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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Rock Is Loose! Run For Your Lives!

The following email from Ed Ochs, editor of The Rock:

Ann,

The new issue of The Rock is out and also up on enhanced www.rockofthecoast.com.

This issue has several articles of vital interest to Los Osos. The two cover stories are curiously related, besides being about water and sewers. "Clear Damage: The Dire Condition of Morro Bay's Wastewater Collection System" is an indepth exposé of the Morro Bay/Cayucos system, which has been in neglect for years, leaking sewage into the soil and polluting groundwater. The story is documented with color stills of large cracks, misaligned pipe joints and sunken laterals. The MB/Cayucos Sanitary District recently raised sewer rates dramatically to pay for millions of dollars in major repairs. The RWQCB has been worried about pollution from Los Osos septics, worried enough to issue a building moratorium and CDOs. Is it possible that Morro Bay could wind up with a building moratorium like Los Osos? It will be very interesting to watch how they address the clearly documented leakage.

The second cover story, "March of 'The Reclamator'," documents 31 days in March in which Tom Murphy's Reclamator went from producing "snake oil" to clean water. On March 1 he installed a Reclamator in the front yard of the home he purchased in Bayridge Estates (which has its own community system, no septics), eliminating pollutants at the source--and the need for a County connection along with it. By March 31 the RWQCB and County were about to issue the Reclamator a permit to operate. The story features color photos of the installation from Day One to the celebratory raising of the first bottle of clear water. It should be noted that Marla Jo Bruton and Richard Sadowski, who initially exposed the condition of the Morro Bay/Cayucos system, have endorsed the Reclamator as a solution for both Los Osos and Morro Bay.

The Rock Report this month illuminates "Invasion of the Town Snatchers: The Ongoing Takeover of Los Osos, Morro Bay and Cayucos," which lays bare the roots of County corruption has that has allowed developers to infiltrate local government agencies to ensure development and even funnel public funds into projects that increase their profitability. This indepth piece exposes how some elected and appointed officials are more motivated by business interests than the welfare of citizens.

Also of prime interest to Los Osos is the story, "Regional Water Board Meets to Outlaw 'Smart,' Affordable Onsite Systems," which fits nicely into recent and ongoing commentary on your blog. Analysis by The Rock indicates that the RWQCB and County are shoring up the big-pipe bulwark for a megasewer in Los Osos by increasing their authority over onsite systems, that is, granting themselves the power to eliminate any and every onsite system as an alternative to the unaffordable megasewer--no matter how well it works or how many millions less it may cost.Also featured is a Q&A with Dr. John Alexander and Bo Cooper's latest column of oracular truth, "The County As People-Eater."

Finally, Rock Readers will find some much-needed relief in the painfully true-to-life spoofs, "County Seeks Thousands of Los Ososians for 'Vital Mission," "County Declares Sunset in Los Osos an 'Act of War'" and "Moon Falls on Taxpayers Watch."Oh yeah, this issue's back-page cartoons in "Political Sports" are controversial and contain images that are generally unsuitable for persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humor or rigid political beliefs.

And it's all now up on wwwrockofthecoast.com.

Ed
Posted by Churadogs at 7:29 AM

5 comments:

Watershed Mark said...

A sense is what has the power of receiving into itself the sensible forms of things without the matter, in the way in which a piece of wax takes on the impress of a signet-ring without the iron or gold.
Aristotle

ROCK ON, Mighty OCHS!

Your work is superb and will serve as the flagship for the many communities where the battle against the stupidity of sewerage will rage on.

11:25 AM, April 30, 2008
Watershed Mark said...

Of course Ann's Land will be fertile ground forever!

Paavo as a Sewer Chef...Who'd a thunk it? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

11:31 AM, April 30, 2008
TCG said...

I have a confession to make. I just wasted 1/2 hour of my life reading this issue of the Rock. What a waste of my precious time.

12:51 PM, April 30, 2008
Watershed Mark said...

TCG: There is no accounting for taste or intellectual awarenes.

I hope the county can build a sewer pipe to MIKE's, Toon's, Shark's and your place.(I think 13 is still on the fence)
What a bargain it will be for those on the RECLAMATOR Service:), you know that threatened hook up and payment for the resource of value and all.

There is no leagal authority for a sewer, much less to hook up to one.

See Cal water law 13360 manner of compliance.

When will the citizens wake up to that fact? That is what I am interested in...

2:56 PM, April 30, 2008
Unknown said...

Editorial from the Tribune / Posted on Thu, May. 01, 2008

............................

Tacker’s code of ethics is alarming!

Opinion of The Tribune: Los Osos services district board member needs to be called on her conflict-of-interest actions!

We’re not sure which is worse: that elected official Julie Tacker voted to recommend a water conservation program that stands to benefit her financially—and then lobbied the county Board of Supervisors to adopt it—or that she continues to defend such a blatant lapse of judgment.

Either way, it’s time for Tacker to go. She’s an enormous liability to the Los Osos Community Services District — an agency nearly bankrupt financially and fully bankrupt in terms of its credibility over the sewer issue.

We’re not arguing against the wisdom of water conservation. But here’s the problem: Tacker owns a business that installs low-flow plumbing fixtures.

We believe conflict-of-interest guidelines from the state Fair Political Practices Commission are clear on this subject and she should not have voted on the issue.

Those guidelines state that public officials should not make a decision — or use their position to try to influence a decision—when they have a financial interest in the outcome.

We also believe in the higher power of common sense, which also dictates she should not have voted on the issue.

The vast majority of public officials in San Luis Obispo County are scrupulous in following the rules. We’ve seen officials refrain from voting on issues to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Not Tacker. She didn’t even bother to disclose her business interest in low-flow fixtures when she voted to support the water-conservation ordinance back in December.

To make matters worse, she and her business partner, Jeff Edwards, wrote to the county Board of Supervisors, suggesting that they revise the ordinance to require the type of low-flow showerheads that their business installs.

In defending her actions, Tacker said she believes she has the right to take a stand on issues.

We agree that public office shouldn’t be a muzzle. Public officials have a right to free speech, even when they have a potential conflict of interest.

But there are ways to exercise that right without surrendering integrity.

In this case, Tacker could have made it clear that she had a financial interest in the issue and then recused herself when the item came to her board for an advisory vote. She then could have lobbied for the ordinance as a private citizen.

Instead, Tacker seems to be following her own highly questionable code of conduct. It’s time someone called her on it.

At the very least, her colleagues on the board of directors should make it clear that they will no longer put up with her behavior.

And should she run for re-election in November, voters in Los Osos should think twice about keeping Tacker in office.

5:37 AM, May 01, 2008

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