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Thoughts From The Back Of The Room

Tag Archives: Cambria

PROS and COMMS

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Cambria CCSD, Cambria Healthcare District, Educating a Community, Emergency Services, Measure G-22, Parcel Tax, PROS Commision, Words matter

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Tags

Cambria, Cambria Healtcare District, Cambria PROS Commission, CCSD, Community Involvement, Emergency Services

One of Cambria’s biggest mysteries keeps me wondering: Where do people get their information? Not their opinions, but facts? There is quite a bit of chatter and an occasional swell of public participation in the things that local government organizations do. Still, active community participation through “official” channels is statistically negligible.


PROS

A discussion at the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Commission meeting raised this question again. PROS is doing its best to move recreation projects forward and is looking for ways to get public input. The question is, how to do that effectively?

The PROS Commission faces some tough and unique challenges as it strives to meet its charter. The organization has little to no budget and authority yet keeps finding ways to move projects forward. Among the challenges, the East Fiscalini Ranch looms large. As it currently stands, the ranch segment to the east of Highway 1 has a dog park, a few picnic tables, a sizeable graded, gopher-holed open field, and a basic walking path around the perimeter. Under a covenant with San Luis Obispo County, which contributed $500,000.00 to purchasing the Fiscalini property, this section calls for developing “active recreation.” A devil’s bargain, perhaps, but a reality that needs managing.

Best Laid Plans

So, what is active recreation? A Master Plan developed in the project’s early days identified a range of possible uses, from baseball and soccer fields to golf facilities and more. For each project, a slew of regulations, studies, and permits need to be addressed. Moreso, there are environmental concerns for both the physical locations and the surrounding neighborhoods. In reality, each idea brings significant challenges and low probabilities for implementation. One hurdle to the further development of the proposed recreation area is the requirement for bathroom facilities. This condition is on the way to being met, with all the critical study, design, and approvals completed. Now, it needs to be funded and built.

The issues all add up to a nearly unsolvable condition. PROS has been struggling to either let go of or redo the original Master Plan, which doesn’t reflect the practical realities of today. Interestingly, the struggle to come to terms with today’s realities has surfaced another serious and weighty question – What are PROS’ Purpose, Mission, and Operating Principles? How can this unfunded, volunteer-staffed and led Commission effectively provide input to the CCSD Board?

Big Hearts, Small Steps

In the face of all these challenges, the good-hearted and committed members of the Commission have been pressing ahead. They have identified three simple, low-cost projects that will add incremental functionality to the park with little fiscal or environmental overhead. In simple terms, the goals are to better structure the existing paths that run around the perimeter, design and add several exercise stations adjacent to the course, and build a few additional picnic benches and trash receptacles to provide areas for people to sit and relax. Each of these projects will be examined by an Ad Hoc committee to identify the required next steps to bring them from idea to reality.

Contribute

This Ad Hoc committee and the PROS Commission are looking for public input. So how does that happen? Given the low level of participation in the process, it seems new avenues of communication are needed. Go to the PROS page, find a member, and reach out with your thoughts. Attend a meeting. Submit a comment through the Board Secretary. Think about what you are for, rather than what you are against.

Change the conversation from Action/Opposition/Outrage to Input/Discussion/Refinement/Implementation.

COMMUNICATIONS

Attendance at official public meetings is dramatically low. For example, at the PROS meeting today, November 1, 2022, there were two attendees from the public. The number of attendees over time ranges between zero and, on a great day, maybe eight attendees. Most participants seem to be “frequent flyers,” with the occasional surge of folks who log in to speak on a specific issue that they support or, more likely, oppose. The recent discussion around the leash ordinance on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve drew some passionate commentary from the public. Still, even that was limited to a tiny – one handful, perhaps, number. This pattern repeats at the Policy Committee meeting, with many of the same regulars in attendance.

Paying Attention?

The past year has been full of difficult and complicated discussions that cut straight to the core of an issue that touches every member of the community. Rate hikes upon rate increases have left many reeling, angry, and a bit fearful of what may come next. But why were so many people surprised by what happened? Why is the first reaction so often an assault on the honesty, integrity, and competence of our elected officials and the professional staff that keeps our agencies running?

Vote the bastards out! Give us all new heros! Wait a minute, those folks were our heros last time. They must have somehow gotten dumb, corrupt and greedy – no way they are honest! Really?
A quick roll call of the Directors who have served on the CCSD Board since 2012…Clift, Thompson, Sanders, Farmer, Wharton, Pierson, Rice, Robinette, Bahringer, Dean, Stiedel, Gray, Howell. All of these fellow citizens are no good SOBs? Really?

Transparency – A Shared Responsibility

Our local agencies provide very good access to information to the communities they serve. The Cambria Community Services District website is an public portal that leads to detailed current and historical data across the departments that make up the District. Navigation is fairly easy, though as with any information repositories, finding things sometimes requires careful consideration on how one forms a query.

The CCSD website offers a simple, consistent method for citizens to get information on meetings, agendas, relevant updates, and news releases. Users can opt into any or all categories offered and receive timely information delivered to their email addresses. Yet, the data shows that only a small percentage of the CCSD customer base utilizes this feature.

Email Subscriber List                           Subscribed 9/15/2022   Subscribed 11/1/2022
Board Agendas365369
PROS Commission Agendas290293
Finance Standing Committee Agendas304305
Resources and Infrastructure Standing Committee332336
Policy Standing Committee Agendas335336
Water Conservation417424
Annual Water Quality Report (CCR)335342
Affordable Housing Program291297
Fire Department News and Updates361366
Water and Wastwater News and Updates403407
Facilities and Resources News and Updates349353
Administration News and Updates319321
Emergency Notifications351355
Current News331336
Notices313317
Press Releases309 
CCSD EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS

Data Redeux

The Waste Management rate hike caught a lot of people off guard. Even though it received all the required public hearings, it did not generate much public involvement until the reality of the actual increase became clear. Much of the awareness was driven by active community members, who banged the drum and rang the bell to alert fellow community members. The resultant outcry, and poorly executed public hearing, was an epic example of a community in action, good and bad.

The CCSD website had a section dedicated to the issue. The statistics – 254 users, 311 unique page views.


I reached out through a Public Records Request to see how many ratepayers contacted the CCSD for information and feedback before the September 15th Protest date. In addition to my request, four other document sets matched the inquiry. One emailer asked detailed questions about the issue. A second ratepayer asked for a protest form; the third was a fellow citizen who, upon request of the clerk, provided said protest form. The fourth was a string of correspondence between the trash company, the CCSD staff and GM, and the consultant who did the rate study.

I also asked the Directors individually about their contact level with the public. Two responded; the first said, “Two people, and you are one of them.” The second replied, “One came to me through my participation with another community group.” The remaining three Directors did not respond.

I highlight these data points to illustrate how few community members use the official tools available versus how many voice opinions across the spectrum of channels that make up today’s Town Square. There are influential and trusted community members who do the hard work to gather and share information. Some approach issues as a hammer in search of a nail, and others have deeply held principles that frame their positions in support of those beliefs. Then there are the “fighters” who just like to go to battle—democracy in action.

Why is so little interaction with the people and resources best suited to provide factual information? What can the CCSD do to drive more fact-based dialog?

Making an Effort

Want more heated debate? I offer the Cambria Community Healthcare District’s ballot initiative – Proposition G-22. The ballot measure is a big ask for a community tagged with significant rate increases for critical services and infrastructure. In simple terms, the CHD is asking voters to approve a tax on properties within the District’s borders to fund a replacement for the existing Ambulance and District office complex. The measure seeks to raise $8.5 million to remove the existing buildings and construct a modern facility that will meet the current and future needs of the communities served by the CHD.

The documentation provided on the CHD website is more talking points than details, leaving room for interpretations and assumptions, and unanswered specific questions. Further exchanges have continued in the online Town Square, with little movement or resolution, and everybody is a little guilty of intractability.

To the District’s credit, Board members and Staff leadership have been out at the Farmer’s Market every Friday, ready to engage in discussion. A public information forum on a recent Sunday afternoon drew a small crowd to the Joslyn Center, joined by some Zoom attendees. While not a great success, an effort was made to have a fact-based dialog. Unfortunately, the dialog part was less than positive. Though less than totally convinced, I left the meeting as a public supporter of the measure.

Rust Never Sleeps

I have visited the existing facility twice to see the issues up close and spoke with multiple members of the Ambulance Corps. They walked me through the challenging logistics of living and working in the existing building complex. My view (and yes, my gut feeling) is that the conditions are pretty poor, the footprint does not lend itself to modernization, and the domino effect of trying to renovate will lead to significant and impractical hurdles. I am not an expert, but I trust the professionals who have put this project together. And I trust the employees who know better than most the challenges the existing facilities present.

I am reminded of a discussion with a friend about keeping an old car for a few more years versus replacing it with a new vehicle. Would the old car last for a while? Probably, but it would still be an old car that would require more and more service. 

VOTE!

We have three capable candidates running for two seats on the CCSD Board of Directors. Use your mind and your heart. Ask questions rather than make assumptions. Review their platforms. Call them. Email them. Challenge them. Encourage them. And remember, they are our neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens volunteering to take what can be a very unpleasant yet rewarding four year ride. They all deserve our best wishes.

We also have a serious decision to make on the future of our Healthcare District facilities. A decision that will have real impact on all of the community, whether wealthy, poor, or just an average citizen doing the best that can be done to live a decent life.

Think about what you are for, rather than what you are against.

And eat your vegetables.

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Photographs and Memory

20 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Art and Artists, Living Our Values, Music and Art, Photography and Memory, Treasured Finds

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Tags

Cambria, Debbie Gracy, Maureen Calderwood Wiltsee, Memory, Morrison Gallery, Nigel Paul

For a person with minimal photography skills, I take a lot of pictures. Most will fall into the “so what?” category, filled with poorly framed generic shots of trees, clouds, people, the occasional animal, and shorelines that could be anywhere along the Central Coast of California. They will have little meaning to anyone other than myself. But still I snap away, not for any great artistic reason, nor as gathered testimony to a historical event of a searing moment. I do it to trigger my memory, tomorrow, next year, or whenever. I recently came across a series of pictures I took a few weeks before my wife and I began our transition from east coast to west.

Day Tripping

Over the years, we made day trips up the road to the Kent Falls area, a short drive from home. The Morrison Gallery was a favorite place to spend an hour or two, wandering the spacious, serene, and thoughtful spaces that homed fine art, contemporary painting, and sculpture. On this particular visit The Gallery featured playfully sculptured ravens hanging out on different pieces of discarded items, including old cans. For some reason, these pieces resonated with us. As we moved about the space, other, much larger sculptures, including life-sized pair of mountain lions and, outside in the garden, massive elephants drew us in . Many of the pieces, by artist Peter Woytuk, had been part of an installation around Manhattan.

I snapped away with my trusty cell, not holding out much hope that I would capture anything worthy of wall space in this, or any, art gallery. I remember the day, the feel of the wood floor under my feet, the room’s scent, and the colors and shapes of the art. I can retrace the route around the main hall, the small alcoves and rooms off to the side, and the never-failing streams of natural light shining in service of the artist’s vision. And I remember turning to speak with my wife and stopping, stilled by her beauty, equal to any display. She paid me no mind, her focus instead on the literature accompanying the exhibit.


Art and Craft

As weak as I am with a camera, I am equally good at being captured by the work of three artists who possess the eye, the soul, and the skills that force my heart to open and transport me to a place I may have never been, but through the grace of the artist, can easily imagine. I may not have stood where they stood or followed whatever spiritual beam led them to the perfect picture, but their art moves me personally.

I have sought and received permission to share a few examples of their work, and note the images here belong to them. As with all creatives, what appears in final form begins much differently. Art meets craft, imagination meets technique, and time, time, time is spent making what we get to see. Please enjoy the art, and respect the artists.

Nigel Paul

Nigel Paul represents a natural blend of Art and Craft. Nigel has an impressive history as a concert audio engineer, working with a roster of top-tier progressive rock musicians who compose and perform complex technical pieces, with virtuosos filling each position within the group. The audio engineer’s job is to translate the complexities into a clear output that delivers the breadth and depth of the artist’s composition and performance. Doing it well requires incredible technical skill, next-level focus, and a creative, musical mind that translates it all into the performance the audience hears.  

Nigel’s photography reflects all of those characteristics. The detail he captures in his wildlife pictures is stunning. The feathered breast of the burrowing owl, the life in the eyes of the weasel, the complete intensity in the bobcat’s posture and glare – they are life. Imagine the time and patience it takes to find the spots where these animals live, then the stealth and skill needed to stop, wait, and carefully bring the camera to bear on creatures that are not likely to stand still for too long.

When I look at his collection, currently featured as part of San Luis Obispo County’s Cambria Public Library, I see the beauty and mystery of life in this part of California. His backgrounds and colors are reflective of the environment. I can smell the sage, hear the rustle of the dried grass, and in the distance, the faint roll of waves rushing around the shore.

In addition to his wildlife photos, Nigel is passionate about classic and unusual automobiles, as seen in the picture below. Please visit Nigel Paul Photography and enjoy his galleries.

Click the images below for a larger view. Images ©Nigel Paul


Debbie Gracy

When I need a New England fix, I look to Debbie Gracy’s photographs to fill my heart with beautiful, classic, and unique images. From her home base in Hollis, New Hampshire, Debbie sets out across the northeast’s back roads and byways, capturing uniquely American landscapes that bring me back home.

I have been blessed to know Debbie and her amazing family for twenty years and have been an eager observer of her development as an artist. I proudly feature four of her pieces in my home, including a pair of winter scenes, heavy wooden gates half buried in snow, either opened or closed. They are the first images I see as I enter the front door. Down a short flight of stairs hang two more of her photographs; happy sunflowers against a brilliant blue sky.

Through her images, I feel the chill of Autumn and the scents of Spring. The grass, the trees, and the vast skies look, feel and smell completely different from California. Debbie seems to stand a step or two aside, giving her work a barely-noticeable offset perspective. Her work radiates wonder, happiness, curiosity, and always beauty. Which also describes Debbie’s artistic soul.

Treat yourself to the vast landscape of Debbie’s photographs at the  Debbie Gracy Collection

Click Images below for a larger view ©Debbie Gracy


Maureen Calderwood Wiltsee

I have known Maureen since I was zero. My sister has a passion for photography, building a cache of images that feature brilliant seascapes and coastal hideaways from her beloved vacation retreat on Cape Cod. I love the way she captures the light that blankets the scenes below. Always a line of color and a sense of connection to the sea.

Maureen has been a fixture among the community of photographers and visual artists that live in the Northern New Jersey/New York corridor, displaying and winning awards for her striking images. Every year, brothers and sisters would drive to a small New Jersey town to see her work standing tall amidst an impressive gallery of visual artists.

“The Peacock” featured below hangs in my home, cased in a classic white frame that keeps the focus on the subject. It causes people to stop and wonder at the depth and detail captured by the lens, an extension of the eye and artist heart of the photographer.

Click images below for a larger view. ©Maureen Calderwood Wiltsee

The Peacock

Thank you to Nigel, Debbie, and Maureen for allowing me to feature your beautiful pictures. And thanks to all the others who capture moments and memories, whether by luck, determination, or good fortune. The world is a beautiful place indeed.

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Building A Skate Park

13 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Beautiful Cambria, Cambria CCSD, Community Involvement, Local politics, Skate Park, Social Responsibility

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cambria, Community Involvement, Skate Park

Beautiful Cambria never lacks a passion project. The current drive to build a Skate Park on Main Street to replace the one removed due to its deteriorating condition is an excellent example of the challenges of such endeavors.

What might seem like a simple, straightforward project is much more complicated than perhaps people realize. Over the recent weeks, I had multiple conversations with representatives from all parts of the puzzle, including leadership from Skate Cambria, CCSD Board members, and staff. My goal is to present a reasonably clear view of the moving pieces that make up this effort. There are levels of complexity beneath each topic, so I have added links to available details so readers can examine the same data. Here’s a simplified takeaway from those discussions.

The Simple

The goal of the project’s advocates is to build a safe, accessible skate park on Cambria Services District property on Main Street, next to the Cambria Library and across the street from the Vet’s Hall. The previous community-built facility occupied the site before being dismantled due to deteriorating and unsafe conditions.

Proposed Site on Main Street

The Players

A community organization, Skate Cambria, is deeply involved in driving the project forward. Skate Cambria has done an admirable job of gaining community support, as well as skateboard-related industry interest. The group’s fundraising efforts, managed through a local non-profit, have reportedly amassed approximately $175,000.00.

The Cambria Community Services District is involved in the project for two main reasons. First, the property belongs to the District, and by extension, Cambria’s taxpayers. As a community asset under the CCSD’s jurisdiction, there is a responsibility to manage the parcel appropriately.

Second, Cambria’s PROS (Parks, Recreation, and Open Space) Commission serves as an advisory body to the CCSD Board of Directors. PROS has a limited budget and no legal authority to take action without the CCSD Board of Directors’ approval.

The Challenges

As always, the biggest issue the project faces is funding. The preferred location brings a host of challenges that drive costs, and therefore injects financial risks associated with uncertainty.

Information and presentations from the CCSD Special Meeting on October 30th, 2021

Based on detailed presentations from the design and engineering firm Spohn Ranch and the Project Management lead from CCSD, the current projected cost sits at Six Hundred and Sixty-One thousand dollars. This number, provided by Spohn Ranch, carries several caveats, including potential areas of cost reductions.

The Project Management presentation details the requirements from SLO County’s permitting authorities. Concerns include the need for a restroom and accessible parking for the facility. Both of these requirements have the potential to add significantly to the final project costs. There are potential approaches that could reduce or eliminate the need to build out both items. Final project requirements will be defined through Value Engineering/redesign activities and negotiations with the permitting agencies.

Funding Sources

Skate Cambria’s Fundraising Report

Skate Cambria indicates they have raised approximately $175,000.00 in donations. They continue their fundraising activities and lobbying for additional financial support from the community and other interested parties.

A potential funding source under review is a PROP 68 grant for $177,000.00. As part of the application, the District must identify the project’s cost and all funding committed to the project.

Gaining a more accurate and realistic total project cost requires significant interaction with the permitting organizations, complex project re-engineering, and aggressive negotiations among all parties to get to a final project plan. The filing deadline for the grant is December 31st, so it is a steep climb to gather all the data, crunch all the numbers, identify all the funding sources, and go through the process of budgeting and allocation of District funds.

Based on just the “known” estimated costs outlined by Mr. Spohn, the quick math is:

Estimated Project Cost –  $661,000.00.

Assume the $177,000.00 grant is secured. Add the Skate Cambria funds of $175,000.00.

The difference that the CCSD would need to commit to contributing to meet the grant criteria is $309,000.00.

Remember, these figures are based on estimated costs and do not include any additional expense to meet required permit conditions. Nor do they contain any cost reductions gained through redesign and Value Engineering.

Regardless of how the project is ultimately defined, any District money must come from the general fund. That is the same pool of money that pays for the Fire Department and The Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, among other things.

Next Steps

The Board has scheduled a special meeting for Saturday, November 20th, to discuss this project. The meeting will be available through Zoom, and the public is encouraged to share thoughts and suggestions on how to move forward. It is always better to participate in the process and make your judgments rather than rely on other people’s perspectives.

Check the CCSD Calendar for ZOOM links and meeting agenda. 

This project is a positive example of how citizens work together to meet goals that affect the larger Cambria community. Skate Cambria demonstrates the passion and commitment to the Skate Park project and the equally important job of being great role models for the community, young and old.

The CCSD Board and staff continue to do the difficult work of evaluating all the information, balancing the community’s needs, and making the hard decisions about spending limited resources most responsibly.

Beautiful Cambria in action!

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Boy Meets Girl

21 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Beautiful Cambria, Cambria Fire Department, Dreams and Reality, Friendship, Home, Humor, Satire, Searching for Cambria's Reality, Words matter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cambria

Romance in the Time of Covid

The late afternoon sun pokes through the front-facing windows of 927 Brewery, casting elongated shadows as it bounces off tabletops and shines through the amber hues of partially emptied glasses.

A thirty-something man enjoys a flight of craft beer and gazes at the concert posters and photos that cover the walls of the well-worn taproom. Behind the short bar, a bearded man wipes his eyeglasses with a towel, turns, and glides through a set of curtains. He soon returns, accompanied by the clinking of clean beer mugs. He places them within reach of the taps and nods his graying head in satisfaction. He notices that the man has caught the eye of a fellow patron, a pleasant woman dressed casually in a sundress, sandals, and a cute little short-sleeved sweater. The awkwardness of the eye contact soon fades as both patrons recognize the mutual interest.

So begins another page in the never-ending story – Boy Meets Girl in the Time of Covid.

They remain seated apart for a while, sharing rueful smiles as they dance the sadly familiar “moving of the mask.” On, off, sip, savor, repeat. Their eyes connect between each taste, checking to see if they were doing it correctly. It seems both silly and serious, as flirting sometimes does. After a while, she decides some real conversation might be pleasant. She casually asks, “Would you like to go outside? We can chat and enjoy the fading sunlight and the sweet-salty taste of the ocean air.” He smiles agreeably, grabs his mask and cap, and politely waits as she makes her way to the door.

They continue a cautious conversation on the outside patio.

“This is a cool little place,” she offers. “Is this your first time here?”

He shakes his head slightly. “No, actually, I stopped in here one afternoon, before all the craziness of Covid. It was quite busy. The guy behind the bar was hustling to keep glasses full and conversations going. He wore comfortable shorts and sandals, as I recall. I wonder where he is these days.”  

“Across the street,” a fellow patron answered, pointing to a winetasting room filling the curving intersection on the opposite side of the narrow block. “Still wears the shorts!”

“Good for him!” she declares. “All the bartenders where I live wear camo and cowboy boots: a different world, a different everything. I love the variety of people in Cambria. You can talk to ten strangers, and odds are they will be from ten different places.”

He nods in agreement and asks, “So, where is home for you?”

“A small place called Wilseyville, up near Sandy Gulch. Beautiful country, lots of trees, horses, and cows. I grew up there, and even though I travel a lot, I still call it home. It was a safe place to ride out this terrible pandemic, but frustrating to be stuck where nothing much has changed over the years. Overall, though, it is home.” After a thoughtful pause, she continues her story.

“I heard about Cambria from a neighbor. She mentioned that a local girl had landed a great job and moved down this way with her husband. I only knew the girl to wave to, so we probably wouldn’t recognize each other if we passed at the Farmer’s Market. I do remember her love of camo-themed clothes, which she can wear ‘cause she is such a pretty girl. Anyway, I looked up Cambria on the internet, and it seemed like a great destination for one of my freelance writer road trips. So this visit is a bit of a working vacation.”

 She watches him take a sip, then asks him about his journey to the Pines by the Sea.

He gazes up at the surrounding hills, and answers. “I used to come up here with my parents during summer vacation. We would use Cambria as our home base and take great overnight trips to the campgrounds up through Big Sur. It seemed like a place from another time, and I guess it is. I’ve come back on my own a few times to recharge and connect with the environment. Right now I’m in town on business.”

“Ha, something in common!” She smiles. “Working and enjoying this great little town. What kind of work do you do here?”

He starts to reply, then quickly stops as he sees a Q-tipped colored head peering over the steering wheel of a slowly passing car. The driver’s eyes narrow when she spies the couple. She grabs a notebook and pen and furiously scribbles something with her left hand as her right simultaneously raises a small camera and clicks off a few shots. She takes a hard turn onto Main street and disappears behind the frozen yogurt store.

“Well, that was weird,” whispers the woman.

“Not for Cambria,” he replies.

He perks up a bit and smiles. “To answer your question, I am a (stage whispers) consultant, doing some analysis for the local Services District. I’ve learned saying you’re a consultant here is like saying NIAGARA FALLS to the Three Stooges. SLOWLY I TURN, STEP BY STEP, INCH BY INCH AND I….” He notices her puzzled look and adds, “The Susquehanna Hat Company to Abbott and Costello, maybe?”

She looks at him and says, “Three Stooges? Abbott and Costello? I’m sorry, I don’t follow politics.” She waits for a beat, then whoops out a “NyukNyukNuk,” followed by a loud “Hey ABBOTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!”

“Oh my god, she’s perfect for me!”

“Oh my god, I’m perfect for him!”

Any reservations about continuing the evening fade away. A different type of energy takes over.

“So, where are you staying?” he asks, mentally calculating the distance to any of the local hotels.

“The Bluebird Inn, on Main Street,” she answers, checking her guest key to be sure. “It’s in a good location and more affordable than the places on Moonstone Beach.”

“Wow, what a happy coincidence! I’ve been staying there for a week now. I’m finally getting used to the sound of the streets rolling up around 9:30.”

“Speaking of things shutting down early, I could go for some food. You’re practically a local; where do you suggest?” She then corrects herself with, “Oh, I’m sorry, I should have asked if you would like to join me for a bite.”

“That sounds fantastic,” he quickly responds. “Let’s start walking. We’ll decide along the way.” She reaches out and lightly places her hand on his arm, and says, “Sounds like a plan!”

The man behind the bar is fussing with a playlist, skipping through songs until he stops on a rollicking, aggro-country Americana folk tune. Neither one of them could identify the music, so the barman explained. “It’s called “Buddies and Barbs” by a local singer-songwriter team. It tells the tale of the ongoing dialog that passes between Cambria’s tribes. It is sung and played in two different keys at the same time.

“Sounds kind of painful,” she says in a puzzled voice.

“You have no idea,” the barman replies, glancing at a faded green flyer that bore his image, and the washed-out words “vote for …” then a smudged something.

Armed with this bit of local lore, they say goodbye and head out to continue their adventure. He suddenly stops, asks her to wait by the door for a quick minute, and dashes across the street. He returns carrying a bottle of Pinot Noir. He gallantly proffers the wine. “To a great evening, and yes, he still wears shorts.”

They walk towards the East Village. The two now-cozy visitors decide to get something from Indigo Moon to enjoy back at the Inn. While they wait for their order they savor a relaxing evening cocktail. By the time they reach the Bluebird, they are familiar as old friends.

With food and wine in hand, they silently question, “Your place or mine?” She points to her room, unlocks the door, and waves him in with an exaggerated bow. He places the food and wine on the dresser. She brushes against him and reaches into the bag, forgetful of what they had ordered but not caring.

The assorted cheese plate calls out for an accomplice. Two tumblers of Pinot oblige. They each take a slow sip of the wine and begin to nibble on the cheese. A candle burns, a curtain closes, and a duvet finds itself tossed carelessly to the floor. Soon, the cheese is finished, but not the nibbling. Each looks to the other for a signal. The room heats up. Clothes start to fall away.

“Wait,” she says suddenly. “I am totally into what we are doing and definitely want to continue. But I have to be certain that we take all the right precautions. Do you have…”

He smiles confidently and reaches for his wallet, enjoying the building excitement. He opens it slowly, reaches in, and gently extracts the very thing needed at this moment. He notes the slight outline it has left on the soft leather. He places it on the nightstand, gently smooths the creases, and shows just how prepared he is with a slightly trembling hand.

She takes it from him, studies it for a moment, and quietly sighs, “Moderna. Two doses. Oh, yes!”

Things begin to accelerate when another thought creeps in. Not wanting to break the mood again, she slips her hand into her nightstand and says seductively, “I brought something special with me, just in case a night like this might happen. I… I’ve never used one of these before with another person, so I’m a bit nervous. Maybe you could help me with it?”

Now delirious with fantasy, he agrees faster than Meatloaf by the dashboard light. She brings her hand up and slowly reveals what she has in mind. She looks him deeply in the eyes, places it in his eager hand, and says, “This is for you. Swab me. Swab me good.”

“Are you sure about this?” he asks.

“What an odd question,” she answers. “This is a time when you absolutely do not want me to be positive. Now enjoy the best fifteen-minute wait you will ever have.”

“Hey Abbott indeed,” he thinks as he unwraps the rapid test kit.

In the blur of passion, neither notices the growing tendrils of smoke beginning to fill the room. The insistent beeping of a close-by alarm breaks through the fog, causing them to jump up in confusion. Confusion quickly turns to alarm. Small fingers of flame dance atop the dresser, consuming the carelessly discarded swab packaging.

She grabs a half-empty tumbler of Pinot and pours it over the spreading flame and watches, fascinated, as the remnants of the assorted cheese platter melt into a weird little fondue.

He grabs a towel from the bathroom and wets it in the sink; a painful, slow process. Water dribbles through the regulator installed on the faucet. With little time to waste, he gives up and drops the slightly damp cloth atop the smoldering mess, creating a Picasso-like bas relief of a picnic gone horribly wrong.

Under heavy pounding the door yields, and the room fills with first responders, led by a small but forceful Fire Captain. Her ice-blue eyes take in the scene, and she quickly gives an order to her crew. “FOAM IT ALL DOWN!” They do so with great enthusiasm.

Mission accomplished, the Captain offers a smart salute to the cooled-down couple and orders her team out. As they leave, a newly-minted reserve firefighter, shaken by her first encounter with live danger, receives some brotherly advice from a red-headed engineer who ends his pep talk with “…and this is why we always keep a supply of rice cakes handy.”

Wrapped in  rumpled sheets and wearing flimsy paper slippers, the couple watch the firefighters depart. They are grateful, albeit a bit embarrassed by the whole messy event. As the truck rumbles past, the captain gives him a slight smile and a wink. He remembers that he is scheduled to meet with the Fire Chief and his team the next day.

“Well, this is a story that won’t be featured in my next travelogue,” she says with a chuckle.

“Amen to that” he mutters. “I guess we should get some rest. My room is undamaged. We can sleep there.”

She nods and adds, “Plus, we are already swabbed, so…”

They join hands and disappear into the Bluebird, as a car slowly rolls by. A nearby streetlamp briefly illuminates a Q-tip colored head. With the seething sound of an outraged “consultant indeed!!!” and the click of one final picture, all becomes silent in Beautiful Cambria.

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Role Models

21 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Words matter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cambria, Community, inspiration, Love, Role models, teachers

There are moments when the vision of the perfect American small town is realized here in beautiful Cambria. Amidst the fractiousness of diverse world views, small moments of grace slip through the noise, just enough to bring a bit of positivity to balance things out. For every rally cry or protest, there are quieter moments where true inspiration occurs almost unnoticed. Within these moments, we get to experience joy, hope, admiration, and pride in the grace and positivity of this remarkable place.

 He drives the community bus.

You see him at the Cookie Crock, cheerfully helping his charges pick items from the shelf. Then, he positions the shopping cart and carefully transfers the day’s groceries and passengers safely into the bus. He does all this with respectful ease, bringing calm to what might be an anxious outing for our senior neighbors.

He smiles a lot, and banters a bit, and seems to know what is needed – support, independence, gentle assistance, some of all the above.

When not behind the wheel, he participates in the larger community discourse. He expresses his opinions and presses for answers on matters that concern him. He holds solid views but doesn’t lock out other voices who see things differently. While others shout, insult, threaten or accuse, he raises his hand or writes a letter. He exercises his rights as a thoughtful adult.

They will create a better future.

Seven young women from Coast Union’s class of 2021 accepted scholarships from the Cambria UU community. Intelligent, articulate, focused. Humble, grateful, and well aware of the opportunities they have earned.  

They spoke of their role models – parents and families who sacrificed so much to give their children more than they took for themselves. As each student shared their plans for the future, they gave me, and many others, a teary-eyed hope for the future. 

They will take advantage of the generosity they received and return those gifts to their community through the skills and experiences they will have gained. These seven young women, and the rest of the remarkable graduating class of 2021, are role models. 

You

Behind these graduates flow lines of teachers, parents, employers, and community contributors standing as examples of living one’s values. You take your principles into the streets, the shops and restaurants, the farms and ranches, and the places of worship. You turn abstract concepts into tangible skills, demonstrating how to defeat the roadblocks and obstacles that sometimes slow us down. 

You are the local business owners standing in the street with the kids, fighting for a place to skate and congregate.

You are the educators who design curriculums that teach rudimentary skills, the value of teamwork, and the value of commitment.

You are the first responders who arrive when our stress is high, and fears are real. You bring physical bravery and skill, but your kindness and compassion save us more often.

You are the keeper of the environment, the holder of the positive attitude. A builder, not a destroyer.

You demonstrate what good looks like, what truth sounds like, and how decency feels.  

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Shine on, beautiful Cambria.

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Two Good Candidates

30 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Words matter

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cambria, Cambria community services district, CCSD, Choices, Leadership

It is unusual for me to share my preferred candidates for local office, but hey – it is 2020!

David Pierson

For those who follow the CCSD board, think back to how contentious board meetings and actions were before David’s appointment. A noticeable change started to occur in the short time he served before standing for election. The tone, often bordering on uncivil, gradually softened. Critical issues that had gone through weeks and months of unproductive review, debate, and delay began to get more focused and disciplined action.

David applied his lifetime of accumulated skills – time management, people management, technical project management, agenda management – to improve what was a chaotic style of governance.

David’s natural leadership and dedication to the community led to his selection as Board President. Progress, though never fast, was happening. The change in board composition, which could have introduced more conflict and competing agendas, was managed with firmness and respect for each board member, and for the community. Even when some of us behaved in ways that did not merit respect or patience, David showed both.

One situation in particular sticks with me; Director Howell was uncomfortable with signing off on a financing agreement that had been previously reviewed but had one small modification. The rest of the board was ready to press ahead, but David, sensing Donn’s reluctance, offered the delay Donn needed to be comfortable. He showed Respect, Leadership, and Character.

Due to a public endorsement he did not seek or have input into, David has been “paired” with another candidate,. This goes against what every candidate had asked for at the beginning of this process – judge each as individuals, not as teams or members of a particular group.

David Pierson is a leader, but more than that he is a good and committed community member who deserves the highest level of respect, regardless of individual differences on issues. I know many of us have already voted, but for those still poised over the ballot, please take a few minutes to review what David has done, and what he stands for. And please consider what he says – all of what he says – and not what others may project onto him and his positions. There is a lot there.

Karen Dean

In an election where character matters up and down the ballot, Karen Dean stands as a candidate for public office I can support.

Karen demonstrates thoughtfulness, preparedness, and willingness to put in the hard work needed to be entrusted with representing our community.

I have seen first-hand Karen’s practice of inclusion and engagement, beginning with what is referred to, tongue in cheek, as the “Infamous Chinese Temple Blue Shirt Circle Incident,” where the call for open engagement and dialog was belied by an ugly and unneeded denial of same. Karen took the time to share with me the goals of the group, a discussion that has led to several years of good, honest conversations around things we agree on and things we do not.

With her demonstrated hard work and integrity, I can easily see Karen working positively and collaboratively with returning directors Steidel and Howell, and whoever the community chooses to fill the other positions.

Karen can be trusted to do what a good leader should do – listen, learn, argue when needed, and compromise when appropriate. Karen will work across the diversity that is Cambria and use her best judgments when decisions need to be made.

Finally, being for a candidate does not equal being against another candidate.

Vote!

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Thoughts From The Back of the Zoom

19 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Beautiful Cambria, Cambria CCSD, Cambria Healthcare District, Cambria Schools, Communicating, Community Involvement, Home, Living Our Values, Local politics, Social Responsibility, Words matter

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cambria, CCSD, Choices, Community, Community Involvement, Family, Home, Local News, music, Social Responsibility

As we enter year twenty-seven of the Corona Quarantine, Cambrians are doing a pretty good job of adapting to our new reality. Happiness begins at home!

Upstairs Downstairs

My wife and I have separate workspaces where we can write, play our instruments, and goof off. We have a few regular check-ins each day – morning coffee, lunch, afternoon coffee, and Jeopardy.

Her office is set up with an integrated desk for her computer and a cabinet that holds everything; pens, pencils, notepaper, stamps, paper clips, 3×5 index cards, and what I think is either one of the Dead Sea Scrolls or a yellowed press clipping from the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Across the room, her digital piano is set up in the closet, so she can move from the PC keyboard to piano keyboard in a few short steps. Her biggest weapon is her grand piano, which lives upstairs and gets daily vigorous workouts that range from Chopin and Mendelssohn to Lennon and McCartney.

My office is set up in what was a walk-in closet attached to the guest room. It contains a work desk I built to take advantage of a recess in the wall. In addition to my PC and associated devices, I am surrounded by my own musical tools. Most are kept in cases, but one or two are left out within easy reach should the muse strike. Behind me, a curtain conceals a couple of amps that allow me my own vigorous musical-ish workout. It’s mainly about the loud!

Going Digital

Our use of digital technology to keep in contact with the world has expanded. We have mastered Facetime through frequent sessions with the grandkids. It fills part of the void, but nothing replaces reading a book or playing the piano and guitar together. Sitting at the dinner table helps us all learn new scientific facts, like how far pasta can fly before sticking to a sibling’s ear. I miss those zany kids!

We have extended our virtual world to include work, worship, and writing.

Small Adjustments

As a home-based content creator, I have gotten comfortable with social distancing. My weekly sessions with my publisher, as well as client interviews, have been done over Zoom for quite some time. Seeing and hearing the people I’m writing about adds another dimension to the process of building compelling stories.

During a recent interview with the owner of a long-established printing and data management firm, I was struck by the impact the ongoing pandemic was having. On the day we spoke, he sounded exhausted, worried, and determined to keep his business open and delivering for his clients as COVID-19 cut his staff by almost half.

Even in a business with automated workflows, intelligent, data-driven systems, and process-bound operations, the reduction in well-trained, experienced employees was determining whether this family-owned, multi-generational concern could continue to operate.

It is all about people.

Big Adjustments

Jan’s routine has adjusted to the new realities. She has suspended her teaching practice, believing vocal and piano lessons wouldn’t be as useful over the web. Lyra, a woman’s vocal group featuring talented singers from Cambria, has not been able to maintain weekly sessions, leaving a musical and emotional gap in her Wednesday afternoons. The weekly writer’s group she participates in has adopted an virtual meeting format, using Google Hangouts. They gather online to share their works in progress, offer critiques and suggestions, and, most importantly, support each other as writers, artists, and connected creators.

Spiritual Connections

Sunday services are another part of Jan’s evolving routine. The process of moving what had been an in-person communal gathering, with a set flow, into an environment of multiple remote participants, was not trivial.  The switch required both simple and complex changes to use online tools to deliver the service and enable congregant participation.

As a contributing musician, figuring out everything from audio levels to synchronization of sound was quite a hill to climb.  Fortunately, this community is rich in talented, experienced members with backgrounds in the creative and technical arts. After multiple rehearsals and tech run-throughs, the service is again open to the congregation. People are able to come together as a community. The spirit is willing, and the flesh can wear sweatpants.

Local Government

California’s Brown Act sets the rules for government meetings to ensure transparency and accountability. As the pandemic widened, in-person public gatherings became at first impractical, and then impossible as shelter in place orders were enacted. The Brown Act rules were adjusted to allow for agencies to conduct the people’s business through virtual meetings.

The Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) and the Cambria Community Healthcare District (CCHD) quickly adjusted, conducting web-based meetings to ensure the public’s ability to participate in the process of government. These sessions are accessible through the internet, over the telephone, and, in the case of CCSD, the existing livestream and public access television.

Is This Thing On?

As the CCSD Board and staff work through different processes to hold online meetings, we get to experience every variant of the memes poking fun at web-based sessions.

You’re muted…YOUR MUTED!!!!…UNMUTE YOURSELF!!!!!!!!  Sorry, can you hear me? (CROSSTALK) Can you hear me now??? WHY ARE YOU WAVING AT ME????? WHO IS PLAYING THE BACKSTREET BOYS ???? I CAN”T HEAR ANYONE!!! DEAR GOD, IS THAT MY HAIR????? Oh, That’s better. Haley, any public comment? (I learned that you can actually hear and see eye rolls in high definition.)

eyerolleyerolleyerolleyerolleyerolleyeroll

Familiar

Remote meetings offer Board members and staff the chance to mispronounce regular participants’ names in a whole new forum. Perhaps the abundant stay-at-home time presents the perfect opportunity to learn how to pronounce them correctly. It’s not like they aren’t called two or eight times a meeting! And for goodness sake, if “Elizabeth Bettenhausen” just rolls off the tongue, surely we can manage to put the “T” in the vice-president’s name! Say it with me now – Cindy Siedel…uh, Cindy Seitel, uh, Cindy Steidel – yeah, that’s it!

Hopefully, more Cambrians will find their way to the Zoom Room. Perhaps an inviting graphic might draw some regulars back. How about a pre-roll package featuring a perky, upbeat theme song and an announcer introducing the cast, super-imposed against the backdrop of various Cambria landmarks?  “From the beautiful central coast of California, it’s time for CCSD LIVE!!! (canned muttering and grumbling, chairs scraping and agendas rustling.) “And here’s your host, President Harry Farmer!!!!!” (Shot of the blue beetle pulling up and Harry entering the frame from his home.)

CCSDCS

Hear Me Roar!

On a more serious note, the current webinar format used by the CCSD has a lot of positives and a few negatives. The ability to participate in the meeting is there, though not in a way that allows citizens to “speak” in their own voice. Instead, public comments are submitted to the Deputy Clerk via email. She then reads them into the public record. A serious objection was raised by a citizen who felt this process was an impediment to full public participation. I understand this objection, though I don’t agree that it blocks engagement. It might feel like voices are being muzzled; however, the words are communicated as they are written.  As the need for these virtual meetings continues, the opportunity exists to try different ways of including public comment in its native tongue.

Words Matter

As both a comment-er and a silent observer, I found myself intrigued by hearing public comment read aloud by a neutral party. People generally have a speaking style that is unique to them, and over time it can lull this listener into less than a fully attentive state. At the last meeting, I found myself paying closer attention to the words rather than the delivery. It was a bit disconcerting to hear how harsh many of the comments were. I found myself reacting viscerally and felt less open to understanding the stated points of view.

I had a similar moment of disquiet on last month’s CCHD web meeting when the new Director was sworn in using an extended version of the Oath of Office. The first part was familiar – it is the oath sworn by officials ranging from our CCSD board, our School District board, and even the Governor of California. The second part, however, made me sit up and say, “huh?”

“And I do further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that now advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means; that within the five years immediately preceding the taking of this oath (or affirmation) I have not been a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocated the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means except as follows:
_____ (If no affiliations, write in the words “No Exceptions”) _____
and that during such time as I hold the office of _____ (name of office) _____
I will not advocate nor become a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means.”

I checked with the District Administrator to make sure I heard the words correctly. He pointed me to the State of California Constitution. Further examination showed this section was added in the early 1950’s – during the time of the second “Red Scare.” Sound judgment has eliminated the paragraph from current oaths, and hopefully, it won’t make a reappearance in future swearing-in ceremonies.

Beautiful Cambria

Throughout this uncertain time, Cambria’s essential services continue to be delivered by the men and women who keep the water flowing, the ambulances running, and the open spaces available to us to clear our minds and stretch our legs (six feet apart.)

Our grocery stores are doing vital work, keeping shelves stocked with the food, medicines, and consumables we need to keep body and soul together. Thanks!

Our restaurants are adapting to the new reality, transitioning from sit-down establishments to pickup and delivery models. This fills some of the gaps for both the businesses and the residents who support them. Thanks, and hang in there!

Most impressively, the true spirit of Cambria is on display everywhere. Individual citizens and community organizations are shining brightly. Raising money, operating food banks, looking after the kids who depend on school lunches to survive. Making masks and keeping regular communication going out to the community on the many Cambria and San Simeon social media sites. The scope of this beautiful generosity is too great to capture in one paragraph, but the efforts are humbling and heroic.

Beautiful Cambria. Beautiful Cambrians.

sntarosa.jpg

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Everybody Knows That!!!

26 Wednesday Feb 2020

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Beautiful Cambria, Cambria CCSD, Communicating, Community Involvement, Educating a Community, Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Services, Home, Humor, Local politics, Searching for Cambria's Reality, Social Responsibility, Words matter

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Cambria, Choices, Community, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Services, Local News

Johnny Carson used to say “I did not know that!” Was he the last honest man?

A major insurance company has revived a series of television ads featuring a “fractured fairy tales” approach to classic characters. The setup of “everybody knows that” is followed by a “well, did you know…” leading to an absurd premise. My favorite spot features Pinocchio as a failed motivational speaker. Everything from the concept to the actors is note-perfect. I particularly love the facial expressions – first, the kid’s reaction to his father’s assertion that the fictional boy lacked sales skills, to the crestfallen response from the seminar attendee who sees the wooden wonder’s nose betraying his words that “you have potential…”
geico-pinocchio-was-a-bad-motivational-speaker-large-9

If you pay attention, you might see similar looks on the faces of fellow Cambrians as they ingest information from different sources in and around town.

ZAP!

A short while back, an incident occurred where power lines fell across the only legal access road into and out of one of our neighborhoods. Cambria Fire and CalFire responded to the event and followed emergency protocols. Safety first. They took up positions to keep people from coming in contact with the still-charged lines.

According to the Cambria Fire crew that responded, there was a real danger. Active fire impacted the poles on either end of the cable run. The lines that fell into the street were charged and arcing. Yet, even with this crazy and highly visible danger, people were driving and walking around the firetrucks, ignoring the orders to stop. Dumb and dangerous to the citizens and the first responders.

Why?

With the road blocked, residents were not able to get out of the neighborhood. This blockage presented some real headaches, as folks needed to get to work, or school, or to a big pro-or- anti -swimming pool meeting. An inconvenience, to be sure.

A citizen approached the firefighters and asked if they could open the gates at the emergency fire road that traverses the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. The crew declined, saying they didn’t have the resources to spare.

So, here’s where the false premise of “everybody knows that” comes in. Grumblings began that the firefighters “didn’t have the resources” – which translated into “they didn’t have a key to the gates.” Which turned into “nobody knows who has the key to the gates.” which became “if this were an evacuation scenario, nobody would know how to open the gates.” And on and on it grew.

Eventually, a community member in possession of a key unlocked the gates at either end of the emergency road, and people were able to use it to exit the neighborhood.

Begats

A legitimate emergency – downed power lines -begat an inconvenient situation – no exit from the neighborhood – which begat irresponsible actions – driving and walking around the emergency vehicles and through the danger – which begat a questionable use of an emergency road across a protected preserve – which begat a series of assertions about emergency response preparedness.

Not Everybody Knows That!

The reality is that there are plans to handle emergencies and facilitate evacuations if needed. There are protocols in place, including communications plans, multiple agencies and civilian responders with assigned duties, and plenty of keys to go around.
All of this information has been published, shared, mailed, reported out on, posted, and promoted for citizens to read and absorb. There was a major town hall meeting this past June 29, 2019, focused on fire safety and emergency response plans. Hundreds attended. It was even on the TV.
In January of this year, there was a second town hall meeting hosted by the Cambria FireSafe Focus Group. The Vet’s Hall was packed. Representatives from Highway Patrol, SLO Sheriff’s office, CalFire, Cambria Fire, Caltrans, and SLO County’s office of Emergency Response shared their emergency response plans. Each presenter engaged in Q&A with the attendees. Printed material, websites, and contact information were given out.
But still, in this contained, limited event, things spun out, with people demanding answers and making statements that were more from annoyance and ignorance of the facts than anything else.
So what would happen in a real emergency? Who will respond, and how?

For a quick and helpful primer, go to the FireSafe Focus Group/Cambria Fire website.

Says Who?

Cambria’s agencies work hard to make as much factual information and data available. Public meetings provide the opportunity to see and hear what is going on. Yet, these meetings are often sparsely attended. Citizen engagement often means the same small handful of folks trooping to the podium to express the same small handful of opinions and grievances, with an occasional “atta boy” for a well-done job or a significant individual accomplishment. Of course, there are also a fair amount of thoughtful, probing, and important questions raised that drive action and greater community awareness.

What is more remembered, the protestation, or the response?

Who Has That Kind Of Time?

Public meetings are often long, sometimes confusing, and regardless of the time of day, difficult for many to attend. There have been honest efforts to try different schedules to drive more attendance, but the result has been the same. So how else do citizens and interested parties get their information?

LIVE!

Community Services meetings are live-streamed as they occur, and broadcast on local public access television. The recorded sessions are archived and accessible within a few days so that interested people can watch the sessions at their convenience. These services come with a price – a rough estimate of the fees charged to facilitate these channels come in around $1K per session – costs increase when the meetings go over the scheduled time. With two meetings per month, plus additional special meetings that might be broadcast, the amount spent adds up.

AGP

Excerpt from Feb 20, 2020 Board Packet

Anybody Home?

I was curious as to how effective this process is – how many people watch or listen remotely? I reached out to AGP to gather some data. After some back and forth, they told me they only provide that information to the agencies they serve. I followed up with CCSD staff who returned the following stats. It appears these hits were not previously tracked, so I was only able to get one month’s numbers. They provide limited information, but something worth monitoring over time.

Here’s AGP’s statistics for January 2020 CCSD meetings, provided through a public records request.

CCSD 1.16.20:  LIVE: 16

CCSD 1.22.20:  LIVE: 22

CCSD Archive views for the month of January to date: 82

It seems like a lot of money for a little return.

Hosted Websites

The Services District and the Healthcare District host websites that contain information about what goes on in each organization, as well as legal, regulatory, and organizational details that support many of the district policies and practices.

The CCSD site has been recently overhauled and has become more user-friendly. According to the data collected by Google Analytics and provided through the Public Records Request process (accessible through the website,) a good number of people use this tool to gather information and seek answers to ongoing puzzlements.

From January 20, 2019, through January 26, 2020, the Cambria Community Services District website was accessed 87,690 times, with 68,394 unique page views. That is a pretty good amount of traffic, though the top pages were a bit of a surprise.CSDWEBTRAFFIC

The complete list of results can be found in the following link:

CCSD_CombinedWeb

The Healthcare District website is currently undergoing a redesign, with the goal of making it both user and administration friendly. The work is being done by an active District employee, often in his free time, so it might take a while before it is ready for publication.

Widen The Lens

There has been a sporadic outcry around CCSD directors and staff using electronic devices during meetings, with the subtle and occasional direct accusation that all manner of nefarious communication was happening between board members and mysterious influencers and special interests.

Rather than rail against the perceived downside of electronic communication, why not embrace the potential and expand its use? Open a web channel to the meeting that would allow viewers to submit questions or comments to the presiding clerk, have the item read out loud, and have the written/electronic dialog entered into the minutes. Viewers who wish can ask their questions or make comments through the microphones on their computer, tablet, or smartphone. Brave citizens having a good hair day can turn on their camera for their allotted three minutes. More people will have the opportunity to “speak” to the board, staff, and community without the challenges of having to physically be “in the room where it sometimes happens.” Caller number five could win a toaster!

Businesses engage with clients all around the world in this fashion, using video and audio to make personal connections that increase understanding and decrease uncertainty. Participants can make “eye contact” through video, exchange written comments and conduct Q&A through chat/messaging features, upload documents for review and comment in real-time. Tone, tenor, facial expression, body language – all contribute to a complete dialog.

But..but…Cambria has old people who don’t use computers!

Really? Take a look at local social media sites and get back to me!

Let’s try it!

Shot Clock

Public commenters are limited to three minutes per item, with the board President controlling the clock and having some discretion with the time.

I suggest the same (or even shorter) time limits should apply to each board member who wishes to speak on a topic. Yes, the dialog between the members is essential and should happen freely. It is sometimes the case, however, where a director will go on a ramble. That suggests a lack of preparation.

Put together a compelling thought and present it in a manner not requiring a map, a compass, a dictionary, and some of that free coffee from the back counter. Each director should prepare their thoughts in advance and know what points/questions/positions they wish to share. Write it down. Read it back. Time it. Edit. Repeat. Speed up the meetings and reduce much of the frustration of fellow directors, staff, and the public who are trying to follow along. It may seem like this would limit dialog, but in my view is it would make dialog more effective and drive better results.

Takeaways

Even with all the efforts to communicate critical information throughout the community, there are, and will always be, gaps in our collective knowledge. Information is everywhere, we just need to look, ask and at times suggest better ways to share what we know, and what we would like to know. This community is blessed to have a good number of people who help all of us stay smart and safe. But as we are often reminded, we are each responsible for our own well-being.

Just because we may not know something, that doesn’t mean it’s unknowable. As Pinocchio tells us – we all have potential!

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Delivering The News

13 Wednesday Nov 2019

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Communicating, Local Journalism, Words matter

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

CalPoly Journalism, Cambria, Jim Lemon, Joe Tarica Editor, Judith Pratt, Karen Garcia Journalist, Kathe Tanner Journalist, KCOY/KEYT, KSBY, Local Broadcasters, Local News, Megan Abundis, Reporters, Richard Gearhart, Scott Hennessee, SLO New Times, SLO News, SLO Tribune, Social Responsibility, The Cambrian

As an avid consumer of local news, I have preferences and opinions on how it is gathered and distributed across different media. At times I am quite impressed by the level of quality and professionalism on display, and at other times I find myself grumbling, “you know we can see you, right?” at the television. I find myself equally split as I peruse local and regional web-only publications, wondering if Strunk and White have gone the way of Perry White.

Television news has a particular impact on local communities. The reach and visibility extend beyond the screen, with many of the news teams supporting different communities and local organizations through public appearances, speaking engagements, and giving campaigns that benefit the locales they cover. These public service engagements leverage the “News Personality” appeal of broadcasters.

Print journalists are more often unrecognized as they move about the communities they serve. The work they do is valued by the words they share, without the benefit of the catchy jingles or exciting graphics. Their voice is not the one we hear; it is the one we read.

The Challenge

Consumers used to have to go to the media to get what they needed. Today, the media has to go to the consumer, finding them where they are. Business models morph as technology and culture change. Revenue streams once counted as subscription rates and advertising blocks, now include clicks and listens. The ability to watch or read content when the consumer wants it, rather than when the media outlet serves it up fresh, changes the weighted value of traditional metrics.

Advertisers now have a more extensive range of data points they can study to determine the effectiveness of their marketing spend. These metrics can drive those advertisers to different channels, which in turn forces the media companies to re-balance their portfolios to retain both consumers and clients.

The stories and rumors once exchanged over the clothesline are now bulk-loaded into the leaky washing machine of Facebook groups and Nextdoor pages. Technology has made anyone with a smart device and an appropriate vocabulary an instant expert. Jumbles of fact, opinion, and occasional malice get tossed, untreated, into the spin cycle, and often end up dirtier and nearly unrecognizable.

Yet, even with all of these challenges, local news continues to inform readers and viewers through their primary outlets. More often than not, it is done well. Still, I had some questions about the consistency of the products we get here in this beautiful region.

Inside/Outside

What motivates the broadcasters, print journalists, and the news organizations that serve the area? How do the local broadcasters and print journalists adjust to the non-stop changes?

I sent out a series of questions to journalists across the region, looking for insights that would help me better understand the world of local news through the experiences of those who do it for a living. I sought input from on-air talent, by-lined reporters and writers, and producers and editors responsible for the news consumers see, read, and hear. I also sought input from educators who teach the technical, communication, and presentation skills that apply across all channels.

The response was mixed, with some journalists sharing thoughtful responses and helpful information. Some organizations were less open. Requests for comment, as they say, went unanswered. Maybe I was asking the wrong questions or using the wrong approach. Perhaps I need to get a better reporter on the case.

The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club.

As I progressed through the research portion of this endeavor, I realized that I was focusing solely on the outlets that I see and read. I was ignoring the obvious – the overall population in the region is quite diverse, and for many, English is not the primary or most comfortable language. So how do broadcasters reach these sections of the overall community? I don’t know…yet.

Broadcast News

Local broadcast news on the Central Coast is different from what I watched back east. In New York, NBC = channel 4, ABC = channel 7, and CBS = channel 2. This format held when I lived in Connecticut with network parents and local affiliate news organizations airing in regular time slots on their dedicated channels.

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NBC New York featured Sue Simmons, Chuck Scarborough, Len Berman and a young Al Roker. The prototype for a local news lineup – dual anchors, weatherman/personality, and sportscaster.

After moving west, it took some time to adjust to a very different television news landscape. The same newscasters appear on different channels, with multiple network affiliations. Some newscasts run simultaneously, and others in air consecutive time slots.

The Market

According to the 2019 Nielsen DMA Rankings, the San Luis Obispo-Santa Maria-Santa Barbara market ranks #124 of 210. Relatively close markets include Fresno – Visalia at #54, Bakersfield, at #122. Los Angeles ranks #2, and the San Francisco – Oakland – San Jose market comes in at #8.

The Teams

The Central Coast has two primary English-language news organizations that broadcast on multiple networks. Broadcasts are sculpted to target specific geographies, though both groups strive to be inclusive of content that is of interest and importance to nearby communities. Roughly speaking, the team from KSBY News focuses on San Luis Obispo County, and the KCOY/KEYT group covers Southern San Luis Obispo down through Santa Barbara county.

The two organizations rely on a core group of experienced anchors, reporters, and forecasters. Both serve as a training and development platform for journalists, producers, and directors who are new to the world of professional broadcasting.

The Veterans

Richard Gearhart is a long-tenured member of the San Luis Obispo based KSBY news team. He currently serves as an anchor on the evening broadcasts. He is also an associate professor at California Polytechnic State University. (Cal Poly)

At Santa Maria-based KCOY, anchor Scott Hennessee quarterbacks multiple evening broadcasts. Jim Lemon is the News Director for KCOY 12.

The Question

The primary question I posed to each journalist was the same – Do you see your job as a journalist, news personality, broadcaster, or other?

Scott Hennessee replied, “Everyone in our newsroom is a journalist first. When I’m on the air, I’m a broadcast journalist communicating information as clearly and accurately as possible. I don’t necessarily see myself as a TV personality. There are occasional opportunities within the newscast to show some of my personality, and I’m always happy to meet new people out in the community, whether they watch our news or not.”

Richard Gearhart has a similar view. “I think of myself as a journalist first. TV journalism right now is a bit personality-driven – the reason is more about credibility than personality. News consumers are looking for trustworthy sources. They “know” their local anchors and reporters and hopefully trust them.”

Jim Lemon added, “For what we do, journalist is first and foremost. There are occasions (hosting the Turkey Drive, the Rodeo Parade, etc.) where “personality” comes into play, but even then, at the foundation, we’re journalists. We’re also broadcasters in that one of our mediums (television) is that field. We also provide content on digital platforms, which brings it back to the overall “journalist” description.”

Anchors

An anchor’s job requires a diverse set of talents. Jim Lemon describes the must-have skills for the position. “The anchor is a good leader in the newsroom. He or she communicates well while keeping track of other things happening during the broadcast.” He continues, “A successful anchor also takes a direct role in ‘how’ and ‘what’ is written in copy. In local markets, it also includes being interested in the community and ways to enrich/enhance it.”

Scott cites experience as the best teacher when it comes to anchoring – the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. He believes that knowing the history of the area can help bring some perspective to his reporting. “I’m always seeking out information about all kinds of things news and culture – related that help me have a greater understanding of the stories we tell.”

Mentors

Local news organizations are fertile ground for developing talent. Many producers and directors that staff the broadcasts tend to be in the early stages of their careers. Both these veteran anchors guide and mentor on-air talent and behind-the-camera personnel.

As a news director, Jim observes that in smaller markets, anchors often have much more experience than those around them, especially producers. Therefore, primary anchors have a de facto leadership responsibility. Both Scott and Richard echo Jim’s observations.

Scott expands, “I have had occasion to work very closely with producers who are new to us. Once they get the hang of things, it is wonderful to see them flourish. Most of our producers are here for 2-3 years, and almost all of them move on to the top 30 media markets.”

Richard agrees. “In our case, producers and directors tend to be at the “early career” level. So here, the anchor team, to a certain extent, oversees the producers.” One of Richard’s objectives is to coach newer multimedia journalists. He is currently mentoring two reporters.

Direction, Tone and Content

Scott’s description of how the broadcasts come together is similar to organizations across the country. An assignment editor gathers story ideas from outside sources, reporters, and anchors. The stories are discussed at two daily editorial meetings that focus on daytime and nighttime broadcasts. The selected segments are then brought up to a broadcast-ready level. Feedback happens in a nightly post-newscast session.

KSBY’s current owner (E.W. Scripps) has a long history and an excellent reputation in the field of journalism. Corporate has a content management division, and both local and home office management keep a close eye on what’s happening. The news team also gets a surprising amount of feedback from viewers.

Jim Lemon, KCOY News Director – In college, we learn the legal aspects of journalism: defamation, libel, the 5 Ws and the H. Once in the field, it’s about experience, learning from your colleagues, and keeping an eye on national or local trends.

Everywhere

Both organizations are embracing additional digital outlets, primarily social media. Facebook and Twitter feature feeds from the parent stations and the individual members of the broadcast teams. Live streams are used to break the news, share behind the scenes glimpses of productions, update in-progress sporting events, and tease upcoming broadcast stories.

Websites are regularly updated and tweaked to be easier to navigate. The presentation elements of promotional clips, talent features, and branded shows play out across every channel, complete with upbeat music, quick-cut video, and scenic backdrops that define the region. The recently updated KSBY studios sport a modern look supported by bold colors and attractive graphics.

With all of that, however, it comes down to the talent. They go after it all day, every day. Sometimes they make one mutter.

And there are the shining moments of excellence.

From the Front Lines

Live and Local

California’s 2017 – 2018 fire season was brutal. Explosive wildfires and the associated threats that came along with the flames tore through dense forests and threatened multiple communities.

Local and national news organizations sent in teams to show the public what was looming over the glowing hills.

At local NBC affiliate KSBY, it was all hands on deck. Anchors, multimedia reporters, and even the sportscasters picked up a microphone, put on a windbreaker, and went out into the field. These critical communicators worked endless shifts under incredibly dangerous conditions. Many a live update ended abruptly, with reporters being told to get out of the area quickly. They moved a short distance away, reestablished communications, and resumed doing the critical work of telling the evolving story.

Watching these reporters – many of them young women and men early on in their careers – was fascinating. They rose to the challenge, balancing their physical safety with the need to get close to the unfolding events. Absent the time and safe workspace to build and edit the story, they went live and delivered outstanding work. The core skills, talents, and personalities of the reporter were on display. They managed through briefings with emergency response managers and terrified residents, delicately asking difficult questions of people at their most vulnerable.

As the battle wore on, viewers could see the toll this was taking on the reporters. They saw it all, from devastated residents to exhausted first responders, and they told the stories while absorbing the collective weight of global suffering and danger.

And they did all of this for days on end.

“I Am A Journalist”

Among those determined reporters, Megan Abundis’ work stood out. She charged into the story with intense focus and genuine concern for those who were in the unpredictable path of the relentless fire. Megan delivered her updates with the skill of a veteran field reporter and the fearlessness of youth.

“I am a journalist,” Megan states with conviction. I take my job incredibly seriously. Reporting at those fires really meant a lot to me. It was a heavy responsibility, and each day was harder than the next. I think about that mudslide and fires more often than not.

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Megan Abundis

Megan continued developing her skills on the Central Coast, rotating through assignments that included field reporting, occasional weekend anchoring, and weather (everybody does the weather.) In a performance that left the rest of the news team slack-jawed, she delivered a sports report that was ESPN-worthy.

Earning It

Megan earned a Communication degree in Broadcast Journalism from Washington State University, Pullman. During her four years at WSU, she did multiple, cross-discipline radio and television internships. These stints gave her real-world experience in professional news writing and producing.

Upon graduating, Megan followed the path familiar to many in broadcast journalism, landing a job in a smaller media market. She shares, “KSBY was my first job. I was able to learn and grow immensely because of the staff and mentors there.”

Moving Forward, Reaching Back

Megan takes ownership of her career development. She attends industry conferences, follows the work of her role models, and, as she says, by “reading, reading, reading!”

She is a role model for the next generation of journalists. She advises students at her Alma Mater, preparing them for the transition from student to professional, setting expectations for what they can expect from their first job.

Megan’s career path has taken her to KOB-4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico ( #47), where she collaborates with a team that includes the news director, executive producers, assignment desk editors, web staff, and fellow reporters. She holds a place in her heart for her first professional job.

“I am very thankful to KSBY viewers for learning and growing with me. My first reporting job was nothing but great! ”

New Faces

The stream of new faces that roll across the local screens gives a glimpse of just how many aspiring broadcast journalists are competing for the opportunity to build a career. Many of these faces are fresh out of college, and some are transplants from other markets across the country.

For the rookies, landing a spot comes with some real struggles. Compensation is minimal, while the cost of living in the San Luis Obispo region is challenging for many established professionals in any career.

A scan of several job tracking sites confirms the compensation reality. Anonymous comments from current and former employees underscore the challenges of living in a high-cost region.

“The pay is the only thing that makes people look elsewhere. Unless you’re already in a more senior position (anchor/manager), it’s unlikely you’ll have the ability to stay here beyond paying your dues for a year or two.” Taken from an employee review on Glassdoor

In an informal conversation, an aspiring reporter from one of the area broadcast organizations shared the frustrations of building a resume, learning the region, dealing with unpredictable shifts, all while living over an hour away because that was the only reasonably affordable place to live. A second reporter made ends meet working in the foodservice industry while building a portfolio of increasing depth. These stories are familiar among many young professionals, though few other jobs place neophytes in the public eye, where they have to appear sharp, focused, and confident while on camera or in print.

Experienced Eyes

Judith Pratt is a retired professor emeritus of California State University, Bakersfield, where she taught Communications for 31 years, focusing primarily on journalism and gender studies. Prior to Cal State Bakersfield, Judith was a journalist in Bakersfield and before that, in Canada. I reached out to Judith to get her views on the state of local news in general, and her observations on how our area outlets are doing.

Judith echoed the economic challenges new reporters face, describing one Bakersfield news person’s early career as a week-day reporter and weekend waitress. Aspirants accept that the entry-level pay scale is low. They have few choices, needing the experience to build a resume that will lead them to the next level or a larger market.

For some, Judith observes, this challenge incites the competitive spirit and unlocks the characteristics that build solid journalists. The good ones maximize their experience and move on to the next opportunity — the less successful migrate into other areas of the profession, or different businesses altogether.

Shared Experience

Judith keeps an eye on the local media scene from her home in Cambria. Many of her observations aligned with my own, though her personal experience added great depth to my understanding. She pointed out a few areas that I had not considered, such as the importance of local sports coverage in small and medium-sized communities. Local sports are often a common rallying point. Good local coverage helps build community pride and involvement. A feature article or a highlight reel finds a way to family members who live in different towns or states. Grandparents still keep press clippings, and young athletes find inspiration and motivation through positive attention.

Less is Less

Providing in-depth coverage of school board meetings, local political goings-on, and projects that affect communities is a challenge. There are not enough reporters to cover everything, so alternative outlets often fill the gaps left by downsized media.

Judith uses her experience as a journalist to build an example of this diminution. In earlier times, local media would do an excellent job of taking a national issue, such as tariffs, and bring it down to the local level. Almond growers, in her example, are hit with tariffs that raise the cost of exporting the product to overseas markets. Those increases affect local growers, who see their output sit still, not generating any revenue. This loss of income then impacts local budgets, as the taxes paid are reduced. At the same time, the grower tightens the family belt, reducing the amount of money spent with local suppliers.

Good local reporting would, in the past, follow the chain of events, explaining the cause and effect at each stop, personalizing and humanizing in ways that resonated with the reader. Some outlets still do these types of stories, but they are as likely to be delivered as a podcast as a by-lined newspaper story or a local broadcast news feature.

The journalists who contributed to this piece validated Judith’s observations.

Teach Them Well

The commitment to developing journalists Judith experienced at Cal State Bakersfield is also found closer to her current home.

San Luis Obispo, located between the major markets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, is home to California Polytechnic State University – better known a Cal Poly. As the name implies, the curriculum approach is multi-dimensional. This philosophy extends across the disciplines from Engineering, Agriculture, Performing Arts, Graphic Arts, and Journalism.

From the University’s website:

Cal Poly’s Journalism Department is one of California’s most innovative undergraduate journalism programs, among the first in the country to take an integrated approach to student media, mirroring developments in the industry. The department embodies a polytechnic university philosophy, offering a technology-rich, student-focused environment that fosters student curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit.

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Learn By Doing

Cal Poly has an impressive range of student-staffed and run media outlets under the banner of Mustang Media Group. Here, professors guide students as they move from the classroom to the newsroom. The forward-thinking department has created an integrated multimedia organization where students can do the actual work of journalism. The department recognizes that to be successful in a journalism career, students need to be skilled in a range of communication styles. Specific tools and required technical knowledge may vary from discipline to discipline, but the skills of collecting, constructing, producing, and communicating information are core to every channel.

Professors Brady Teufel and Patrick C. Howe collaborated on a terrific case study detailing the Cal Poly project to create an integrated media operation. They are published in College Media Review/ Journal of the College Media Association.

The Best Medium for the Story – A Case Study of Integrated Student Media

Though focused on transformation in the academic environment, the work described, and the results achieved seem to be entirely translatable to the world of commercial journalism. Most of the goals and desired outcomes would look right at home in any media business.

Outcomes:

  • More thorough news coverage
  • Increased revenue and reach
  • More experimentation
  • Positive culture shift
  • Increased recognition
  • Public Relations Integration
  • Curriculum improvement
  • Leadership structure changes

Classroom to Newsroom

The continuum of University student to a professional broadcaster is exemplified by current Daybreak anchor Christina Favuzzi, who joined the KSBY team in 2015 after earning her degree in broadcast journalism from Cal Poly. In her current role, Ms. Favuzzi delivers a mix of news, weather, local happenings, and human interest stories from the anchor table and the field. Christina and the Daybreak team utilize both the daily television broadcast, and regular social media live streams to deliver the news with a personal and at times, informal style. Much like the hosts of the national Big Three Morning programs, the Daybreak team is a blend of journalists, News Personality, and broadcaster.

Megan Healy is another Cal Poly graduate who is making quick strides at KSBY. After graduating with a degree in Journalism, Megan joined the station as a multimedia journalist, and within one year was promoted to a spot as weekend anchor.

Cal Poly is also well-represented at KCOY/KEYT. Managing Editor Ed Zuchelli is a third-generation Mustang. Lindsay Zuchelli serves as the Executive Producer for KEYT-KCOY-KKFX.

CalPoly’s contribution to the local media landscape extends into the world of print journalism. Tribune editor and columnist Joe Tarica shares, “The Cal Poly journalism department gave me all the tools I needed to start my career. I learned reporting, editing, design, photography, etc., in class and the lab that was Mustang Daily. I was ready to work right out the door.” SLO New Times staff writer Karen Garcia also credits her Cal Poly experience for her development as a journalist.

Print Journalists

All The News That’s Fit

In the New York of my youth, Print Journalism stood equally tall alongside broadcast news. The NY Daily News and The NY Post battled it out for tabloid supremacy. The New York Times provided both intellectual and physical heft to mix. Regional papers like Long Island’s Newsday and Westchester’s Gannett papers covered the suburbs and the places where boroughs rubbed up against towns. El Diaro served the Spanish-speaking communities, while The Irish Echo catered to families who had emigrated from the Emerald Isle.

The legendary Village Voice filled the Weekly Alternative slot. Deep-thinking novelists shared pages with political pundits, music critics, neighborhood gadflies, and endless classifieds for everything from help-wanted to Times Square sex shows. Buried in these pages were greats and soon to be greats like Norman Mailer, Jack Newfield, and Michael Musto.

There are parallels with today’s newspaper landscape here on the Central Coast. Two, in particular, stand out, with a third being a hyper-local subset of one.

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Cambria Library has the news

The Tribune is similar to the Gannett Westchester papers, covering the region and the unique cities, towns, and populations that fall within the geography. New Times has echoes of The Village Voice in both content and attitude.

The Cambrian and parent Tribune both carry a newsstand price and various subscription options that span the printed paper and the digital offerings. New Times is free to readers, with a healthy mix of advertisers fueling the economic engine that keeps the weekly going.

Mighty Pens

I had the great pleasure of exchanging thoughts with three area print journalists, each at different points in their careers.

Joe Tarica is the editor of the Tribune. He is also an opinion columnist when the mood or the topic strikes him. Joe began his career at the then Telegram-Tribune as a copy editor in 1993.

Karen Garcia is a staff writer for alternative weekly SLO New Times. She is a relative newcomer, currently in her third year as a professional journalist.

Kathe Tanner is a reporter/columnist for The Cambrian, the local outlet for The Tribune. Kathe joined The Cambrian in 1981 as a columnist and has also worked as an advertising, radio, and television copywriter. Kathe has been honored with nearly three dozen first – or second-place individual awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, including one for the best journalistic writing in the state in 2003.

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Journalists Joe Tarica, Karen Garcia, and Kathe Tanner

Even with differences in age, experience, and audiences, the similarities to each other were striking. Perhaps some traits are unique to print journalists. Here’s an example – I asked what drew them to careers as writers and journalists.

Joe Tirica – “I knew I wanted a job in communications because English was my favorite subject. I also had a strong belief in freedom of information and the First Amendment and their importance to our democracy. So journalism was a natural fit for a college major that would yield a sensible job.”

Kathe Tanner – “I’ve been a writer all my life, writing grammar-school English essays about “Grammar and her grandchildren, “Adjective and Adverb.” She also converted a middle-school history assignment into a statistically accurate Richard Armour-style essay. (The teacher failed it, saying, “There’s no place in history for humor.” I told him, “Then you’ve been reading different textbooks than I have.”)

Karen Garcia – “I loved English classes in high school. I was always asking questions, discussing what was going on in the news with my mother. I was drawn to journalism because it’s a platform to ask questions, find out how people think, and understand how events, policies, and decisions affect a community.”

Finding The Story

All three journalists describe the general process for determining what is covered and what is published. At The Tribune, reporters pitch stories from their beats, which are evaluated for substantial value and interest to the community. As an Editor, Joe ensures the team is covering the best local stories, while also building higher-level enterprise coverage strategies that determine what projects to tackle. Joe details the objectives and guidelines; “Here, we are looking for impact and change. What are the most important issues to our communities, and how can we inform the public and motivate action?”

For Karen and her New Times colleagues, the thought process is similar. The staff members have areas they cover and determine what stories they feel will be impactful and informative. She describes a highly collaborative environment, rich with mentors who share their knowledge and experience in the service of the story. The journalist writes the story, and the team provides support and guidance.

As the primary representative of her paper, Kathe has to evaluate the entire Cambria landscape and determine what of the many goings-on are most important, most interesting, and most entertaining. She has to balance a plethora of monthly Board meetings – Cambria Community Services District, Healthcare District, School Board, and North Coast Advisory Committee are the most visible. There are a host of other organizations that are active and newsworthy, so they are part of the coverage equation. On top of the steady-state goings-on, newsworthy events pop up all the time. Police activity, fires, car crashes, at-risk citizens, earthquakes, power outages – the pool of potential stories run deep.

Styles

Both Kathe and Joe write columns, Kathe, on a more regular basis. Joe has more latitude in choosing when he writes. His passion and sense of fairness is often a catalyst. As he says, “When I write, I’m mostly driven by outrage about a particular subject. Because I don’t write often, this is usually a pretty high bar.”

Kathe often bases her columns on life as a community member, a wife, and a matriarch. She uses humor and self-awareness to great effect. Within her columns, light-hearted as they are, readers will find multiple bits of useful information and a sense of historical perspective. Whether it is Cambria-specific or call-backs to earlier times in her life, Kathe ties it all up into a pleasant read.

Kathe shared the challenges of being a reporter in the community she has called home for decades. “I had to stop serving on various nonprofit boards because, as our reporting staff kept getting smaller, my “beat” got larger, and I had to cover those activities. A responsible journalist doesn’t serve and report on the same things.” She also has to report on people she has known for many years, sometimes in unfavorable circumstances. “I’ll always bend over backward to be fair,” she shares. This fairness means asking the tough questions, listening to the answers, and reporting the subject’s side of the story.

Karen’s position with New Times allows her to work in her favored style, which is longer-form, multi-layered journalism that blends topical news with human interest. Her recent series on the students of The Grizzly Academy is a perfect example of her strength. This series follows her earlier, compelling look at the impacts of immigration policy on local residents touched by forced separation. On the traditional local news beat, Karen explored Fire Services across the area and reported on individual town and regional challenges while keeping sight of the big picture of just how connected the underlying issues are.

Karen is a big fan of NPR radio. It is the soundtrack to her daily drive to work. She has an appreciation for the depth and nuance of the interviews and investigative reporting that are the hallmarks of the genre. She described enjoying the atmospherics of crunching leaves and snapping twigs, faintly heard behind an interview conducted during a walk in the woods. This type of color is challenging to recreate in a written piece, but there are hints in some of Karen’s most insightful work.

Challenges

Traditional print journalism is under constant pressure to capture and keep readers and advertisers. Like any business, revenues drive resources. Declines shrink the number of reporters, editors, photographers and support staff that are the lifeblood of any newspaper. Still, the news must be covered.

Generational behavioral shifts, fueled by technology advances, are changing how print organizations are covering and reporting. The costs to print physical papers do not go down with the number of copies sold. Technology helps a bit on the production side, with digital tools accelerating how stories are compiled, edited, and sent to print. High-speed digital printers ingest a large amount of data efficiently, and automated workflows handle the process of printing and finishing the paper. Print runs are scaled down or up based on analytics and smart editors who gauge the potential readership by the content of a particular edition. Art and Science meet at the speed of today’s 24-hour news.

All of this automation and digital connectivity means newspapers are produced and distributed from locations around the state. Larger publishers now consolidate multiple publications into a single print facility. Smaller papers have access to the same production processes.

Production efficiency is just one part of the overall technology equation. The biggest threat and opportunity for traditional print media is the internet. Publishers large and small are continually adjusting to the reality of on-demand information. Journalism continues, but the journalists approach their work in different ways.

A New (Virtual) Reality

Journalists are facing the same opportunities that every marketer, retailer, credit card company, and utility face when building and maintaining a dialog with their customers. Technology moves quickly, demanding the attention of both the business and creative brains to create excellent, relevant content, and deliver it to consumers wherever they want it.

A simplistic view – it’s the internet, how hard can it be? The reality – the internet is the highway to webpages, integrated news feeds, stand-alone applications, tweets, Instagrams, and text alerts. Information lands on multiple device platforms, from cell phones to tablets, computers, even smartwatches. It isn’t one font fits all; its all fonts behaving differently on different screens.

Joe Tarica captures this new reality. “Print journalism is more important now than ever, but we must ensure we’re paying as much attention to where we can respond the quickest and reach new audiences. We need to be open to using new tools and adapting rapidly.” In Joe’s world, digital media, rather than a printed newspaper, is becoming the default platform. The aim is to meet readers where they are or will be: on the website, mobile platforms, social media, and through alerts and newsletters.

Social Media – Friend or Foe?

All the journalists understand that social media presents excellent opportunities to reach readers/followers quickly and accurately when needed. It also serves as a platform to connect with the communities they cover, build relationships and establish credibility, and develop new sources of information.

Karen will, on occasion, post to multiple Facebook groups and solicit thoughts and opinions relevant to the story she is building. These outreaches, done in an open forum, gives her a glimpse into the different views a community might hold, which adds depth and perspective to the story.

Kathe takes advantage of social media to get the time-sensitive information out quickly and follows up with in-depth reporting in the weekly Cambrian. Often, her stories will feed into the broader Tribune ecosystem, where they link to similar events in neighboring communities. This timely local reporting is critical in an area where the threat of wildfire and other potential natural disasters is ever-present.

Benefits and Dangers

Each of the journalists also addressed the risky side of social media. They expressed concern that posts that may appear reliable and respectable may not be either, but rather opinion or propaganda disguised as news. Each cited examples of posts that were neither fact-checked or scrubbed for bias but were absorbed by readers as legitimate news sources.

Kathe muses, “It’s another way for a traditional journalist to keep in touch with the community, feeding news to them and tapping into what else is happening on his/her beat. Danger? When people automatically believe what they read online, without crosschecking with known, responsible media outlets.”

Joe adds, “The benefit is you can get informed about your community in all sorts of new ways. The danger is that many sources don’t follow professional standards. So they may tell you something that is partially true, but is it handled in a fully responsible and ethical way?”

Committed

As writers and reporters, each of the journalists recognizes that whatever outlet they use, the high standards they embrace in print must apply to every digital mark they make.

“News is an important way to preserve history,” Karen Garcia believes. “It gives a voice to underprivileged and under-served communities. It is motivating to know that there are people who trust you to tell the truth and present the facts. It’s a weight you carry as a journalist.”

Joe Tarica continues to believe in the importance of the First Amendment and the role of journalists. “The democratization of news has only made the role of professional news organizations more important, because not many people or places can invest the time, energy, and proper training, to tackle the most difficult and significant stories.”

As a long-time member of the community, people look to Kathe when things happen. They also see her as “the keeper of the scrolls” with an institutional memory that brings perspective to recurring hot-button topics. For Kathe Tanner, being a journalist for the community she has called home is both a joy and an obligation.

Finally

To hijack an old expression, “all news is local.” The people who do the hard work of keeping us informed about what is happening in our communities deserve both recognition and support. Without them and the organizations they represent, we might as well make up our own versions of history. They also need to be held accountable and connected to the communities. When they say “we want to hear from our viewers/readers/subscribers,” – believe them. Let them know what you think and what you need from them.

The good ones will always listen.

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Saturday Sessions – Water Works

07 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by Michael Calderwood in Beautiful Cambria, Cambria CCSD, Communicating, Community Involvement, Educating a Community, Local politics, Searching for Cambria's Reality, Words matter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cambria, Choices, Community, Community Involvement, Leadership

Remote Thoughts – Home Viewing Version

(or, How I Spent Mike Lyons’ Birthday)

The tradition of Cambria’s Saturday morning community forums continued September 7 with a session focused on the town’s water supply systems, and particularly the “EmergencySustainableAdvancedWaterFacilityMachineSystem” ™ patent and permit pending.

Cambria Community Services District Board President Dave Pierson, resplendent in navy blazer and open-collared, pinstriped button-down shirt, facilitated the forum. Attendees and viewers received a well-crafted and smoothly delivered fact-and data-filled presentation. Those at the Vet’s Hall enjoyed a tantalizing and delicious (I imagine) array of freshly baked cookies created by the delightful and community-minded Karen Dean.

The session was thoughtfully constructed and delivered by the team of former acting General Manager and current district consultant Paavo Ogren, data and administration analyst Melissa Bland, and water systems leader Jim Green. Each of the presenters stood as examples of skilled, experienced, and capable personnel that staff critical roles in the Services District.

Talent

Mr. Ogren demonstrated his grasp of the complexity of the issues and brought an interesting outsider/insider perspective from his previous work in county planning through his tenure with the CCSD organization and administration.

Ms. Bland took us back to what seems like a reasonable point in time – 1990. She did an excellent job, walking through a series of statistics, requirements, and point-in-time events that led to the current state of Cambria’s water situation.

Mr. Green then took the mouse and did a great job of again mixing data, regulations, and requirements, and actions are taken to maintain and expand the systems that deliver Cambria’s precious water supply.

All three presenters addressed many of the questions, opinions, and assumptions that have clouded the critical discussions around Cambria’s water facilities.

Complex Questions, Honest Answers

After the presentations were complete, President Pierson read questions submitted by the public. The questions were thoughtful and detailed. Many were based on technical, environmental, and regulatory factors; some were both complex and carefully worded. Mr. Ogren skillfully answered one such question by pointing out that based on the wording, the answer was “no,” but he then dug down into what he saw as the intent behind the question. His subsequent answer was much more helpful.

Some of the questions made me wonder, “what is this all about?” and “what is the goal of asking that?” To the credit of the panelists, each question was answered thoughtfully, and explanations were put into the broader context of the issues being discussed. I really appreciated that approach and found that my field of vision was widened as I saw how the panelists listened and responded. Mr. Ogren’s description of “adaptive management planning” was a “duh” moment for me!

President Pierson also had a strong moment, stopping some guesswork responses with a firm statement: (paraphrasing) “This is about facts and not guesses.”

Takeaways

It is clear that the CCSD has talented, thorough, and involved employees and leaders who are serious about what they do for the community. These folks know their stuff. They are clear communicators, experts in their areas, and understand how to connect the dots across what is often a confusing landscape of issues and solutions.

The issue of cost will continue to be painfully present in all discussions. It was encouraging to hear future-focused, practical and pragmatic positions from some of the board, alongside the constant drumbeat of negativity and solution-less posturing from less visionary members. To me, the contrast between investing and building for tomorrow or destroying progress to save yesterday was stark. And needed.

It comes back to the eternal question of what we expect from an elected representative. Some favor a person who will act as an amplifier of a particular position. Others favor someone who will use their best judgment and act based on what they believe is best for all.

I admire the courage and conviction it takes to stand on principle, regardless of which perspective one favors. It is easy to be a dilettante. It is noble to raise the hand and say, “I’ll do it.”

Why made this session valuable? Hyperbole was muted, opinion replaced with fact. The table was properly set with a beginning, middle and ending. Complex things became much simpler to understand and assess.

The event was broadcast and recorded and will be available for viewing over the coming days at the SLO-SPAN website. It is worth watching, even without the cookies.

 

 

 

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