Noel King -- SLO County Public Works Director / SewerWatch Fan
Over at Ann Calhoun's great blog, Noel King, Director of SLO County Public Works, sent Ann an e-mail, and that reminded me, he's a big fan of SewerWatch.
My two favorite things about that letter nowadays are 1) the date, and 2) he writes: "Those articles involved two rather complex issues dealing with County Government activities."
Boo-yea!
By the way, that particular "proposed formation of a community services district" in Los Osos that he mentions in that letter, would later go on to fail at the ballot box a year later. See what happens in Los Osos sans behavior-based marketing saturation?
My two favorite things about that letter nowadays are 1) the date, and 2) he writes: "Those articles involved two rather complex issues dealing with County Government activities."
Boo-yea!
By the way, that particular "proposed formation of a community services district" in Los Osos that he mentions in that letter, would later go on to fail at the ballot box a year later. See what happens in Los Osos sans behavior-based marketing saturation?
posted by Ron at
1:22 PM
2 Comments:
Ron,
You must be very frustrated, at this point.
After you wrote, "Three Blocks..." you waited, and hoped, but all in vain; you were never contacted by any journalistic award committee.
And you worked so hard!
You spent your every waking moment fine-honing this piece, and even followed up with a blog.
Still, no recognition. And, on and on it goes.
The real truth is, Ron, that, "Three Blocks..." is a biased hack job, just another piece of yellow journalism. Any first-year journalism student could tell you that.
At some point, you will see the futility of this quest, and give it up.
You must be very bitter, at this point in your lifetime.
I suggest you seek professional help now, before it is too late.
By
Anonymous, at 1:30 PM, August 05, 2007
Uhg, ever since Ann switched her comments over to registered users only, I forgot how ugly, mean and wrong, Anons can be.
Anonymous said:
"Ron,
You must be very frustrated, at this point."
Frustrated Spanish learner. Why that is, as a native Californian? No comprendo.
"After you wrote, "Three Blocks..." you waited, and hoped,"
No, not really.
"but all in vain; you were never contacted by any journalistic award committee."
Yet.
"And you worked so hard!"
For about two weeks in August, 2004, because I wasn't going to go through life thinking, "What if I had only written that story in 2004?" No regrets. Very, very happy. If I didn't write it, then I would have had massive regrets, for the rest of my life, and that's not part of my personal make-up.
"You spent your every waking moment fine-honing this piece,"
You'd probably laugh if you witnessed my reporting style. It's mostly comprised of drinking beer, pacing around in the garden, or chipping golf balls (I have a sweet practice facility... my short game rocks), on a nice day in the peaceful SLO County back-country, and pondering the story at hand. That's when all the thoughts and questions are formulized, and that's about 80-percent of my process. Plus, I'm really fast on a computer.
"... and even followed up with a blog."
Aren't blogs great? I love mine. I can link directly to sources, everything's archived and linkable, I can write in a style that makes an extremely complex, yet amazing, story accessible, and, believe it or not, they are more profitable than submitting stories to publications like New Times.
Plus, and this is key, they provide traction. If there was a journalism lesson that I learned after my first NT cover story, Problems with the Solution, in 2000, it's that if there's no follow-up, then the story will never gain traction, and THAT's when a story doesn't get any recognition, and if THAT story had gained some traction, we wouldn't be here today.
Have you lobbed off a nasty message to the Trib for not writing one word on the collapse of the Community Plan? If they had followed-up Problems with the Solution at all -- they never wrote one word -- THAT story would have gained traction and we wouldn't be here today.
So, my blog allowed Three Blocks to gain traction, and that is HUGE... as I think you're finally starting to see with the latest staff recommendations of the Coastal Commission and the County. If I didn't start the blog, Three Blocks would have went the way of Problems with the Solution, and since it was such a strong piece, I wasn't about to let that happen.
"Still, no recognition."
I'm not so sure about that one.
"And, on and on it goes."
Unfortunately. Because people like Hensley and Nash-Karner simply will not go away. Why they still get any traction whatsoever, is beyond me.
"The real truth is, Ron, that, "Three Blocks..." is a biased hack job..."
That is heavily sourced-out using the LOCSD's own sources like Buel, Hyland and the project's report... you know, "hack" sources like that.
"... just another piece of yellow journalism. Any first-year journalism student could tell you that."
I hear the Trib's been helping out in Poly's Journalism Department. Oh, the horror.
"At some point, you will see the futility of this quest, and give it up."
The instant Tri-W goes away, -- and, oh, please, for the love of God, let that be tomorrow -- I will give up the quest. You have no idea how badly I want to give up this quest. I'm really lazy.
"You must be very bitter, at this point in your lifetime."
Very sweet time of life. Very sweet.
"I suggest you seek professional help now, before it is too late."
Does a bartender count?
By
Ron, at 12:00 PM, August 06, 2007
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