Awww, Shirley, We Were Just Getting to Know Each Other

So, this is kind of a funny, weird, little, kick-ass, SLO County story.

I'm in the process of developing my "SewerWatch List of Shame" -- that's a list I'm compiling that includes all of the officials and agencies (including media) that supported the now-failed Tri-W disaster from 2000 - 2005, yet, nowadays, when I present those same people and agencies with my huge-list-o'-official-SLO-County-evidence that I've also compiled over the past four years, that shows the Tri-W disaster to be the exact disaster I first exposed it to be in my 2004 New Times cover story, ALL of those people and agencies now just turn away.

Every... single... one... of... them.

Pathetic, yet, strangely, kinda funny.

Sara Wan?

Current Coastal Commissioner, Sara Wan, was also on the Commission in 2004, when she voted to approve the Tri-W disaster.

A few months back, I sent her a few e-mails involving my huge-list-o'-official-County-evidence that now shows the Tri-W disaster to be the exact disaster I first exposed it to be in 2004, and asked her how she responds to that evidence, today, considering her disastrous vote in 2004.

No response whatsoever.

Local Water Board Chair, Jeff Young?

As I first exposed, back in January, 2006, Young told a bunch of Los Osos senior citizens -- that he was about to fine "out of existence" -- that the reason they were being punished was because the community simply voted to stop the Tri-W disaster... because the community didn't want a sewer plant/disaster in the middle of their beautiful coastal town.

"I can tell you one thing, that had the community not put the blocks on the current project (the Tri-W "project") that we would not be here with an ACL (enforcement) hearing."
-- Jeff Young, RWQCB Chair, 1/5/06

These days? Young? When presented with my huge-list-o'-official-County-evidence that now shows the failed Tri-W disaster to be the exact disaster I first exposed it to be in 2004, and putting that disaster on "blocks" was, like, the best thing that EVER happened to this county, and that the ONLY reason his "Water Board" decided to fine a bunch of elderly citizens in Los Osos "out of existence," was because HIS agency got horribly confused on the viability of the Tri-W disaster, and that confusion led to years and years of delay -- delay MUCH more attributable to Young's agency, than a bunch of elderly citizens in Los Osos?

These days? Young? Not a friggin' word.

And that's just TWO examples in my "List of Shame." The list is stunning, and it just goes on and on and on. (Although, to be clear, Wan and Young are already major-league, Hall-of-Famers in the "SewerWatch List of Shame." I mean, look at what they did in 2004 and early 2006. And now? Nothing?! It makes the stomach turn. Spectacular, Hall of Fame-worthy performances.)

Well, it looks like I might have another excellent, Hall of Fame contender for the "List of Shame."

In my previous post, I show how former County Supervisor, Shirley Bianchi, recently started a blog.

As County Supervisor from 1999 - 2006, Bianchi's district included Los Osos, where she was in office during the disastrous Tri-W "project" run through the SLO County government process, including in 2003, when Bianchi voted, along with the other four Supervisors, to approve the Tri-W disaster.

[Thaaaat's right. Had Bianchi simply done her homework in 2003 (like SewerWatch did in 2004), the Tri-W disaster would have been shot down right then and there, on October 21, 2003, instead of June 11, 2010, but it was Bianchi that actually listened to the LOCSD's "behavior based marketing" scam, which, of course, confused her -- just like Young and his RWQCB, and Wan and her Coastal Commission -- into giving the Tri-W disaster official County approval in 2003. And, as we all know now, that allowed that disaster to barrel-on-down the tracks for another seven, unbelievably disastrous years, before finally chugging over the cliff, and crashing in 2010, for the exact reasons that existed in 2003... sans the LOCSD's "behavior based marketing." Absolutely fascinating.]

So, after stopping by her blog, I thought to myself, "Well, this is perfect. I can post in Shirley's comment section my huge-list-o'-official-County-evidence that now shows the Tri-W disaster to be the exact disaster I first exposed it to be in 2004, and then see if, these days, she has any second thoughts about her decisions back in 2003."

So, I do. I log onto her blog a couple weeks back, and post the following.

[Let the hilarity ensue. (This... is... great!)]

- - -

Hello Shirley,

Howya been? Great blog!

Real quick, and sorry to go off-topic on your post here, but, this is an excellent opportunity to publicly correspond with you, and you're just the person I'm looking for -- a (former) official that supported the Tri-W project in Los Osos -- to help fill-in some holes for my story over at ol' SewerWatch, and I was hoping you would offer a few comments on that now-failed project, today.

For example, I'm looking at a letter, dated 10/20/05, that you wrote when you were 2nd District Supervisor, to Arthur Bagget Jr., then-Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board.

In that letter (sent less than one month after the Los Osos CSD recall election) you write:

"This is a particularly difficult situation since the current (post-recall LOCSD) Board either will not or can not understand any government process. At one point I was asked if the political will exists here in San Luis Obispo County to assume management of the (Tri-W) project if, for whatever reason, the District were unable to continue with it. Let me assure you, that you have my full support, and I believe that the other Supervisors would give great weight to my position."

Here's where this gets interesting(er) ; -)

In the years since you sent that letter (and since your "Yes" vote on the TRi-W "project" in 2003), here's just a sample of what $8 million worth of county analysis now says about the former Tri-W project:

In a June 2009 letter to the California Coastal Commission, the SLO County "Project team," writes, "The Project team, given the clear social infeasibility issue associated with Mid Town (Tri-W project) and the infeasible status of the LOCSD disposal plan [bolding mine], believes that if either of those options are deemed by decision-makers to be the best solution for Los Osos, then serious consideration should be given by the Board (of Supervisors) to adopt a due diligence resolution and not pursue Project implementation [bolding also mine]."

Additionally, according to the March 2009, "Los Osos Wastewater Project Community Advisory Survey," conducted by county officials, "Only (9-percent) of (Prohibition Zone) respondents chose the mid-town (Tri-W) location (as their preference for the treatment facility)."

And, in the County's TAC Pro/Con Analysis, available at this link:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PW/LOWWP/TAC/TAC+Final+Pro-Con+Component+Analysis+8-6-07.pdf

... it reads:

- "(Tri-W's) downtown location (near library, church, community center) and the high density residential area require that the most expensive treatment technology, site improvements and odor controls be employed."

and;

- "It (The Tri-W sewer plant) has high construction costs..." ($55 million. The next highest treatment facility option is estimated at $19 million.)



and;

- "(Tri-W has) higher costs overall"

and;

- "Limited flexibility for future expansion, upgrades, or alternative energy"

and;

- "Source of community divisiveness"

and;

- "All sites are tributary to the Morro Bay National Estuary and pose a potential risk in the event of failure. Tri-W poses a higher risk..."

and;

- "NOTE: It was the unanimous opinion of the (National Water Research Institute) that an out of town site is better due to problematic issues with the downtown site."

and;

- "ESHA - sensitive dune habitat"

And, in the end of the County's four year/$8 million analysis, the Tri-W project didn't even come close to making the short list of viable projects, of course, and it just quietly died out, after the 1999 - 2005 LOCSD spent (read: wasted) six years and some $25 million pursuing that disaster.

So, here's my question for you, Shirley, in 2011:

Why did you write a letter, on official County letterhead, to the Chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board in October 2005, telling him that you, and your fellow SLO County Supervisors, supported a wildly unpopular, "infeasible," downtown sewer plant on "ESHA," that had the "highest costs overall," and posed the highest "risk" of spills into the Morro Bay National Estuary, when there were several out-of-town, downwind, "environmentally superior," MUCH cheaper, NOT "infeasible," NOT highly controversial, sewer plant sites available, as four years of County analysis clearly shows?

That doesn't seem to make any sense.

Did you get confused on the viability of the Tri-W disaster, or, do you still support that now-failed "project?"

Finally, do you NOW agree with the post-recall LOCSD Board, considering they had the brilliant foresight to stop that disaster?

Thanks in advance for your answer in this comments section, and then we'll discuss it here. It'll be great!

I'm very much looking forward to reading those comments. I have a feeling that the discussion that will emerge is going to be fascinating.

In your main post here, you write:

"If and when we are in a position to mention that we have noticed a new rash of lies, we should mention them."

I agree.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to post this.

- - -

Hilarious.

So, after posting that comment, I check back at her blog every couple of days to see if there's a response, and I wait... and wait.

Nothing.

So, I pop back in, and post one more quick comment on how I'm just going to assume that she's not going to respond, and that I'll just "toss her in" with the others, like Wan and Young.

Apparently, that post got her attention.

Because, a few days later, she pops out this blog post:

- - -

Ron and Los Osos

Ron – Being somewhat a computer illiterate, I haven’t as yet figured out how to reply to comments, so am using this method of reply.  What seemingly I could never get through to some people in Los Osos was that the District was a separate governmental entity from the county, and I had absolutely no authority in their actions whatsoever.  I could rant and rave in private with them, and often did, but that was the extent of my involvement.  Just prior to my leaving office Sam Blakeslee and I worked together to take authority for the sewer away from the District, which as you know required a State action, which was, by the way unanimous in the State Assembly, Senate, and the Governor.  This should tell you something about the idiocy that was going on in Los Osos. Congress had no authority either, so don’t blame Lois Capps for what the people of Los Osos did to themselves.  I have now been out of office and away from anything to do with Los Osos for over 4 years.  My perception of what occurred there and yours are obviously quite different, and frankly, never the twain shall meet.  Sincerely, Shirley
- - -

Fair enough. After all, even I found her comments settings clumsy.

So, I respond to that post, with this smart-ass, yet, polite, comment:

- - -
Shirley, you're awesome!

Thank you SO much for writing that post. (Isn't blog technology great?)

Shirley writes:

"My perception of what occurred there (in Los Osos) and yours are obviously quite different, and frankly, never the twain shall meet."

Well, O.K., but "my perception" is based on the past four years, and $8 million worth of official County analysis that shows the Tri-W disaster to be the exact same disaster I first exposed it to be in my 2004 New Times cover story (when you were still in office), at this link:

http://archive.newtimesslo.com/archive/2004-09-22/cover/index.html

And I have numerous official documents, including letters on County letterhead to powerful State officials, that show that you supported that disaster for years -- even AFTER my highly accurate, and primary-sourced, Three Blocks Upwind of Downtown was published -- when you were the District's Supervisor. (You DID read that story when it was published in 2004, right?)

So, when you now write, "My perception of what occurred there (in Los Osos) and yours are obviously quite different, and frankly, never the twain shall meet," are you saying that you STILL support the Tri-W disaster today, even after the County's analysis showed it to be the exact disaster I first exposed it to be in 2004?

Keep in mind, as I pointed out in my original comments here, you write, "If and when we are in a position to mention that we have noticed a new rash of lies, we should mention them."

Well, that four years, and $8 million worth of County analysis exposed a "new rash of lies" concerning the Tri-W disaster, but you're not "mentioning them."

Which makes takes like this:

"This should tell you something about the idiocy that was going on in Los Osos."

... confusing.

Surely ; -), you mean wasting six years and some $25 million on the Tri-W disaster, and then starting construction (on ESHA) on that disaster just days away from the recall election (that finally put an end to that disaster), was "the idiocy," right?

That's the "idiocy" you're referring to there, right? Please clarify.

Shirley writes:

"Congress had no authority either, so don't blame Lois Capps for what the people of Los Osos did to themselves."

I don't blame Lois for "what the people of Los Osos did to themselves" (and by "people of Los Osos," I'm assuming that you mean the three recalled LOCSD Directors), but I DO blame her for getting confused on the viability of the Tri-W disaster, and then securing $200,000 of U.S. taxpayer's money that would go on to be completely wasted on the Tri-W disaster, as her press release, linked here:

http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca23_capps/pr030725lososos.html

... clearly shows.

And, THAT intensely interesting point, is the exact subject of an upcoming post that I'm working on over at SewerWatch: Whatever happened to that $200,000, Lois?

Look how interesting that is: Yes, Lois didn't develop the Tri-W disaster, but she did get confused on that disaster's viability, and that confusion led to $200,000 of U.S. taxpayer's money going straight down the Tri-W rabbit hole... completely wasted.

So, Shirley, do you think there should be some kind of investigation, these days, into why the 1999 - 2005 LOCSD wasted six years and some $25 million on the Tri--W disaster, when that disaster didn't even come close to making the short-list of viable projects in the County's analysis... where they called the Tri-W disaster "infeasible," OR, are you now part of the contingent (not surprisingly, comprised solely of all the people and agencies that were responsible for the Tri-W disaster) that now just goes to the, "Let's forget about the past, and move forward," card?

Thanks again, for the opportunity to comment (toldja it'd be VERY interesting ; -).
- - -

And here's where this entire chapter goes off-the-rails-hilarious.

That was that!

Not only did ol' Shirl not say another word on that whole "she approved a disaster" thing, but she went on to immediately delete ALL of my super-polite comments from her blog.

Awesome! What a performance. I'm so impressed.

For voting, as a SLO County Supervisor, to approve the Tri-W disaster in 2003, and then writing in 2011, "If and when we are in a position to mention that we have noticed a new rash of lies, we should mention them", and then refusing to "mention" a "new rash of (Tri-W) lies," after she was "in a position" to "notice" them, and then deleting all of my comments that primary-source-exposed her to that "new rash of lies," Shirley Bianchi gets instant acceptance into the "SewerWatch List of Shame" Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, Shirl.

###

[Note: Since first posting that $200,000/Capps comment, I've been informed by former LOCSD Board Director, Julie Tacker, that the $200,000 might not have been completely wasted, after all. Apparently it went to an environmental document that the Coastal Commission was requiring for any sewer project in Los Osos, including the county's current project.

But that $35 million that Capps tried to get for the Tri-W disaster, and that I write about (in 2005!), at this link?

Oh, yeah. She still needs to answer to that. If not, we just might have another member of the, List of Shame Hall of Fame, on our hands.]