Coastside PAC’s endorse candidates

Ken endorses candidates:

Coastside County Water District * Mario Vazquez

Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District * Doug Mackintosh * Bert Silva

Midcoast Community Council * Bob Ptacek * Leonard Woren

Montara Water and Sanitary District * Scott Boyd * Kathryn Slater-Carter

Each of the above candidates is intelligent, honest, independent and will work for the public good. I hope you will seriously consider voting for them.

Each and every vote counts.

Regards, Ken Johnson

Comment 2 by Paul Perkovic  on  Nov 04  at  10:12am  •  All my comments • 

The idea that “Put Community First” is truly interested in meeting community needs is demonstrably ludicrous. They would do better to keep the acronym, but change their name to “Political Conflict First” or maybe “Put Construction First” or even “Profits Come First”.

But definitely not “Put Community First”.

As an example, go to Richard Bulan’s election campaign site http://www.richardbulan.org/index.html and read this claim: “Many local private wells are known to produce 60-100 gallons per minute. These could provide alternative sources for regular or emergency purposes, yet no one has ever broached this topic. Why not?”

The implication is that there is plenty of water in the community to eliminate the water shortage, lift the moratorium, and solve all problems. (And, of course, that voters merely need put Mr. Bulan on the board and he will get those wells online right away.)

The insinuation is that the current Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD) board is either incompetent (they didn’t know about such wells) or obstructive (they knew about such wells, but refused to consider using them).

Let’s begin with the implication. Suppose it really is true that these alleged wells exist, that they are suitable for a pubic water supply, and that their owners are willing to make those wells available to the community. Accept this as true for a moment, and also that Richard Bulan knows all of this.

Why, if PCF and Mr. Bulan genuinely have the community interest first, have they been hiding this critical information from MWSD until time for an election campaign, rather than coming forward immediately with this information?

Why have they been harping on the unfortunate situation with the Skowrons, if they know of water sources already available that could help the Skowrons?

I raised this issue as part of my series, “What Would Bulan Do?”, on the Half Moon Bay Review TalkAbout discussion site. The specific topic is: “WWBD: Where Are All The High-Producing Private Wells? How Will You Bring Them Into the MWSD System?” http://talkabout.hmbreview.com/topic.php?t=784&c=4&d;=

The questions that I posed in that TalkAbout topic will help interested community members understand that it takes more than a few months, even if a well is already drilled and pumping, to bring it online as part of the public water supply.

We’ll turn to the insinuations in the next comment.

Paul Perkovic

[For identification only, Paul Perkovic is a board member on the Montara Water and Sanitary District. These comments reflect his own views only, and not necessarily those of any other board members or those of the District.]

Comment 3 by Paul Perkovic  on  Nov 04  at  10:15am  •  All my comments • 

[This is a continuation of the previous comment, which should be read first for the background.]

Next, let’s turn to the insinuations. It is simply a falsehood - i.e., an outright, blatant lie - that “no one has ever broached this topic,” as Mr. Bulan asserts. The current board and staff have investigated several wells in private ownership within the District that have higher output than the typical residential well. None of these wells proved suitable for public use.

The “Why not?” part of Mr. Bulan’s political propaganda site suggests that the current board is not trying to solve the water shortage. This insinuation is offensive to everyone at MWSD - our board, staff, and consultants - who have worked as hard as we can to get new water sources online. It should be offensive to our voters, as well.

Mr. Bulan’s entire campaign has been designed to create fear and doubt among the voters and ratepayers in the Montara / Moss Beach area, with the hope that those voters will fall for the lies, distortions, and misrepresentations made by Mr. Bulan and his supporters, and elect an unknown who has proven ethical and financial problems.

Our constituency is smarter than that.

We should be working together to foster consensus in the community, not trying to turn one neighbor against another.

“Put Community First”? What a joke!

Paul Perkovic

[For identification only, Paul Perkovic is a board member on the Montara Water and Sanitary District. These comments reflect his own views only, and not necessarily those of any other board members or those of the District.]

Comment 4 by Barry Parr  on  Nov 04  at  10:17am  •  All my comments • 

It’s instructive to read Richard Bulan’s request for the endorsement of PCF. He says he wants its endorsement because “PCF is a respected organization with reputation for supporting the rights of citizens and the well-being of the community. As a family man, and as a businessman who seeks to be successful in the community, having the support of organizations who share my values is important to me.”

You don’t even need glasses to read between the lines.

CCWD users will be on extreme Mandatory Water Rationing next year, if there is a repeat of last year’s snow pack!

In violation of the first HMB LCP, written nearly a quarter century ago, (I know, I participated in the writing) requiring use of water reclamation; CCWD is still stalling, just ‘studying’ implementation of water reclamation! As far as I know, there are still wells in Pillarcitos Creek shipping otherwise potable water to the golf courses. CCWD is also supplying potable water to the cemeteries- I don’t think the ‘residents’ there would complain about using reclaimed water!

As a bit of irony, I just looked at: JIM LARIMER from PCF “Candidates for Their Written Responses”

“If elected, what goals would you set for this Board for the next five years? 10 years?

Planning for the future is the most important issue facing the water district today. These plans should investigate the potential of recycled water as a renewable resource. This might help contain out year cost increases, but it needs to be thoroughly researched before committing to this or any future plan for water. Recycling is good for the environment and with a customer for the recycled water could pay for itself.”

Just how long does it take Jim Larimer to move from “investigate” to doing? Maybe another 25 years?

MWSD is bringing in new water sources!

CCWD’s Jim Larimer wants to “investigate” over the next 5-10 years what should have already been done!

Do you really think you should believe Jim Larimer’s ranting comments tearing up the current MWSD board?

Montara Water and Sanitary District * Scott Boyd * Kathryn Slater-Carter

Coastside County Water District * Mario Vazquez

Ken Johnson

With both of these outfits, we can add to the overwhelming evidence that politics, and in this case PACs in particular, are neither a very good way to deal with the real world nor reliable in terms of sticking to a stated philosophy. Same goes for party politics, of course.

Carl May

Following Barry’s link to Richard Bulan’s info, found this:

Bulan wrote: “I have collected hundreds of pages of financial documents and have spend (sic) hours with financial experts who have backgrounds in water districts. ”

He is talking about Jim ‘Big Hat, No Cattle’ Larimer!

Just what we need, Larimer screwing up another district!

Montara Water and Sanitary District * Scott Boyd * Kathryn Slater-Carter

Coastside County Water District * Mario Vazquez

Ken Johnson

Comment 8 by Mary Keitelman  on  Nov 04  at  6:41pm  •  All my comments • 

Scott Boyd and Kathryn Slater-Carter are well experienced, excellent Water and Sanitary District officials— it will be great to see them serve another term to add to their already tremendous value to the community

Barry,

I am not a member of Put Community First (PCF), but I follow their efforts to help the community, and am familiar with their bylaws and mission.

This whole topic and comments on coastsider are a bit of a distortion—

Barry, can you show me where PCF states “Put Community First is a PAC representing development, property rights, and growth interests” or did you just make that up?

If not, I would hope that you retract same.

terry gossett

Comment 10 by Barry Parr  on  Nov 05  at  12:09am  •  All my comments • 

I put their self-description in quotes, as I did with the LCP, and my words are my words. Like I said, you don’t need a weatherman to tell which way they’re blowing.

But I like your idea of establishing who they are and what they’re up to.

Terry Gossett,

You wrote: “I am not a member of Put Community First (PCF)” yet on Coastside Community First (CCF) there is your picture as a Director!

It is possibly a legal distinction - without a distinction in reality!

Ken Johnson

Ken, Either Terry mentally resigned before claiming that he doesn’t belong to PCF, or he intends to confess his sin the next time he makes his way to the confessional. There is, then, no reason to doubt his basic good intention to put the community first.

Comment 13 by Charlie Gardner  on  Nov 05  at  3:37pm  •  All my comments • 

Terry Gossett is a Director of Coastside Community First as am I. CCF is a educational non-profit 501c3 and as such, does not engage in endorsements in any political activity. That doesn’t mean its members do not actively engage as individuals.

Put Community First (PCF) is a PAC with the express purpose of endorsements which is lead by Freda Jeffs, and other community leaders. Terry (and I) are not on their Board.

But, since I am here and responding as an individual, I think it’s important we weigh our decisions based on results.

Some may claim “acheivements”, and certainly the current MWSD board has made some progress in repairing a few pipelines and obtaining a video monitor, but real results? Hardly. A few documents waived around at a debate, and a staged “well commisioning” do not rise to the level I would expect as a taxpaying resident of Montara/Moss Beach. Real results would be the actual installation of the storage tanks promised 4 years ago to supply adequate firefighting sustainablity. Real results would be the compassion to pass emergency releif to failed wellowners while really implementing additional water capability.

Lack of real results dictate we need change at MWSD. That’s why I’m voting for Richard Bulan. If you need to vote for two, vote for Scott because he’s actually a pretty smart guy. But we do need change.

And for what it’s worth, I like Merrilees,Lieberman, and Ptacek.

Williams won the debate, but Ciela is the local, you choose there.

But vote for Bulan if you want change, and don’t be bothered by the PCF/CCF/LCP falderal.

Charlie

I brought a few of the documents we have worked so hard on to the MCC Candidate night. It’s true, there was not much time to go into them in any depth; the format imposed on candidates provided little time for that.

But we did more than just wave those documents around. Anyone can watch what we actually did at http://coastsider.com/index.php/site/news/videomwsdcandidates_debate/

You can see the extensive work that goes into some of those documents by looking at this one: http://mwsd.montara.org/MontaraDEIR10_2005.pdf

I encourage everyone to read MWSD’s newsletters. We really do strive to convey key information about projects and efforts planned and underway, and in just a few pages. Newsletters are available on the District’s web site: http://MWSD.montara.org

As for the well commissioning, the Review, the San Mateo County Times, MontaraFog.com, and Coastsider.com all covered it as the serious and vitally-important milestone that it represents for our community. For the first time in decades, new water from a new source has been found and is being readied for permanent addition to our supply.

Scott Candidate for re-election to the Montara Water & Sanitary District

“Lack of real results dictate we need change”, wrote Charlie Gardner — Batters up!

MWSD board actually has a new well pumping new water! Pipes repaired. Installation of the storage tanks in progress.

Now Charlie, did you think your criticism thoroughly through before hitting transmit? If that isn’t progress for MWSD, just how is that New Middle School in North Wavecrest you promised three years ago coming along? Given that, is the “New” Cunha Middle School going to be ready for the start of school next September? How is that land giveaway going? And how much money is left in the construction fund?

MWSD board has been making steady POSITIVE change.

CUSD is making steady NEGATIVE change! On Charlie Gardner’s watch, CUSD: was added as one of only two failing school districts in the county; has crashing enrolment from flight from the District; the State of California is still reporting three failing schools and it is claimed his local Elementary School failed to collect owed Federal funds.

Should the voter trust the Successful MWSD Board or the Failing CUSD Board President! Sounds like a difficult decision for the Voter. [LOL]

Regards, Ken Johnson

Montara Water and Sanitary District * Scott Boyd * Kathryn Slater-Carter

Coastside County Water District * Mario Vazquez

Lack of water capacity in the MWSD is not due to failure to turn on a magic water spigot somewhere (which is what the advocates for “change” imply). It is due to overpopulation/overdevelopment in Montara and Moss Beach for the water resources that are readily available in the geographic area. This overdevelopment took place long before, decades before, MWSD acquired the water system from the previous private absentee corporation four years ago. Our towns were already short of water resopurces needed to adequately serve the population during the drought of the mid-to-late 1970’s. Ergo, the moratorium.

So, four years ago the sanitary district took over a somewhat run-down water system, its condition due partially to some of the income from the water district being sent out of town to the corporate owners rather than being spent to maintain the system. The district was immediately faced with two challenges: bring inadequate water infrastructure up to par and try to develop new facilities, including new water sources and storage, to adequately serve and protect existing customers. Any new water sought would be tough to come by, the easy-to-locate water having been exploited long ago. Let’s remember, trying to serve any population in an “overshoot” phase that exceeds what can be sustained indefinitely by resources is essentially an impossible job. But the existing district is at least making a try at it. And we ratepayers are paying dearly for this effort—not because the district is not operating well but because providing resources beyond those that are readily available becomes increasingly more expensive the more scarce resources one must provide.

As is the case with most governments at all levels, San Mateo County ignores basic facts of population and environment and tries to serve short-term financial interests that profit from growth. The indefensible but heavily-promoted growth ethic, “Growth is Good,” permeates government and growth industry rationale, no matter how much damage results in the real world of people living in communities. So we see the county allowing numerous homes to go in on wells because the local district water system is already overtapped. When such wells fail, don’t blame a water district that had no water to provide—blame the fools and charlatans, including county officials, who refuse to consider sound population policies and who permitted and built the homes. I don’t want my payments for a water supply subsidizing and mitigating the mistakes of such jerks.

Carl May

Comment 17 by Barry Parr  on  Nov 05  at  6:34pm  •  All my comments • 

Terry Gossett says, “I am not a member of Put Community First (PCF), but I follow their efforts to help the community, and am familiar with their bylaws and mission”

I’m not surprised.

Terry is on the board of Coastside Community First. PCF and CCF are part of a one-two punch: a tax-exempt educational organization and a non-exempt PAC. They were created at the same time, in May 2006.

http://coastsider.com/index.php/site/news/newcoastsideorganizationswillpromoteinfrastructuresensitivetothe_en/

Their respective websites and logos are indistinguishable.

http://coastsidecommunityfirst.org/

http://putcommunityfirst.net/

Two members of the nine-member PCF endorsement committee are on the board of CCF (Sylvia Prewett and Nate Serdy).

Comment 18 by Charlie Gardner  on  Nov 05  at  11:12pm  •  All my comments • 

Ken,

Thanks for asking about the new middle school. Last week we poured the foundations for the new addition and the new library. We have a substantial financial reserve, and our test scores show continual improvement. “Concrete” results, no web links, just facts.

Don’t forget to vote tommorrow, lest you get caught up in detraction distractions.

Charlie,

Finally, one thing we agree on — Please Vote!

Ken Johnson