CalCoastNews Series

Where did it go? A exploration of the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority

Where did it go? A exploration of the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority’s spending of public monies and the legal requirements of the IWMA and the agency’s contractors.

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SLO County waste management agency spent thousands on luxury items

By KAREN VELIE An agency created to help San Luis Obispo County government entities with recycling reporting requirements, has diverted funds from that mission to purchase luxury items for the benefit of staff and board members. [Cal Coast Times] Over the past 20 years, the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) has […]... (Continue Reading)

IWMA plans to seek new legal counsel

A law firm with 20-year ties to San Luis Obispo County’s scandal-ridden waste disposal agency was poised Wednesday to win a lucrative new contract with the agency, but board members instead will now seek additional bids from other attorneys for the job. [Cal Coast Times] Board members of the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) voted […]... (Continue Reading)

More alarming SLO County IWMA credit card abuses

By KAREN VELIE Remember when Cal Coast Times’ reporters found San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority’s (IWMA) employees were using the government credit card for personal expenses like video rentals, online shopping and high-priced meals? It’s just part of a much larger pattern of abuse. [Cal Coast Times] For more than a year, […]... (Continue Reading)

Waste chief Bill Worrell, targeted in probe, splits IWMA

San Luis Obispo County waste management agency’s board of directors met Wednesday to discuss manager Bill Worrell’s request for an early retirement, only to learn Worrell is already gone. His sudden departure leaves limited options for recovery of his county-funded retirement benefits. [Cal Coast Times] On Aug. 8, the board voted unanimously to place Worrell […]... (Continue Reading)

Haste makes waste: SLO County board will fix Brown Act violation

The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) board will reconsider on Aug. 29 its recent decision to allow its embattled administrator to retire amid criminal investigations into misappropriation of public funds. [Cal Coast Times] On Aug. 8, the board voted unanimously to place the agency’s manager, Bill Worrell, on paid administrative leave […]... (Continue Reading)

Citizens seek action from the IWMA board, video

Before the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to place the agency’s manager on paid administrative leave because of criminal allegations of misuse of public funds,members of the public asked them to take action. [Cal Coast Times] Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill informed the board that he was […]... (Continue Reading)

Worrell on leave, IWMA fraud investigation continues

By Cal Coast Times staff The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to place the agency’s manager on paid administrative leave because of criminal allegations of misuse of public funds. [Cal Coast Times] In May, several members of the public asked the board to call for a forensic […]... (Continue Reading)

Is the IWMA’s proposed Styrofoam ban ordinance illegal?

By KAREN VELIE While arguments rage over a proposed countywide ordinance to ban Styrofoam food containers, a retired San Luis Obispo County deputy county counsel contends the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) does not have authority to pass ordinances. [Cal Coast Times] The California Constitution grants only cities and counties power to pass ordinances —  […]... (Continue Reading)

IWMA credit card used for personal costs, audit shows

By Cal Coast Times staff The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority spends thousands of dollars of taxpayer money every month on a US Bank credit card “for what appear to be personal uses,” reported Carl Knudson, an investigator hired by a citizens’ group. [Cal Coast Times] Based on documents obtained under the […]... (Continue Reading)

SLO IWMA Board calls for special meeting to discuss criminal investigation

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a multi-part series of articles about San Luis Obispo County’s waste disposal agency. The first reported on the agency’s free-spending use of a public credit card and the lack of credit card documentation of nearly a half-million dollars. By Cal Coast Times staff District Attorney Dan Dow has […]... (Continue Reading)