News stories have a way of begetting other stories. Take the saga of Fresno County Supervisor Bob Waterston and his business deals with people who have benefited from his position.
Bee reporters Kerri Ginis and Tim Eberly have written about three instances in which Waterston took a stand on matters important to people with whom he did business. They've also written about the consequences of these stories -- Waterston resigning from the Local Agency Formation Commission, for example, and LAFCO's strengthening of its conflict-of-interest protections.
When stories emerge piece by piece instead of all at once, it can seem like death by 1,000 cuts. Readers wonder if the timing is premeditated and if stories are spaced out intentionally to do the most damage.
The answer to both questions is no. We investigate tips as quickly as we can, and if allegations turn out to be true, we publish the findings. Often, readers then contact us with additional information, which we investigate. Such is the case with the Waterston coverage, which offers a glimpse into how newsrooms operate.
Months ago Ginis, our county government reporter, heard rumors that Waterston, who owns Pools By Waterston, was doing work for RZR Enterprises, an Orange County developer with subdivisions in Sanger. Waterston, as LAFCO chairman, had voted for annexations of RZR land without disclosing his work for the company.
Ginis contacted Waterston and RZR, and both denied a business relationship.
Meanwhile, another story about Waterston had raised Eberly's journalistic antennae. The Bee reported Feb. 8 that Waterston had left a message on Fresno planning director Nick Yovino's voice mail complaining his calls about pool permits weren't being returned and admonishing Yovino that "this door swings both ways." The message's tone got Eberly wondering about Waterston's practices.
He and Ginis decided to look at permits for Waterston's business and see whether he'd built pools for developers whose projects he'd voted on. Two such cases stood out. They involved RZR and also Mister C Investments, another developer whose annexation he'd voted for.
These matters can be complex to investigate, and both reporters had other duties that demanded their time, so they decided to focus first on RZR. They wrote a story on their findings, which was published May 6.
A month later, they finished looking into Waterston's business relationship with Mister C, and we published another story on June 10. And on July 1, we published a story about Waterston buying a car from a Table Mountain official at what appeared to be a healthy discount. At the time he bought the car, Waterston was opposing another tribe's proposal to build a casino in Fresno County.
In all cases, Waterston denied impropriety. He also said recently he's hired a law firm to investigate his activities -- "having everything I do examined, totally, inside and out." If he's done anything wrong, he said, "I will turn myself in."
On our end, e-mails and phone calls have been coming in since we started publishing the stories, and some tips warrant research.
Eberly is still investigating allegations; Ginis is on maternity leave.
The timing of these stories seemed fishy to a couple of readers who posted their thoughts on The Bee's Opinion Talk blog on fresnobee.com:
"I am puzzled by the fact that each so-called fact is systematically parceled out in a timely fashion, day after day, week after week, slowly, deliberately, knowingly with an obvious, dare I say, evil intent," wrote one. "The fact that it is done in such a methodical manner suggests a master plan behind the scene ... ."
Waterston himself told ABC30 that The Bee's stories were politically motivated. "I don't call this journalism," he said. "I call this just going out and trying to ruin someone's life."
In fact, none of this was scripted or planned; there is no malice here. This is about conscientious reporters doing their job, helping the newspaper perform its watchdog function. Had the tips been about other elected officials, the reporters would have investigated them.
As for the steady stream of stories, there is an alternative: If Waterston has other potentially embarrassing business dealings or conflicts, he could make a clean breast of them all now. That way he could control the timing of the news, and get it all over with.
If there are no others to report, he has nothing to worry about.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@