Stop the Los Osos sewer
February 20, 2012
OPINION By GARY FREIBERG
Electronic civil disobedience is being used to try to get the attention of decision makers for the financial plight of the almost 5,000 households in Los Osos/Baywood Park who face significant impact from the proposed $300 monthly sewer expense. An online “Stop The Los Osos Sewer” petition has been created on Change.org, the same web site that recently was the vehicle that caused Bank of America to change their mind to charge a $5.00 a month debit card fee.
Sewer dissonance in Los Osos has been painted to be only by “Sewer Nuts”; extremists, whiners, a pain in the county butt small group of antagonists that won’t go away. However, parents wanting to do something to assure they can provide financial stability for their family, or retirees wanting to stay in their homes are not sewer extremists.
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors have chosen to be political parents who don’t want to hear anymore about it, they have made up their mind to build this $190 million sewer and that’s it. Other than a few questions to Bruce Gibson from Frank Mecham what Gibson and the rest have lost sight of is that $200 to $300 a month makes a big difference to a lot of households, this redirection of funds will have economic consequences for San Luis Obispo County that the Board of Supervisors refuses to have the foresight to acknowledge.
To meet this new monthly sewer expense many of the 5,000 households will cut spending to be able to pay the new $300 monthly obligation. Don’t go out to dinner, don’t shop as much, reduce entertainment. It is conservatively estimated an annual $10,000,000 will be lost to the San Luis Obispo County economy due to these dollars being redirected from spending to paying the monthly tax assessment. The inevitable economic ripple consequences of this lost spending include a loss of businesses, loss of jobs, job stability and job creation and reduced tax revenues to schools and public services in San Luis Obispo County. And it’s for the next 30 to 40 years!
The worst enemy to this effort is apathy. That’s a very expensive option for San Luis Obispo County residents to take, the “I’ve heard enough” mentality, it’s what Bruce Gibson, Public Works Director Paavo Ogren, Water Quality Control Board local head Roger Briggs and others are relying on, to wear opposition down so everyone gives up and they stick it to 5000 household’s and the economy of San Luis Obispo county. But they win, that seems to be the most important thing to these decision makers, not the county economic difficulties the Los Osos sewer will still cause long after they have retired.
The loss of spending requires everyone who owns or works in a business, is a teacher or public employee, who has a stake in the San Luis Obispo county economy to sign this online petition. Signing is not just showing compassion and concern, it’s protecting your own livelihood.
The “Stop The Los Osos Sewer” petition is for economic stability, it’s for the home environment kids have when financially strapped parents have difficulty meeting expenses, it’s for retirees being able to stay in their homes, it’s not for a small group the county is tired of hearing from.
Every signed petition is emailed to sixteen officials from various agencies who can stop the current borrowing and spending for the Los Osos Sewer until an alternate is developed that will keep families and retirees in their home and not lose jobs and businesses in San Luis Obispo County.
Go to www.StopTheLosOsosSewer.com or to Change.org and put “Los Osos sewer” in the search bar. Signatures will be accepted until late April, please leverage your signature by emailing friends or posting on your Facebook page to encourage others to sign, and please do so soon, this is truly urgent!
Sign the online petition….for the sake of people, not statistics.
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