An interesting story has emerged from last month's California Coastal Commission hearing on the 241 toll road completion.

The LA Times' David Reyes mentioned the rapid-response operation toll road opponents had going at the hearing. Whenever a speaker testified in favor of completing the 241, this operation would print out the speaker's name, their remarks and a rebuttal and pass it out to the media.

This slick operation was due to the efforts of Cerrell Associates and Sacramento-based GOP consultant Joe Rodota, who were brought on board to help kill the 241, as I reported in September 2007.

Rodota is a long-time Republican consultant with a background in opposition research. Cerrell Associates is represented in this fight by Executive Vice President Mattt Klink. Cerrell was hired by the California State Parks Foundation to, among others things, help stop the 241 completion. Rodota never returned my phone call last September, so I don't know if he's being paid by the CSPF or some other anti-241 organization.

It's disappointing enough that a conservative like Rodota hired himself out to the Environmental Left to assist their dishonest, hysterical campaign against the 241.

But for Cerrell Associates, it's a huge conflict of interest.

Cerrell Associates is paid at least $250,000 a year by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)  for media and public relations services.

SCAG also strongly supports the completion of the 241/Foothill-South project. It is part of SCAG's Regional Transportation Plan. Laguna Niguel Mayor Paul Glaab, speaking as SCAG's representative at the Feb. 6 hearing, urged the Coastal Commission to approve the 241 completion.

In other words, Cerrell Associates is being paid by the California State Parks Foundation to kill a project being supported by another client  -- SCAG -- that's paying Cerell at least $250,000 a year (according to sources it's more like $350,000).

Understandably, as word of this has spread, SCAG isn't too happy. I'll keep you posted.