By John Earl
Surf City Voice
The OC Register reported that a phone poll shows that 71 percent of the city’s voters support a desalination plant proposed to be built on the corner of Newland Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and only 14 percent oppose it (July 24, Support for desalination plant rising, company says).
The poll also shows a substantial decrease in local opposition to the plant from 2004, when another poll showed that 27 percent of Surf City residents were opposed to the plant, the Register story says.
Regardless of the poll results, the plant is opposed by citizen groups statewide, including Residents for Responsible Desal (R4RD) in Huntington Beach.
Pollster Adam Probolsky
The article was written by Register staffer Jaimee Lyn Fletcher who has reported on the proposed desalination plant before. As Fletcher less than accurately reported, both polls were “conducted” by Poseidon Resources Inc., the company that seeks to build the plant (more on that later).
In the first poll, 65 percent of respondents favored the plant. The supposed 7 percent increase since then indicates that as the public becomes more informed about the project public support grows, Poseidon officials told Fletcher.
But Fletcher’s article, like the poll it purports to inform its readers about, is laced with deception and wrapped in secrecy, no doubt providing a service to Poseidon but leading the Register’s unknowing readers astray in this election year.
Great Story, John,
Once again showing that the Register is little more than a dishonest mouthpiece for corporate greed. What’s sad is that the supposed independent Voice of OC has also chosen to use Bogus Probolsky and is almost as clueless and inept as the buffoons at the Register.
And speaking of HB, I hear that Red Zone Strategies is a great outfit to do political consulting if you are running for HB City Council and want great advice, like how to attack your enemies as environmental extremists. Curious that Red Zone has the same address as GOP Council member Don Hansen. Only $1600 a month per candidate plus expenses – a lot more than a council member’s salary.
Welcome to the Orange Juice John, I hope everyone clicks thru and reads the whole story. This isn’t just HB, Poseidon would like to leech money out of all California taxpayers’ pockets.
And the water will be for more development in our few remaining wild places – another big minus.
We’re pretty familiar with Probolsky over here – a longtime Redfaced County denizen specializing in deceptive polls to help out his faux-conservative friends and rotten ideas like the Fairgrounds Piratization.