Candidate for
Director; Oceano Community Services District

Pamela Dean for OCSD Director

A Community Approach... A Community Voice...

I have lived on the Central Coast for 8 years, the last 5 years in Oceano, where I purchased my first home. I was unaware of Oceano politics when I moved here. My education began when the OCSD threatened condemnation of my home. With the Community's help, I was able to keep my home, and I subsequently became very active in District politics.

OCSD is responsible for providing water, sewer, street lighting for this community. I have seen first-hand the internal workings and the abuse of power this governmental agency can wield over private citizens, all done behind closed doors and without governmental oversight. Most of my experiences relate to the improvement of my property. I know how difficult it can be. I also know that it doesn't have to be this way.

The district can only work if the Directors' hold the Staff accountable and the Ratepayers' hold the Directors accountable. Neither of things is happening right now.

I believe the best place to start is with the basic services the District offers. We do not have to reinvent the wheel, most other CSD's have already updated and improved their systems. It's time OCSD did the same. This pamphlet contains some of my ideas to improve the District's service to the community. Further campaign ideas and information are available on my website: dean4ocsd.com

How the Directors can hold the Staff accountable for Improving Service

Directors need to take a more active part in developing ways to monitor and improve the District's service, to apply the rules so everyone is treated fairly and equally and to ensure that everyone is treated with respect.

Monitor and Improve Service

• Establish time limits on services, such as sewer/water connections. will serve letters and fire safety letters.

• Track all services,include dates for incoming requests and final issuance.

• Prove late water fees- staff retains envelope with the postoffice date stamp for all water bill late fees.

• Institute optional 12-month flex-pay for water bills by averaging the years total water costs.

• Audit level of service.

• Provide a complaint box at the front desk. Give the list to directors.

• Provide checklists so ratepayers know every step of the procedure for their requests for services - (Similar to County checklists and web-site lists and forms)

• Provide access to all the rules and regulations by updating OCSD web site or by procedure pamphlets available at the district office.

• Set up a formal appeals process for grievances.

• Provide access to mediation or arbitration for grievances if District services are unfairly withheld or not completed in a timely fashion.

• Make it impossible for the President of the Board to take away public comment/directors comment ever again.

• Buy an English to Spanish computer translation program for all the District's public information and website.

• Honor all public record requests.

For too long, the old timers on the Board of Directors have refused to police themselves. As public members attending the meeting, we have seen abuses in travel advances, we've come to the meetings to speak to items of importance on the agenda only to find that there is really to be no discussion, the majority of the Directors have already decided the issues before the meeting. The District's accounting system is beyond old-fashioned. We see only bits and pieces of the full accounting story and the District's own auditors have recommended a change. We need to open up the District's activities and discussions so the people can understand what's going on, so people can feel welcomed and respected for offering comments, questions, ideas. If you've watched the videotapes of the District meetings, you can probably sense the frustration of the public in attendance.

Here are some of my suggestions for improving the Directors accountability.

• Ask the Directors to institute a "Sunshine Ordinance"

• Ask the Directors to revamp the District Travel procedures.

• Ask the Directors to inform and invite public input on matters of importance to the ratepayers and district.

• Ask the Directors to schedule Special Meeting s for evening hours making them more accessible to the public.

• Ask the Directors to simplify District's accounting system, description of warrant payments, accounting of income and expenses each month. (Our past auditors have recommended Quick Books)

• Ask the district to institute tracking of director's voting history.

• Ask the District to re-vamp its website -agendas & minutes, to include historical and archived information in a searchable data base.

Directors should be tasked with going to the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission or Meeting with County Staff to present Community's Voice on items of importance and major challenges to the community. Capture the Community's Voice using internet petitions that can tell the County government what we want.

Major Challenges for the Future of Oceano

• Clean-up and Improvements in Oceano
• No Parks on the East Side of Oceano
• Drainage Problems; failure of the piecemeal
  approach.
• Density, replacing our single family homes with
  multi-family developments in Oceano
• Water Shortages, Is high density zoning
  contributing to the shortages?
• Tax Surcharge on Home Improvements,

expensive curb, gutter, sidewalk requirements
when improving your home

Positive Things Are Happening

At the last elections the incumbents were voted out, and the highest vote getter and most notable director, Jim Hill has effected positive change in the community, including getting AGP to televise the OCSD meetings.

This is your government, you can make a difference here and you can chose how you are to be treated by the Directors you elect. It's important to your lives and it is important to your community's life. I can tell you my ideas and how I want to make these changes, but unless we have a majority of new directors, change is not going to happen. Please make this happen November 7th. Vote Pamela Dean for OCSD Director - Vote for the Community Approach- Vote for the Community Voice.