SACREMENTO – Senator Scott Wilk, representing the 21st Senate District (which includes the Antelope Valley), has introduced legislation to protect rural communities from unlawful dumping by enhancing enforcement efforts.
“For too long, High Desert… residents have dealt with trucks from Los Angeles driving through their neighborhoods, unlawfully dumping tons of broken concrete and unknown waste material into their communities,” Wilk stated. “[Senate Bill] 409 would help put an end to the devastating impact this has had on the environment and our neighborhoods.”
With the increased costs of licensed dumpsites in Los Angeles County, many property owners have found it lucrative to allow unlawful dumping on their land. Truckers in turn make money by charging a client a high rate for ‘legal dumping’ but instead deliver the waste to a property owner’s land for a far lower amount of money, pocketing the difference.
“These bad actors are treating our high desert communities as dumps, selling our communities’ health, safety, and environment for a quick buck”, Wilk stated.
SB 409 makes it clear that property owners are required to follow all laws, codes and ordinances of the pertinent state or local agency before permitting dumping on their land. SB 409 also adds truckers to the unlawful dumping statute, enabling prosecutors to file criminal charges for transporting waste for unlawful dumping. The bill would also change the violation from an infraction to a misdemeanor and increases fines.
“Senator Wilk’s legislation works in conjunction with my motion approved by the Board of Supervisors to focus funds, enforcement, public education, and resources to fight illegal dumping,” stated Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger.
[Information via news release by the Office of Senator Scott Wilk.]
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Alex says
What’s happened to Lancaster falls on the Mayor and leadership. It’s impossible for the Mayor to be blind to the trash and homeless situation yet the city takes no action. There’s more to being a Mayor and in leadership then looking fancy on counsel nights. Everything falls on leadership to “lead the way” in fixing the issues of a city. Governor Moonbeam was a complete waste of skin but he wasn’t in charge of Lancaster when it slowly turned into a shithole. The blame game gets us nowhere, leadership takes us everywhere. Sad to see what’s happened.
Alexis says
The voters are to blame for the leaders they put in place. Four times, too.
Ron says
You can’t totally blame Lancaster’s Mayor for this. After all he doesn’t even live here. He lives in Laguna. You’d figure his hand picked Council would clue him in, but they all live on the West Side. Any thing that happens on the East Side is ignored. All they care about is the BLVD. Funny, but with all the attention it gets, the BLVD is pretty much a mess too.
Alexis says
The people of Lancaster want him as Mayor of Lancaster. 2008-Elected Mayor: 2010-2014-Re-elected Mayor: 2012-2016-Re-elected Mayor: 2016-2020-Re-elected Mayor. All the complainers do nothing. Blame the people for the mess in Lancaster.
Ron says
Who is arguing with you Alexis? I agree. Rex isn’t the one to blame. He doesn’t even live here. He makes money and enjoys the good life in Laguna.
The people of Lancaster most definitely are to blame. They continue to elect a very bizarre thinking man to lead the city and he has, right down the toilet.
Alexis says
You’re right, Ron. I apologize.
Pirrurris says
I think it’s time we elected a democrat for Mayor in the city of Lancaster. :).
And there should be term limits for for Mayors too. How long has Perris been Mayor now? Also, don’t you think it’s a problem being Mayor and also having a law firm that sues neighboring cities?
Good Riddance says
Parris is the worst of both extremes of the right and left wings. His thought process is disturbing and his ideas border on ludicrous. It is time for home to go enjoy the fruits of his frivolous lawsuit labors and spend tine with his family at his beautiful house in Laguna. Despite all he has done to hurt people, ruin their names, and live the pockets of his corrupt supporters, I wish him a long and happy life far away from the Antelope Valley.
John Thomas says
If you think the present City Council will support term limits or limits for the Mayor you are under the influence. Like districts those measures would rid our City of the likes of them so you can kiss that possibility goodbye. Unless you can get the voters signature for a initiative
Raze Brayne says
Parris is all for voting districts in every city except Lancaster. That’s odd, isn’t it?
Irvingstark says
The root cause of the issue is the cost to legally dump.
Can we introduce legislation that limits the cost to legally dispose of waste at the landfill??
Or have an cleanup day or week where one could dump waste at a reduced price?
John says
What’s the problem? I thought the Antelope Valley in general was one big dump!
Kathy McClarren says
Another Republican elected official trying to be realivent without success. These out of touch State officials need to retire. Katie Hill showed us the way time for a total Dem takeover. We can!
Brian M says
Kathy, I seriously disagree with you putting the blame on a republican. If anything, former Gov. Jerry Brown really screwed things up and the wasted bullet train. Democrats voting for criminals to get out of Prison early only to commit more crimes. If you want to talk about the trash problem fine, but keep your politics out of it because its not the reason for the dumping.
Kathy McClarren says
Politics are relivent when our elected Republican leaders push do nothing legislation because they cannot get a legitimate bill passed. These so called leaders share third party status and for the AV that means no accomplishments for the High Desert. Vote Democrat in 2020 and feel the positive difference.
Alexis says
Another bill being introduced? Penal Code 374.3- illegal dumping of waste, is a hefty fine and possibly six months in jail, right? Littering is a $1000.00 fine, right. That’s not stopping people that don’t care about the environment. Look at what happened at Joshua Tree National Park during the shutdown. Humans behaving badly, ruining things for the humans that don’t behave badly. I was walking my dog in the desert when a truck showed up to dump a bunch of garbage, and I stood there watching, and shaking my head, along with a few words, only to receive that special finger. I wanted to ask him if that was his I.Q., but being a woman alone with a small dog that likes everyone, I decided to refrain from any further comments.
Brian M. says
Alexis, Thats what we have here in the AV. These kind of people that don’t care about ruining our Desert. Its shocking to me. I don’t even see Mexico this bad when I visit there.
ThisIsSPARTA!! says
The bill is not about this kind of dumping. It addresses those ‘entrepreneurs’ who buy a plot of land somewhere in the middle of the desert, then charge a smallish fee to allow people to dump there. Because the land is owned, they get away from the no-dumping law. The bill would need these sites to comply with all the licensing and environmental laws that a proper dump would have. OR AT LEAST, THAT’S THE IDEA. This political climate being what it is, I would not be surprised if this has a couple of accidental loop holes that would allow ‘entrepreneurs’ to profit mightly from this, while allowing some law-maker to save ‘environmental’ face.
John says
Try driving from Sierra Highway and head east down Ave E, H, J or K all the way past 120th street. It is one long trash dump. This is not overflowing trash cans or high winds. People are driving their truck loads of trash, construction waste, tires and dumping it on the side of the road all the way to the San Bernardino county line. This not just people from Los Angeles doing this. These are your neighbors and co-workers doing this.
Ann says
Please, please do something about it. I wish they would coordinate with the Sheriff’s Dept. and set up stakeout/sting operations. Catch these people. If they can’t afford a fine, then jail them. Or make them do community cleanup. The desert north of Ave H is horrible. Head up 10th Street West past H. It gets cleaned up and in a matter of days the roadsides are littered again—mattresses, furniture, broken toilets, old TVs, landscape waste, bags of trash that get broken open.
Brian M. says
Ann, They really won’t. I have talked with some of them and they say they cannot stakeout at night. Thats when much of this dumping happens. In the daytime, if there is a Sheriffs car, the dumper won’t dump there. Its beyond out of control!
Dump says
“For too long, High Desert… residents have dealt with trucks from Los Angeles driving through their neighborhoods, unlawfully dumping…”
From one dump to another…
Felina says
I wish they would crackdown on residents not bagging the trash they put in their cans and the scavengers that bust open the bags, only for the wind to catch the trash when the can is overfilled and heaved over by the truck or for birds to scatter. What do you think Tim? You too, Alexis.
Laughing says
Picked up one box, four food wrappers, 2 beer cans, 1 soda can, cigarette pack, plastic bags, page from a newspaper, and several small pieces of cups and other stuff this morning to put in my dumpster. Meanwhile looking down the street, several over filled cans a couple with ravens pulling them apart.
I think it is just part of life in the windy desert. That and people need to produce less trash, or spend a little energy and crush it down a bit.
Tim Scott says
When I was a kid we lived on a dead end street that ran west to east with a chain link fence at the end. Our neighbors at the end of the block, just about every trash day, had to pick half a can of trash off the fence. Part of life in the AV. I don’t know that “cracking down” would fix it.