The SewerWatch "Conflict of Interest" Tool Kit

To appreciate the glaring conflict of interest that actually exists today in SLO County government, involving 2nd District County Supervisor, Bruce Gibson, Gibson's appointment to the SLO County Parks Commission, Pandora Nash-Karner, and the County's Public Works Director, Paavo Ogren, you need some essentials.

Good thing you stopped by. I have just the tool kit for you.

First, you need this link.

What that link shows is that Nash-Karner was elected to the initial Los Osos CSD Board in November 1998, and officially started her term in January, 1999.

Then, you need this link:

That link is to a January 2000 Los Osos CSD document -- a document that was developed throughout 1999 -- and it shows two very important things:

1) It shows that Nash-Karner, as LOCSD vice-president in 1999, hired Paavo Ogren as the District's Interim General Manager.

Here's the quote:

"Paavo Ogren, Interim General Manager of the Los Osos Community Services District (CSD), provided assistance in obtaining County mapping and relevant engineering reports..."

and;

2) It shows that the engineering firm Montgomery Watson was retained by the Los Osos CSD.

Here's the quote:

"Wastewater Project Manager Mark Ysusi of Montgomery Watson provided strong leadership in coordinating the Wastewater Project..."

In short, Nash-Karner hired Ogren, and then worked closely with the engineering firm, Montgomery Watson, in 1999.

Now, you're going to need this link:

What that link shows, is two more very important things.

1) It shows that the sewer project that Nash-Karner, Ogren, and Montgomery Watson worked on throughout 1999, had failed by March of 2000.

Here's the quote:

"To remedy this situation (of the 1999 project being 'inadequate for several reasons'), the District hired (the engineering firm) Montgomery, Watson, Harza in March 2000 (to) conduct a comprehensive alternatives analysis."

and;

2) That document also shows that Montgomery, Watson (and now) Harza, continued to be retained by Nash-Karner's Los Osos CSD, for a second attempt at a sewer project, after their first project had failed.

By that time, however, Ogren had been replaced by a full time General Manager, Bruce Buel.

According to a New Times report, "Ogren and MWH, however, do have some history. Ogren was the Los Osos CSD’s interim general manager shortly before MWH was hired in 1999. The contractor began work in September, but the contract wasn’t executed until November. Ogren instructed his replacement, Bruce Buel, to fill in the contract at the district board’s request to accommodate the month of work, according to a memo Buel sent to his replacement in early 2006. Buel declined to comment further. Complaints were raised about the contract “backdating” to the District Attorney and county officials but no charges were filed."

Now, the fun part.

Fast-forward to 2005.

A recall effort was underway to remove the remaining Los Osos CSD Directors that were responsible for 1) the failure of the first project, and 2) the wildly unpopular second project -- an industrial sewer plant in the middle of town.

To prevent that recall from being successful, Nash-Karner, who served just one, two-year term as LOCSD vice-president, ending in December 2000, formed a "Coalition" to raise money, and campaign against the recall effort.

Now, you'll need this link.

What that link shows, among many unfortunate things, is that Nash-Karner was the "Chair" of something called the "Save the Dream Coalition."

Here's the quote:

"SAVE THE DREAM COALITION
Pandora Nash-Karner, Chair"

Now, you'll need this excellent link in your Conflict of Interest tool box.

What that link shows is a Save the Dream Coalition campaign statement that lists a $10,000 donation from Montgomery Watson Harza, to Nash-Karner's Save the Dream Coalition, and it is extremely interesting to note that the donation came one day AFTER the Los Osos CSD recall election -- an election that did not go Nash-Karner's way. In other words, that contribution wasn't to help win an election -- at least not the LOCSD recall election.

It is also extremely interesting to note in that link that, after a smattering of mostly $100 - $200 contributions from individuals before the recall election, in the days immediately AFTER the September 27, 2005 recall election, four businesses -- including another business that was contracted to build the Los Osos sewer project, Barnard Construction -- all with major financial stakes in Nash-Karner's sewer project (from her days as vice-president of the LOCSD), donated nearly $30,000 to Nash-Karner's Save the Dream Coalition.

Now, you're going to need this link.

What that link shows is that Pandora Nash-Karner is listed as an "endorsement" for the "Bruce Gibson for Supervisor" campaign throughout 2006.

Now, you're going to need this link.

What that link shows is that Pandora Nash-Karner is currently a SLO County Parks Commissioner, and she was (re)appointed by Supervisor Gibson.

Now, you're going to need this link.

That is a link to one of my stories here at SewerWatch. In that story, I show how I went down to the SLO County Clerk-Recorder's office to look at Supervisor Bruce Gibson's campaign contributions to see if Nash-Karner had financially contributed to his campaign.

Not only did she financially contribute, but she did so using sneaky, little $99 increments in order to legally avoid putting her name on Gibson's campaign statements (but, apparently, she screwed up, and donated $100, before she realized her mistake, and so her name ended up on the form anyway. Had she not made that $100 donation, and just stuck with her $99 donations, her name would not have appeared in Gibson's campaign statements. According to official sources, people can donate $99 in cash to a campaign within the span of a statement -- some as little as a few weeks (one of Gibson's statements, according to those official sources, dated from October 1, 2006 - to October 21, 2006) -- and never be identified... and Nash-Karner is heavily networked. Just today, a spokesperson at the Clerk-Recorders office told this reporter that, from July 1, 2006, to that November's election, Gibson had wracked up over $16,000 in donations under $100.

And, you're going to need this link.

What that link shows is that Paavo Ogren (Remember him? The LOCSD General Manager from 1999, that Nash-Karner hired, and then the two of them worked closely with Montgomery, Watson, [Harza]?), is now the current Director of the SLO County Public Works Department. It also shows how Ogren is overseeing the entire Los Osos wastewater project, now that State legislation (AB 2701) gave control of the project to SLO County government beginning in 2007. AB 2701 went into effect in January 2007, the same time Gibson took office.

During his first year in office, Gibson, along with the rest of the Supervisors, promoted Ogren to Public Works Director, AND tasked him to head-up the Los Osos wastewater project (a task that included a fat pay raise, I will add).

Finally, you're going to need this link.

What that link shows is that the SLO County Public Works Department, under the supervision of Paavo Ogren, recently selected the engineering firm... wait for it... Montgomery, Watson, Harza to the short list of contractors that could potentially build the estimated $150+million Los Osos sewer project.

O.K... Now that you have your tool box, you're ready to construct the MASSIVE conflict of interest that currently exists in SLO County government?

Ready? This is great.

The person that was Ogren's boss in 1999 (when they wasted all of that year on a sewer "project" that was never going to work), former Los Osos CSD vice-president, Pandora Nash-Karner, received a $10,000 donation from Montgomery Watson, Harza in late 2005 -- the same firm that Nash-Karner hired to "manage" her and Ogren's failed 1999 project. That donation was "received" one day AFTER a bitter election defeat for Nash-Karner, and then, shortly after she received that $10,000, she began to financially contribute to Bruce Gibson's run for Supervisor throughout 2006.

He won that election, and shortly after he took office, he 1) immediately (re)appointed Pandora Nash-Karner to the SLO County Parks Commission, and then, shortly after that, promoted Nash-Karner's former General Manager to head-up the County's Public Works Department, and then, of course, after Ogren was handed the Los Osos sewer job (that included a fat pay raise), Ogren's Public Works Department eventually selected Montgomery, Watson, Harza to the short list of contractors to build the project -- the same firm that Nash-Karner hired back in 1999, along with Ogren, to fail building their first project, and the same firm that gave Nash-Karner's "Coalition" $10,000 AFTER the Los Osos CSD recall election.

Considering the fact that Bruce Gibson was elected with the help of Montgomery, Watson, Harza's money, via his Parks Commissioner, and now the engineering firm stands to make tens of millions of dollars off of his decisions, via his Parks Commissioner's former employee, Paavo Ogren, Gibson, at the very least, needs to immediately recuse himself from ALL SLO County discussions involving the Los Osos wastewater project, or, more appropriately, immediately resign. Nash-Karner needs to immediately be removed from anything whatsoever that has to do with County government, and Ogren needs to immediately be reassigned.

That's the case that the SewerWatch "conflict of interest tool kit" builds.

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