Mr. Les Baugh
Chairman-- Shasta LAFCO
1450 Court St. Suite 308B
Redding, Ca. 96001-1680
June 25, 2012
Dear Mr. Baugh:
I apologize for sending your LAFCO mail to your Supervisor address, but I have lost the faith that Shasta LAFCO has the ability to forward mail to its intended recipient.
Secondly, I have recently been informed that you are totally without knowledge of the deteriorating relationship between your LAFCO Director, Amy Mickelson, and the Fall River Mills CSD manager and Board. Nevermind the repeated warnings, posted in Redding.com were leveled against you for ignoring her history, inexcusable behavior, inexplicable hiring and total waste of taxpayer money in the first place. Let me explain.
Ms Mickelson’s career history is well documented on the Internet, from Mendocino to Del Norte, to Lassen, to Modoc, etc., etc.. So it remains a curious mystery why this person was ever installed as the LAFCO Director at Shasta County, especially when at least two of these positions were terminated under extremely serious charges. Perhaps the person responsible for her hiring chose to look no further than her FaceBook page for qualifications.
Next, her behavior at Shasta LAFCO has been less than the model of cordiality, understanding and efficiency. To FRVCSD, she has been abusive, obnoxious, condescending and woefully shortcoming in her duties.
Her MSR and SOI for our Community Services District is now over 6 years delinquent under “STATE LAW“. Notwithstanding that Kathy Howard, former director, was ill for some time before Ms. Mickelson came on board.
So in the absence of the State mandated MSR and SOIs or the required routine reviews of same, the new manager for our CSD has been diligently requesting completion of both documents, pursuant to expansion of services in our valley. To that end, the FRVCSD contracted with an independent consultant to prepare an ‘internal’ Comprehensive Municipal Services Review Study/a 20 year Plan, a 101 page document, to comply with auditors demands. (This is available on the FRVCSD website) Which was given to Ms. Mickelson last October, which she promptly refused because, "it was not in proper format", which she had NOT specified, so it was resubmitted in her requested format.
Meanwhile, the Director has interjected herself into at least one CSD Board meeting, by attending a ‘special meeting’ uninvited, and without being listed on the agenda, attempted to go into a lengthy diatribe on how LAFCO works. She was gaveled down as out of order and invited back, when she would be under the Brown Act. It was most likely the last civil act she attempted with the CSD and it was illegal.
Since then, rather than completing her mandates, the Director has instead either continued to request more and more documents (some exceeding those requested of other CSDs), or as in a recent moment at the last LAFCO budget meeting, refused documents being handed to her....again.
This moment went to a head in the foyer outside the Supervisor’s chambers, when some of us from Fall River Mills confronted LAFCO counsel to ask WHY the Director refused the documents she had demanded. His response was: “They weren’t in the proper format”. Mr. Chairman, I submit to you that the final documents demanded were check registers. Perhaps you could enlighten me exactly what “format” you would want them in! Beyond the fact that you were witnessed running away from this moment, if you intend to claim further ignorance of this situation, you need to take it up with your Counsel for failing to notice you.
Additionally, on more than one occasion, some of us have noticed that your Director has funneled copies of correspondence directly to the local newspaper, BEFORE it was received at our CSD, as it was featured in our local newspaper in an untimely fashion.
And not to nitpick, but our local publisher has been in tandem with your Director in bashing our CSD, either in a questionable, unethical or quite possibly illegal communications, since last year. Basically, she lies, he prints it. (We can document it)
And what confuses me is while you profess to know nothing about the relationship dissolving between the Director and our CSD, your co-Board members, Dave Kehoe and Patrick Jones have both been advised and still no resolution has been put forth. We even suggested that an ‘independent’ consultant be retained to finish the MSR and SOI, with the Board reviewing and approving the report. However, no one has moved to consider this.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, this Director has cost the ratepayers and taxpayers of the Shasta County Community Services and Special Districts over $200k per year, for the last 6 years, or well over $1.2 million dollars. Absent a finalization of the Mountain Gate CSD MSR, because the Director failed to complete the submitted document, this is the abysmal batting average of your Director:
According to the Shasta LAFCO minutes from 2005 through 2011, during Amy Mickelson’s tenure, the following MSR studies have been formally finalized and adopted by Shasta LAFCO:
Happy Valley FPD Final 02/02/200
Centerville CSD Final 02/15/200
Cottonwood FPD Final 05/03/2007
Burney FPD Final 06/14/2007 (a new Mello-Roos District subsequently rescinded, but MSR not revised as approval indicated would be required)
City of Shasta Lake Final 02/11/2009 and 06/11/2009 (?)
Shasta Lake FPD Final 04/02/2009
Anderson FPD Final 10/01/2009
City of Anderson Final 03/03/2011Not exactly a ringing example of efficiency and austerity in these hard times. I have been advised that an outsourced MSR can be completed for less than $10,000, mostly because they are updating a template. Much like the 16 pages of double spacing, representing the Mountain Gate example. However, if I do some 8th grade math, our Director has cost tax and ratepayers over $133, 333 dollar for each of the 9 documents completed. And there are 26 Districts left to go.
Mr. Baugh, you can now consider yourself ‘Noticed‘. I apologize in advance for your not being aware of this situation. However, if something is not done to resolve this dilemma soon, I am more than happy to forward it to the Shasta County Grand Jury, the California Attorney General and all other interested parties for their reaction.
Sincerely,
The other day, the world was witnessing the financial meltdown in Europe, with Greece being the fattest cow in the slaughter house. And what was Mitt Romney talking about? Jobs, jobs, and more jobs.
Hey Mitt, how about you address the spark that will make your jobs speech meaningless, Greece.
Unlike Mitt Romney, the Dumbplumber would answer the question of Greece like this: Europe has many flaws, but right now Greece is the ripest pimple on Europe’s face. Cut’em loose. So what? It’ll start the dominos! Let’er rip. You can’t save an alcoholic by giving him more booze and you can’t save Greece or Europe by giving them more money. Ditto Italy, Spain, Ireland or Portugal.
If Europe has a problem with all that flakey ‘bundled’ loan paper Barney Frank and Chris Dodd let Fanny and Freddie sell them, well then take it up with those clowns. American taxpayers had nothing to do with it, so STFU.
You see, it’s the problems created by politicians, scam artists and investment bankers is that they always put the American taxpayers in the crosshairs. Time for the instigators to make amends. Time for the suckers that bought hundreds of trillions of worthless paper (which they still trade today as if it’s of any value) from the financial experts and take their complaints to them.
American taxpayers didn’t create this mess, they didn’t exacerbate this mess, they didn’t profit from this mess and they sure as Hell shouldn’t bail out any other financial ‘wizards’ that were dumb enough to buy it. You don’t spend your paycheck at a carnival. But if you did, you can’t go back to dad and mom for compensation to hold you over. Idiot.
But you can rest assured that both Mittens and our First Socialist Porch Monkey (with sincere apologies to other Porch Monkeys everywhere) will be headed down to the Fed or the Treasury printing presses to indebt America, once again, to pay for the failures of it’s leaders.
We are so Screwed
To: The RNC and California Republican Party
Gentlemen,
Please explain to my why I would send money to or support anyone who lacks the ability to do something as simple as removing my name and address from a mailing list.
After almost a year of begging, then telling and finally demanding that my name be removed, you continue to clog my mailbox with your trash. If you cannot do something as simple as this, then tell my why I should believe you possess the ability to lead my State or Country.
And as much as I detest Liberal, big spending, bigger taxing, union hugging, moonbat eco-Nazis, at least they have sense enough not to ask me for money.
Terry Briggs---Fall River Mills, Ca.
Point of Order: Would someone please tell me why, when some political hack or union thug addresses a crowd, they always contend that Governor Walker was against “labor”.
This confuses me because I am an independent plumber and I consider my services “labor”. I also consider those that work for other non-union contractors as laborers. They work just as hard or harder, they get just as dirty, they usually work more hours for less pay and benefits, than union workers, and are proud of their job. I also admire and consider waitresses, window washers, dental assistants and grocery clerks “laborers”, because they get just as frustrated, insulted and abused as the rest of us.
So why is it that only the 15% of ‘union’ workers consider themselves “labor”? What, are the remaining 82% of us, chopped liver?
I am also offended when some pro-union goon claims that some governor or another, “wouldn’t come to the table”, wouldn’t compromise, wouldn’t participate in “collective bargaining”. Nevermind it was at the table where some low level bureaucrat agreed to something he didn’t pay for.
Hey, here’s a clue Sherlock, “coming to the table“, “compromising” and “collective bargaining” (all metaphors for extortion, strong arming and intimidation) are what have bankrupted America. Don’t believe it, just deny these unions their demands and wait for the picket lines and government shutdowns to begin. Get it?
And where did “Collective Bargaining Rights” come from? Last time I checked, collective bargaining was not a right, but rather a seriously abused privilege, extorted from politicians with promises of huge campaign contributions for their next election. “Rights“, my ass!!!
So you will pardon me if my apathy towards the Media is palpable. For, not even Fox News ever dignifies those of us non-union workers as “Labor”.
We are So Screwed
If one more person tells me that our economic crisis is “complicated”, I’m going to strip myself naked, move to Florida and chew off somebody’s face. Oh, already been done? Shucks.
No, pilgrims, our situation ISN’T complicated, it’s entrenched, it’s political, it’s self-aggrandizing, it’s rampant, it’s endemic, it’s partisan, it’s without redemption and unending, but it isn’t complicated. Let me explain.
Current wisdom (if you can say that in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento) dictates that we must merely create jobs and our troubles will melt away. For you folks in Hollywood, that means that if we somehow lowered our unemployment rate from 8.2% down to say 5%, then we will mysteriously, through the magic of the ‘multiplying effect’ (aka the ‘velocity of money’), spontaneously make the $4billion a day that we borrow and spend, disappear.
And if you believe that, you’re an idiot. Let’s review.
We are dragging unsustainable spending, like an escaped convict drags his ball and chain. The notion that we must maintain failing agencies that provide NO benefit, but plenty of liability, never occurred to contemporary political leaders as a loser. So Dumbplumber submits his list of agencies that do not pay their own way and in many cases have become that 800 lb. ball and chain.
Before I make my list, I must begin by warning the U.S. Postal Service. You either pay your own way or shut down. Because we have a private sector that will deliver the mail for 60% of what you do now and make a profit. It is not up to me to tell you how you got yourself into this mess.
As for everyone else any agency created to make things better, save money or provide a service desperately needed by America and has done none of the above, then they’re gone.
Gone is the Energy Dept., Education Dept, the EPA, Dept of Transportation, Homeland Security (only because they are redundant) and about 2/3rds of the hundreds of useless bureaucracies that infest our Federal Government from coast to coast.
For instance, the Dept of Energy launched under Jimmy Carter, was formed to make America more energy independent. To say they haven’t is an understatement. In fact, it would be more accurate to say what they DIDN’T do is what has brought us to where we are today.
Did they encourage more exploration offshore? No. Did they, in any way, assist in exploration of the Bakken Field, America’s oil and gas reserve that dwarfs known reserves in Saudi Arabia? No. Or, did they in any way develop “fracking” or horizontal drilling, as a way to extend the life of existing fields or develop new ones? Hell no.
However they have spent a lot of time discouraging and delaying exploration in remote lands, such as ANWAR, where it has been established that reindeer and bear love to snuggle up next to the warm pipelines. And the delays new drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico has become legendary, nevermind that Cuba, China and probably Russia will have rigs dotting the skyline before you know it.
Nothing quite like having your economic and political enemies poaching your oil right under your nose.
Our Education Dept. has become the laughing stock, with teachers unions driving the clown car and educators depriving our youth the basic skills to go forward in life. Under the Dumbplumber Administration they would be gone before the echo of the Oath of Office was silenced.
Ditto the EPA, the Transportation Dept and Homeland Security, which are all duplicitous paper shufflers of State and other Federal agencies. Gone, gone and double gone. Ka Ching. Replaced by universal State statutes that say: If you contaminate our air, water or land through negligence or intention, you will be piped sunlight for the rest of your natural life, jerk.
If such offense occurs through accident, you will feel some real economic and moral pain, but at least you get to live.
Likewise with Homeland Security. You in any way attempt to harm this country or its citizens, the weight of the U.S. Armed Forces will turn you and your daddy into dust. We will however provide maps and bottled water for the wayward foreigners needing direction back to Mexico or Honduras.
In short, things should be a lot more simple and understandable. Like a simple question for future Presidents and California Governors. Can you run America on $6 billion a day, or $2 trillion a year? Can you run California on $65 billion a year? That’s how simple it gets.
If you can’t do either of these, you might look into a different line of work. Because when enough voting taxpayers realize that they are paying for your and your predecessor’s irresponsibility, with no end in sight, they will send you packing.
I’m sorry, but you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet, lawyers, contracts, binding arbitration, unsustainable “defined” pension and benefit packages aside.
So continuing to do the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome, is not only insane, it’s just plain stupid.
We Are So Screwed, Dumbplumber
Dumbplumber maintains that:
Violating the Constitution once is an error, twice is a pattern, three times is irreversible precedent.
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The abandonment of Obama by the Left wingers is becoming embarrassing. A plumber figured out Obama three years ago. Where have all you Liberals been? It must be humiliating coming to the party, when one of the great unwashed is already at the bar with his third cool one.
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To be a fly on the wall at an editorial meeting of the New York Times, MSNBC or any of the Alphabet Networks. They lead sausage making and politics in the Ugly Contest.
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Ann Coulter recently remarked that Chris Hayes, new MSNBC host, was a woman. Dumbplumber figured out months ago that Mr./Ms. Hayes was just Rachel Maddow in a very bad suit.
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Dumbplumber recently commented on the blog ‘Flopping Aces’ that the problem isn’t that Obama, the transparent president, has camouflaged his past. The problem is 46% of America still supports the shyster.
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Massachusetts senatorial candidate, Liz Warren, is about as much American Indian as Obama is Kenyan. (His real father was Indonesian) The only difference is that Obama has a better campaign manager and a worse IT technician.
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Liberals just voted down a ban on gender based abortions. That means it’s okay to abort a girl if you want a boy. AND, you can have the taxpayers foot the bill.
We Are So Screwed
