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Los Osos wastewater project overruns lead to disagreements

January 2, 2014
Frank Mecham

Frank Mecham

San Luis Obispo County Supervisors voted 3-2 on Dec. 17 to pull the vote for an additional $4.3 million in overruns for the Los Osos sewer project from the consent agenda so that the public can participate in the decision.

The increases are because of pay raises, extended contracts and under estimated workloads.

After members of the public questioned why the overruns were on the consent agenda, Supervisors Debbie Arnold and Frank Mecham asked that the item be pulled.

Supervisor Adam Hill became agitated and began demeaning Mecham claiming he panders to people who regularly speak out during public comment. Mecham argued back saying he was not pandering to anyone.

Hill continued to chastise the North County supervisor while Supervisor Bruce Gibson attempted to quiet Hill.

In the end, Supervisor Caren Ray voted to continue the item because there was no rush to push funding overruns through on the consent agenda.

 


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Charge the $ 4.3 million in overruns to the former LOCSD who created this mess.They still have $6,000,000.00 in low interest loan money that was never paid back.


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If there were ever a public contest, Mecham vs Hill, I’d bet all my roosters on Mecham.


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Why in the world would anyone ever question anyone who has concerns about government spending. Usually there id NO accountability in government for overages, change orders etc., It’s just the normal way that governments are run so that projects start out at a cost that everyone thinks is going to be the complete costs. After these projects start is when the real costs start coming into affect. The original contractor starts adding all of these “overruns” and change orders that nobody ever seems to question, since it’s not their money, and the cost increases significantly as in this case. It’s business as usual at the expense of taxpayers. I admire Mr. Mecham for getting the public involved when spending their money. But most of all I admire Mr. Mecham for tolerating the little tyrant-Hill. There certainly is a difference in professionalism when it comes to comparing Hill and almost everyone else.

The answer to all of this could be an extended honeymoon for Mr. Hill and let the County get on with their business instead of pandering to him.


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Hill needs to go…..I hope voters remember all his rants, etc., when he comes up for re-election. Send him back to his parttime job @ Poly. When he’s out of office, let’s see if girlfriend Torres will stick around.


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Adam Hill is an embarrassment to the entire county. Frank Mecham is trying to be a good supervisor by at least trying to keep costs down. Adam Hill is a blithering idiot not qualified to hold any position in any government.( I was going to refer to the old dog catcher position, but that would be an insult to animal services). I am so embarrassed that my district voted in this clown.


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Mr. Mecham has more class in his little toe than hill has in his entire body.


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I don’t care so much about a politician’s “class.


I am far more interested in their ethics, which Supervisor Hill seems to totally lack.


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My question is, Why in the world isn’t Hill also concerned about this increase?? Instead he reprimands Mechum? I sware Hill acts just like a little kid at times. His mentality belittles the entire BOS. Thank God Mechum has his eyes/ears open and shows concern over this very serious issue! Mr. Hill needs to go find a playground somewhere outside of SLO county!


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The Los Osos embarrassment is Bruce Gibson’s embarrassment. Hill is Gibson’s dim pitbull, and Bruce let go his leash so as not to do any of the dirty work of deflection himself.


Gibson is the real tool here, the one who has at least 4.3 million reasons for folks not to vote for him.


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Hill is Gibson’s little mince-stepping toady. Any even implied criticism of Gibson is going to be met by a predictable Hill maniacal outburst.


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Seriously!


Adam Hill demeans Mecham for scrutinizing a 4 million dollar cost overun. Isn’t this something that needs a little scrutiney and public debate. To me it sounds like Mecham is doing something quite proper and in the taxpayers interest.


Has anyone noted the terrible irony here? Adam Hill chastises Mecham the same week that the County has rolled out a new whistleblower hotline for county employees and the public to report financial waste, fraud and abuse.


“The whistleblower hotline is a best practice tool used in anti-fraud programs that with strengthen our stewardship of taxpayer resources,” Erb said, adding that he believes that “the vast majority of SLO County employees, vendors and contractors are honest and ethical.”


Adam Hill is without a doubt, the worst politician that this County has had to endure. I apologize to the taxpaying public for having supported him when he first ran for supervisor. I simply didn’t recognize his true nature and political dysfunction.


Mike Brennler


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Hill was upset with Mecham for not studying any of the documents provided to the BOS on this item and not having meetings with staff to explain the details as the other Supes did. Mecham was not prepared.


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Sure, it’s just like Hill & Gibson to meet with staff OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC EYE and decide how the vote is going to go. Sure, just slip it in on the Consent Calendar so the public doesn’t get to hear any staff report nor provide separate input.


Just ram-rod it through. THAT is Hill and Gibson to a tee.


And, you’re right. Mecham was not prepared to ram-rod millions of dollars through without a public airing. THANK GOD.


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Caren Ray met with staff as well. In fact, that is what ALL the Supes are ALLOWED to do. This item was heard twice before, there is nothing new about this at all!


There is really no need for a “public airing” when all that we will get is the same five people whining about a project that they hated from the get-go. Snore. They are the only ones wanting a public airing so they can publicly air their anger at this project AGAIN and I think we’ve all had quite enough of that.


Mecham did not do his homework and to his credit he admitted it. He did not have time to meet with staff due to the Paso water issues. THAT was ALL that this was about.


Did you actually READ anything about this yourself Kevin, or is this just another platform for you to rant against Hill and Gibson?


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Don’t be a complete goon, Lynette. When you say “there is no need for a ‘public airing'” you’ve fallen deep into goon status. Stop it. EVERYTHING deserves sunlight.


Abusing what is “ALLOWED” to keep the public out of a debate is CORRUPT. Do you not understand that “allowed” does not equate to “ethical”?


Meeting with staff in private undermines transparency and the public. Discussions with staff should NOT include working through issues out of public view.


Gibson/Hill are unethical because they undermine transparency and conspire to keep out sunlight.


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Why don’t the two prior meetings on this issue constitute “sunlight” in the case we are discussing here?


You go ahead and petition to change the BOS rules about their conferring with staff then. I don’t think you will get anywhere though. Do you really want the Supes to vote uninformed? I don’t. We ELECTED them to represent US. I would HOPE they put more study in to the issues than we the public do! If every discussion with staff happened in public view, the BOS meetings would be 5 days a week. Or the meetings would go on for 18 hours in one day. Really, if you don’t like your representative, vote someone else in next time an election comes up.


The public can also call staff to discuss the issues, although it is my suspicion that this is probably being abused by the nutcakes who loathe the sewer project. Also, anyone can show up and talk to Mr. Gibson during his office hours in Los Osos. When there were more attending, staff would also show up at those meetings with the minute details.


Problem is, the complainers really don’t want to discuss the Los Osos issues, they just want to rag on the County over what they perceive to be flaws in the project. But you sure don’t see hoards of people doing this. Just the same old five. (Population 14,500 approximately, let’s be generous and say one third are adults. How about that perspective on complainers vs. everyone else?)


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The Board should inform themselves in public so we can all be informed. Period. Secret staff meetings are Gibson’s modus operandi.


Was it you or Shirley Devine that said something to the effect that you don’t care if Gibson and Aispuro have sex in the middle of the highway as long as he’s a pawn for your politics? Man, that said it all!


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Mr. Rice,


Neither one of us said that statement and why you should fake quote something like that and attribute is to us tells us a LOT about you and your mind.


In any case, there is nothing “secret” about staff informing the Supes. Ask Mecham and Arnold what they think! No one would stand for a meeting that lasted five or ten hours extra so the “public can be informed,” least of all the public (nut cases with agendas not included of course). No county business would be conducted at all, but maybe that is your goal?


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Actually, it was really posted on the Tribune, so don’t be pulling your victim “fake” card.


And, yes, it is absolutely secretive when staff meets with the Board out of the public’s view. The public’s business needs to be conducted in the public view. Gibson’s goal, over and over again, is to undermine that.


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Yowzer.


Hill’s tirade has more to do with Gibson getting caught and being forced to deal with the issue in open session than it has to do with Mecham.


Mecham was just the messenger raising the call about the unethical scam attempted by Gibson and Hill.


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Did you even WATCH the meeting MaryMalone? How you can extrapolate your crazy idea from what ACTUALLY happened would us take weeks to unravel! Mecham said NOTHING about there being any scam or anything unethical, in fact he said the opposite!


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Are you kidding me?! Hill has no idea why he was upset. He just is in general.


…I do not understand why some have not yet tired of defending him.


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QUOTING THE ARTICLE: “Supervisor Adam Hill became agitated….”


I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a predictable nincompoop in public office.


Mechum (Hill’s current target) better be careful or he will become a target of one of Hill’s stupidly concocted facebook hate sites.


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