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Smoke and mirrors, still in los Osos

May 1, 2016

Los ososOPINION by TOM SALMON

On April 10, CalCoastNews reported that the Los Osos Community Services District Board had directed their interim General Manager Peter Kampa to “immediately prepare and circulate a request for qualification/request for proposal for general legal counsel Services.” To date no such solicitation for services has taken place.

A week later, CalCoastNews reported that Kampa has hired three financial consultants to deal with delinquent and/or missing reports the LOCSD has failed to provide to the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service and the Employment Development Department.

The district better brace itself for fines, penalties and increased expenses associated with terminating the last accountant and hiring competent accountants to accomplish the work that languished under the leadership of directors Mike Wright and Marshal Ochylski, both of whom are up for reelection this fall.

Under Kampa’s leadership, the district’s new additional accountants are scrambling to prepare the long-overdue 2014-2015 audit. It also appears the district is the subject of a SLO County Grand Jury investigation associated with last years’ audit that finally shed the light on the incompetence of General Manager Kathy Kivley, who was given a golden handshake aided by Sietz, on her way out the door in January.

Mike Doyle, who was hired by Kivley but was forced out due to incompetence, left with two months severance pay.

Kampa is currently working as the district’s interim general manager until May 31 at $97,000 annually. However, at the board’s next meeting Kampa will ask for a new agreement. The terms and conditions of the agreement have not been made public yet, but in staff reports unrelated to the general manger contract Kampa references a 20-hour work week.

Kampa recently signed a five year, 20-hour week, $97,000 annual contract for Lake Don Pedro Community Services District; the community of 3,500 people encompasses portions of La Grange and Coulterville, which overlaps Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties.

Kampa also represents the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District as one of three representatives from the Sierra Network, on the 18 member California Special Districts Association Board of Directors. That Board meets bi-monthly in Sacramento to guide the Association’s legislative and member benefit programs.

Kampa is a busy guy; he is also under contract at Saddle Creek Community Services District, a golf resort/vacation home community of less than 1,000 people in Calaveras County for $57,000 annually. His Saddle Creek contract does not specify how many hours a week he is expected to work.

None of the contracts include benefits or retirement.

Clearly Kampa is spread quite thin, he claims to have hired an assistant at his cost, but when you add travel time to and from all these places to his home in Sonora there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to keep the LOCSD priorities in perspective.

Ridding Los Osos of Seitz, is at the top of this long-time community members list. Seitz, allowed Kivley to play casino games on district computers, pad her paycheck with administrative leave time and pursue pet projects like cell towers and new offices. All the while the districts books became tangled like spaghetti and water consumption dropped so low that now the ratepayers are facing even higher rates.

Wright and Ochylski are responsible for these failures. Enabling Kampa to grow his cronyism laden fiefdom doesn’t rectify the past and won’t cure the future. Mike Wright and Marshall Ochinski have planned these many disasters by their lack of concern for Los Osos.

Los Osos, wake up and smell the sewer, lock the doors and throw away the key.  Elimination is the only solution.

Tom Salmon, is a longtime Los Osos resident with 35 years of expertise in statewide public infrastructure.


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Mythbuster, yes I’ve been involved with this tragedy for over 20 years. Been to more meetings that I care to remember, even spoke at the one last month. Obviously I don’t get “gossip”, nor hearsay. The information I explain is true and correct. Hope this helps….


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Mitch your correct. Just a “little” leadership from Ochinski and Wright would be nice. These two MEN have an agenda, to destroy the little that is left in “local government”. No one could make this many consecutive mistakes accidentally, they’re sucking every dollar from Los Osos to pay off their friends Sietz and Wallace. These two are being led by Bruce Gibson and Hill, again friends for many years. I relish debating Ochinski/Wright before the election. Elimination is the avenue to sucess…


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It is mathematically impossible for Kampa to devote 20 hours per week to Los Osos. Travel time between the various duties described above requires about 10 hours … Will the new 20 hour maximum included travel time to and from Los Osos? And once at Los Osos how focused can he be on the issues pertinent to Los Odor? The month delay in preparing an rfp for legal counsel is a good example. I can name two local districts that have recently gone through the process, why not just borrow an rfp from them?


Hiring three accountants to compile the finances of the district is an expense the residents will have to shoulder; however, after the audit details are in place, then what? Does the district continue to pay three accountants for work that should be performed by the General manager? How can Kampa give an accurate report on the district’s finances when he has no direct involvement in their creation?


A little leadership would go a long way to righting the Los Osos ship. The current direction being taken is mind boggling.


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It is a fallacy to believe and the root source of political malfeasance that leadership should come from elected officials. The founding principle of our system of government is that we should be self ruled in a participatory process. This requires participation from the electorate. Meaning we must know and understand the issues that need to be addressed by a government at all levels. Then the people tell it’s servant government how to act within the framework of the Constitution. The leadership must come from the people or inevitably the government, (bureaucracy and elected alike) will run out of control and try to dominate the populace. We get the government we deserve.


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So the problem is the people who vote.


Does the author of this piece get his friends to attend meetings? Does he attend meetings?


Unless you want to watch the meeting (and have cable TV) – or go get a DVD of the meeting, how do you even know what is going on?


Either it is too boring to check these meetings out or people like what they are getting. Those who get re-elected must be liked….so maybe this author just disagrees with what is going on.


A lot of misinformation has been put out there too. Not every bit of information on the internet is true…………….but then, unless we are there to see what is going on, we just pick the side we “like.”


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Lynette,


One need not attend a meeting to see what’s going on in a district or city. Simply reading staff reports that have been prepared by each district or city give insight into what’s “going on.” If they don’t, then one can see that the staff is incompetent, like we could see with Kivley.


It’s amazing how someone who does attend meetings religiously, like you, hasn’t a clue as to what’s going on.


I’m not sure what you reference as information on the internet is untrue. Kampa’s contract’s at both LDPCSD and SCCSD are readily available. What’s missing is the new agreement for LOCSD — no 72-hours of sunshine for Los Osos even after his “Resolution Approving Policy Establishing a Transparency Standard of Excellence and Direct Implementation of Certain Actions Supporting Public Outreach and Community Input.” What a farce.


I have to agree with Tom on this one, Kampa is spread too thin to what Los Osos needs in a GM right now.


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Seitz should be locked up for allowing this to take place under his so called legal supervision. This is just one more example of what you got with the team of Wallace and Seitz screwing the public.


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Tuen over any government rock and you find this exact type of self dealing, nepotism, and corruption. It’s a big reason why this country has a $19 trillion debt and every politician with no life skills is richer than the 1 percenters that they pretend to loathe.


Government iemployment and contracts are run much like the mafia. When you are in it, you are in it for life and omertà is required.


Please stop letting politicians manipulate you into thinking their opponent is bad while they are your savior. Time to tar and feather all government officials and tax collectors. Start with the excrement in washingto and work west.It’s the only way to take this country back.


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shelworth Respectfully, re question, “Is there some giant pool of dubious characters that all governments hire from?”, I suggest shelworth you may have figured it out. And consider the pensions they receive.


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Not only the pensions, but even if they are caught red handed they seem to be let go with several months of severance pay, and a recommendation for the next city/town/place they plan on ripping off! They must have something on all the other politicians, “Hey, unless you give me what I want, I’ll turn this file over to CalCoastNews”…


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Is there some giant pool of dubious characters that all governments hire from? Or is it just dumb luck that we seem to hire crooks every single time?


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You nailed it shelworth. It’s just a giant pool all the local jurisdictions hire from with a revolving door. The administrators keep jockeying from one position to another with ever increasing salaries until they fianally reach the Peter Principal and receive their golden parachute. It’s a scam. The fault lies in the electorate who do not participate in their government by attending meetings and holding their elected officials feet to the fire. They would mostly like to sit at home and watch “Dancing With The Stars” or “Survivor” or “Monday Night Football”.


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isn’t that what the tube is for? the opiate of the masses?


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It’s not uncommon to find dubious characters in government, but SLO county has some unique features.


The first is the area is in decline and has been for a while. It feels bad when you remember what a top was like. With the Central Valley crushed from the face of the earth, SLO isn’t going to have a bright future.


And then the area seems to attract scoundrels from LA and SF and elsewhere. For a small town there are crooks everywhere here.


On the way down and up corruption in gov is normal. The difference is on the way down it can’t be repaired. And that’s where you guys are.


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Tom, let’s be reasonable. When has the LOCSD EVER been anything other than smoke and mirrors?

First there was faster cheaper…it wasn’t

Then, the recall board lied to the RWQCB and said they had a plan…they didn’t

Then low interest loan designed to build the sewer was spent on legal fees with subsequent bankruptcy.

And then of course there was Wrecklamator man…who tried to peddle his magic elixir…it didn’t work.

The sewer project was taken away from the CSD because of their failure to come up with a project….and given to the county.

Of course we must include the alleged conflict of interest involving a board member and county officials.

Yes Tom, it’s been one giant side show complete with smoke and mirrors.

It’s time to get rid of the LOCSD.


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Don’t forget all the money wasted by the Tackermator.


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That goes without saying.


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