Judge Orders Trash Hauler to Discontinue Santa Clarita Operation

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge, at the urging of Santa Clarita officials, on Thursday ordered a San Fernando Valley trash hauler to stop soliciting customers in the city.

Santa Clarita attorneys argued that the San Fernando Valley division of Waste Management of North America Inc. violated a city ordinance which gave three local companies the exclusive rights to dispose of residential trash in the city.

Judge Ronald M. Sohigian did not comment on the city’s claims when granting a temporary restraining order against Waste Management. A hearing on the city’s request for a preliminary injunction that would force Waste Management to give up its current residential customers in Santa Clarita was scheduled for Aug. 6.

Waste Management officials could not be reached for comment Thursday but had argued for months that the franchise agreement unfairly excluded the firm from the city.

The City Council awarded the franchises in February to Blue Barrel Disposal, Atlas Disposal and Santa Clarita Disposal, giving each company a region in the city to service. In the past, residents could choose their own trash hauler.

As part of the franchise agreement, the haulers agreed to step up recycling efforts and thus allow the city to comply with a new state recycling law. City Council members said the recycling program was their main motivation for granting the franchises.

City officials warned Waste Management to stop operating or soliciting work in the city. Instead, “Waste Management sent a letter to its customers informing them that Waste Management would be serving them until March 30, 1996,” the city’s lawsuit said.

City spokeswoman Gail Foy said City Hall had received many complaints from homeowners who hired Waste Management only to learn later that they would still be billed by the franchisee serving their area.

One such person was Glenda Lewis, a Newhall resident who hired Waste Management in late May after the company promised a monthly rate of $16.85 for residential trash pickup. The three franchises charge $17.81 a month.

Lewis said she had heard of the city’s franchise agreement and called Waste Management for an explanation before she hired the firm. “They told me that it was legal to do business in Santa Clarita,” she said.