Newsletter#80 2020 is a wrap

For openers here is some Christmas cheer. Word is that this year poinsettias make people happy. So I am going to shower you with some happy and hopefully you will be very happy by the end of this newsletter.

Words of wisdom.
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
—Dan Millman
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the

existing model obsolete.” —Buckminster Fuller

This is our mantra going forward

Thank you for participating in the Sentinel Environmental award. We did get nominated and an honorable mention. Presentation Thursday, December 10th at 7 pm.

The four recipients of the 2020 Community Sentinel Award for Environmental Stewardship were Edith Abeyta of North

Braddock, Pennsylvania, Yvette Arellano of Houston, Texas, and Brenda Jo “BJ” McManama of Fairmont, West Virginia.

During the ceremony, they will also recognize 29 other spectacular individuals who were nominated for this award.

Good job people. You Got SLO on the map and in very good company of like minded, caring community activist. We can help each other. So thank you very much. Here’s a link if you want to attend it’s a pay as you can. https://www.fractracker.org/sentinels Thank you.

Update Grand Jury complaint: The Grand Jury is passing the complaint onto the new Jury taking charge in January. The complaint ended up being 163 pages with all the bells and whistles. I suspect it was too much for them to handle before their term expired. I did try to keep it simple and straight forward. But never mind. We have waited this long and since this is about abandoning the old way of doing things and introducing a brand new way of doing business with our elected officials – New year. New way. New Perfect.

Important: Call to Action. The Board of Supervisors needs to hear from us about a renewal on a moratorium on sewage sludge. Sludge is nasty stuff. Poop. David Broadwater and

Holly Sletterland has been Championing this cause for 23 years. And here’s the deal. NOTICE: Sewage Sludge Land Application Ordinance
SLO County Board of Supervisors

Agenda Item: Extend Ordinance until 2026

On December 15th, the SLO County Board of Supervisors will conduct a public hearing and vote on whether to extend the current interim moratorium ordinance on sewage sludge land application until March 31, 2026. Our position is we want the moratorium extended on no uncertain terms.

Contact the Board Clerk and/or your supe with your comment. Contact info below. You can text, email or leave a 3-minute message that will be played aloud at the meeting. COOL.

This ordinance has been successfully protecting SLO County’s ground and surface water, soil, air. food, agricultural viability, public health and wildlife since 2004, when our county took control over sewage sludge land application from the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board due to the inadequacy of its oversight and permission of land application of excessively polluted sewage sludge.

“Numerous State and local agencies, as well as private citizens, non-profit agencies and other interested parties were involved in the development of the original ordinance. And to make this even more relevant and critical to our safety and wellbeing consider… we are in Covid Mode….

If a few droplets from an infected person can expose you to covid imagine what poop on your food could do. We are talking about sewage contaminated with covid and spreading it on food crops that end up on our table. It also is a runoff issue that ends up in the creeks and water supply. This Board needs to feel your disgust and disdain about spreading covid with sewage sludge and therefore extend the moratorium. Click links.

https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Board-of- Supervisors/Board-Meetings,-Agendas-and-Minutes.aspx Board Meetings, Agendas and Minutes check back on Wednesday to see what agenda item # it is to put on your submission.

BofS & Clerk Email Addresses: ad_board_clerk@co.slo.ca.us, darnold@co.slo.ca.us, jpescho ng@co.slo.ca.us, bgibson@co.slo.ca.us, lcompton@co.slo.ca.u s

This is what we are dealing with.

Despite over 600 emails and calls to the Board opposing raising the campaign financing amount from $4700 to $25,000 the Board passed it while intentionally dismissing and ignoring the fact that the 3rd district was not represented. Good example of very poor leadership and dishonorable and shameful behavior by elected officials. They could have postponed the vote until the vacancy was

filled but instead didn’t care if all the voters in the 3rd district were MIA.

Governor Newsom appointed Dawn Ortiz-Legg as 3rd district interim but not in time to get in on the vote. So just a heads up on what we are dealing with with this Board. Please let them know how you feel about extending the moratorium on the poop ordinance. Give the Board your 2 cents. It’s worth it.

Thank you.

And, lastly Brittany local wonder woman filmmaker,
Where there once was water, photographer, farmer had a

brain storm. As a fundraising idea she put her photos on facemasks. So if you would like something unique and original here is the link https://www.redbubble.com/people/brittanyapp/shop. You could frame them after the pandemic is over. They are works of art. I got the dahlia. I thougth it was a lotus either way it is beautiful.

Well, That’s it for 2020 friends. Are you Happy yet? Just in case, here is a big beautiful 2020 sendoff.

And a big warm and cozy 2021 welcome to Peace on Earth

So much Love my friends

Newsletter #75 this is a wrap for 2020- We done good -real good

Brief history of SLO Clean Water May help with the form at the bottom.

SLO Clean Water was conceived at a Transition Town following up meeting to act on a Bill McKibbon’s lecture Oct 7, 2011 at the Fremont theatre in San Luis Obispo.

From there we held a CELDF democracy school and drafted a Community Bill of Rights ordinance.  

Went on to host an overflow Town Hall meeting with Pennsylvania CELDF leaders, activists from Santa Barbara, Hua Native American, and newly formed local SLO CLEAN ENERGY GROUP organizing alternative clean energy sources.

Petition drives gathering over 85,000 signatures from local municipalities and environmental groups to ban fracking in SLO County which we presented to the Board of Supervisors.   May 20, 2014

Cuesta College and Cal Poly Students formed Students Against Fracking and collected signatures and made their first ever presentation to the Board of Supervisors

SLO Community boarded buses and marched on Sacramento and Oakland on 3 separate occasions calling on Governor Brown to ban Fracking.

Co hosted and coordinated Josh Fox presentation – Calvin Tillman – court attendance for Center for Biological diversity lawsuit against Board of Supervisors.

Organized community attendance for hearings on Aquifer exemption –

Teamed up with Santa Barbara and Monterey communities to pass local ban on fracking.

Organized signature gathering to ban fracking and delivered to State Representatives Monning, Katcho Achadjian, Federal representatives Salud Carbajal, Lois Capps, State Attorney General Becerra, DOGGR and State Water Resource Board.

Hugs and Kisses fundraiser to file legal complaint against Board of Supervisors.  July 2018

And most recently filed a complaint with the Grand Jury against the Board of Supervisors for failure to enforce conditions precedent to issuance of permit to drill at the AGOF. Oct. 2020 

Attached.

We know first hand from dealing with Covid what can happen to the economic well being of a community when health issues threaten to adversely affect the entire community.

SLO is a destination spot. Agriculture and tourism are 2 of its greatest sources of income. Contaminated water from fracking chemicals and suffocating air emissions from flair towers and leaking wells can shut us down.

Hopefully this complaint will be a wake call to elected officials who have a history of ignoring and dismissing complaints from citizens. Today we are acting in a manner that has legal consequences and that is the difference this time around.

If the Board refuses to comply with demand to get mandated licenses and certification immediately from Sentinel the Board will face a Grand Jury indictment. I like the sound of that. And……

Now, for something that is just a little hard for me but here goes. I need to ask you to please vote/nominate me for Community Sentinel (ironic) Award for Environmental Stewardship.

Reason is that an award of this caliber will generate attention to our community and will highlight solutions that demonstrate and empower/encourage other communities to do the same.

New ways of dealing with local officials and getting results is always good to know.  We have done a lot. This would be strokes for the whole community. Getting a lot of other like minded people together is always good for the cause. 

Well, somebody has to do it.  You’re welcome. That is me trying to be cool with kind of an awkward moment. Boy I could never be a politician.and ask for votes. The tip jar did make me a little braver.

Thank you friends.   Deadline: Friday Oct. 23, 2020. Sorry for the short notice but just got this myself.

Will take about 15 minutes to fill out the form and you do not have to ‘attend’ to submit the nomination.  Thank you very much.

Nomination Form

Reason why we are doing the Grand Jury thing.

We do not want to be another Flint, Michigan, Refuggio, Aliso Canyon, Chevron Refinery disaster,  Richmond, CA   Nipomo Dunes disaster where 12 million gallons of diluent was slowly released over a 35 year period into the dunes, beach, groundwater, and Pacific Ocean. Industry was self regulated back then and still is. So reoccurrence of wrongdoing is inevitable unless we do something about it. Doing something is holding our elected officials accountable tor allowing unlicensed operators to dump toxic hazardous waste in our backyard and making sure there are consequences for wrongdoing.

In every single case where safety and health codes were ignored it ended in a disaster.  Prevention is the cure.

I have also included a draft of the Grand Jury complaint. Couldn’t wait till it was perfect to send. May need a nice glass of wine to get through it.  Oh my goodness I have sweated blood over this thing and I am so so so grateful and relieved it’s done. The moose is up. (Fawlty Towers)

Did you know……

A grand jury is a jury – a group of citizens – empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings and investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify.

A grand jury is separate from the courts, which do not preside over its functioning. The function of a grand jury is to accuse persons who may be guilty of a crime, but the institution is also a shield against unfounded and oppressive prosecution. It is a means for lay citizens, representative of the community, to participate in the administration of justice.

It can also make presentments on crime and maladministration in its area. Grand Jury is empowered to issue a mandate to the Board to do their job or face the consequences of criminal charges.

 Because of Covid this Grand Jury has agreed to remain seated until December. Ours is a simple case.  They should be able to handle it and complete it before December.   I’m hoping.

Sending you all so much love and hugs and for best best wishes coming  true.  It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

We done good people.  Real real good. So so proud.  We have done a lot, made a difference and survived this extraordinary time in history. It has been an absolute pleasure and joy being on this journey with all of you. I am realizing so many of you have been here from the start – 9 years.   Wow.  Where do we go from here?  Oh I have plans. Big plans.  Happy Glorious Beautiful New Year.  So much Love.