Welcome to the twelfth edition of The Slo Coast Journal. Published online monthly, the Journal is here to bring you information specific to our part of the Central Coast. So jump in Browse, read, smile. Then come back next month for more. Want a reminder? Check below for information on how to receive an email or tweet letting you know about updates and the newest issue.
Morro Bay Power Plant
SWRCB Adoption of New Once Through Cooling Policy
For 55 years (as of next July) the Morro Bay Power Plant has been sucking millions of gallons of water and untold numbers of fish out of the estuary to cool its generators. But three years ago, a federal court decision that ultimately became law ordered it stopped, not only in Morro Bay but at 18 other existing plants along the California coast and nationwide. This was because, it turns out, the 35-year-old U.S. Clean Water Act had never permitted the use of estuary, bay, tidelands, and sea water for that purpose. Read More
How Healthy is the Morro Bay
National Estuary?
That was the dominant theme and question posed at the triannual State of the Bay conference held on May 14-15 in Morro Bay. The answer: it depends on what measure is used.
But there seems to be clear agreement on one thing: the Estuary "faces significant challenges to its health." And "ongoing efforts to protect and restore the Estuary are critical to its continued health," the Morro Bay National Estuary Program (NEP), which conducted the conference, emphasized. And most important, individual and collective action by residents and visitors will decide if the Estuary and its health survives. It is human abuse that has caused the its feeder creeks and the Estuary to deteriorate over the past 80 years. Read More
Great Shots?
Are you a local photographer with images of the Central Coast you'd like to share with our readers? The Great Shots team is always looking for photographs a cut above the rest. Join the Flickr group Slo Coast Journal Photos and submit your favorites.
Receive a reminder to visit the Journal when the next issue or update is available. Send email to Update with "Update" in the subject line.
Do you tweet? If so, follow us on Twitter. Click here
Some past Morro Bay city elections may have been viewed as ho-hum affairs, but not this time. Not by a very long shot. Everyone who lives or works in Morro Bay has a huge stake in who gets elected as mayor and to the City Council in the city primary on June 8.
That is because there are so many far-reaching decisions to be made in the coming year or two, including whether (1) the city will have enough money to provide the level of services residents and business owners are accustomed to and what to do if it doesn't, (2) whether there will be enough water to drink, (3) if the city's old sewer system will survive mounting deterioration, (4) if a truly modern new wastewater treatment plant will be built to ensure advanced technology and keep rates as low as possible, (5) if a downtown business makeover may be undertaken and--perhaps the biggest of all--(6) whether the city should allow the Morro Bay Power Plant to continue to operate and continue to take its toll on the remaining aquatic life in the Morro Bay National Estuary, the lifeblood of the community (read: property values and the viabiliity of businesses). Read More
Outlook for Morro Bay City Budget
A $25.7 million Morro Bay city budget for 2010-11, calling for the layoff of employees, cutting back the Dial-A-Ride service that many seniors depend on, and eliminating the televised coverage of most city advisory board meetings, is scheduled for adoption by the City Council on Monday, June 14.
Another public workshop to discuss the proposed budget had been scheduled for Wednesday, June 2, but was cancelled, leaving much less opportunity for residents to interact with the Council and staff on the reductions in staffing, funding, and services that are set to be enacted. The layoffs would begin on July 1, at the same time that most city employees would begin receiving a four per cent salary increase. Read More
VANISHED! - THE CEQA'L
After the Coastal Commission's recent approval—with conditions—of the Army Corps' proposal for test well drilling and pumping on the beach areas adjacent to Santa Rosa Creek and Shamel Park/playground, Cambrian Mary Webb wrote a trenchant summary of recent events and on-going concerns about the issues.
Highlighted by a backdrop of 400 signatures, gathered on short notice, which affirmed that many Cambria residents take the position of "opposing drilling on the beach in front of Shamel Park and the Santa Rosa Creek Natural Preserve without full environmental review," Webb's piece acknowledges that "Citizens were successful in reducing potentially significant environmental impacts of this project. Several new restrictions and timelines were applied to the drilling project, including monitoring Santa Rosa Creek levels while the pumping occurs." Read More
Warning: Voter Information Guide Scam Hits Local Elections
by Hershel Parker
In yesterday's mail was a flyer printed on very good paper, very nicely printed, headed "DEMOCRATIC VOTER GUIDE." It is made to look as if it came from the local Democratic Party. But if you read carefully, it says "prepared by voter guide slate cards, not an official political party organization."
It prominently displays recommendations to vote Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown for Governor and Janice Hahn for Lt. Governor, and, lower down, Barbara Boxer and Lois Capps for re-election. Then you begin to see the sliminess: Sheriff: Jerry Lenthall. Morro Bay Mayor: William Yates. Morro Bay City Council Member, George Leage. Yates is not a Democrat—he's a registered Republican, as Lenthall and Leage may be. Then in another column voters are urged again to vote for Leage and Yates and in a third column there is Lenthall's name along with a 4-line puff piece. Included are very dubious recommendations on Propositions.
Who is responsible for this terrible trick?
Voters rejected Yates in 2004 partly because he hired the Pacific Legal Foundation to mastermind the assault on the snowy plovers. Leage was defeated for city council last time because he ran on a platform of personal vengeance, to "rectify" a financial "injustice" done a family member. Lenthall, of course, was one of the "three amigos" who voted for the "Protect our Property Rights" (aka "destroy-our-viewshed") law which has just been overturned.
Of course the Dirty Tricksters have waited until it is too late for their evil scheme to be fully investigated and exposed.
So any elderly Democrat with eyes even weaker than mine can receive this and say "How nice, now I can carry this shiny flyer to the voting booth and know that I am going back to voting a straight party ticket for a change!"
If you received this dirty tricks mail, disregard the information in it and turn to reliable sources for true and straight-forward information.
