The Tribune reports that the Los Osos Sustainability Group has filed a request to the Coastal Commission asking it to revoke its permit for the sewer project. They allege that "the approval [of the upcoming coastal permits to proceed with this project] is based on willfully submitted inaccurate information."
Says the petition, "Basically, the information we present shows that the Los Osos Wastewater Project could have disastrous adverse consequences on the Los Osos area, including the water basin and vital sensitive habitat, and agencies intentionally provided inaccurate, erroneous and incomplete information that failed to disclose these impacts." The request for review/revoke is supported by "a 6-inch-tall stack of documents that allege false information was provided by the county and the Central Coast Regional Water quality Control Board in order to obtain the coastal development permit needed to build the sewer. . . . These include whether nitrates from the town's septic systems pollute the Morro Bay estuary; whether disposing of effluent would cause liquefaction of nearby soils; whether the project would worsen salt-water intrusion into underground aquifers; and whether the project would cause unsustainable growth to occur in Los Osos." And concludes, "The decision to allow this project to go forward cannot be based on popular opinion, political expediency, or on information that might otherwise fail to meet Coastal Commission standards for accurate and complete information or (state law) standards for substantial evidence."
And what was the response from Tim McNulty of the County Counsel's Office? "We are absolutely certain that there was no intent on anyone's part to provide that type of information. Under these circumstances, a project-delaying suspension is quite improbable."
And why would that be? Well, because "The petitioners must prove that information was inaccurate, that it was knowingly submitted and that the information changed the outcome of the commission's decisions."
Doncha love it?. It's not enough that the information may be factually incorrect, i.e. that the numbers are wrong, that doing X will result in disaster Y, the bridge will fall because you've transposed weight bearing numbers, the dam will collapse because you added the numbers wrong. No. That's not the key thing here. What's key is that you INTENTIONALLY gave the Commission the wrong numbers. That you MEANT to fudge the numbers, nudge the numbers, make the numbers smiley-faced, happy numbers so as to get whatever permit you're after. The fact of their wrongness isn't enough to get the Commission to back off and double-check. Nope. You have to prove intention.
And, of course, your correct numbers have to be sufficient to have caused the Commissioners to change their minds, which is a really high bar because nobody on the face of the earth believes that the Commissioners wouldn't have approved that sewer, no matter how fudged the numbers were.
Once again, we're back in Alice in Wonderland Land: actual facts don't matter much. Intention, not mere incompetence, trumps all. "Yes, the numbers are wrong and the bridge will collapse. But, we're not going to change the plans since the Engineer didn't mean to add them up wrong."
Meanwhile, Back On The Old SewerWatch
Ron Crawford, at www.sewerwatch.blogspot.com, has also written a letter to the Coastal Commission on a similar issue. And posted that letter. He's having way too much fun and this letter will be a delight for careful Sewer Watchers -- it's sly, and funny. And if you read his response to a blog comment, you'll see the further comic possibilities in his original letter. Sauce for goose and gander. After all, if "park amenities" were so critical, such a vital, overriding "community held value" for which the TRI-W defenders fought so ferociously, then here's the chance to get those park amenities back from the very Coastal Commission and Commissioner(s) who originally approved them.
Talk about Win Win.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
27 comments:
More of Calhoun's mindlessly frantic cheer leading onward the foolish behavior of other foolish fools fooling around with issues they are too foolish to understand.
Meanwhile, the sane smile and laugh at the drooling fools fooling themselves that their histrionic hysteria is taken seriously.
Guess the fools haven't driven the costs high enough. They got the sewer moved, but still haven't made the cost completly out of most of our budgets. At least Calhoun won't have the CSD paying her attorney this time around.
Looks like Judith Reilly is back. You must be popular in Los Osos: having a rotting septic tank in your front yard. You must be really "special."
What gets me about this revocation request is that all this stuff was presented 2 years ago at the Planning Commission, BOS and Coastal Commission. LOSG just didn't like the answer they got - "we're moving ahead with the sewer as presented."
What also gets me is that their supposed "plan" is to sewer (STEP/STEG or vacuum) the low-lying areas and do a septic management plan for the rest! Wasn't that very plan CLEARLY shot down in 1999? And on top of that - it's impossible because of AB885! We don't have 1/2 acre lots with septic tanks to "manage!" There are 8 to 12 houses on septic PER ACRE!!!
But more than any of this, what gets me is, the arrogance of going behind our backs. The bulk of the community - some at great personal financial pain, opted to pay for this thing, the survey came back with a gravity collection system and now the community is being put in jeopardy without being asked if it was OK with them to do this! It's very clear that the useless petition out there to stop the sewer is getting a very underwhelming response despite all the exposure it's had. People with no degrees in truly assessing information such as what was submitted with this revocation proposal, are, TWO YEARS AFTER THE PERMIT WAS GRANTED, waving a red flag to the Water Board to gear up to issue CDOs and fines! And like it would be better to stall the project and lose the good bidding climate to boot!
Re: Ron's blog, you speak about "Win Win" Ann, but in moving it out of town and all of the costly delays, we have already spent that park amenity money and more on getting this more expensive project just as it is, with an an ESHA park, with its fence and some trails and that's it.
I don't see "Win Win," but "Pay More, Get Less." But we still get a park, don't we!
Let's face it. The Los Osos sewer is a mess, and we have all this in-fighting going on in town with regards to what solutions are best; who's right and who's wrong. It's tiresome.
There's no doubt in my mind that LOSG believes they're doing something right for the community, but if you look at what it does -- never mind the basis of their appeals -- it delays the project. The Los Osos people see that and think, "Oh come on already!" This keeps going and going.
I'm not in love with the sewer as the next person, but you have people like Freiberg and Raio, the "Johnny-come-latelys" who are making these "Hail Mary" passes down the field -- all while residents are forced to watch the game in the bleachers.
What these people should be doing is this: they need to educate the community. What we've seen is the County arguments. Don't appeal, don't threaten lawsuits with the "clever attorney" schtick. Educate and inform without starving ratepayers of a project that needs to be in the ground. We need to get out of the Bedrock era in Los Osos.
Awwww, Anon #1. You're mistaking snarky commentary on BureauSpeak for cheerleading. And, c'mon, even you must admit, Ron's having waaaayyyy too much fun.
Anonymous #2, "Who's Judith Reily and who are you referring to who has a septic tank in their front yard?"
Toonces, a bit of parkish land with trails through it is better than nothing, so that's a win-win? As for the "arrogance" of going behind your back? Naw, Any citizen can file appeals to the CC. ANY citizen. Nothing behind-the-backish about it. It's simply part of the process. And does anybody for a minute think the CC will do anything more about this appeal than scan it, declare that they disagree with any facts, finding, claims and numbers stated there, and declare that since there is also no smoking gun (in the form of a sworn affidavit of deliberate intent) vis a vis deliberate deception, that there is no basis to do anything but dismiss the appeal and issue the permit?
Amazing to me that some of you people are still quaking in your boots about how this process is playing out, which is exactly as it's intended to play out. And I love how any posting on the sewer issue still gets "Annonymice" all raging and spewing. It's an amazing phenomenon.
Anon 1 said,
I understand and appreciate the smug nudge-nudge 'joke' (hah hah).
Meanwhile, the perpetual foolish postings by fools such as you and Ron make me and many other patient folks just roll our eyes with disbelief.
What you foolishly see at raging, spewing and shaken boots is actually just a firm but gentle reminder to you fools that we are not going to stand by and let you stupidly highjack and screwup the process yet again.
Face it Calhoun. Your goose is cooked. The cows have come home. Time for you to eat crow with milk.
The community clearly understands how the after- recall fools not only utterly failed, failed, FAILED to fulfill any of their promises, but left the community bankrupt, without any political clout to resolve its problems and saddled them with 40 years of debt obligations.
And you fools whiningly wonder and complain why the community labels you as 'nuts' to be shunned. You are called 'nuts' and disregarded because you fools have worked really REALLY hard to earn that title and standing in the community.
The rest of us, including the mainstream press, just say it as it is because you have earned it.
I think the Coastal Commission staff appreciates Ron's sly humor, if nothing else. and I have another point to make...
But firs't, it's Sun'ny mornin, O'l codger story tellin time...
From the Annuals of the Department of “Lessons Not Learned from the Los Osos Sewer Wars”
A funny thing happened on the way to the Los Osos Christmas Parade;
Back in '05-‘06 I was introduced to Gary Frieberg. I asked him “what is your position on the sewer?”
He answered that he “tries to stay out of it”... I remember this clearl,y because this encounter caused me to change my approach, from that point on, I didn’t bring up the sewer unless I knew the person, or they asked me about it.
So… when Dave Congleton asked Gary last month; “Isn’t this at the eleventh hour?...
I remembered that ’06 occurence.
Today is NOW, and well past the 49th hour. Gary’s insistence that he can stay away from technical issues, is only possible, because he is a newcomer to a game that had the game pieces gathered and was folded and boxed a long time ago. And of course Gary is intelligent, articulate, compelling and cares and has done much for Los Osos (prior). And people will thank him, and so it perpetuates…
It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy- Of course the 16 agencies will say: “We’ve heard it all before” - They have. And of course Gary will think that they are stonewalling him - After all; He hasn’t heard it all before.
So why did some responsible Sewer activist not set Gary straight? The answer, my friends, is blowing in the dunes...
I took "your goose is cooked" as a threat. Maybe someone should call the SLOPD.
Yes, Lou specializes in threats. Someone should definitely call the cops. This is pure evil among us. Do SOMETHING!!!!
Threat? SLOPD?
Sure sounds like the Sustainabilty Group crazies are already worried about their tail feathers. Most of us who actually live in Los Osos have grown very tired of the few nuts still trying to stop any sewer for our community. Perhaps they should move to Barstow or somewhere they can get back on those soap boxes to stop the sun from shining so brightly.
But why would anyone even think about calling SLOPD? Pretty sloppy! Idiot!
why would anyone even think about calling SLOPD?
Stalking and harassment are crimes, Lou.
If you have to ask why, then you obviously enjoy stalking "the few nuts" who make you tired.
Well, we're tired of you and you wife. The community has identified you as harassers and evil people who don't deserve Los Osos.
We will continue to provide you double doses of your own medicine until you muzzle it or move.
It's up to you.
Ann, I have a question for you. Why did you change your blog settings to allow anonymous comments?
Maybe we are not quaking in our boots, but we are sick of these attempts to stop a sewer. We saw this same information that LOSG puts forward at the Planning Commission, the BOS and the Coastal Commission over TWO years ago. This is a waste of staff's time - which is really OUR time and OUR MONEY.
If there is any delay to keep us from the good bidding climate now - which may not last forever, these stall attempts have the possibility to make the project more costly. How does that help any of us?
Let's face it, there is NO PERFECT PROJECT! There never was, there isn't now and there NEVER COULD BE.
You can say the parkish trails are a win-win, but in the same sentence you must add, the cost for them has been CDOs (you bitterly recounted the experience of that right here on your blog), NOVs, a bankrupted CSD, liens against our homes, a more endangered water supply as no meaningful conservation can occur—and hasn't—without a project, and now a project that costs $189 million, not the $154 million that the last one did. I don't see that as a win-win. That's a lot of millions for some chipped bark trails.
Great comment Alon, thanks for speaking up!
Alon, I think that IF LOSG knew what he was going to do they would not want to set Gary straight because LOSG would want to see community support for stopping the project to validate what they are doing. That support however, despite the exposure of the petition on TV, radio and print, has been very weak.
The petition started in January, they want 5,000 signatures by April, and as of right now, only 270 out of the 5,000 have signed. Not that it really could do anything anyway.
Each comment by Lynette is sent to the LOCSD: board@losososcsd.org.
Why did you change your blog settings to allow anonymous comments?
Why do you THINK, Mrs. Know-It-Owl? If you have to ask then it's too late for you to learn anything about YOU.
You have your own blog.
http://losewersaga.blogspot.com/
This is where the community can find the RATS in the SEWER...
Dear Idiot; apparently you do not live in Los Osos, SLOPD is not the law enforcement in Los Osos.
If you don't know that, you sure don't know our community or the sewer system the SLO Board of Supervsors have approved.
Next time you have a shot of courage, try calling the SLO Sheriff's office. You idiot!
SLOPD has a Cybercrimes unit, and they work with the South Bay Police Department. They've been monitoring the situation.
Don't worry Lou. You're going to be taken care of.
Yes, Lou works in SLO. Follow the trial back to Cal Poly and you've got something. It's there.
Check out the rat infestation at:
http://losewersaga.blogspot.com/
Very sick people. Apply treatment liberally and frequently.
Reilly is the proxy weasel hatchet lady. You're still talking to Lou behind her. He's looking at everything. Can't help himself. Very demented and corrupt. Reilly is the stooge who goes out and takes one for the team of thieves. Only use for her head is as a battering ram. Ow, dat hurts soooo good!," she squeals in piggish delight. She's one ugly cuss, inside and out!
Cybercrimes? Since the DA tossed your sorry butt out, you are now trying yet another approach. The rest of the us are laughing at your pathetic attempts to stop the sewer by character assassination. Why don't you drift away like the Ochs.
Just a pathetic loser idiot. .
Reilly knows character assassination real well -- it's her specialty. Sorry about George Sr., Judith. So what if you didn't get the family business cuz yer two dumb, right? At least you can live in your septic and float it in the bay if things get really rough for you and Blinky.
Meanwhile, follow Lou's trail of filth to Cal Poly. That's where slo cybercrimes will find what they're looking for, for sure.
Good luck!
Yeah. Same person who decries "character assassinations" calls people "idiots" in every post. Los Osos needs fewer flip-flops.
Hear about the Occupy movement? They decided to leave Los Osos. Too many mentally imbalanced activists protesting everything from sewers to solar power.
amazing. Anonymous people railing at other anonymous people with nobody left the wiser as to what they're talking about or even who they're refering to. Might as well type all this in Swahili for all the good it does.
Post a Comment