County director leading Los Osos sewer project accused of having conflict of interest

By Bob Cuddy | bcuddy@thetribunenews.com

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County Counsel Warren Jensen may complete a formal response later this week or sometime next week to complaints from a former Los Osos official that the man directing that community’s sewer project has a conflict of interest.

Former Los Osos Community Services District Director Lisa Schicker has accused county Public Works Director Paavo Ogren of being too cozy with a firm that made the so-called “short list” to do more work on the sewer project.

Ogren’s current decisions could benefit Montgomery, Watson, Harza, an engineering firm “whom he has worked with on several large public works projects over the years, both as a private consultant and an employee of the county,” Schicker wrote in an e-mail to The Tribune.

Ogren has consistently denied Schicker’s suggestions of cronyism and improprieties, which she has made at public meetings. He says he is not considering taking legal action for slander.

Among other allegations, Schicker says Ogren ordered the backdating of a contract that involved MWH in 1999, when he was briefly acting as general manager of the community services district.

Schicker adds that Ogren, MWH and various professionals who worked together on numerous projects, public and private, including the Lopez Lake project, now are actively or potentially involved in the Los Osso sewer.

“The same guys are involved again,” Schicker wrote. “I want to know if the process has been fair to assure competitive bidding in a fair and open market.”

She has written Jensen that the contract procurement process for the Los Osos sewer is “potentially illegal and obviously unethical.”

Schicker has submitted considerable documentation to back up her allegations. Jensen has twice postponed his report because his office is busy with budget hearings as well as turmoil in the county administrative office.

“I want County Counsel to review policy on conflict of interest and disclosure and bid rigging in light of what he may know and from reviewing the 10 letters and public testimony and 100-plus pages of documents that have been submitted,” Schicker wrote.

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