Recent debates over off-roading at the Oceano Dunes, racial issues, and law enforcement have led to a divide in Oceano that’s playing out largely on social media. But a number of community members say there’s one person to blame for the controversy: Oceano Community Services District (CSD) board member Cynthia Replogle.
Replogle, a longtime conservationist and opposer of off-roading at the dunes, is facing intense scrutiny—and harassment—in response to comments she made regarding the off-roading community at a recent California Coastal Commission meeting and a Facebook post in which called the “thin blue line” flag “a symbol of white supremacy.”
Since then, Replogle’s various social media accounts have been flooded with comments and messages criticizing her views and methods of sharing them. Community members in Facebook groups like “Protect Five Cities” are calling for Replogle’s resignation, and at a recent Oceano CSD meeting on June 24, a few public commenters did the same.
But Replogle has a message for her critics:
“I’m not resigning,” she said at the June 24 Oceano CSD meeting, “and I’m not going to back down on these issues.”
While speaking out against off-roading at a Coastal Commission meeting on June 12, Replogle said that residents in Oceano, which she called a “disadvantaged community” that is half “Latinx,” aren’t benefiting from off-roading activities at the dunes and the cheap day-use and camping fees the park offers.
That and a jab at the Jerk Pirates, an Oceano-based off-roading group, enraged the California off-roading community, many who identify as Latino. A June 14 Facebook post, in which Replogle criticized Oceano CSD President Linda Austin for flying a thin blue line flag in a park she owns, only led to more outrage.
Replogle said the response has been intense, and many comments, including some that threaten violence and doxxing, have gone too far.
“That bitch should have been an abortion,” commenter Andrew Drayer said in one thread.
“Drop dead bitch,” Elvis Rocky Alvarez said in another.
A Facebook group called “Oceano Against Cynthia” was created on June 23, and as of July 1, it had 475 members.
But Replogle told New Times that she’s not quitting, and she plans to run for re-election to the Oceano CSD this year. Though her opposition is loud, Replogle said a number of locals have reached out privately to show their support.
“So I feel like at this point I need to be the voice for the people that they’ve intimidated into staying home and staying silent,” Replogle said.
But to Oceano CSD President Linda Austin, all of this looks like a rerun.
Replogle has a history of playing the victim, Austin said.
While Austin said she finds the violent and threatening comments directed at Replogle “repulsive and disgusting,” that doesn’t represent the Oceano community. A majority of feedback, Austin said, has been passionate but respectful. And she said people have a right to be angry about Replogle’s lack of support for local law enforcement, especially after the shooting in Paso Robles, and her attempts to speak for the Latino community.
“One of our deputies was gravely wounded,” Austin wrote in an email to New Times. “I have a thin blue line flag that I fly at times so I thought it would be a good time to fly that flag to show our law enforcement that we support and appreciate their service and our thoughts were with the injured officers.”
Despite what Replogle and her supporters might say, Austin said she is not a racist.
Austin is now listed as an administrator of the “Oceano Against Cythia” Facebook group, which was recently renamed “Five Cities Citizens for Better Government.” Though Austin said she didn’t create the page, she supports its efforts to push out local officials who don’t support law enforcement and other first responders.
“Cynthia has a long history of failure to work with others, and conflict and controversy in her dealing with people,” Austin wrote to New Times. “She has decided to focus on me for some reason. I have remained quiet but due to her latest attacks and attempts to instigate problems in Oceano I am speaking out. Nobody is going to call me, my family, my friends, and community racist and not hear from us. Period.” Δ
This article appears in Pride 2020.
Poor Cynthiax Reploglex and her whitex supremaxy. All she wants is to close the beach to keep the brown people off her personal beach.
Cynthia clearly does not represent the people of Oceano. And actively uses her public platform to push the radical BLM agenda. She is the one, lying to and about citizens of Oceano. She is openly doxing them with pictures on her pages and calling people racist. In reality her agenda is more about the Black lives matter agenda than the Oceano dunes. Which she recently stated in a zoom video meeting. Many residents, Myself included, completely disagree with way she conducts her community seat and her viewpoint on many issues. I will be exercising my right to Vote Cynthia Out!
I’m her neighbor, it’s not been a good thing. I’ll be telling my stories on the sites where she can’t delete them. Her ELETIST Lawyer attitude will be displayed on any site I can find, SOON. Oh, by the way …. She is the Vice Chairman, on the Surf Riders Foundation. I believe, she was planted here by them. She brought that agenda to OCSD, immediately. My Gawd, I beg of this county, to beware of her. NO … on CYNTHIA.
Cynthia4Oceano…. Twitter
Replogle hates brown so much that she won’t even let the UPS guy drive on her driveway
Well .. Bill Jackson, since you brought it up. That is the TRUTH. UPS, has banned anybody on our section of 24th.St. from deliveries. My roommate was receiving his MEDS thru UPS. They had cut off deliveries to her, several months before they cut us off. She has to drive to Santa Maria, for any of her deliveries. So, her final message to UPS, was to block the driver into our driveway. Krist, a WACKO. Next, ELETIST Attorney move. Paint the CURB red in front of her house. There is a fire hydrant there, but it was never painted RED. The previous owners of her house, used to park there daily. Nope, not on her watch. I’m telling the people in this county to beware of this woman. She is truly evil. I have also heard, she run businesses out of her house, with no permit. She moved here 3 yrs ago, with hate in her heart. I’ll feed this site and others, if and when I am ALLOWED
She’s a piece of work alright. anti-American, anti-Law Enforcement, anti-Off road and if you happen to stand for any of those things then you are a racist. She raises a voice that angers the very people she says she’s representing and then cries victim when the people respond. Maybe this is how they do things in Ohio but after 3 years on the coast she should realize this isn’t Ohio and we have no interest in making it that. This community will spare no energy and no expense to see that she is removed. That is exactly what it’s come to.
HERE HERE. She is my pet project. We started having trouble with her, first year here. I didn’t pay any attention to her. Then, the UPS situation came. We have been in this house for 22 yrs. Never has been a single problem, until she moved in next door. She is a devisive, venomous, person. I want this county to know, she is constantly burning on Lynn Compton. I gave her my vote, but if you don’t like that, just keep it in mind. You don’t need to spew on about your thoughts on Lynn. My point is …. I believe Ms. Cynthia … is grooming herself for Lynn’s position. She constantly burns on Lynn Compton. Look it up … it’s on the internet. We need to send her packing now
Another …. New Times story on her, is a must read. January 30 edition. Story is called …. A Rebuttal to Rhetoric. Do your selves a favor, read it. I felt it perfectly described her.