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Former SLO County waste management employee posts bail

August 31, 2021

IWMA employee Carolyn Goodrich and San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill listen as IWMA legal counsel Ray Biering reports out of closed session.

By KAREN VELIE

After learning that she was charged with 10 felonies, the former board secretary of San Luis Obispo County’s waste disposal agency posted a $20,000 bail. Carolyn Goodrich faces a maximum of 31 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Shortly after the district attorney’s office opened an investigation into SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) staff, Goodrich allegedly destroyed IWMA records, resigned and then moved to Tennessee. On Aug. 3, prosecutors charged Goodrich with nine counts of embezzlement and one count of destruction of public records.

With law enforcement attempting to take her into custody, on Aug. 11 Goodrich posted bail. She is scheduled for her arraignment at the SLO County Courthouse on Oct. 7 in Department 3.

Carolyn Goodrich allegedly used an agency credit card to pay her home phone bills, shop at a home improvement store, purchase software, and pay for online services such as Truthfinder and Peoplefinder. CalCoastNews reported the allegations exclusively in 2018.

The IWMA was created by a Joint Powers Agreement and has a 12-member board of directors comprised of five county supervisors, representatives of each of the county’s seven municipalities and one representative for the county’s community service districts. For years, the board failed to examine or question the agency’s spending.

The SLO County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 on Aug. 10 to cut ties with the IWMA. Supervisors Lynn Compton, Debbie Arnold and John Peschong noted issues with corruption and the IWMA’s failures to abide by the Public Record’s Act as motivations to leave, while supervisors Bruce Gibson and Dawn Ortiz-Legg voting to give the controversial agency another chance.


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Another Chance? Really?


0

I will say this again, with all the public employees and the public officials who oversaw the IWMA, monthly meetings, monthly financial reviews for twenty years no one saw this, no one suspected it. Now all those local government employees and public officials were either in on it or frankly they are absolutely incompetent. Some have obviously been promoted to their highest level of incompetence.


How did she do this under the amazing, all knowing Bill Worrell without his knowledge? Oh, that’s right Bill was happy that his daughter was making $200k plus a year working for the IWMA’s sole sourced, no-bid contractor Charles Tenborg for 20 years. When Bill was in San Diego heading up the IWMA his main employee started a company using public funds that Bill apparently signed off on, then Bill was gone. Dow will never go after Worrell on this issue, because they are buddies.


If that POS in Tennessee needs a ride back to SLO County because Dow and Parkinson are too busy moving the other body around, let me know and I’ll bring that POS back. What’s her address, we should all know so we can sue her individually to get our money back, say $250 a year at 20 years.


1

Are they going to hang this around Carolyn’s neck? Dan Dow knows Worrell and his contractor are the ones who ran the embezzlement operation. Do your job, Dow.


12

!0 felonies, 31 years, flight risk and just $20 K bail. What’s wrong with this picture?


17

Its not like she stole real money, it was just ratepayer money and there is no shortage of it, rates can always be raised. One of the big problems with these type of agencies is that mindset, no incentive to be fiduciary responsible with the money they manage, they often feel there is always more money if they need it or if someone steals it. Can you imagine how things may change if not only is the person who stole the money held responsible but also those who failed at their management of that same money had some, any, consequences for their actions.


11

Judging from the photo it doesn’t look like she has 31 years to give….. just sayin.


8