Cambrian letters to the editor, Oct. 6, 2016

Stunned at CCHD choice of Wood

As a concerned member of the Cambria community, I was dismayed to witness the appointment of Jerry Wood to fill the vacant position on the Cambria Community Healthcare District board.

The board was presented with two candidates, one of whom (Dr. Laurie Mileur) has an impressive résumé spanning more than three decades of experience in health care, fundraising and grant writing. The board room was filled to capacity with community members, many of whom spoke eloquently in support of Dr. Mileur’s superior qualifications. However, the board, in an apparently prearranged agreement, voted 3-1 to appoint Mr. Wood, who has experience in none of the above. Trustee Barbara Bronson Gray alone cast her vote for the most qualified candidate.

In defense of their puzzling action, the remaining three board members informed the crowd that (1) we did not represent the community and (2) the least qualified candidate would better represent the community because we are all ignorant and unqualified. Huh?

I was stunned. I was under the impression that one always looks for the most qualified individual to occupy any position. If this irresponsible behavior bothers you, I urge you to elect Barbara Bronson Gray and Shirley Bianchi to end the cronyism and get our community health care back on track.

Questions about Free and Equal

I am responding to Alicia Dearn’s letter to the editor of Sept. 29 regarding the Free and Equal Elections Foundation and its president, Christina Tobin.

Contrary to Ms. Dearn’s allegations, at no time have I made any disparaging remarks about the foundation in a public forum. Rather, I have posed legitimate questions that any taxpayer is entitled to ask and the Foundation is required to answer, per Internal Revenue Service regulations. To date, I have received no responses.

Aside from the fact that the Virginia secretary of state online records indicate that the Foundation’s nonprofit corporation status has been terminated, questions remain regarding the legal propriety of partisan advertising the foundation has financed. IRS regulations strictly prohibit tax-exempt organizations from engaging in activities in opposition to or support of any candidate for public office.

Most disturbing, however, are allegations made by Christina Tobin on a popular local radio program and social media that she has “never seen such a level of corruption as I’m seeing on the CCSD board,” among others, for which she offers no evidence. She has thrust herself and her foundation into the CCSD election with a level of rancor that is unparalleled in recent memory. Her inflammatory rhetoric detracts from a discussion of the real issues in this race — the future of the Sustainable Water Facility, the Buildout Reduction Program, the need for infrastructure repairs and other pressing matters.

Cambrians deserve an open and honest discussion of these issues free of malice and spurious allegations.

CCSD forum brought clarity

Before I attended the open forum discussion for the Cambria Community Services District candidates at the Cambria Pines Lodge on Thursday, Sept. 29, I didn’t know for whom I was going to vote. Now I do, because the three candidates I’ve selected spoke intelligently and in detail about the three main issues which concern our community: water, wastewater and finance.

What impressed me most about Harry Farmer, Dewayne Lee and Thomas Kirkey was their ability to describe in detail why we’ve been having the problems we’ve been having. These men came prepared to explain the causes and effects of the water, wastewater and finance problems that have been plaguing our community for years, and all three of them are ready, willing and able to do the work necessary to produce solutions.

In addition to their science, business, finance and environmental backgrounds, all three candidates I’m supporting share a genuine love for Cambria and its people. That’s why they moved here in the first place, and that’s why I’m voting for Harry Farmer, Dewayne Lee and Thomas Kirkey.

Left behind on water wait list

For many years now, I have wanted to write about the Cambria Community Services District. I am hoping that we re-elect our present board at the CCSD. Their job is to provide the Cambria residents with water.

We live in Cambria. We purchased property in the 1980s. Our Realtor called when Cambia started a wait list for undeveloped land we purchased in 1987. She informed us that it would cost $5,000 to get on a wait list.

At that time, you could build within five years. It took a while to save; we did, and we got on the list. We are still on the list.

Let me explain. We paid taxes for almost 30 years. It cost $88 a year now to stay on the list. Beside property tax, it costs for Proposition 13 tax rate; State Water Project; Cuesta CCD 2014 bond; Coast Unified Bond 1998A; Coast Unified 2002-A&B; Cambria Health Special Tax; and finally for Cambria CSD Fire Assessment.

So we have helped Cambria with all these fees for all these years and, since 2001, they have had a full moratorium on building.

I ran into a person on the Fiscalini Ranch while walking, and they said they didn’t want any more homes built in Cambria. My response was, “What about the wait list?”

The person said, “They should buy somewhere else.”

Well, if I can ask a simple question, it would be, can you afford your present home on your present income today? We invested a lot of money and time. We do have our land for sale. No one has offered us anything for it. Any takers?

Diversity sought on Cambria CSD board

Thanks to Dewayne Lee, Tom Kirkey and Harry Farmer for stepping up to offer Cambria new leadership. The current board does not reflect all of Cambria’s thoughtful and well-educated residents.

The challenges Cambria wrestles with relative to our water issues, etc. are complex and can be viewed from many angles. A diverse group of people on the board will help us understand all of the issues and consequences and thereby reach a middle ground for actions.

Currently we experience long, tedious board meetings that discourage public participation or stimulate participation from the same individuals over and over again saying the same thing over and over again.

If we were to establish standing committees, with a variety of viewpoints, the proposals can be reviewed in public with full participation, and the decisions reached presented to the board. Because the discussion would already have taken place in full public view, the committee recommendations can be handled quickly and efficiently.

The current method of ad hoc committees with two board members that avoid public scrutiny as required by the Brown Act conceals decision-making and confuses the public. Standing committees can include both board members and concerned community members.

I’m voting for an outsider to ensure a better and diverse government: Lee, Kirkey or Farmer.

Remembering Bud Goff and John Tays

Recently, Bud Goff and John Tays died, and I knew them both when I was active in the Lions Club of Cambria. Bud did many good things for Cambria such as working on our Pinedorado Parade. John Tays was the president of the Lions four times, doing a great job in the process.

Bud’s wife has a lovely singing voice that I heard many times. I will miss them. May they rest in peace.

Why not buy some cruise ships?

I have lived in Cambria for 42 years and have watched the Cambria Community Services District pay for research and more research — thousands of dollars — and they still have not given us any protection.

I believe they are dishonest and just pay friends and family to do research and then ignore it. Cruise ships all use ocean desalination. Why can’t we buy a couple of them, and then maybe the insurance companies will start insuring our homes here in Cambria again?

I am thoughly disgusted and frightened.

Experience gap clear in candidates

Cambria Community Healthcare District (CCHD) mission statement: “to improve the health of district residents by providing emergency services and enhancing access to care and promoting wellness.”

Laurie Mileur, Ph.D., candidate for CCHD position completing the term vacated by the death of board member Mike McLaughlin: education and professional experience in providing health care services, check; experience in promoting wellness, check; experience working cooperatively with multiagency health care providers, check; successful grant writing experience, check.

Jerry Wood, candidate: Education and/or experience in providing health care services, none; experience promoting wellness, none; experience working cooperatively with multiagency health care providers, none; successful grant writing experience, none.

Selected as the best person for the position: Jerry Wood.

Huh?

Welcome to Cambria politics. Jerry Wood has been deemed one who best represents the invisible and silent majority who did not complete the English/Spanish survey soliciting public input. Furthermore, he apparently represents the silent and invisible majority who attended the recent CCSD meeting.

Sheesh.

No time to change course on CCSD

I don’t understand the fight over our additional source of water. The argument about growth was dealt with years ago when the Cambria Community Services District board officially recognized the limits of what our water system would support, end of story.

Now we have, at our doorstep, an additional source of water in the Sustainable Water Facility. We’ve been this close once before, and the innovative and progressive directors were voted out of office. Here we go again.

One unique issue not yet addressed regarding low water levels is our vulnerable water supply during fires. Our storage capacity has improved over the years but what will happen if we have a conflagration and drain our water storage? During a drought how long will it take to rebuild our supply? With minimal supply from one or both creeks, it could become more than a great loss of property and perhaps lives, but a true health problem with little domestic water available.

Our fire hydrants are critical for our fire protection and should be serviced yearly, including flushing. Sand and debris can build up in the static water in the stubbed mains supplying the hydrants. That sediment can destroy a fire engine’s pump. Fire hydrants must be properly serviced and functional. Our SWF could help.

For our public health, fire protection and many others reasons I enthusiastically support Greg Sanders and Gail Robinette for the CCSD board.

We’ve come a long way. Now is not the time to change course.

Support Robinette, Sanders in election

East Porterville, Willits, Arbuckle, Paskenta and Santa Barbara all have one thing in common: They are now or have recently been faced with critical water shortages.

While Santa Barbara’s Lake Cachuma Reservoir is reportedly at less than 10 percent of capacity (about 500 feet below full!), its restart of a desalination facility is set to be on line early in 2017.

Between the original cost 1990s cost of $34 million and the financed-over-20-years restart cost of about $70 million, Santa Barbara is a cautionary tale for us in Cambria. Thanks to our current CCSD board of directors, we enjoy the security of a Sustainable Water Facility for many years to come.

I am so glad Gail Robinette and Greg Sanders have agreed to continue to see the Sustainable Water Facility project to completion. Please vote for our security. Vote Robinette and Sanders.

Process too divisive, vitriolic

This is in response to Kathe Tanner’s Slice of Life editorial in the Sept. 22 Cambrian. Amen to her sentiment that the political process has become so divisive and vitriolic. This is spot on. Hurling personal insults, stealing election signs, and the like are not acceptable and demean our process that so many have fought and died for.

We wrote a letter of introduction which was published in the Sept. 8 Cambrian, wherein we stated our platform. Further, we published our phone numbers so anyone who wants to know more can contact us directly. We have also been available at the Farmers Market on Fridays.

Sadly, some on social media have labeled us as anti-growth (we are not) and in favor of dismantling the water project (we are not) and/or anti-tourism (we are not). We do support growth within the capability of our resources. No one writing on various sites with these (and more) accusations have met us or contacted us. Nasty and ugly — it seems to have just begun. We have chosen not to participate in these tactics.

We love it here and want to improve the tenor within Cambria reducing the “sides” mentality and move forward in a responsible, open and honest way toward solving the issues facing our special town. We agree with Ms. Tanner’s sentiment that we can disagree, but we can do so with civility and by presenting our plans and views with integrity and courtesy. Our special interest is in the community as a whole and no other.

People didn’t approve SWF

The people of Cambria never voted to approve switching from an Emergency Water Supply Project, intended only to provide water during Stage 3 water restriction, to a permanent “Sustainable Water Facility” that would be modified from its original purpose.

And now the Cambria Community Services District intends for the SWF to allow for intent-to-serve letters for new water permits and development to be issued! We never agreed to these changes. The wastewater treatment plant was to be used only for current residents and not for growth of new water hookups. The CCSD is illegally changing the design and intended purpose of the project without our consent.

The new “modified plan” is to haul away the brine waste water to an out-of-town facility. This is will cost the people of Cambria even more money. The EIR is now ready for the people of Cambria to make comment on. We must all make our voices heard. We can file our concerns and public comment by emailing them to bgresens@cambriacsd.org or mailing them to Bob Gresens at the CCSD Planning Department at the district office.

For details, call the CCSD office at 805-927-6223. Also we can make our voices heard by voting out Sanders and Robinette. Vote in new voices such as Tom Kirkey, Duane Lee and Harry Farmer.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Cambrian letters to the editor, Oct. 6, 2016."