My simple response to Adam Verdin’s “Open letter to the Oceano Advisory Council” (Oct. 20) is that no, I do not support nor condone any type of racist, sexist, ageist, or other negative/prejudicial stereotyping or personal attacks. I do not support such behaviors when engaged in by members of the Oceano Advisory Council (OAC), or the public attending OAC meetings, and have made that clear both publicly and privately. What council members do on their own time in their private lives is not something I have any control over. As chair of a volunteer advisory council, I can only seek to hold persons accountable for their behavior in that role and in line with the OAC code of conduct.
Verdin’s attack is aimed at demeaning my character by attacking those that I have some association with. To that point, Verdin’s hit piece is focused on behaviors of two OAC council members and never once references any prejudicial or inappropriate behaviors on my part. His one comment about my challenging Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) President Linda Austin’s using her private land to promote her personal politics was inaccurate. Days after the entire world witnessed the tragic death of George Floyd, at a time that called for compassionate and rational leadership, Austin chose to raise her “Blue Lives Matter” flag over the town of Oceano in a symbolic act that appeared to represent our community. I attended the next OCSD meeting and criticized this action as wholly inappropriate and incendiary. To emphasize its importance I said, “I will go the mat on this,” not, “I will take you to the mat” as Verdin alleges.
The real intent of Verdin’s attack is to undermine my candidacy for a director’s seat on the OCSD. The temporary appointed incumbent, Steve Montes, has distinguished himself by going AWOL from the campaign after an initially disastrous foray into social media on Nextdoor and a candidate forum at Duna Vista Mobile Home Park. Montes then avoided more forums offered by the League of Women Voters or the Oceano Advisory Council, his excuse being that he was either working or would not be treated fairly. If Montes is too busy to campaign, will he have any time to fight for the issues that will best serve Oceano?
OCSD has the standing and opportunity to be a champion for the community of Oceano. It can start demanding a fairer share of the tax monies Oceano generates for the county general fund (millions plus $500,000 a year in tourist bed taxes). It can collaborate on badly needed infrastructure projects that have languished for decades (curbs, gutters, sidewalks, flood control). It can lobby for authority to apply for community betterment grants. It can begin writing more grant applications for parks and recreation programs in conjunction with the Lucia Mar school district. In short, it can be doing a lot more for the community of Oceano.
I will bring decades of experience, work, and commitment to the director position and, most important, I am committed to the community and people of Oceano. I think this is what really worries Verdin and Austin, aka Montes’ Campaign Committee. Verdin’s personal attack is a too common example in the political landscape of attempting to tarnish an opponent through attacks by surrogates, rather than personally addressing the issues and engaging in public and civil dialogue.
Oceano is at a crossroads between continued living in the past, with its current street flooding, lack of safe routes to schools for kids, being underserved by the county, and catering to the wishes of large business and property owners or embracing and planning for a more equitable, just, and vibrant future. The OCSD can and should play an important role in this future, and I am the candidate committed to providing that leadership. Δ
Charles Varni is the chair of the Oceano Advisory Council. Send a response for publication to letters@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 6, 2022.
I am very honored and grateful to be endorsed for OCSD Director by Supervisor elect Jimmy Paulding, OCSD Director Allene Villa, Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, and Assemblywoman to be Dawn Addis. Endorsement means there exists a sense of basic trust, respect, and faith in the other person and an ability to work constructively together even if you don’t agree on everything. These individuals are champions for Oceano and ready to work with us. Let’s get going!
Although I’m puzzled at how bringing to public attention conduct which I have informed you of in more private communication for almost a year is a “hit piece”, I am encouraged by the first half of your response. I have also heard that you have very recently removed many of your posts where you are engaged in conflict with other community members. I understand one of your board members has taken similar steps. Thank you for finally doing so. I suspect Supervisor Ortiz-Legg , Supervisor-elect Paulding and others are similarly relieved.
So you have “heard” that I removed a post? Where? When? Who? Evidence? When you stop trading in unfounded innuendos with no proof or explanation your credibility rating will vastly improve. I have removed nothing. What you “hear” and actual reality are not necessarily the same, especially if that source is Karen White–who yesterday alleged on Nextdoor that I removed a post, just another one of her bonafide errors. My recent favorite is her charge that I fomented the great Santa Maria groundwater lawsuit while I was a Director of the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District. In fact, over 15,000 voters in the City of Santa Maria elected me to that position because I OPPOSED the lawsuit and the incumbent (Dick Adam) initiated and supported it. Factual reality. What a concept.
It’s really something that in Morro Bay, nearly 30 miles away from Oceano, I’ve had more than a few residents tell me, “At least we’re not like the Oceano Advisory Council.” It used to be, “We’re not as crazy as Los Osos,” but once the dust settled on their wastewater issues were settled, the next shiny object of dysfunction that residents and elected officials can compare themselves to is the OAC. Since you mentioned our councilmember Dawn Addis, who is running for Assembly, as an endorsement, that certainly raised a few eyebrows around here.
Allow me to educate you on the law, Mr. Varni, since you broke it.
The Oceano Advisory Council is an area advisory council that is recognized by San Luis Obispo County government. The OAC also acts as a referral agency for the county, therefore the OAC is also recognized as a county resource. County Resolution 96-485, which was adopted on December 10, 1996, made no mention or allowances of the OAC to engage in political activity. On October 24, you improperly and unlawfully used county resources to organize a candidates forum that solely benefited your campaign for the Oceano Community Services District.
According to the promotional flier for the candidates forum that is still on the OAC website, you and the OAC deliberately misled residents into believing your opponent, Steve Montes, would be participating by a key omission. You were made fully aware that Mr. Montes formally declined to attend your event in personal e-mail correspondence with you. This correspondence was also forwarded to all known media outlets. That formal declination was also published in the New Times on Oct. 13. Stating that both candidates were both invited to attend and participate does not absolve you or the OAC from this egregious conflict.
You deliberately misled residents by not disclosing in your promotional materials for the Oct. 24 OAC candidates forum that you, Mr. Varni, are the current chair of the OAC. This conflict of interest disqualifies you or the OAC from making any claim that the forum is “non-partisan.” You state that you have no control over what OAC members say or do in their private time. But perhaps you were unaware that your “non-partisan” forum moderator April Dury shared your campaign materials in an Instagram post on Oct. 18 one week before the forum. You were also made aware of Ms. Dury’s lengthy history of disparaging comments against various South County residents and businesses. And you made no mention that Ms. Dury is also the serving vice chair of the OAC.
This is highly incestuous.
It troubles me that you roped in Supervisor-elect Jimmy Paulding, Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Dawn Addis into this conversation because it draws the implication that they support you in spite of your misconduct or because of your misconduct. What you just did single-handedly eroded South County residents’ public trust in everyone you mentioned. These are all officials involved in a political party that is still reeling from the fallout of the cannabis bribery scandal involving some of their party leadership. You think you listed big names to support your candidacy, but you actually and inadvertently impugned their integrity by association with you.
Mr. Varni is incorrect in his facts. I am a lifelong Oceano resident and the proud widow of a 35 year veteran of the SLO Sheriff’s office. I flew the thin blue line flag at the Triangle Park in the aftermath of the deadly events in Paso Robles where a young Sheriff deputy was critically wounded. Our American flag had been stolen, residents around the county were supporting our local law enforcement with blue ribbons and flags. I flew the flag as a show of support also. Oceano residents placed blue ribbons around town. I was met with hostile and aggressive emails from Mr. Varni and his friends. Mr. Varni DID say he would go to the mat with me on this. It was a very emotional time and their remarks were very hurtful. They made threats to bring rioters to Oceano and protest, particularly targeting the Oceano Depot. Being a recent single widow, having a grandson, nephew and many friends in law enforcement I was very worried about the safety of them, all law enforcement and our community members. I took the flag and ribbons down. Mr. Varni knows all this but continues to misrepresent what happened.
I assumed you removed some of your comments in the interest of public comity. Perhaps they were removed by Next Door for inappropriateness.
***** FROM A VERY SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH *****
Thursday, October 1, 2020 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm
LWV SLOCO partnered with the Oceano Advisory Council to moderate a forum for candidates for the Oceano Community Services District.
https://my.lwv.org/california/san-luis-obi…
Thursday, May 10, 2018 – 6:00pm to Friday, May 11, 2018 – 7:45pm
Join us for a candidates forum for Board of Supervisors District 4 candidates Lynn Compton and Jimmy Paulding. This forum is co-sponsored by the Oceano Advisory Council and the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County.
https://my.lwv.org/california/san-luis-obi…
*********************************************************************
What Aaron Ochs doesn’t know, could fill The Colosseum. What Aaron Ochs THINKS he knows is as equally massive, sadly.
1) The OAC has participated in forums for several years – way more than is documented above.
2) No advisory council in San Luis Obispo is a government agency. Period. Not one of them is even subject to the Brown Act or CPRA rules.
3) No advisory council is a church OR a charity – you are confusing the grown-up concepts that run our government.
4) Your entire premise is blown out of the water. There is NO law, rule, ordinance, resolution, ANYTHING that prohibits ANY San Luis Obispo County Advisory Council from hosting ANY candidate forum. You should be so embarrassed to ramble on about something you don’t just know LITTLE about, you know NOTHING about. YIKES!
5) The OAC did not *endorse* any candidate, before OR currently.
6) The OAC contacted the League of Women Voters, as they have for the last few DOCUMENTED candidate forums. The LWV worked very hard to get BOTH participants to lock into a date to hold the forum. The LWV couldn’t get resolution and bowed out. The OAC continued with giving the community an opportunity to learn about the candidates, and for the candidates to hear from the public. One participant had stated priorities that were in conflict with participating in any candidate forums. That has nothing to do with the LWV’s *or* the OAC’s important work in creating this opportunity.
7) I HIGHLY recommend folks go to the archived candidate forum from Monday – here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TVGyiAu7s…
You can watch this non-biased, informational candidate forum for yourself. Think for YOURSELF.
In the meantime, the residents and VOTERS of Oceano have a candidate decision before them. It’s a clear choice – one is committed to Oceano and the other cannot even commit to ANY candidate forums.
Aaron and Adam – I know the sight of my name gets you all hot & bothered, but it’s starting to feel really creepy at this point. Two men who don’t even live in Oceano but who sure spend an inordinate amount of time checking up on me. WEIRD! Given the circumstances, it’s realistic, as a woman, to start worrying. Us women, we know that feeling. I really hope you guys figure out how creepy this is. I can’t be more clear and more public in expressing my concern.
April Dury
Oceano Resident
Ms. Dury:
Your very simple Google search is similar to the one I did before writing. Notice there is a key difference between those forums and the one you moderated on Oct. 24: there was a co-host and the co-host was League of Women Voters. The clue is in the URLs. Your most recent candidates forum was neither sanctioned by the LWV nor were the terms of the debate mutually agreed upon by the candidates involved. And I can assure you the LWV would not agree to co-host a candidates forum with the Oceano Advisory Council given those conditions. If what you said is true and you reached out to the LWV to work out the logistics and it proved unsuccessful, the OAC still responsible for forging ahead with an unsanctioned forum with a litany of conflicts of interest as previously outlined.
According to County records, the Oceano Advisory Council is a county-recognized referral agency (also known as an “Area Advisory Council”) for land use and development projects. I had spoken with County staff and reviewed Resolution 96-485 to ensure my assessment was correct. After reading your response to me, I read your board bylaws. Though you are right in that an advisory council need not abide by Brown Act or CPRA rules, there are still standards to observe (i.e. you’re engaging in systemic overreach by acting as a political action committee). And there is an expectation from the County that any county-recognized advisory body does not behave like a political action committee. Although you and the OAC claim you’ve made no endorsements, the actions of your board and your conduct, as described in scathing detail in the New Times, indicate you already have tacitly made your endorsement.
Ms. Dury, discussing the facts is not a misogynistic take. However, what you exhibited in your recent comments is a form of discrimination called misandry, which is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against men. I’m not going to dignify your bizarre sexism with a response. However, your last paragraph shows not only Oceano but the entire county why you’re categorically unfit to moderate any so-called “non-partisan” candidate forum. SAD!
Mr. Varni is correct that, once again, Oceano is at a crossroads between a past dominated by large property owners and businesses and “a more equitable, just, and vibrant future.”
Those in favor of preserving the inequitable past to serve their own interests, including nonresident business owners like Verdin, are eager to sling mud at a candidate who would work tirelessly to represent the majority of the people of Oceano who want his vision of a better future to come to fruition.
OCSD Director Linda Austin represents that past although she is incapable of reporting accurately on history. She raised a thin blue line flag over her privately-owned Triangle Park in the heart of Oceano during global protests over the police killing of George Floyd. Around the country, the thin blue line flag was waved by counter-demonstrators in support of the police who murdered a black man and it’s long been a symbol of white supremacy. Austin was not likely ignorant of these facts when she chose to fly the flag, but her reaction when residents asked her politely but firmly to take it down was vicious. She sicced like-minded people from near and far on another OCSD Director, who was harassed and threatened with rape and death on social media. Austin was certainly not concerned about the safety of that particular community member. We’ll never know her reasons for ultimately taking down the divisive flag, but it wasn’t because anyone “made threats to bring rioters to Oceano and protest.” That is, unless you equate rioters with peaceful BLM demonstrators like those who rallied in Grover Beach, where they were met with counter-protestors holding thin blue line flags, yelling “white lives matter” and using their truck engines to disrupt 8 minutes of silence for people of color murdered by police, while armed men patrolled rooftops nearby.
It’s well past time to let go of the worst ideas from the past. Oceano should elect Charles Varni for a better future.
How about you both shutup and do something for your community instead of arguing like school children.
To see the truth about Charles Varni and my campaign go to varniforocsd.org
Thank you to all the rational, reasonable, critical thinking, and open minded folks out there who support me and reject the hate filled trolls who deal in lies and personal attacks.
Hey D’Souza, post in its entirety (or provide the link) to the purported video of me abusing disabled people. Calling out your lies and BS.