“I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but people. And if we think them not enlightened enough, the remedy is not to take the power from them, but to inform them by education” – Thomas Jefferson
The beautiful coastal town of Cambria is appealing and inviting in many ways. Trails through the pines and over the hills of Fiscalini Ranch, a well-used library, a busy farmer’s market each Friday afternoon, artists and galleries, Pinedorado Days, strong support of youth activities, live music, mild weather, a sense of small town and friendly conversation that adds at least 30 minutes to any trip downtown to do errands.
But we’re told this corner of paradise is short of life-sustaining water – we must conserve what we have, stop any new growth and dedicate the greatest part of the CCSD’s time, energy and money to pursuing the new water source of choice: a Desalination plant.
And the project is stalled once again. (View the most recent denial by the Coastal Commission at their December meeting.) I am not a CCSD director nor am I staff. I have read nearly every word of the documents related to water sources posted on the CCSD website and minutes from meetings, some of which I attended, others I did not. It seems to me the CCSD is committed to the success of a desalination plant project for Cambria. And many pages of drafted plans are both guiding and justifying their decisions.
Two of these documented plans (Tasks 3 and 4 of the Water Master Plan and the Build-Out Reduction Plan) are only drafts and have not been approved by the board. The third main document is a state mandated Urban Water Management Plan that was adopted after the usual public hearing process in December 2005.
In light of the success of the 218 rejection of the rate increase, a sustained spike in interest and action by Cambrians and the continued reluctance of the Coastal Commission to give a green light to Desal, it’s clearly time to take another look at the long-range plans and goals of the community and the agencies that provide services. A community-wide collaboration would seem appropriate. Cambria is experiencing growing pains of the worst kind and is in dire need of a roadmap for the future. A higher level of transparency, cooperation and patience must be expected from everyone. Let’s stop taking sides. We are all members of this community. The beauty and problems are ours. Let’s enjoy the beauty and end the problem, not the other way around.
Good planning is critical to ensuring Cambria’s survival over the long-term. Inviting all Cambrians to participate and making it easy to stay informed are essential to any master plan’s success. If we can’t plan together in designing our future, there is no way we will ever be able to cooperate to find solutions for the issues we are facing. Parts of the Water Master Plan have been highlighted here at AboutCambria.com. There are many resources online about collaborative democracy and civic engagement – GET INVOLVED, STAY INFORMED, TAKE ACTION.
(Of course, the reality is that many people do not have the time or interest to dedicate. But making assumptions about who will or will not get involved as you gather your invitees is the K.O.D. to open and inclusive processes.)
Last 5 posts by Amanda Rice
- Gail Robinette Chosen to Complete DeMicco's Term as CCSD Director on Unanimous Vote
- California Coastal Commission Unanimously Denied Army Corps Desal Tests
- Cambria CSD Agenda for November 27, 2011 Meeting Includes Water Conservation & New Tank Project
- Sunken Oil Tanker Off Cambria's Coastline Will Be Checked Again Soon
who wrote this article?
Amanda wrote it. Must be some glitch of the new format that the author’s name doesn’t appear at the end of the post. I should. I’ll fix that this weekend.
Is living in Cambria a litmus test for you to collaborate with somebody? Is agreeing with you?
“Is living in Cambria a litmus test for you to collaborate with somebody? Is agreeing with you?”
I don’t find this sort of comment very helpful.
Sorry.
Do you think the government and the people are on opposite sides?
PS: Exclusionary politics aren’t very helpful.
Quote:
“Do you think the government and the people are on opposite sides?”
Deryl,
I think on the issue of rate hikes for Cambria water, there is clearly polarization; as shown by the overwhelming 218 rejection of the rate increase by the people. I think the CCSD and the people both want enough water to meet our needs without an exorbitant rate structure. As to what the best solution is and how we as a community arrive at that solution is another matter.
Also, I think the “needs” of the community need to be redefined because there seems to be disagreement between the people and the CCSD as to what the CCSD’s objectives and activities should be to meet the “people’s” needs. I think there has been a lack of transparency and sincere inclusion on the part of the CCSD to arrive at their recommendations and that is what leaves the CCSD vulnerable to some people’s claims of special interest, vested interest, and legitimate questions about how they spend the people’s money.
So, opposite sides, no. Clarification or revision of objectives to get to agreement on those, yes.
The buildout reduction plan was present and discussed multiple times around town before it was adopted. CCSD held workshops on the rate increase before rolling it out. That’s not transparent?
The real problem is nobody showed up until the increase was announced.
I was at one of the “town hall” meetings where the appointed committee presented their findings…findings that parallel and borrow liberally from a report the CCSD paid for to assess water alternatives and desalination. That meeting was packed…to the wall standing room only. Apathy can be a problem, I agree. I suggest the biggest part of the problem Cambria is having with the current Buildout Reduction and Desal path is hiding in the underlying policies. CCSD did make an show of participatory government by appointing a citizen’s council with a variety of experience and backgrounds. It did well to provide the information to the community, and yet I heard the same concerns expressed at that Town Hall meeting (namely, the cost of the program and the other consequences of the Build Out Reduction plan and a Desal plant)that have again been raised during the rate hike protest. The concerns were just expressed much more insistently and loudly than before. I think the Board had the right idea, but didn’t take it to the next level – genuine participation of the townspeople in developing a vision of Cambria we can all get behind. Instead of hand-picking a small group of well-qualified, hard-working volunteers to essentially present the analysis and recommendations of a consulting firm. The Consultants are not members of the community, they have no real stake in the future of our community.
More and more communities are embracing deliberative dialog and civic engagement models and changing the paradigm of “traditional” government to create communities in which the government and the people work together – still relying on elected officials to make the ultimate choices, but involving more of the community in each decision, earlier in the process. Cambria is full of well-educated, intelligent people who would be more likely to get actively involved in a better way to manage the various resources of our community. Who would want to get involved in traditional government, with its day-long meetings that are akin to a lecture class and public input is viewed only as commentary and seemingly not considered in the decision-making process. Speaking for myself, I always liked the lab classes infinitely more than the seemingly endless droning of someone who viewed me as a bucket to fill, instead of a partner with something to offer.
Clearly, it will take more effort on the part of the district and the public to find the best future for Cambria. (By the way, anyone got the definition for that future?)
I was at the final BRP committee presentation too and yes there were a lot of people there. I thought there was very little opposition in the crowd. Before that presentation though, there were lots of smaller presentations around town. But how many showed up to the workshops prior to the rate hike proposal?
My vision for Cambria’s future is balance and fairness combined with all the beauty and charm. Exclusivity is not charming.