Aaron Ochs

Why CalCoastNews Continues to Exist: Celebrating 5th Anniversary of Defamers

Once in a while, I read CalCoastNews. It’s been five years since I published Defamers: How Fake News Terrorized a Community & Those Who Dared to Fight It. I have enough distance from the skirmishes I used to have with them to reflect on everything a lot more neutrally and calmly. So when I read …

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I Asked Morro Bay Chamber to Disavow Their Merger. They’ve Gone Silent.

Morro Rock

Shortly after last week’s Morro Bay City Council meeting, I reached out to Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce Chairperson Cherise Hansson. I requested the Board of Directors take a vote to officially rescind the vote they originally took to authorize the merger with San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. I received word back that Hansson …

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Morro Bay Chamber is Deceiving the Community. Here’s the Proof.

Morro Rock

This morning, I was made aware the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce responded to my blog post. The following is a response from Cherise Hansson, Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Chairperson that was sent to members via email: “Firstly, I want to extend my sincere gratitude for your membership and commitment to the Morro …

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The Morro Bay Elite Can’t Stop Attacking Our Community

Morro Rock Twilight

I wasn’t going to respond to Morro Bay resident Carol Swain’s utterly strange letter to the editor in the Nov. 30 – Dec. 13, 2023 edition of Estero Bay News. But her letter perpetuates a troubling pattern of local elitists thumbing their collective noses at the community at large for no good reason. Swain starts …

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The Morro Bay Elite Don’t Respect Our Voice. That’s Why Our Initiative Matters.

Morro Rock Twilight

How can someone with a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota be so ignorant? Former Morro Bay City Councilmember Marlys McPherson wrote a rather strange rebuttal to Morro Bay resident Jeff Eckles in this week’s Bay News. To summarize, Eckles touted the benefits of the citizen initiative process (direct democracy), which is …

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Morro Bay Citizens Initiative Opponents Have Explaining to Do

Morro Rock Twilight

On August 31, The Tribune published an article about the Morro Bay citizen-led initiative to preserve the Embarcadero and restrict further industrialization. In their article, The Tribune featured arguments for and against the initiative. Recently, I wrote about the opponents to the initiative and some of the strange arguments they’re making against it. This time …

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Response to the ‘Deceptive’ New Times Letter to the Editor

Morro Rock After Sunset

I wanted to take some time to address a commentary that was published in the Aug. 10 edition of the New Times by a group of Morro Bay residents and business owners who dismissed Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation (CEBP)’s attempts to preserve current land use zoning on Morro Bay’s Embarcadero. Notice how the byline of …

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Morro Bay and Holiday Reflections

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe holidays. In the spirit of the holidays, I’ve made a conscious effort to reach out to the Morro Bay residents, especially those I was critical of during our most recent election season. I’ve also decided to formally withdraw my Fair Political Practices Commission complaint against former …

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Defamers is Now Free

This week, I made my 2019 book Defamers: How Fake News Terrorized a Community & Those Who Dared to Fight It available for free as an electronic copy. You can download it by clicking here. I made my book free because, as of late, I’ve seen a ton of links shared to Cal Coast News …

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