual hearing. We have the evidence to prove our case and I encourage you to read through the petitions which are on www.pzldf.org . We are also listing all the documents are missing from administrative record, which was prepared by the Regional water board. (at a cost of $5000---I am working on the record with other parties, and if anyone wants to help or has documents they submitted that are not in the record, Please contact me or Shaunna's office. 459-4535 or 528-3355.

RWQCB new onsite regulations (revision of Basin Plan)
May 9 is the RWQCB meeting to adopt a new onsite regulations. The County MOU and the RWQCB revision seek to indemnify both agencies against liability for their actions and negligence that led to the current individual enforcement. A meeting Monday April 28 and May 5 (7:00 pm at Washington Mutual Bank-in Los Osos---will review written testimony to date concerning proposed onsite regulation for 3 county areas...Pass message to other communities!! ---we will assist in preparation of written and oral testimony for the RWQCB hearing May 9. “

As with all things Sewerish, “Stay Tuned” is the Watchword for “experts” and non “experts” alike.