About Cambria

“LOVE TOWN”:
AN IMAGINATIVE NEW COMEDY ABOUT A LITTLE SEASIDE TOWN AND WINNER OF PPP’S FIRST PLAYWRITING CONTEST

The Pewter Plough is presenting Love Town by Michael Kaplan. It’s an enchanting and very funny new play set in a picturesque little “romantic getaway” much like Cambria, where a newly opened gift shop becomes a haven for the impassioned and eccentric denizens of the village. When the owner of the Cozy Corner shop runs off with the Aromatherapy gal across the street, her husband is left to deal with all manner of hilarious and outlandish escapades. One can easily imagine these offbeat characters and predicaments showing up right here on Main Street in Cambria!

The play won our first Pewter Plough Playwriting Contest, being voted the best original script from the submissions we received from throughout San Luis Obispo county. The winner was awarded a $1,000 cash prize, given by the Playhouse through a grant from Robert Lane of Morro Bay, the originator of the PPP contest, with the goal to cultivate original plays by local talent. Our judges praised “Love Town” for its imaginative story line and well-developed characters.

Our cast includes Gregg Wolff, Karen Moncharsh, Craig Brooke, Sharyn Young, Donn Clarius, Daniel Harris, Blake Spiller, Mackenzie Allen and Anne Zinke. The Director is Karen Moncharsh. The Production Manager is Kathryn Kenny. The play contains mature themes.

Preview night is Friday, May 1, at 7:30 pm, tickets are $12.
Gala Champagne Opening is Saturday, May 2, at 7:30 pm, including a Champagne and Dessert Reception after the show, all tickets $25.
Performances continue on Friday and Saturday nights, at 7:30 pm, through June 20 (except May 15-16).
Sunday Matinees, at 3 pm, on May 10, 24, 31, June 7 and 14.
Tickets for Saturday nights and Sunday Matinees are Regular $19, Seniors/students $16.
Special Friday night price is $15 for everyone.

For reservations or more information, please phone our Box Office at 927-3877 or visit our website www.pewterploughplayhouse.org

The Pewter Plough Lounge is open for wine, beer and refreshments before the show, during intermission and afterwards.

The Pewter Plough Playhouse, the “Jewel Box of Community Theatres”, presents plays year-round and is located on Main Street at Sheffield in Cambria’s West Village. The Pewter Plough Playhouse is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.

The Eye of the Hurricane?  Still waters run deep? Or perhaps you’ve been enjoying the pieces and bits of  quiet over the last few weeks. Take a deep breath and read on, if you dare. I don’t often wax poetic or indulge in this kind of personal post. If that’s not your thing, you have been warned. And you are still welcome to stick around anyway! More than one person seems to have noticed I’ve not been writing as much over the last 5 weeks. So here’s the 411 on my whereabouts and various brief sightings mostly sans the fuchsia locks.  I miss delving into the fun of the community and the challenge of making this site About Cambria:  our entertainment and our issues. It’s hard to tell one from the other sometimes. There is almost always something happening in our little town: not a day can pass without at least one meeting, celebration, gathering, or club function to attend/support/ignore.

I think I’ve been missing the spark and energy of what happens when more than two Cambrians start talking or playing. Most days on the Google-based AboutCambria.com calendar are packed with many calls to assemble and share with our friends and frenemies some of our time and energy (insert image of horrified teachers here: rolling their eyes or in their graves….)

I haven’t been off at some writer’s workshop and I haven’t been purposely ignoring Cambria. I’ve been working my tail off for the 2010 US Census for the past 5 weeks.I’ve managed to squeeze in the time for a few meetings, but not much more than that.  I’d be violating a very strict federal confidentiality law (Title 13) to write much about what I’ve been doing too specifically, but I have been enjoying the challenge (and extra funding) this temporary job brought into my life.

My position will be winding down over the next 2 or 3 weeks and AboutCambria.com will spring back into a more active life and I will be buzzing about town again very soon. If you have any ideas or events you’d like to share with the growing audience of AboutCambria.com, it’s very easy to join in. I encourage you to do so by joining as an associate member (click “register” down near the bottom of the right hand column), posting something for sale in the free classifieds or adding an announcement or a conversation starter in the forum. Of course, you are always invited to share your information and views by submitting a post for all to read and/or comment on. AboutCambria.com is still a place for the community to gather and share what they know and what they think. Posts have been infrequent of late, but I will be back in the saddle as Web Maven before the groans of “mixed metaphor” completely fade from our hearing.

Teaser: My next entry will be more along the lines of the old “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series from the 70s – with a simple word change from “adventure” to “cliche”.

Santa Rosa (Marin County) will remain under a voluntary conservation order, asking residents to not water during the day, not wash down sidewalks and driveways and only use a hose with a shut-off valve to wash cars. If that doesn’t get the necessary 15 percent (reduction), Wright said the city would move to a mandatory rationing plan, allocating each home 65 gallons a person a day, plus 2,500 gallons a month for irrigation.

In CCSD terms, Santa Rosa’s rationaing plan would restrict their customers to 13 units per billing period (2 months) for landscaping plus 5 units per billing period per person.  Santa Rosa must be one GREEN town. If my math is correct, their rationing would allow only 65 gallons per person per day, but 82 gallons per day for landscaping. Really? Interesting message they are sending  about their priorities and the severity of the water shortage.

Read the article here.

Do some spring cleaning and properly recycle your old electronics – while benefiting local non-profits. Items that qualify: computers, printers, peripherals, monitors, TVs, telephones, batteries, stereos, etc. NO household appliances.
Where:

Intersection of Madonna and Higuera in San Luis Obispo.

When:

this Saturday (4/25) 9am – 2pm

Why: You’re not supposed to be just putting these items out with your trash. They are considered hazardous waste, along with florescent light bulbs, batteries, paint and a number of other commonly used (and tossed) household goods. With the exception of a few events held a few times a year, to get rid of e-waste and other household items on the “hazardous” list I know of a few other options (most are for smaller items):

• Mission Country accepts items at its Morro Bay location on Saturday mornings (They are not licensed to pick up H or E Waste.)
• The Post Office has some postage-paid envelopes for small electronics like iPods, cell phones, cameras and other “pocket” E-Waste.
• The American Legion accepts cell phones as part of a program that supports troops overseas.
• Staples (at least the one in Atascadero, near Home Depot) is offering a $50 rebate/credit toward a new printer when your bring in your old one as a trade-in. I don’t know any other details or for how long this promotion might last….so call them before you make the drive.
• Most places that sell batteries and florescent bulbs (especially hardware stores) also accept burned out or dead ones as part of a deal with the State of California.

The better reasons why:

• MacSuperstore has pledged money raised to two local non-profits: The Acheivement House and the Children’s Museum.
• A cleaner, less polluted planet for everyone’s future.

Bonus points for Earth Day folks who make the effort to offset the potential additional greenhouse gasses and ucky oil-dependent transportation for carpooling or putting all the E-Waste in one car instead of having a caravan of Cambria cars driving south tomorrow. Call your friends and do some good for the next generation and your garage or attic.

The recently released agenda for Thursday’s Cambria Community Services District meeting shows the meeting will take place in 2 parts. The meat of the meeting – the proposed Operating Budget for FY 2009-2010 and the proposed guidelines for the Prop 218 process – is scheduled to begin at 6:00pm. The Board will convene at 12:30pm at the Vets Hall take care of District business not directly related to the approval of the Budget and the Prop 218 guidelines.  A summary of the agenda follows. Download the complete agenda from the CCSD website. Also, I will post a link to the video of the budget workshop held last week ASAP. The audio is available at SLO-span.org

OPENING

A. Call to Order
B. Pledge of Allegiance
C. Establishment of Quorum
D. Report from Closed Session

PUBLIC COMMENT (Total Time Limited to 15 minutes)

Members of the public wishing to address the Board on any non-actionable item not listed on the agenda (items 1 – 6) and within the jurisdiction of the Cambria CSD may do so when recognized by the President. Public comments during this and other portions of the agenda will be limited to 3 minutes per person.

MANAGER’S AND BOARD REPORTS

A. MANAGER’S REPORTS
(Estimated Time: 10 minutes)
B. MEMBER AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
(Estimated Time: 10 minutes)

CONSENT AGENDA

All matters on the consent calendar are to be approved by one motion. If Directors wish to discuss a consent item other than simple clarifying questions, a request for removal may be made. Such items are pulled for separate discussion and action after the consent calendar as a whole is acted upon.
A. Approve Expenditures for Month of March 2009
B. Approve Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting, March 26, 2009
C. Consider Adoption of Resolution 15-2009 Approving Cooperative Staffing Agreement between the CCSD and the Cayucos Fire Protection District

(Estimated Time: 15 minutes)

HEARINGS AND APPEALS

A. Public Hearing to Consider Fixing of Water and Wastewater Standby or Availability Charges as Provided in Government Code §61124
1. Receive Financial Report 2. Conduct Public Hearing 3. Adopt Resolution 16-2009 Fixing Water and Wastewater Standby or Availability Charges

(Estimated Time: 30 minutes)

REGULAR BUSINESS

A. Consider Adoption of Resolution 17-2009 Rededicating Cambria Veterans Memorial Building

ADJOURN TO 6:00 PM

(At the conclusion of item 9A, the Regular Board Meeting will be adjourned to the same location at 6 p.m., April 23, 2009, to consider the remainder of the Regular Meeting Agenda )

At 6:00pm

Consider Adoption of Resolution 19-1009 Approving CCSD Operating Budget for Fiscal Years 2009-2010
Consider Adoption of Resolution 14-2009 Approving Guidelines for the Submission and Tabulation of Protests

(Estimated Time: 60 minutes)

PUBLIC COMMENT

Members of the public wishing to address the Board on any non-actionable item not listed on the agenda (items 1 – 6) and within the jurisdiction of the Cambria CSD may do so when recognized by the President. Public comments during this and other portions of the agenda will be limited to 3 minutes per person.

Thank you to President Sanders for adding a public comment at the beginning of the meeting and keeping the comment period at the end. I look forward to seeing more transparency and public access. There are still obstacles….keep your eyes here for the responses to some recent public records requests.

April 20, 2009

Proposition 218 is geared to making sure that the fee increases calculate out to being no more than is required to provide water or sewer service to each parcel, and calculate out to show that the amount charged per parcel is no more than the proportional cost of the service attributed to that parcel. The CCSD is required to calculate the amount of the fee for each parcel based on these rules. No calculation has been provided so there is no way of knowing whether these rules have been adhered to.

What is the exact number of parcels so that we can divide up the costs per parcel accurately? Calculating the proportional cost of water service to a residential parcel with a ¾ inch pipe has got to be less than the proportional cost of service to big commercial users with larger pipes. None of this data has been disclosed. The CCSD has not provided data or calculations to show that the rates are “proportional [to the] cost of the service attributable to the parcel.”

Proposition 218 also requires that we hear the reasons for the rate increase. A reason to increase rates is not a list of projects and their costs, or to pay for future water projects not described in materials. All projects, including future water projects should be detailed for public review and approval, clearly stating the methodology that is being used to pay for those projects, including rate increases if necessary.

At a meeting held April 10 at the Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill, director Clift stated that the actual additional monies needed were 9.5% – 10% increase in the water fund, and a 14% increase in sewer. If this is true then why did the CCSD round the numbers up and set arbitrary flat, across-the-board 15% percent increases for both water and sewer? Government agencies are prohibited from making arbitrary and capricious decisions. Clift’s position was that the ‘extra’ would be used to build reserves or fund needed improvements and maintenance. I believe we already have ‘extra’ in the water and wastewater budgets and the ‘extra’ include the expenses for desalination costs, lobbying for desalination, and allocated overhead for employees all working on desalination. Cut the expenses for unapproved projects and suddenly you have a lot more money in the water and wastewater funds.

An argument is being made that because prior boards have somehow concluded that desal is the best solution for Cambria’s water storage problem and we have spent so much money on it we should just continue to do so. In answer to that I would argue that some of those directors didn’t do their homework and read the very reports they are relying on. There are many conclusions and scenarios that can be drawn from the Water Master Plan EIR – desalination is one possibility out of about five possibilities. And desal is the only solution that produces more water than Cambria needs, fueling exploding, out of control growth that can only be controlled by growth ordinances enacted and enforced by San Luis Obispo county. The CCSD does not have the authority to control growth in Cambria, even though they continually argue that they will enforce a build-out reduction plan. They do not have that authority therefore a chain of events is being put into place to force the community into a plan that raises rates, adds unlimited water, increases growth, raises costs because of growth…then what? The cycle starts over again. Not all growth is good – remember, cancer is a growth.

Are we supposed to just agree to lavish more and more money on a plan that is not a “project” that has never been defined as a project and has never come under full environmental review, break the bank of the water and wastewater departments while declaring ‘emergency’ and ‘fire’, ignore the CA coastal act, disenfranchise voters who disagree with the plan, raise monthly water and wastewater rates to pay for out of control salaries and benefits for the plan? Paid consultants and lobbyists, come with a point of view and a financial incentive to strategize how to implement projects which are totally in-congruent with the communities’ wishes and vision of Cambria. If the CCSD is confident in its conclusions regarding desalination, above and beyond every other method listed in the Water Master Plan EIR for water supply, then the desalination project should come before the voters and let us vote on it.

All desal lobbying fees (currently $80,000 per year), legal fees defending against desal lawsuits, engineering salary for the engineer working on desalination, and allocated overhead for staff working on desalination, should be surgically removed from our water and wastewater budgets and moved to the General Fund budgets. Desalination should be accounted for separately so that all Cambrians can easily be made aware of the past, present and future costs associated with desalination, declare it a Capital Improvement Project with all the detail that requires, and only proceed with this plan thru a vote.

This item found online at the Coastal Post, a Marin County publication. Perhaps Cambria could take this path instead of surcharges if our aquifers are in real danger of overdraft or saltwater intrusion. It would educate our community while conserving and protecting our precious and limited water resources.

Bolinas Water Rationing Rescinded

Utility District Update And Message To Users:

March 20, 2009-At its regular meeting on March 18, 2009, the BCPUD (Bolinas Community Public Utility District) Board of Directors passed Resolution 576, which amends Resolution 575 and rescinds its provisions imposing mandatory rationing of 20 cubic feet (or 150 gallons) of water per service connection per day.

Resolution 576 encourages continued voluntary conservation efforts and directs staff to develop a water conservation and dry year water use reduction program for the Board’s discussion and enactment at its regularly scheduled meeting on April 22, 2009.

Resolution 576 provides that this program should include provisions defining foreseeable circumstances in which the district will re-establish mandatory use restrictions (i.e., rationing) so that our customers have a clear articulation of the circumstances that will trigger water rationing and so that the district reduces and/or eliminates the need to take such action on an ad hoc basis.

Resolution 576 provides that staff should specifically consider the inclusion in this program of circumstances in which the district is unable to produce sufficient water to meet demand for seven (7) or more consecutive days.

Unfortunately, despite the recent rains that have filled our reservoirs and helped recharge our primary water source, the Arroyo Hondo Creek, we have received only about 2/3 of our normal rainfall. Given that this is the third consecutive year of less-than-normal rainfall, the BCPUD remains concerned that the district may experience an early drop in creek flows this spring, which will then require us to turn to our emergency reservoir water supplies prior to the fall months.

In the event this occurs, particularly given the anticipated high fire danger for the upcoming summer and fall months, it may be necessary for the BCPUD to reinstitute mandatory water rationing to ensure adequate supplies until the rains return at the end of the year.

In the meantime, the BCPUD extends its sincere appreciation to you, our community members, who have been nothing short of extraordinary in your efforts to comply with Resolution 575′s rationing requirements. In fact, the community’s compliance with Resolution 575′s prohibition of the use of more than 150 gallons per service connection per day exceeded 98%!

The district has received dozens of reports from residents who learned how to read their own meters to ensure they were complying with the ration amounts and then discovered leaks in their plumbing; from others who were motivated and/or financially able to replace their old toilets or washing machines with low-flow appliances; and from still others who have purchased large water tanks and installed catchment systems to capture rainwater for their landscape irrigation needs.

Thank you, Bolinas, for all of your hard work – we all benefit from the permanent reduction in water consumption that our system will experience as a result of your conservation efforts.

We will continue to keep you updated with news of our water supply throughout 2009. If you would like to receive updates via e-mail, please either call or office at 868-1224 or e-mail us at bcpud at bcpud.org with your e-mail address. Thank you!! -Bolinas Community Public Utility District

The Annual Cambria Chili Cook Off and Car Show happens this weekend only.  Where else can the world experience Dr. Stod’s Mo’ Betta’ Cajun Chili, and about a dozen or so 2nd through non-trophy chilis!  Tasting and voting is from noon to 3:00 p.m.  Car show is from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more information:
Cambria Chamber of Commerce: www.CambriaChamber.org

Chili cooks include Stoddard, MacKinnon and others. You gonna be there?

And once you’ve had your fill, hop on over to the Allied Arts Film Screening at 7:00pm Theatre at the Old Grammar School (TOGS)
“In the days leading up to World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) inherits a sprawling cattle ranch in northern Australia. Threatened by land barons, she reluctantly joins her farmhand (Hugh Jackman) as he drives 2,000 head of cattle across the outback. While on the grueling trek, they witness the Japanese bombing of Darwin, which heralds Australia’s entry into the war.” Director Baz Luhrmann co-wrote this captivating historical epic Oscar nominated for Best Costume Design.  (Rated PG-13)  Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Well, friends, it’s been a long, strange trip and it’s not looking to end soon. According to the agenda recently provided, tomorrow’s meeting at the Vet’s Hall (12:30pm) will essentially be a preview of the budget hearing at the regular April 23, 2009 CCSD meeting. The three items on the agenda are

A. Presentation by Finance Ad Hoc Committee: DRAFT FY 2009/2010 Operating Budget
B. Presentation by Utilities Ad Hoc Committee: Capital Maintenance and Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
C. Presentation by Executive Ad Hoc Committee: Discussion of DRAFT Resolution 14-2009 Adopting Guidelines for the Submission and Tabulation of Protests in Connection with Rate Hearings Conducted Pursuant to Article XIIID, Section 6 of the California Constitution

Leaving alone for a moment the bizarreness of an elected board considering their Executive Committee to be “Ad Hoc”, President Sanders has set a full day of information-giving. Whether the board will direct staff to make changes to the proposed budget before the April 23 hearing is anyone’s guess. (Although public pressure would seem unlikely to affect the recently elected Directors Clift, MacKinnon and DeMicco, nor directors Sanders or Chaldecott, whose terms seem secure until Fall 2010). And what will the guidelines for submission and tabulation of protests be?

But fear not, I have not fallen back to lob this missive from an anti-CCSD bunker.  No. I wish the CCSD a speedy and full recovery from what neglect and poor management have wrought.  Where some have tread lightly, I might have taken a more direct route.  I think there are few among us who would say the CCSD is full of health and wellness. I’d even venture a guess that we all grasp the concept that it is a long road ahead for our CSD and our town. I’ll be the first to admit I often take for granted that water flows when I turn on the faucet. But unless I’ve got this wrong, we’re being provided a more comfortable and sugar-coated version of the same old stories.

Director Clift, one member of the finance committee, offered the CFRC some of his time (unpaid, BTW) to explain what philosophical perspective was given to staff as they re-worked the budget. He and Director MacKinnon asked as the budget was redrafted that

• revenue projections would be reasonable
• expenses based on specific estimates or actual historical and must be justified
• it should be a pure operations budget (no capital improvement projects)

and

• they would under no circumstances accept a rate increase of greater than 15%.

According to Clift, the bottom line is that the water department needs a 9.5%-10% increase to cover planned expenses and wastewater needs a 14% increase. It seemed to be his position that the Board should approve a 15% increase accross both water and wastewater and the “extra” would be used to build reserves or fund needed improvements and maintenance.

I hope I can get to tomorrow’s workshop, since I’d like to hear a fuller discussion of the issues involved. The Board’s role is to set policy and hire a General Manager who is responsible for carrying out board policy. Other than choosing the G.M., the Board’s main conduit of control over the staff is through the budget setting and oversight.  I hope my elected board doesn’t miss this opportunity to make some critical fiscal decisions.

Keep it tuned here…the postings have been sparse due to my own personal fiscal issues, but I will keep you updated as often as I can.

From an EPA Press Release Received yesterday:

EPA is launching National Cell Phone Recycling Week as part of its efforts to celebrate Earth Day the entire month of April. The week, which runs from April 6 through April 12, is a joint effort between EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling program and leading cell phone manufacturers, retailers and service providers to increase national awareness about the importance of cell phone recycling.

“With Earth Day approaching, people are thinking about what they can do to give back to our planet,” said Matt Hale, director of EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. “Recycling your old cell phone is a great way to conserve resources and help make a greener world.”

To celebrate National Cell Phone Recycling Week, Plug-In partners across the country, including AT&T, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless, are introducing a series of in-store promotions, contests, and giveaways. The partners will provide in-store and online recycling opportunities for consumers.

With only 10 percent of unwanted cell phones being recycled in 2007, EPA is encouraging consumers to increase the nation’s cell phone recycling rate. Recycling or reusing cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping reusable materials out of landfills. Cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are made of precious metals, copper, and plastics. Recycling or reusing them not only conserves these materials, it also prevents air and water pollution and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that occur during manufacturing and when extracting and processing virgin materials. If Americans recycled the 100 million cell phones that are no longer being used, enough energy would be saved to power more than 18,500 homes for a year.

Donating cell phones or PDAs can also have social benefits for communities. In fact, many existing recycling programs donate cell phones that are in good working order to worthy charities, raise funds for charitable organizations, or provide them for discounted sale.

Plug-In To eCycling is a voluntary partnership between EPA and electronics manufacturers, retailers, and service providers to offer consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used electronics. In 2007, as part of their commitment to the program, retailers and electronics manufacturers voluntarily recycled more than 47 million pounds of electronics, mostly computers and televisions.

Information about EPA’s Plug-In to eCycling program: http://www.epa.gov/plugin
Information about cell phone recycling: http://www.epa.gov/cellphones