Member-only story
Los Osos Deserves Love and Respect
Los Osos is a beautiful place, but it’s woefully underappreciated and underrepresented. It’s time to change that.
Last week, I had the opportunity to observe the devastation at Vista de Oro Estates, an area ravaged by floods and a mudslide that occurred after our most recent storm. Residents showed me on their phones photos and videos including several feet of water and mud rushing down their streets and into their homes. Then they showed me the extensive damage to their now-uninhabitable homes, some of which had water up to three feet inside.
How could this have happened? The Los Osos Community Services District is responsible for maintenance and upkeep for a retention basin, which was supposed to protect lower-elevation properties in the area. Homeowners informed me the LOCSD has not only taken no responsibility for the lack of upkeep with the retention basin, the district has shown a willingness to battle residents in court over clear damages as a result of their negligence. The district had years to plan for natural disasters like that, but didn’t.
On the Vista Ct. street, there is a makeshift bulletin board with pertinent information for residents and volunteers. Who would’ve thought an inanimate bulletin board would be more impactful and present than a CSD or a county supervisor?
