Dear Friends & Neighbors,
For unincorporated Monterey County, illegal dumping is a widespread problem. It is particularly bad in North County where a relatively dense population of rural residents live. It takes only a handful of offenders to despoil the natural beauty of our communities.
Illegal dumping isn’t a new phenomenon. It has been a plague for a long time here. In the mid-20th century, people disposed of cars by dumping them into creeks and sloughs. Many rural residents made dump sites on their own property in ravines and other natural depressions. Landfills eventually ended that practice. For a long time, we had two landfills in North County. One was on Lewis Road and the other off Crazy Horse Canyon Road. Both those closed some 20-plus years ago, which required 50,000 North County residents to either go to Marina or a transfer station in Salinas.
Those are the choices we have now. From loading up and traveling to the dump site (and waiting in long lines), it can take three to four hours or more from the beginning to returning home. The lack of an easily accessible landfill or transfer station encourages people who are less socially and ecologically responsible to find a remote location and unload their debris on public or private land. Once that happens, it becomes either the county’s responsibility, or that of one of the many volunteers who help keep our roads clean, to pick up the mess left behind. What is particularly frustrating are the people who dump mattresses and appliances. It is free to leave these items at a refuse center.
The lack of a North County location to dispose of trash may be changing in the next couple of years. While campaigning for Supervisor, I promised to look into the idea of placing a transfer station in North County. One of the many committees that I sit on is Salinas Valley Recycles (SVR) -- formerly the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority. SVR owns both the Lewis and Crazy Horse landfills.
Earlier this year, I spoke with SVR’s general manager and did a tour of these closed landfills. In August, we presented to the SVR Board the option of opening the Crazy Horse landfill as a transfer station. At our November meeting, the Board approved $100,000 for design studies to develop a transfer station there. In the discussions, I have emphasized that it is important that the transfer station be tucked well inside the landfill so that traffic does not back up on Crazy Horse Canyon Road. This was a problem years ago when the landfill was opened. We are still in the planning and feasibility stages, but I expect that in two or so years, North County will have a more convenient location for its trash than Salinas or Marina. On another positive note, the Crazy Horse transfer station might be cheaper than either the transfer station on Madison Lane in Salinas or the landfill off Del Monte Avenue in Marina.
I will keep you informed as the project comes along.
On another note regarding illegal dumping, I recently made a referral to the Board of Supervisors about littering fines (referrals are the process where individual supervisors propose policy changes to the entire Board). The current fines for littering or illegal dumping are $100 for a first offense, which increases to $500 for a third offense.
As I pointed out at the Board of Supervisors, a $100 fine for dumping trash on a county road is not a deterrent. It costs $50-$100 in fees just to go to the Madison Lane transfer station or Marina landfill. The low fines for illegal dumping almost encourage someone to dump trash on our roads because it saves time. The risk of being caught is low and the penalty is paying what it costs to dispose of trash legally. I recently became aware that our neighbors in San Benito County decided to become serious with their fines for illegal dumping. They have raised it to a maximum of $10,000. While that is for a third offense, I am supporting raising the fine for first offenders to $1,000 and second-time offenders to $5,000. This is the only way we can get serious with those polluting our country roads. I hope to see the new fines in place by early next year.
With a new transfer station and increased fines, I am hopeful that we can begin to make a dent in our trash problem. I also look forward to a more convenient trip to a local transfer station rather than traveling to Marina or Salinas. Yet this is only the beginning to dealing with trash. There needs to be more aggressive enforcement and educational programs to deter those few who are ruining the beauty of North County. Once these changes are moving forward, it is time to look at other plans.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. You can reach us at 831-755-5022 or district2@co.monterey.ca.us.
Please note, our office will be closed for the holidays from Friday, December 22nd through Tuesday, January 2nd. For non-urgent matters, please leave us a message or send us an email and we will get back to you upon our return.
For assistance during that time:
In an emergency, please dial 911
For road related issues (potholes, storm drains, debris in right-of-way, etc.) please contact Public Works: 831-755-4925 or 831-755-4800
For noise complaints, please call the Noise Complaint Hotline: 831-755-5177
Happy holidays,
Glenn Church
District 2 Supervisor
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