I read this stuff, and I tell myself this is literary fantasy, the paper is simply blowing smoke at us to see if we are awake or paying attention. I do not understand the FPPC rules and I am sure Potter managed to put together some receipts, but so what!!!! That is not news, he is supposed to pay for his personal trips.
 Potter went to Ireland for the wedding of a family member of horse racing royalty in Ireland with Brian Boudreau. Is there no one out in this reading audience with an ounce of curiousity? Go to the California Corporations Department of the State of California and research Monterey Downs, LLC. What do you discover? 11 different corporations pop up, all headquartered in the Malibu\Calabasas area of California and all with Boudreau as the President. Dig a little deeper and you discover that certain Irish businessmen, with ties to the horse racing industry start to show up as investors. Many of these investors are the owners of Del Mar Racetrack, in Southern California and the same fine folks that want to build a race track, etc. in Monterey County.
 All 11 of the previously mentioned entities have projects in the Coastal zone of the western United States, some of which came before the Coastal Commission for votes when Mr. Potter was a commissioner. I am not making any of this up, simply go and read it yourself.
 The functional question, therefore, is not did Potter pay for his own beer in Ireland, but what the heck was he doing there in the first place? The guest of Boudreau and families that have funded his reelection campaign, partially, and he is expected to impartially cast one of five votes on their future multi-million dollar project? The politics of the County of Monterey are making the City of Bell look like an accounting boo-boo.

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• Posted by oldguy49 on November 9, 2012 at 12:33 p.m.
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Hi, Oldguy49...It's going to be very interesting when it comes time for him to vote on the Monterey Downs, LLC Project..Do you think he will recuse himself??? Fat chance....Should have declared a conflict years ago, me thinks...

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• Posted by greatgranny on November 9, 2012 at 8:13 p.m.
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 Hey Granny, just let off some steam on the report issued by the consultant on the Cal Am project and alternatives. To be honest, I am beginning to wonder if the effort is worth it. The only two people who seem to be paying any attention are you and me. At 88 I am certainly not going to live long enough to see an end result of these efforts at a water supply, and we just seem to be marching along, spending millions and making the same mistakes. You do not need a crystal ball to predict the reaction of the Ag Industry to Cal Am's three legged stool, and the arrogance of building the Cal Am desalinated water plant on Calcagno's property!!!!!! Even if another site is selected, even considering it is unbelieveable. 
 All for now, I am scratching my head trying to figure out why the Moss Landing bunch does not think they need Coastal Commission permits and why the consultants think pipelines in a Federal sanctuary will not be much of an issue. Guess I am just clueless...

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• Posted by oldguy49 on November 10, 2012 at 3:09 p.m.
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Hi, Oldguy49..Have to come clean..I have been deeply immersed in water issues for many years (no pun intended), so will give you the benefit of my thinking on this for whatever it's worth, and at 81, and at the rate these folk are going about things, I probably won't be around to see the fruition of a project either. I sense a certain amount of disgust on your part that the general public and our elected officials just do not seem to get it. I want you to know that you are spot on. In my experience , can tell you that dealing with the regulatory agencies can be nearly impossible. Cal Am has some very qualified individuals working on their project and perhaps they are just overconfident.The other two entities in Moss Landing have never worked withe the Coastal Commission, Noah, US Fish and Game, etc., But they are deluding themselves if they think permits are a given .The individuals on the Peninsula deserve better, and I hope you keep up the good fight..Simply put, the odds of getting any of the projects being looked at presently are slim and none, with the environmental concerns..The Regional Project was the culmination of years of work specifically designed to work with the Agencies to ameliorate their concerns. It's still fully permitted..Need I say more???

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• Posted by greatgranny on November 11, 2012 at 6:59 p.m.
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 Thanks, Granny, disgust may not be the right word, perhaps disbelief that we continue to make the same mistakes over and over and expect a different conclusion. Some wise person deemed that the definition of insanity. My sole goal and inspiration is the resolution of a solvable problem and leaving my home to my family with the hope of water to live.
 I have no tremendous insight other than the ability to read and comprehend, and a son who understands the law. 
 Apparently Cal Am has made the decision to "ram the ball down our throats", and is full speed ahead with the belief they do not need our electeds, our community, our business leaders, or our pesky laws and ordinances to build a project on their own. Please do not forget they are allowed a 10% to 11% return on their invested money by the PUC. Anyone figured out what that little add on will cost?
 At 88 there is no quit in me, and while I am a bit dismayed at the lack of apparent interest in the community, I intend to continue to be a lone voice in the wilderness, and hopefully someone will engage in the discussion.

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• Posted by oldguy49 on November 12, 2012 at 8:28 a.m.
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 Back as the "lone voice", holidays and all with family, but I have stayed silent long enough. My comment of November 12 regarding Cal Am seems to have prescient, the County folded like a paper tent and is giving Cal Am the go ahead on its horrible three legged stool concept. I have said this elsewhere, but can the public and press not see what is going on here?
 Where was the public disclosure and debate regarding building the Cal Am plant and pipelines on LOU CALCAGNO'S property? 
 Where is the public outrage that the BOS approved an engineering change to the Salinas Valley Water Project that took water away from Granite Ridge and took it to Laguna Seca for new development?
 Who is Calcagno's partner on this Laguna Seca project; Tony Lombardo. Why is this not news? The engineering report by Carollo Engineering is available on-line.
 I said this earlier but what the heck was Potter doing in Ireland with owners of the Monterey Downs project in the first place? Do we not think Potter is smart enough to pay for his tickets with his own credit card?
 I hope the public wakes up before it is too late.

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• Posted by oldguy49 on December 5, 2012 at 12:46 p.m.
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 I made this comment elsewhere in this paper, and I will repeat it here, lets have a dialouge, force me to provide evidence of my points, I would be happy to do so. The water issue is vital to we residents of the Peninsula, and I sense no one is paying any attention; prove me wrong. Cal Am is pulling the wool over our eyes and we are just trudging along blindly; the County is facilitating this charade; lets act.

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• Posted by oldguy49 on December 5, 2012 at 3:18 p.m.
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