The Bay Foundation's Web Site is Down

So, here's an interesting sequence of events.

Last year, I exposed how Los Osos resident, Gary Karner, has a longtime professional relationship with the landscaping architecture firm, the SWA Group, and then, with his wife, Pandora Nash-Karner, as the vice-president of the Los Osos CSD in 1999, official CSD documents associated with their failed "better, cheaper, faster" sewer project (that the husband and wife couple developed -- I'm not making that up... a husband and wife couple tossed together a sewer system for their town, and then tricked voters into allowing them to pursue the disaster) began containing the words "SWA Group."

In his document that detailed their dead-on-arrival "project," Karner writes, "(We are) deeply indebted to the following firms and individuals who have contributed their services in developing this Plan at pro-bono or reduced rates... We recommend (these) firms be retained for professional design services when this Plan is accepted."

[Note the use of the word "when," in, "... when this Plan Is accepted." That was in November 1997, a full year before they were able to trick voters into approving their "Plan."]

And, one of those firms "recommended" by Karner to be "retained for professional design services" "when" his (and his wife's) project was "accepted?"

You guessed it: SWA Group, of Sausal¡to, California -- the same SWA Group where Karner was a "Managing Principal and Senior Project Manager" "for 27 years and is currently retained by SWA," according to his bio on the Bay Foundation web site. And, of course, never in his document does he reveal his longtime working relationship with the SWA Group.

So, when I was researching my story, viewable at this link:

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

... I stumbled onto something called The Bay Foundation, where Karner sits on the Board of Directors, and its web site read:

"(Karner) was in private practice with The SWA Group, Planners and Landscape Architects, with an international practice and eight offices nationally, as a Managing Principal and Senior Project Manager of the firm. He specialized in project management and risk management with SWA for 27 years and is currently retained by SWA to consult on risk management."

Finally! The perfect connection that tied Karner to the SWA Group, and the ONLY place I can make that connection, is (was) his bio on the The Bay Foundation's web site.

But something funny happened shortly after I published my piece.

The entire Bay Foundation's web site -- including Karner's bio -- disappeared.

That was about a year ago, and now, when you click on:

http://www.thebayfoundation.org

You get:

"This site has not been uploaded yet."

And when I say that was the only primary source that showed Karner's SWA Group ties -- a critical piece of my entire story -- I mean it was the ONLY source that showed Karner's SWA Group ties.

Here, give it a try:

Google: "Gary Karner" "SWA Group"

... and these days, the only thing that turns up are my stories where I published Karner's bio, that I originally copied-and-pasted from the Bay Foundation web site. (Good thing I copied that info when I did, huh?)

A spokesperson for the Foundation recently told me, "it was a board decision," to remove the web site, and that they are "re-doing it."

Hmmm... I wonder if the new site will include Karner's bio that shows his longtime relationship with the SWA Group?

Just sayin'.

###

[49 weeks down... 3 to go. Saturdays count, people!]