STEW JENKINS

ATTORNEY

133G

Mor~o

S!reel. S un Lu 1s Obtspo CA 93401

Phone: (805} 5415763

FAX: (805) 547-1608

June 16,2015

Aaron Ochs

Re:
Immediate Written Published Retraction and Apology for the false, defamatory and
libelous statements published by you in the May 28, 2015, Bay News, "Cal Coast Fraud,"
and other sites in an article authored by Aaron Ochs entitled "Why I Fight A War On Lies."
Dear Mr. Ochs:
On behalf of Cal Coast News, Karen Velie, the reporters and editors of the internet
newspaper CalCoastNews.com, this letter constitutes a demand that you remove an article
and statements from your Cal Coast Fraud site entitled "Why I Fight A War on Lies." The
letter also makes demand that you publish at your own expense a retraction of the article, and
an apology for falsely saying and implying in that article first published in the May 28, 2015,
edition of the Bay News, that Cal Coast News, its reporters and editors conduct a business
model of defamation, are liars, or have been proved to be liars, or that Cal Coast News,
reporters, and editors publish un-sourced and unsubstantiated allegations of criminal or
corrupt activity. This demand for a published retraction and apology extends to any
distribution you or Cal Coast Fraud may have directly or indirectly instigated to posting of
said a11icle, or links to said article, or quotation of said article, at other internet sites
providers, such as (and without limitation) Tumbler, Twitter, and Topix.
The retraction and apology demanded must be linked to every location, again at your
own expense, that has posted or linked to your original a11icle "Why I Fight A War On Lies."
Examples of the false statements in said article which must be the subject of a fully
published retraction and apology follow.

www.stewjenkins.com

Your opinion that Ca!CoastNews.com articles have ruined lives and livelihoods in
paragraph 3 is followed by a false allegation that those articles were and are "unsubstantiated
'investigative reporting."'
Paragraph 4 of said article repeats and amplifies this false statement of
"unsubstantiated" reporting. Moreover, your statement that you "have found" the articles of
CaiCoastNews.com "to be partially true, severely misleading or completelyfalse" constitutes
a defamatory false statement in the context ofthis mticle alleging that CalCoastNews.com,
its publishers, editors, and reporters are liars.
Paragraph 5 of said article falsely says that CalCoastNews.com "uses social media,
email marketing and guest appearance on 'Hometown Radio with Dave Congalton,' to
disparage, defame and harass people .. .." There is no factual basis for this false statement,
which is followed in paragraph 6 with the patently false, pejorative, and libelous claims that
(1) "[ d]efamation is their business model," and (2) "they were successfully sued for it"
[defamation]. These false statements made by Aaron Ochs in "Why I Fight A War on Lies"
is clearly purposed to undennine the reputation of CalCoastNews.com, an internet
newspaper, which like all businesses in journalism is dependent on selling advertising.
In paragraph 6, 7 and 8 Aaron Ochs falsely alleged that Karen Velie, publisher of, and
a reporter for, CalCoastNews harassed and threatened Aaron Ochs former employer and
Aaron Ochs family. Following paragraphs 6 and 7 making gratuitous statements that Karen
Velie had a DUI conviction and that her grandchildren had been placed in foster care,
paragraph 8 falsely said "Velie claimed these incidents were retaliation for her reporting on
local officials." Since Ms. Velie has not spoken with Mr. Ochs, or otherwise maintained
communications with him, this false statement in the article "Why I Fight A War On Lies"
implies that CalCoastNews.com has published articles making that charge against public
officials. This is a false charge against CalCoastNews.com and Ms. Velie; and must be
retracted. Ms. Velie has never made such a statement, nor has any article published by
CalCoastNews.com.
Paragraph 11 and 12 falsely states, and clearly implies in the context ofthe article
"Why I Fight A War On Lies" that CalCoastNews "accused [the City Manager of Arroyo
Grande] of engaging in an extramarital affair with a subordinate" with "no evidence
provided." This patently false claim by Aaron Ochs is at odd with the published articles
containing many quoted named sources to which statements were attributed within the
Arroyo Grande City government, video evidence of circumstances surrounding the events
reported to CalCoastNews reporters by named and confirmed anonymous sources within that
city' s government. These false statements are closely followed by Aaron Ochs' false
statement "[a]fter proving CCN is untrustworthy, I began confronting .... " These false
claims by Aaron Ochs in the context of the earlier statement in the article "Why I Fight A
War On Lies" clearly are intended to impugn and defame the integrity, business reputation,
journalistic reputation, diligence and care taken by CalCoastNews.com, its staff and
www.stewjenkins.com

publisher, in conducting and presenting the public with reliable investigative news reporting.
The clear purpose of Mr. Aaron Ochs in publishing and disseminating this article is to
undermine the ability of the internet newspaper [CalCoastNews.com] to attract and maintain
a customer base of paying advertisers.
Pennit me to repeat that this libelous and defamatory article must be removed from all
web based versions of the Facebook account "Cal Coast Fraud," and a public written
retraction of, and apology for having made, the above listed false statements in the article
"Why I Fight a War on Lies" published by Cal Coast Fraud. At your own expense, a public
written retraction of, and apology for having made, the above listed false statements in said
article must be published in The Bay News in the same or more apparent placement as the
original article was run. The text of the demanded retraction and apology must be approved
by the publisher of CalCoastNews.com prior to running, and the retraction and apology must
be published in the Bay News within the next 24 days. The said approved retraction and
apology must be published at your own expense at any site where the article "Why I Fight A
War On Lies" has been posted or linked or quoted, such as (without limitation) Tumbler,
Twitter, and Topix.
The demanded actions requested in this letter are designed to mitigate and reduce the
damage to CalCoastNews.com, its reporters, publisher and editor, resulting from the
defamatory and libelous statements which Aaron Ochs has made in the article "Why I Fight
a War on Lies." Failure to take the actions demanded will increase the exposure to liability
for those defamation, business defamation and libel ofthe author of said article, and ofthe
editor and publisher of Cal Coast Fraud, the Bay News, and any other site republishing said
article.
Thank you for your i1mnediate anticipated attention to correcting the wrong done by
publication of the article "Why I Fight A War On Lies" to Karen Velie, CalCoastNews.com
,

and its staff.

//

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Ms. Karen Velie,

Publisher, CalCoastNews.com

www.stewjenkins.com