The SLO Life is Good!

In these turbulent times, we should remember the many good things in our lives. I feel very fortunate that I can live in SLO, and raise my children in this wonderful environment. We have very little crime, much less traffic than most Californians experience, the schools are good, the air is clean and we are surrounded by beautiful lands and the ocean. Life is good!

Cal Poly adds tremendously to the City's cultural environment. Many of my friends are professors there, a most interesting lot. I have hired many Cal Poly graduates for my business, and have found their education to be excellent. Cal Poly is a huge, and fairly constant benefit to the local economy.

Our City government is well run, staffed with talented, hard-working people. In my work as an environmental scientist, I've been impressed with the quality and efficiency of John Moss's Utilities Department. In particular, the City's sewer treatment plant staff runs a lean, high-quality operation. Through my Planning Commission experience, I have developed great respect for the Planning Department's knowledge and dedication to quality planning, led by Director John Mandeville. And Ken Hampian, the Big Chief of the City staff, is infamous for his penny-pinching. He recently led the effort to cut millions from the annual budget, while maintaining much of the high level of services we citizens expect.

While we in SLO-town have our problems and our differences, we usually are able to disagree without being disagreeable. I am fortunate to be part of this wonderful community.

+Orval Osborne