Front Page  »  

Phone records debunk public officials

August 11, 2011

Paavo Ogren

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County phone records obtained by CalCoastNews prove a personal relationship between a county official and a Los Osos board member began more than four years ago.

County Public Works Director Paavo Ogren and former Los Osos Community Services District Board member Maria Kelly are being investigated by the county for a possible conflict of interest. The investigation was prompted by allegations the couple were involved in a close personal relationship while Kelly was voting on issues that impacted Ogren.

Critics contend Ogren and Kelly failed to comply with closed session privacy laws, conflict of interest rules, residence laws and ethics rules.

In her defense, Kelly claims she began dating Ogren about six months ago and they have never discussed issues regarding the sewer.

Her former husband, Shaun Kelly, said Ogren would tell Maria Kelly how she should vote on district issues before board meetings and would follow up with discussions over closed session meetings, a claim supported by Ogren’s county cell phone records.

These records show Ogren and Kelly spoke regularly from early 2007 though late 2009, when Ogren stopped using a county cell phone. Some calls lasted more than an hour and many were made during the work day.

For example, on Jan. 2, 2009, Kelly called Ogren at  9 p.m. and they remained on the line for more than two hours, their third phone exchange that day.

Critics claim that the relationship between Ogren and Kelly began before Kelly ran for office in 2008. Ogren went as far as paying people cash for promoting Kelly’s election, several Los Osos residents said.

At the same time, Ogren was under fire for illegally backdating a government contract.

Ogren was temporarily running the Los Osos district when Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) was retained by the district for wastewater project management in early September 1999. Prior to his work with the district, Ogren had worked for a subcontractor of MWH.

Ogren did not sign the contract, nor did any board member. Instead, Ogren waited several weeks until Bruce Buell began his stint as the new district manager, and then he told Buell to backdate the MWH contract.

In 2006, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Brown acknowledged that “falsification of a public record by a public employee is a felony,” and that a criminal act relating to the backdating apparently had occurred. But Brown declined further investigation by determining that a three-year statute of limitation had expired.

The 2006 LOCSD Board believed the district attorney’s decision was wrong because penal code Section 803(c) says the time limitations do not commence until the discovery of an offense and filed a complaint with the Construction Management Association.

The court stayed the complaint when the district filed for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy Protection.

MWH asked the district to drop its complaint to the contractors’ association in exchange for MWH forgiving a $1 million bankruptcy claim against the district.

Meanwhile, Kelly ran for the board and was seated in 2008.

On Dec. 17, 2009, Kelly voted in favor off the MWH proposed settlement. County phone records indicate that Kelly and Ogren spoke twice the morning before the vote, once the day after the vote, and four times on Dec. 19, 2009.

Kelly’s vote to settle that particular case nullified Ogren’s culpability in ordering the back dating of the MWH contract.

Ogren and Kelly have since both divorced from their spouses and allegedly spent many evenings at Ogren’s San Luis Obispo home.

On June 17, as suspicions grew that Kelly no longer lived in Los Osos, a requirement to serve on the board, she abruptly stepped down from her position as vice president of the district.

Maria Kelly contends she never moved out of her Los Osos home—a statement discounted by court documents filed by Shaun Kelly in May 2010.

“Maria moved out of the family residence in January 2010,” Shaun Kelly says in the documents. “She moved back in March or April 2010. She used the converted garage as her bedroom until August 2010 when I moved out with the children.”

 


Loading...
Subjects:         
Related:


129 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Interesting stuff.


Karen writes:


“Ogren was temporarily running the Los Osos district when Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) was retained by the district for wastewater project management in early September 1999. Prior to his work with the district, Ogren had worked for a subcontractor of MWH.”


CCN, you’re almost to the great sewer party. And, trust me, it’s a REEEEELY fun party!


For example, with that above quote in mind, check out this fun bouncing ball:


When “Ogren was temporarily running the Los Osos district,” in 1999, and “when Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) was retained by the district for wastewater project management in early September 1999,” current SLO County Parks Commissioner (appointed by Supervisor Bruce Gibson, which also makes her a client of Warren Jensen), Pandora Nash-Karner, was an elected member of the initial Los Osos CSD Board of Directors.


Here’s the link:


http://www.smartvoter.org/1998nov/ca/slo/race/109/


… where she, as an elected official, originally hired Paavo AND MWH to manage her two, now-failed sewer disasters — her “better, cheaper, faster” disaster, and her middle-of-town sewer plant/”picnic area” (I’m not making that up, people… Pandora designed a friggin’ “picnic area”/”tot lot” into her sewer plant, and then jammed the thing in the middle of town (at an immense additional cost), just so the town-folk could easily get to the “picnic area” in her sewer plant, as I first exposed in my September 2004, New Times cover story at this link:


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


Hilarious.


Then, as I also first exposed, immediately following the 2005 recall election, MWH (along with another Tri-W disaster contractor, Barnard Construction) donated $10,000 a piece to Pandora’s “Save the Dream” PAC, where she, after paying herself “3869.04” (of course) — that’s right, she used her own PAC to hire her own business (sweet little scam) — then went on to begin donating to the “Gibson for Supervisor” campaign in those sneaky (of course) $99 increments… shortly after getting that $10,000 donation from MWH, and then, of course, after she got Gibson elected (using MWH and Barnard money), he (re)appointed her to the SLO County Parks Commission (making her Jensen’s client… where he is duty-bound to represent her interests, over the People of SLO County.)


If you ask me, the HUGE unanswered question in this story, is: What’s Maria’s and Paavo’s relationship with with Paavo’s former boss, $10,000 MWH donation recipient (immediately AFTER the 2005 recall election), and financial donor to Supervisor Gibson’s campaigns, Pandora Nash-Karner? Because, she’s got a giganitc, highly-documentable, extremely cozy, long-time relationship with MWH.


THAT sounds like the REAL “conflict of interest” to me. Of course, Pandora, as far as I know, isn’t sleeping with Bruce or Paavo, so, I guess, in this county at least, it takes the sex angle to get a “conflict of interest” “investigation” going.


Which is too bad, because that whole “Hired Paavo as interim LOCSD GM/$10,000 MWH donation/financial contributions to Gibson’s campaign/MWH short-listed by Paavo to build the sewer” thing sounds like a BIG TIME conflict of interest, if you ask me.


And, also of course, Paavo was first picked as “project manager” for the County’s sewer development process (with a fat pay raise), and then later, promoted to Public Works Director, because of his 1999 LOCSD experience. Which means, he, arguably, owes his entire career to Gibson’s Parks Commissioner, and Jensen’s client, Pandora.


And, as I like to hilariously ask at this point in the story: How is what Paavo did in Los Osos in 1999, resumé material? It was a complete, total, utter disaster.


And, as I show at this link:


http://sewerwatch.blogspot.com/2010/07/cha-friggin-ching-for-los-osos-project.html


Paavo (and friends, including Pandora… and The Wallace Group, for that matter) created the Los Osos sewer disaster beginning in 1999, and have been cashing in on it ever since.


And, as I always like to say at this point in the story… nice work if you can manufacture it.


(Hmmm… if there was only a local talk radio show where I could explain this complex, yet over-the-top excellent story. If only…)


scoopone writes:


“Adam Hill has lost my vote if he runs again. He’s turned into one of the good old boys network.”


Don’t forget about the “good ol’ girl’s” network ; -)

(Now, Pandora and friends? Start clicking on that “dislike” icon… over and over and over again.)


0

Ron, you’ve been right about all the players in this sewer mess for years & the fact that “the players” as well as SLO County has REEEEELY (As you say) screwed Los Osos royally. There is ample evidence on all the players, but for “some” reason the DA, Jensen & the SLO Board of Supervisors will NOT do any meaningful investigating…maybe it will take the A.G.


0

Here are three good local talk show hosts for you to call: Dick Mason at KPRL, Bill Benica at KYNS, and Andy Caldwell at KUHL.


0

Aren’t facts a bitch… For most of who didn’t just fall of the turnip truck last night, have seen this play out over the decades. This scenario in one form or another is standard operating proceedure for the county and it’s staff, and plays itself out daily across the county especially the unincoprporated communities. Find a hole and fill it, never let a crisis go to waste and all at taxpayers expense.

I have dealt with Paavo over the years and he is a nice guy, but his allegance is to the county first and foremost and his job is to create work for county staff. Why have a small project that is manegable or cheap when a huge one will employ lots of county staff and cost millions?


0

I wrote about the phone records on July 20, and based on those public records, Maria spoke with Paavo more than 700 times from April 2007 through October 2009, including text messages. Sources said that they tried speaking with Paavo, but usually never received a call back, but Maria had all this access to him.


These phone records also reveal that Maria spoke with Paavo extensively days before she delivered speeches before the BOS that proclaimed her unconditional support for the LOWWP. It’s my belief that she was being coached by Paavo, at the very least.


0

Many people gave their unconditional support to the County’s project without talking to Paavo or even attending meetings. What’s your point?


0

You are great with the snappy-sounding come-backs. The fact that they are meaningless doesn’t even slow you down.


The point, Lynette, is this: there IS and WAS huge conflicts of interest with Kelly and Ogren. He spent hours and hours communicating with her, with an increased amount of time before important votes. Then, when the Wilcox affair was revealed, Ogren immediately turned in his County cell phone and went to using his private phone.


If it wasn’t for the fact that Ogren and Kelly have screwed County residents (especially the residents of Los Osos) as much as they’ve screwed each other, this would actually be hysterically funny.


What kind of a ham-fisted doofus gets himself involved with a married political crony, spends hours and hours (often late at night–like late-night booty calls) on the phone with her, using his County phone, and then when a fellow pol gets caught with their pants down and their govmint phone held to their ear, Ogren panics and quickly turns in his phone to the County.


The reasoning behind that move is almost child-like in its transparency and stupidity because, by panicking and turning in his cell phone to the County, he actually draws more attention to himself and his fellow sewer-vision, conflict-of-interest-laden cell-phone buddy, Maria Kelly.


0

MM – Well said. I sincerely hope that these Paavo “Ogre” and his booty call, Maria Kelly get prosecuted for this. How many more ways can these two screw up? Puhlease!


0

Good job.

Once again, facts are a bitch…

Anyone who works as a public servant for a public entity, using public phones and equipment has to realize anything they do or say while working is being recorded and will come out in public for all to see.

Didn’t Paavo catch a clue from the Gail Wilcox / David Edge fiasco?

IMHO, it’s Paavo own business what he does in private and he could have a donkey for a lover, BUT while on the taxpayers dime he had better be doing his job and only his job, and leave the tabloid crap at home…


0

By the timing, it seems that Ogren knee-jerk reacted to the Wilcox/Edge fiasco by immediately turning in his phone.


He might as well have attached a note to it that said “PLEASE DON’T LOOK AT MY PHONE RECORDS FOR THIS PHONE BECAUSE YOU’LL FIND ALL THE TELEPHONE CALLS TO A WOMAN WHO I AM NOT HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH.”


0

Guess you missed my earlier post – Ogren did NOT turn in his phone – HE STILL HAS THE SAME PHONE —the County just stopped paying his and the other County employee’s phone bills. Why don’t you ask him? Why don’t you check your facts before you make up lies MaryMalone?


0

Didn’t miss it…just did not think it warranted a response.


I’ll just come right out and say it: I believe you have very little credibility, and that you play fast and loose with the truth.


It’s like if you had claimed “The sky is green,” my response would have been “whatever.”


0

So what will the conclusion be? Paavo will be asked to resign, after drawing full paychecks for another year or so while not really doing anything. He will then get his full retirement package of $100,000+ per year plus medical for the rest of his life, he will move to Florida, so he doesn’t have to pay any income taxes to CA, He will then be hired as a consultant to some Floridian sewer job at another $100,000 per year. Oh the pain he will suffer.


0

What’s needed here is an attorney that has “CAJONES”, you know, like Jim McKiernan! Seriously though, Paavo doesn’t just need termination from the job (with all those perks), but both he AND Maria need to suffer some serious penalties & consequences for all the damage they have caused…costing Los Osos residents to pay through the nose for their “whims”. SLO County, do the right thing & get going with a REAL INVESTIGATION!


0

The State has been reviewing State-funded pensions and, in some cases, simply reducing them because the State thinks the retiree is getting too much, or because an investigation has shown the retiree committed fraud while working for the employer to whom the State pension is linked.


For instance, they gutted the City of Bell’s top administrators’ pensions. The Mayor, Robert Rizzo, went from >$1million a year to $50,000 a year, and his administrative assistant, Angela Spaccia, went from $250,000 a year to $43,000 a year.


Since the State has already been out once to investigate corruption in Paavo’s Public Works Department, they may take a little look at his retirement, too, when they start getting complaints from SLOCo residents over Ogren and Kelly, and their corrupt behavior and abuse of power.


—————


http://articles.latimes.com/print/2011/aug/09/local/la-me-pension-rollbacks-20110809

CALPERS CUTTING TOP-END PENSION BENEFITS

The Bell scandal has prompted the state retirement system

to look again at some officials’ payouts.


…..So far, the state retirement board has reviewed 2,250 retirement payments and found that 329 needed to be reduced, mostly because employers incorrectly reported employees’ pay. They include a former general manager at the Serrano Water District in Orange County whose pension was reduced because the salary it was based on — $206,668 — was too high. A retired Vallejo city manager’s pension was reduced when his salary was adjusted from $305,842 to $216,000.

CalPERS has also dramatically cut the pensions of top officials in Bell after an audit determined that they were improperly inflated, according to records obtained by The Times under the California Public Records Act.

Former City Administrator Robert Rizzo is now set to receive $50,000 per year. Before, he had been poised to get $650,000 a year from CalPERS and more than $1 million annually overall when a second pension from the city was included. The pension of his assistant, Angela Spaccia, was slashed from a projected $250,000 to $43,000…..


0

So isn’t Larry Allan of the SLO APCD guilty of a felony for falsifying the air quality statisitcs in his bad attempt to shut down the dunes???


0

I don’t know how the State would look at that, because he was inflating the predicted “estimates” of what the day’s count was going to be.


0

“Ogren was temporarily running the Los Osos district when Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH) was retained by the district for wastewater project management in early September 1999. Prior to his work with the district, Ogren had worked for a subcontractor of MWH.


Ogren did not sign the contract, nor did any board member. Instead, Ogren waited several weeks until Bruce Buell began his stint as the new district manager, and then he told Buell to backdate the MWH contract.


There is no place like home, get this Mark Merritte the CSD coordinator at the time, lived with Bruce Buel, Merritte is an honest guy and told me of this corrupt action as it happened, I have written about it before, I asked Bruce after becoming upset at him what great qualifications he had to build a sewer, he said, ” I have built one before and I have degrees.”


In my mind I was thinking degrees in what, fraud, misrepresentation, turning back the clock, but now I see the real picture, he was pressured to sign the document by his superiors within the LOCSD.


MWH allegedly ripped off victims of Katrina in New Orleans, they have no place here, somebody give Mark Merritte his job back and let him build the sewer, he was the only honest apple in the basket that I could see, sure there were some good guys under the slime, but they were hidden from view by not a few, but a bunch of bad apples! Who stole my $3,200 ,,,, I was dumb enough to pay it because I didn’t want a stupid lean on my house, those who didn’t pay it, don’t have a lean on their house do they? Credit my account or the SLOCSD will face a lawsuit from me.


Oh and get this I tried to pay my bill with a hundred dollar bill, the brilliant lady in the office said,” I can’t take that.” I said yes you can, credit my account with the balance, after some bitching she took the $100, and ten minutes later, ding dong, sheriff at my front door, lucky he knew me, I told him I meant no harm, and apologized for wasting his time. He said no problem, they are calling the cops for anything because they have been threatened, (which stupid me was unaware of)!


In closing where is the integrity that used to be the strong hold of this country?


0

QUOTING CHESEBURGER: “MWH allegedly ripped off victims of Katrina in New Orleans…”


Well, no wonder Ogren and Kelly were such hot supporters for MWH. “Birds of a feather flock together.”


0

I see the critics are busy again trying to stir the pot and Ms. Velie has been the willing mouthpiece. Had any calls lately with Aaron Ms. Velie?


Did she bother to check how many calls Julie, Jeff, Linde, Lisa, or Gail made to Paavo or John W. during this same time? I’ll be Paavo wasn’t just talking to Maria. Another batch of lopsided information cobbed together insinuating wrongdoing.


The 2006 board created a lot of flakey lawsuits and complaints. Just because they said it was illegal did not make it so. Remember the illegal Measure B? They were positive it was a winner too.


BTW – Maria may have moved out of the residence in January but she was still living in Los Osos. I would never say where she was, but I am not the only witness.


Use your brains folks. If something was going on don’t you think another cell phone would have been used rather than the traceable county phone?


0

Ref “If something was going on don’t you think another cell phone would have been used rather than the traceable county phone?”


Give me a break Lyn or Maria or whoever you are … its the oldest story in the world .. ya get caught and then you try to convolute things by offering a trough full of trash.


Before Cal Coast News landed there was no reason to worry about traceable calls… because there was no news entity that advocated for the taxpayer. That has ended and Pavo and his GF got caught with the ultimate insult is to the taxpayers.


I am using my brain and what is obvious is just that …. obvious !!!!!


0

Actually, Dexter, there has been another news entity advocating for the Los Osos taxpayer for years – The Rock. They have published numerous articles about the way that Los Osos taxpayers are being taken advantage of so that a few people can get rich. The corrupt segments of the local population have worked tirelessly to shut them down, but they are still publishing. If you saw the Blackburn video on the Los Osos saga, you know that the Rock’s Editor and his family received death threats for simply reporting the truth.


Fortunately, the Los Osos situation is getting more attention now, and on a wider scale. Recently, the Mayor of Cape Coral Florida, who was fed up with MWH shenanigans there, referenced Los Osos as being another place where serious allegations were being made against MWH.


I think the tide is turning. When the journalists shine a bright enough light, the cockroaches will all start running for cover, and at present, some of the cockroaches appear to be getting nervous.


0

mbactivist1, I am VERY familiar with “THE ROCK” & found it to be most informative. I really miss getting my hard copy, but I always get updates “on line” which I forward to every single person I know in SLO County. THE ROCK & CALCOAST NEWS have been the only REAL source of information in this area. I certainly HOPE more attention will be garnered on the plight of Los Osos. Ron has been “TRYING to expose these corrupt people” for years. Isn’t it time for the TRIB to step up to the plate & FORGET PLAYING POLITICS? Is it any wonder why The Trib is losing readership?


0

Lots of red herrings and attacking the messenger but, as usual, not much of substance.


QUOTING LYNETTE: “Did she bother to check how many calls Julie, Jeff, Linde, Lisa, or Gail made to Paavo or John W. during this same time?


Red herring.


Gosh, were Julie, Jeff, Linde, Lisa, and Gail ALL sleeping with Paavo, and using their political positions to, without disclosure, pimp Paavo Ogren’s sewer “vision”?


QUOTING LYNETTE: “BTW – Maria may have moved out of the residence in January but she was still living in Los Osos. I would never say where she was, but I am not the only witness.


Given your track record, and Maria’s track record, with telling the truth, if you don’t have evidence, do you really think anyone would believe you?


You’ve been saying for months now that Karen Velie is wrong and–guess what, she continues to be correct and YOU continue to be shown to be either a liar or very, very gullible–and perhaps the world’s most sycophantic–toady.


0

Also, don’t forget what Karen said on the radio tonight. Paavo suddenly “surrendered” his county cell phone in December ’09 — right at the time that Wilcox/Edge broke publicly. Coincidence?


0

LOL. I guess Ogren was starting to get a clue that even HE might get into trouble for his conflict-of-interest-laden relationship with his #1 LOCSD BOD cheerleader, especially if he was making County-paid-for late-night booty cell-phone calls to her.


If it turns out Ogren is guilty of failure to comply with closed-session privacy laws, conflict of interest rules, residence laws, and ethic rules–some of which (or at least, conspiracy to commit them) occurred on County-funded communication equipment, , he’s going to make Tammy Rudock look competent and ethical.


0

These people are a disgrace to the words “public servant”. Hope they both get major heat for this! It is richly deserved, no doubt!


0

This is what you use to make decisions waytogo? Condemning people for wrongdoing because you read a slanted article and some comments from hate mongers on a blog. No wonder our county is in trouble.


0

Lynette NO ONE IS paying attention to YOUR propaganda. Are YOU being “SPOON FED” by your good buddy PANDORA????


0

Opinions not based on article. Based on far more than that. Repeat, you are one of the few people defending these two people. Even you must have some doubts. MK manipulated you just like everyone else. Except some of us know when to stay clear of this mess, hopefully you will too. Don’t be foolish.


0

Um well…when your born stupid or arrogant and protected by local scumbag leaders and attorneys then no will be your answer.


0

OK, Tornasty, here’s you;re answer to your last sentence……….No.


0

Lynette, it’s NOT helping Maria & Paavo having you as their very VOCAL supporter. YOU are so OBVIOUS, it’s clear what you’re after & that’s a seat on the LOCSD Board and/or a cushy County job. You are too arrogant for your own good, YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT…In fact, YOU are quite IRRELEVANT…


0

You are still the only “supporter” of these two creatures. How much are they paying you? Why would anyone click on your shady link? Good luck running for anything in Osos. You have shown your true colors via these comments.


0

I doubt they are paying her. Even Kelly and Ogren aren’t that stupid.


0

Actually waytogo, I am just the only supporter who writes here. Many others support Maria and Paavo.


Why do you ask if I am being paid— are you paid to support your friends when they are attacked? Some friend.


0

Lynette, Touchy subject? You are indecipherable and exquisitely boring. Your blogs make no sense. Try and take up a hobby. Everyone would appreciate it.


0

I wish I could say this is unbelievable , but I think by now that “John and Jane Q. Citizen” knows how SLO County politics work. Ethics be damned …. Corruption and dishonesty is the name of the game.


If I were the King of the Forest …. I would throw out every one of the supervisors and start over … but then again who is waiting in the wings? Crooks like Tom O’Malley?


Face it … our destiney is that of a crooked road and unless the citizens get a backbone, we are screwed, blued and tatooed. !!!


0

I think the fact that the County is having County staff do the investigation for a high-level County administrator tells us all we need to know about what the findings will be.


The County is so transparent–and they don’t even care that the people know danged well that they aren’t referring the investigation out to an independent investigator because they don’t want a real investigation done.


0

“I wish I could say this is unbelievable”


Sadly, it seems to be too easy to believe. Doesn’t it?


0

“who is waiting in the wings? Crooks like Tom O’Malley? ”


My exact concerns, who is going to replace these cronies, crooks and GOB’s?? Initially, I thought we had some good men with Patterson and Gibson but they seem to have their own problems too.


0

I agree…we need to get rid of the entire SLO Board of Supervisors, as well as the current D.A. I have no idea what SLO County is WAITING FOR…I want a complete & thorough investigation of Maria Kelly & “Lover Boy” Ogren…and I don’t mean a simple little “look see” by Warren Jenson & Jim Grant…We need outside professionals to do a complete investigation of these two. They have BOTH cost the Community of Los Osos dearly. Let’sget rid of Jenson while we’re “CLEANING THE COUNTY HOUSE”!


0

The County Supervisors are dreaming if they think this mess is going to go away. As of this moment, Adam Hill has lost my vote if he runs again. He’s turned into one of the good old boys network. Just more incompetence by elected officials and I’m fed up with it!! We need a housecleaning at the supervisors’ level. Good job CalCoastNews….keep the pressure up!!


0
1 2 3