Dysfunctional meetings could be a thing of the past for the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) as a newly hired general manager looks to turn things around for the divided board.

Starting June 10, Peter J. Brown will join the Oceano community, leaving his current position as public works director for the city of Belmont in Northern California.

• File Photo By Jayson Mellom
• TURN THE PAGE The Oceano Community Services District's new general manager will begin on June 10 and promises opportunities for the community to come together and repair relationships.

"I think Brown has impressive education and very impressive work experience. He meets all our needs: wastewater management infrastructure, personnel management, budgeting, community outreach," OCSD board member Shirley Gibson said during a May 22 meeting. "I just think as far as you know, the severance package is top dollar for us to contract that—I'll say it this way, there's a price to pay for the last year and a half of district dysfunction and ugliness that has engulfed our district meetings."

Brown will have a yearly compensation of $196,867 with cost-of-living adjustments to match that of district employees and will be considered an at-will employee—meaning the district can terminate his employment with or without cause, according to the May 22 staff report.

If the district terminates Brown without cause prior to Jan. 1, 2026, the district will pay him a 12-month salary severance and if the district terminates him without cause between Jan. 1, 2026, and Dec. 31, 2028, then the district will pay him a six-month salary severance, according to the same staff report.

Not everyone at the meeting was in favor of the severance agreement. Los Osos resident Julie Tacker said that it seems like the board's offering Brown the general manager role was forced, and allowing him to have such a hefty severance clause does Oceano a disservice.

"If somebody wants a job and they're doing the job well, they don't need that kind of parachute, and that's where my issues are really with you and how this was negotiated," she said. "Someone who wants the job doesn't need a parachute, they're going to do the job, they're going to do it well."

Oceano resident April Dury said she was excited that the board hired someone who speaks Spanish and can connect with Oceano's Latino community, unlike past general managers.

"We need a general manager that prioritizes, that makes the Hispanic community aware of what's going on through bilingual [communication], through education, through outreach," she said. "I feel like we have not really ever had that ever, and I hope that you help him do that moving forward."

Brown also spoke during public comment to tell Dury that he intends to help and listen to the Latino community and to inform Tacker that he understands the complicated history and the work this role entails.

"I didn't pick this job because I thought it was going to be easy; I picked this job because I care about the community," he said. "I think this is a great opportunity for me and my career and for the community to come together to improve our infrastructure, to improve our relations with one another and with the community, and really to turn over a new leaf and begin things anew." Δ