Los Osos Couple Creates a Sewer System for Their Community. . . uh, From Their "Living Room." Unsurprisingly, Didn't Go So Well.

Best SLO County story ever, yet, never told, except by SewerWatch. Read all about it in my excellent FPPC Complaint: -- Click here.

And now, (some of, for now) the supporting docs:

Little wonder why Pandora didn't want Ann to "send the following to ANYONE!" But, hey, I'm SewerWatch. I find documents like this.

Question: If the Karners' sewer "project" -- that they popped out of their "living room" in 1997, was "on schedule" in late 2000, why aren't there 70-acres of sewage ponds in the middle of Los Osos right now? Read all about that so-called "on schedule" so-called "project" at this link.

Of the thousands of victims of the Los Osos CSD's 2000 ongoing (until the year 2034) municipal bond fraud, #1?: San Luis Coastal Unified School District. . . by far. Take a peek at one of their recent property tax bills at this link. "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT?"

Uh, there will NEVER be a "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT" "project." So, WTF is the property tax assessment, "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT," paying for. . . until 2034? I've asked numerous public officials, including SLCUSD officials, and not one can answer that question. Sad.

I'm assuming the Karners didn't consult with an attorney before they popped out this disastrous document: Karners_Rambling_Manifesto.

1997, meet 2034 Literally unbelievable, yet, true: A husband and wife couple, with zero wastewater system experience, spent a "year," "full time," designing a so-called "sewer project" for their community... from their "living room!"

Click here to see what they tossed together in their living room, and, keep in mind, it never even came close to being anything. . . except a complete disaster.

But wait, there's more: Then, they used their so-called "project" to completely change the way their community is governed, then used that "project" to get the wife elected to the initial Board of Directors of the new government that they formed solely with their "project," then, the newly-elected wife immediately hired her husband's firm to "develop" the sewer "project" that they slapped together in their "living room," then, of course, that disaster never even came close to being constructed, THEN, about seven years later, they would actually go on to confess that they knew that their fake project was never going to work, and, solely due to their fake "project," utter disaster ensued... of course.

Oh, and finally, they were never held accountable for their over-the-top disastrous scam at all. ZERO accountability. In fact, they would go on to make even more money off the disaster that they, alone, created. Welcome to SLO County.

Literally unbelievable, yet, true. I swear, it'd make a great movie/documentary,

More to come! Check back. Buh-bye for now.

###

Too Fun: The SLO County Administrative Office has a "Citizen Complaint Investigations Page"

[Note: Eric Dobroth is a Deputy District Attorney for the SLO County DA's office.]

Hello Eric,

Howya been? Hey, right off the top, I just wanted to let you know that I've already posted this email on my blog. It's at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/

The reason I'm sending you this email is because I was getting ready to submit a "Citizen Complaint" with the county's Administrative Office, however, I noticed on their Citizen Complaint Investigations page, at this link:

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Administrative-Office/Administrative-and-Budget-Services/Services/Citizen-Complaint-Investigations.aspx

... that it reads, "Before you submit a citizen complaint, please contact the appropriate department to resolve the issue."

And that's why I'm contacting you with this email, because my Citizen Complaint involves the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit, and, according to the County's Administrative office, "The Administrative Office investigates complaints asserting that a County department or employee is acting in a manner that is unfair, arbitrary, inconsistent, or contrary to law."

Now, if you remember, last October, I filed a Public Integrity Unit review request asking that the District Attorney office's PIU "review" how, starting in 2014, then-District Attorney candidate, Dan Dow, accepted disgusting fraud money from known Los Osos fraudsters, Gary Karner and Pandora Nash-Karner, to help him get elected, and then I ask, "Did SLO County District Attorney, Dan Dow, KNOWINGLY accept the Karners' fraud money, or, was he unaware of the Karners' disgusting fraud when he accepted their fraud money?"

My PIU review request is published on my blog at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2020/10/too-fun-slo-county-district-attorneys.html

So, here's the dealio today, in March 2021: I haven't heard a peep from your office regarding my PIU review request. No statements from the DA's office. No emails to me. Nothing, well, OTHER than you writing to me on October 9, 2020, "I did receive it."

And that's it. That was the last thing I've read/heard/seen regarding my PIU review request since last October.

Which gets directly to my Citizen's Complaint involving the DA's Public Integrity Unit.

As I showed the PIU last October, the Karners' fraud STILL involves thousands of victims, as they continue to fund the Karners' fraud until the year 2034 in the form of the fraud-based "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT" property tax assessment that shows up on about 4,000 Los Osos prohibition zone property owners' tax bills, including, and especially, the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, that is on pace to be fleeced out of about a half million bucks by the Karners/LOCSD's fraud when the fleecing finally resolves in 2034 (the fraud-based "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT" property tax assessment is a 30-year assessment that started FY 2003/04).

Welp, here's what happened in the nearly six months since I filed my PIU review request: Those 4,000 victims were RE-victimized TWICE in that time, as they were fleeced again and again by paying their two installments on their property taxes, with the fraud-based "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT" property tax assessment paid both times.

The 2nd installment became due on February 1, 2021, and all of the Karners' victims were fleeced AGAIN, with full knowledge from the DA's PIU (thanks to my time-stamped PIU review request) that all of those victims WERE going to be re-victimized again, and, so far as I know, the PIU didn't lift a finger to help those victims, and, to my eye, that REEEEELLY looks like this:

"(A) County department or employee is acting in a manner that is unfair, arbitrary, inconsistent, or contrary to law," which is exactly what "The Administrative Office investigates" with their Citizen Complaint process.

So, with all of that in mind, they way I want to "resolve (this) issue," "before (I) submit a citizen complaint," is that ALL of the Karners' victims must immediately stop being victimized, which means that the fraud-based "LOCSD WASTE TREATMT" property tax assessment -- which is paying for nothing OTHER than the Karners' fraud -- needs to disappear from those victims' property tax bill, never to be paid again.

How that happens, I have no idea, but I'm sure the talented staff of SLO County government can figure it out.

Finally, to fully "resolve this issue," to where I don't have to file my Citizen's Complaint, all of those victims need to be made whole. For example, a typical single family household in the LOPZ has been funding the Karners' fraud at about $200 - $250 per year since 2003. So, I'm going to ballpark that figure at roughly $200 - $250/year, for the past 17 years, for about $4,000. And that's just for a typical LOPZ property owner, the taxpayers in the SLCUSD boundaries are being fleeced at a MUCH higher rate, as I've exposed over and over again on my blog, including at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2019/04/property-owners-within-san-luis-coastal.html

So, some sort of system needs to be created that repays all of those victims that $4,000, and the roughly $200,000 that SLCUSD taxpayers have been fleeced out of (so far). Again, how THAT happens, I have no idea, but it has to happen.

Please take note how I'm NOT asking to "resolve this issue" by demanding that both Pandora Nash-Karner, who is a current, and longtime, SLO County Parks Commissioner, and, District Attorney, Dan Dow, immediately resign.

That will never happen. I mean, I first exposed Pandora Nash-Karner's massive fraud/government corruption over a decade ago, and she is still an official SLO County official, on a first-name basis with every County Supervisor, and who is a "friend" and "endorser" of the District Attorney. [For Pete's sake, the SLO County DA goes over to Nash-Karner's home to raise campaign money from her disgusting fraud funds, so, obviously she got away with her massive fraud/government corruption. Nothing will ever happen to her... obviously.]

All I'm concerned about these days is that her victims -- many of them, financially strapped senior citizens -- stop being victimized every time they pay their property taxes over the next 13 years, and that they are made whole. That's it. That "resolves this issue" for me, and, IF that happens, I won't be forced to file my Citizen's Complaint.

I'll give the PIU a week to make a statement on this issue. If I don't hear/see anything from your office by March 18, I'll just go ahead and file my Citizen's Complaint, because I will have done this:

"Before you submit a citizen complaint, please contact the appropriate department to resolve the issue."

... to no avail, which means that the District Attorney's Public "Integrity" Unit [finger quotes on the "Integrity"] has no integrity. And that will be at the heart of this citizen's complaint.

If you have ANY questions involving my PIU review request, or the mountain of primary source evidence I've exclusively exposed over the years that clearly shows the Karners' fraud (including a confession by them, by the way), please... please just ask.

You have a week.

As always, much thanks,

Ron

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sewerwatch.blogspot.com

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A Fun Exercise in Local Journalism: Putting KCBX News's Ethics to the Test

[Note: Greta Mart is the news director at KCBX.]

Hello Greta,

Howya been? I hope all is well.

Hey, I'm just contacting you with this email because I think you're about to have as much fun with it as I am. It's a great exercise in journalism, so great, in fact, that I've decided to publish this email on my blog, at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/

Check it out. This email is already posted on my blog, even before I hit the "send" button. Cool, huh?

This GREAT exercise in local journalism starts with a quote from an email that you sent me about a month ago, where you write:

"...  there is unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX, our Central Coast coverage is solely determined by myself and reported using professional and ethical journalistic standards."

Here's where this gets fun: I'd like to put that take to the test, and the reason I'd like to put that take to the test now, is because I'm seeing some excellent local stories that KCBX News isn't covering, and some of those stories involve KCBX itself, and not in a good way, so, now I'm not so sure that this, "unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX," is accurate, so, let's have some fun, and put that to the test.

Here's how:

About eight years ago, I exposed how KCBX host, and then-SLO County Parks Commissioner, Rick Mathews, was using his then-Saturday morning show, Freedom Jazz Dance, on KCBX to promote political fundraisers for then-SLO County Supervisor, Jim Patterson, the exact same person that appointed Rick to the SLO County Parks Commission, where Rick then used that position to help funnel hundreds of thousands of public dollars to the SLO County Botanical Garden, where he has professional ties through his business, Madrone Landscapes, which is also a sponsor of KCBX.

Those excellent posts are archived at these links:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2012/03/uh-kcbx-does-debbie-arnold-get-equal.html

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2012/03/kcbx-general-manager-lanzone-we-broke.html

Highly recommended reading.

[I've always loved that story, and, eight years out, it's still a super-interesting, meaty, fun story. I'm enjoying re-visiting it. (By the way, Debbie won that election, which meant, come January 2013, no more Rick on the SLO County Parks Commission, which meant he REEEELLY wanted Patterson to win that election.)]

But, here's where this already-great-story gets even better.

Shortly after I exposed that story, I made KCBX General Manager, Frank Lanzone, aware of my initial post on the subject, and he wrote to me that Rick had "broke an FCC rule" when he promoted those fundraisers over the KCBX public air waves.

In fact, so egregious was Rick's FCC rules violation, that, immediately after I exposed that great story, Rick was actually forced -- repeat: forced! -- to announce on his next show a fundraiser for Jim Patterson's challenger in the 2012 election, Debbie Arnold.

Greta, think about this question for a moment. It's flat-out great: Why did SLO County Supervisor, Jim Patterson's, appointed Parks Commissioner, Rick Mathews, announce, on KCBX public radio, a fundraising event for the candidate that is opposing the county supervisor that appoints Rick to his Parks Commission seat?

I mean, huh?! On the face of it, that doesn't doesn't make any sense.

Well, turns out, the answer to that great question is... uh, well, great: He was forced to! By KCBX management!

And, not only was he forced to make that announcement, but there's also this delicious detail: Rick was ALSO forbidden -- repeat: forbidden! -- from announcing any more fundraising events for his public office appointer, Jim Patterson.

Absolutely hilarious.

Now, I'm assuming that ALL of that direction -- where Rick was forced to announce a fundraiser for Debbie Arnold, and forbidden from announcing any more events for Jim Patterson -- came from Frank. After all, he's the one that told me:

"The bottom line is Rick and KCBX made a mistake. We broke an FCC rule. We will announce a fundraiser for Debbie's campaign on one of Rick's upcoming shows. We owe her that air time. By law."

So, Greta, here's where this excellent exercise in journalism gets back to your quote, where you write:

"...  there is unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX, our Central Coast coverage is solely determined by myself and reported using professional and ethical journalistic standards."

I see that KCBX has a Board of Directors:

https://www.kcbx.org/governance

I have had this question for the past eight years: Did Frank Lanzone ever make the KCBX Board of Directors aware of Rick's egregious FCC violation, from March 2012?

I have a slight-journalistic-hunch that he didn't, and I would LOVE to resolve that slight hunch.

So, let's put that "unambiguous separation" to the test: Please show me a document (some sort of KCBX BOD meeting minutes, or something like that would be great) that shows that Frank actually DID make the KCBX Board of Directors aware of Rick's FCC violation.

If you email me a pdf file that shows that document -- knowing that I'm going to publish it on my blog, AND put it in its excellent context -- then I'll report that this:

"... there is unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX..."

... is solid.

I will also support your take if you notify me that KCBX does not posses that document, which would actually support my "slight-journalistic-hunch."

However, here's the dealio: If you don't (or can't) pull off either one of those options, and just completely ignore this email, I am going to report that this:

"... there is unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX..."

... is not accurate.

See? Toldja this was gonna be a fun exercise in journalism.

So, again, here's the test (and it's a simple request): You send me a simple, time-stamped, 1-page document that shows that Frank actually DID make the KCBX BOD aware of Rick's egregious FCC violation from March 2012, and I'll believe this:

"... there is unambiguous separation between the news and management departments at KCBX... ."

I will also, on my blog, give KCBX News BIG credit for doing either one of those two options that I've outlined above.

If not? Well, that's a different story entirely, isn't it?

If you have any questions -- and questions whatsoever involving this email -- please just ask.

As always, much thanks,

Ron

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sewerwatch.blogspot.com

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Too Fun!: The SLO County District Attorney's Office Has a "Public Integrity Unit"

[Note: Eric Dobroth is a Deputy District Attorney for the SLO County DA's office.]

Hello Mr. Dobroth,

I noticed on the SLO County DA's web site, at this link:

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/District-Attorney/Special-Prosecutions/Public-Integrity-Unit.aspx

... that your office includes a "Public Integrity Unit," that will "aggressively and proactively seek out public corruption at all levels of government," however, what I didn't see on that page was contact information for the PIU, so, I was hoping I could email the following information to you, and then, if you would be so kind, you forward the information to the PIU to "aggressively" review.

I also wanted to quickly let you know that I published this entire email on my blog, at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

Ron

- - - - - -

Hello SLO County District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit,

I recently read on the SLO DA Public Integrity Unit's web page that "all matters referred to the Public Integrity Unit for consideration will be thoroughly and fairly reviewed."

I'm requesting that the PIU "consider" the following "matter."

This case involves the SLO County District Attorney, Dan Dow, and how it appears that he accepted fraud money to initially get elected in 2014.

Here are the details:

I'd like to start with this graphic:

... from the SLO County campaign finance web site, that shows how Dan Dow, in 2014, received $200 in campaign funds from a Los Osos couple, Gary Karner and Pandora Nash-Karner.

Now, as I've been reporting for over a decade, the Karners committed massive fraud in Los Osos, starting in 1997, when they "developed" a known-to-them-to-be-dead-on-arrival sewer system for Los Osos (now, I realize that sounds unbelievable -- that an ordinary married couple, he a landscaper, she a graphics-type person, would develop, in their living room, a sewer system for their community -- but that's exactly what happened, for reasons that are about to become crystal clear.)

I'm not going to reset their entire fraud (I've done it many times already, and I'll provide the links below), but, for the main question of this inquiry -- "Did Dan Dow accept fraud money from the Karners in 2014?" -- the PIU will need to get your heads wrapped around obvious fraud things like Gary Karner's SWA Group connection ("He specialized in project management and risk management with SWA for 27 years and is currently retained by SWA to consult on risk management," yet he failed to disclose that crucial fact when he wrote in 1997, "We recommend (these) firms be retained for professional design services when this Plan is accepted," and one of those firms "recommended" by Karner to be "retained for professional design services" "when" his (and his wife's) fake project was "accepted," was the SWA Group, which is exactly what happened), and Pandora Nash-Karner's fraudulent "Summer 2000," newsletter, that she produced when she was an elected Los Osos CSD Director, and, very importantly, what I call "The Karner Confession," where they actually confess to knowing that their fake project was "blown out of the water" in early 1998, yet they spent that entire year heavily marketing their fake project, then used it to form the Los Osos CSD, where Nash-Karner was elected as a CSD Director, and then she immediately used public money to hire her husband's firm as a contractor to "develop" their known-to-the-Karners-to-be-fake project, and, after thousands and thousands (millions?) of public dollars was completely wasted on their fake plan, it never even came close to working, of course, but not until Gary Karner's firm made a ton of money off of their scam.

So, in a nutshell that's the Karners' obvious fraud. It's open and shut. To be clear, there's no question about whether the Karners committed fraud. They did, and it started as early as 1997.

But, again, the question in this matter isn't really about the Karners' documented fraud, it's: "Did Dan Dow KNOWINGLY accept fraud money from the Karners in 2014?"

Now, I'd like to point out another key piece of evidence here. It's a March 11, 2014 Facebook post from Dan Dow, where he writes:

"Enjoyed a wonderful evening in a Los Osos home (Thank you Pandora Nash-Karner) making many new friends and discussing my vision for the future of our District Attorney's office. Received many new endorsements!"

https://www.facebook.com/DanDowForDA/posts/1453170791581042

So, here's Dan Dow, in 2014, at the home of known fraudsters, and then he ends up collecting $200 (at least!) from those known fraudsters, some five years AFTER the Karners' fraud was exposed.

So, again, in 2014, how did Dan Dow NOT accept fraud money from the Karners to help him get elected? I mean, there's really no other answer. He did. Which means the only other question becomes, was he aware of the Karners' fraud when he went to their house for "endorsements?" I argue he SHOULD have. A simple Google search of "Pandora Nash-Karner" is all he had to do BEFORE he went to the Karners' home that night, and he could have read up on stories like at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2009/07/exclusive-sewerwatch-investigation-how.html

... from 2009, where I first exposed the Karners' SWA Group scam.

Or, this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2011/05/exposed-karner-confession.html

... from 2011, where I exposed "The Karner Confession," where they actually confess to knowing, one month after rolling out their fake project, that their fake project was "blown out of the water," and, therefore it was nothing more than a vehicle for them to make money, which is exactly what happened.

Then, there are my emails to Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2017/10/los-osos-csd-municipal-bond-fraud.html

... and this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2019/04/property-owners-within-san-luis-coastal.html

... where I show, among many other things, the massive fraud Pandora Nash-Karner committed with her "Summer 2000" newsletter from her Los Osos CSD.

[By the way, I confirmed with Assemblyman Cunningham's staff that he received those emails, but he never did anything about it, despite the fact that, as I show in those emails, the Karners' fraud not only has about 4,000 property owners in Los Osos funding the Karners' fraud until the year 2034, but the San Luis Coastal Unified School District will ALSO continue to be fleeced by the Karners' fraud until 2034, to the tune of about $400,000, but Assemblyman Cunningham, surprisingly, simply doesn't care. So strange for an elected official whose District includes all of the Karners' victims.

Maybe the PIU could look into that, as well: Why doesn't Assemblyman Cunningham care that thousands his constituents are victims of a massive fraud, and they will continue to be fleeced by that fraud until 2034, yet he just doesn't care? Why doesn't he care?... would be an interesting question for the PIU.]

So, that's the "matter" I would like the PIU to "aggressively seek out": Did SLO County District Attorney, Dan Dow, KNOWINGLY accept the Karners' fraud money, or, was he unaware of the Karners' disgusting (I will add) fraud when he accepted their fraud money?

If you have any questions, please just ask.

Thank you,

Ron

P.S. If you go to "Dan Dow 2022" "endorsement" page, at this link:

https://dandow.com/endorsements/

... and scroll down to the "Community Leaders" section, you'll see that the first person listed is, "Pandora Nash-Karner, SLO County Park Commission, Chair." So, I'm left assuming that he is STILL accepting the Karners' fraud money for his campaigns. Yes?

P.P.S.:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2016/01/pandora-nash-karner-friends-questions.html

###

At $199/month sewer rate, the people of Los Osos STILL "owe everlasting gratitude," according to the Trib

TO: Joe Tarica, Editor, SLO County Tribune

Hello Joe,

Hey, I have excellent news for the property owners of Los Osos!

I was just reading Nick Wilson's story, at this link:

https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article239056078.html

... headlined, "Los Osos facing 5 years of sewer rate hike -- and bills of nearly $200 a month," and, in that story, Nick writes, "annual increases of 3% to cover inflation in each of the following three years, reaching a total of about $199 per month by 2024-25."

Ironically, that is excellent news for Los Osos property owners.

You see, back in the day when the Trib was popping out editorial after editorial in support (support!) of the Los Osos CSD's disastrous (and now-failed, of course) mid-town "sewer-park," like the one at this link:

http://www.slocreek.com/tt_editorial.pdf

... the Trib also popped out an editorial that read:

"... if (Los Osos CSD) recall proponents make good on their campaign promises by building a sewer system out of town that will cost households less than $205 per month, the residents of Los Osos will owe them everlasting gratitude."

Well, fast-forward to today, and the County of SLO WAS able to "make good" on the "campaign promises" of the "recall proponents," by constructing a sewer system with a treatment facility "out of town," and, since $199 is less than $205, the residents of Los Osos, in 2024-25, will STILL "owe everlasting gratitude" for the people responsible for stopping the LOCSD's "infeasible" mid-town disaster, according to the Trib's own editorial board.

See? According to the Trib's own editorial board, a $199 a month sewer rate in Los Osos STILL deserves "everlasting gratitude" over the LOCSD's failed disaster... that the Trib supported over and over and over again (without ever researching the facts behind that disaster).

And that is excellent news for the property owners of the Los Osos prohibition zone, according to the Trib's own editorial board.

Just wanted to pass on that great piece of news.

Thanks,

Ron

---------

sewerwatch.blogspot.com

P.S. I posted this email on my blog, at this link:

http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/