| secret meetings on winter snowplowing and access
Posted by Lloyd on February 29, 2008, 7:36 am
209.221.221.X
Friends of the Grapevinetm
Please refer to the email info pasted below. The Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce & Town Council, 4th District Supervisor Ray Watson, Kern Sheriff, CHP, Kern Roads, US Forest Service and others are holding secret meetings regarding the winter access issues in our area. Those meetings are being conducted without allowing public participation or comments, and without obtaining the public's input about an issue that affects all of us in the mountain communities.
In view of the fact that this situation has been years in the making, and its complex nature, some of us have requested access to the meeting, meeting info, agenda and minutes. Other public agencies have also been denied access to the discussion and the March meeting, including CalTrans. No responses have been forthcoming on our inquiries about all of this.
If you are interested in participating in this discussion or submitting your comments about solutions and problems, or such secret dealings, I suggest that you contact Mr. Watson's office raywatson@co.kern.ca.us and the Chamber of Commerce paml_mccoc@yahoo.com , mccocinfo@yahoo.com , to obtain details and to request that the public be involved and consulted before any discussions are held, or decisions made. Please send us a copy of any emails you send in.
This type of secretive activity is contrary to transparency in government, equal representation and access under the law. We hope that you involve yourself aggressively in demanding the public's right to know and participate in this situation's resolution. As our area grows, community involvement in the planning and effect process is critical. To me, this all appears to be election-year politics. lw
shopoutd@qnet.com wrote:
Pam- When I believe my business is being selectively discriminated against, I
intend to take my own actions, independent of the Chamber. ............
My days of trying to negotiate this, with the CHP shutting the town
out of business are over. All of this WILL be dealt with legally, and is in
that process. When solutions are offered, local businesses are included in
hierarchial negotiations, and the restraints of trade and commerce stop,I will
reconsider. Not until then.
There are NO documented procedures or protocols between the agencies up here
relative to either winter access or emergencies and all enforcements are based purely on personalities, not the law. Everybody does whatever they want in the agencies, with no accountability to anyone. All of this is irresponsible.................
----- Original Message -----
From: Pamela Low
To: shopoutd@qnet.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 11:42 AM
Subject: Re: Responses
Lloyd,
We (The Chamber board) have a meeting coming up in March with all the entities concerned (CHP, Sheriffs, US Forestry, MCCOC, MCTC, Ray Watson's office, Kern County roads department and even Roy Ashburn's office wants to help) to discuss plans to better our situation for snow play and the road closure issue. They are choosing the date as we speak with everyone concerned. This has been being planned since the last big snow 3 weeks ago and I wrote to all the entities involved asking for answers and help
----- Original Message -----
From: Internet Outdoors Unl.
To: Pam Low
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 6:12 PM
Subject: Re: Responses
Pam - Thanks for the info and your support. Please keep me advised as to when the winter coordination meeting will occur, and where. I will send you some historical info on this; let me know what else you need. The two most important elements in all this are providing current, correct, easily-accessible road and snow conditions information to the public that they can access before coming up here, and a parking-supported shuttle service. We also need responsiveness to inquiries made by the public to public agencies and elected representatives involved.
I also believe the following folks are critical to have at this meeting or as a part of this discussion, since they are all affected, or make decisions that affect our community in these situations:
Representatives from Mike Antonovich's, Jean Fuller's and Kathy Long's offices.
Jeanne Bonfilio from CalTrans LA
Kern, Ventura & LA County Offices of Emergency Services
Kern County Board of Trade
Hall Ambulance
Barbara Lomas
Cliff Thompson- so he can see in advance the kind of situation we have on our hands with this. I discussed the issue with him this week.
Representative from Kevin McCarthy's office.
FPVC Board of Directors
So. Calif. Nordic Ski Patrol
PMCPOA
Kern County Parks Dept.
Hungry Valley SVRA
Search & Rescue
The Adventure Pass should be a part of this discussion as well. Thanks for putting this together. Lloyd
Quoting Pamela Low :
> This meeting was set up by Ray Watson and they are the ones inviting people
> not me. Ray Watson sent an e-mail that specified which heads of which
> organizations are invited. They have all been already told. We are keeping
> this a small meeting in order to get work done. Thank you.
>
> Pam Low
----- Original Message -----
From: Internet Outdoors Unl.
To: Ray Watson
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2:53 PM
Subject: Winter coordination meeting
To: Ray Watson
Kern County 4th District Supervisor
Mr. Watson:
Please refer to the correspondence above. As per the requirements of the Brown Act and judicial rulings related thereto, please place me on the mailing list for this and any other meetings related to this subject and email or mail me an Agenda and the meeting time and location for the meeting referred to, all within the requirements dictated by this legislation. Even private entities or organizations, when acting on public matters or as a quasi-public agency representing the public's interests or public affairs, are required to comply with the Brown Act, and public access to meetings concerning public issues is mandated. The courts have ruled thusly. When public or quasi-public officials meet on matters of public concern and interest, this legislation, and the will of the legislature in passing it, were very clear that public notice and access is mandatory.
In addition, this legislation requires that minutes be kept of such meetings. Upon completion of the minutes of this meeting, please mail or email me a copy of those minutes, as authorized by the Calif. Public Records Act and the Brown Act.
The fact is that this issue involves numerous departments of the State of Calif., federal agencies, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, not just Kern County. Developing procedures or agreements during meetings when all of those agencies and the public are not involved or invited is clearly not in the public interest, and a violation of these statutes.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Lloyd Wiens
PO Box 1533
Frazier Park, CA. 93225
cc: Bernard Barmann, Kern County Counsel
Rich Quinn, Atty.
----- Original Message -----
From: Internet Outdoors Unl.
To: Pam Low
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 6:56 PM
Subject: winter meeting
Pam-
As a 30 year winter recreation business person up here, I have serious issues with what is going on with this winter meeting with you, Ray Watson and the secreted invitees, whomever that may be. I believe that, if you are going to represent the mountain communities on an issue such as this that impacts the entire region, numerous public agencies and certainly businesses like ours, at a minimum you have an obligation to meet with us and community representatives before attending such a session. Personally, I seriously question your knowledge and experience with the widespread ramifications of this issue, and have no doubt that that fact will be used against you, and our community, by the powers-that-be in any decision-making.
The agencies names and contacts that I emailed you are ALL involved in what happens with winter situations here. To not invite them, regardless of who is doing the inviting, is naive, irresponsible and jeopardizes the public's position and interest. If Mr. Watson didn't invite them, the first question should be, "Why not?" and as our representative, you should demand that he does. "Getting work done" is not an excuse. At a minimum, as our community's only elected county representative, he has an obligation to request their input prior to meetings. That's the way representative government is supposed to work, not in a hidden, manipulative, higher-than-thou fashion. This is a widespread issue decades in the making that will take months, yes months, to resolve and only if everyone's input is accommodated. If you don't do that, I promise that you will have the wrath of this community directed at you as it has been towards others in past years over all this.
The Chamber's president has an obligation to meet with local businesses that are impacted by these discussions and decisions prior to such meetings, whether we are Chamber members or not, and to assure that those of us that have been directly involved in this conflict and affected by it are invited. I won't have my family's business interests represented by anybody without being consulted first. Not doing so creates serious liabilities for you personally, the county and the Chamber if negative impacts to our business occur from the actions and decisions arrived at.
If you don't believe you can function in this fashion, forget personalities, facilitate broad-based participation, invite all parties and require the county to do the same, I believe you should consider removing yourself from the Chamber presidency, at least until you have a business here again. Is it not true that the Chamber bylaws require officers and directors to be in business in this region? I thought our community had moved beyond these kinds of secretive tactics. Apparently not.
Lloyd Wiens
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