Shredder has gone bipolar. Last week’s column stated that elected officials “make decisions that will best serve their constituents” (“Power play,” Sept. 12). The SLO County Board of Supervisors and every city council in the county have endured tongue lashings from The Shredder for poor, biased, and underhanded votes. Scoldings have not been limited to elected officials, but rightly extended to county and city personnel as well. In fact, the second half of the column comments on the quality of Paso Robles and Oceano candidates. Why, all of a sudden, are Morro Bay officials so wonderful?
In an incomplete understanding of Measure A-24, The Shredder exaggerates the measure’s reach. Yes, the measure gives power to the voters, but not for stoplights or zoning. Rather, it affirms land use approved by a past City Council (Do you know the difference between land use and zoning, Shredder?). Plus, only in the case of a proposed change in land use, do voters get to vote. Only four parcels are subject to the measure, which are in the heart of Morro Bay’s visitor/tourist area. That seems reasonable to voters because a change in that location changes who we are, and that decision is too important to be left to three politicians.
The measure does not “strip elected officials of power to stop it,” referring to a proposed BESS (battery energy storage system). As noted in the sentence just prior, the California Coastal Commission has permit authority. Commission staff sent a letter to the city expressing grave concerns regarding BESS in that location.
Betty Winholtz
Morro Bay
This article appears in Sep 19-29, 2024.
Betty, it’s time to look forward. California has climate and energy goals, and will do what it needs to meet those goals. The battery storage facility has approval from all of the of the necessary government entities–it WILL be built. The “Yes on A-24” campaign is futile at best, and worse it’s duplicitous and disingenuous. The campaign relies on the imagery and wording that promises to prevent the battery storage facility, yet the language of the proposition itself neglects to include any mention thereof. We can watch the stacks decay and become further derelict, or we can tear them down and begin anew. If we are to attempt to mitigate anthropogenic climate change, we can be a part of it. Concerns are valid, but lies are not. As battery chemistries change and improve, we can only bolster and improve our position in regards to energy security and reliance. Morro Bay could have a renaissance by leading the way in this advent, but NIMBY detractors would prefer to keep Morro Bay in the past as well as its crumbling present. Perhaps to preserve Morro Bay, we actually need to improve it. The guise of “preservation” is self-serving for those who cannot accept change.