STANTON : Trash Processor Asks Rent Deferral

Owed more than $250,000 in rent and fees, the city will consider a rent deferral payment plan tonight for CR&R;, the operator of a waste processing plant on city property.

The City Council will also appoint members to the Planning Commission, the Personnel Advisory Board and the Community Services Commission.

And Councilman Sal Sapien will seek approval on proposing a change in state law to allow impounding of cars used in prostitution. He wants to present the idea at the Orange County League of Cities meeting Thursday.

According to city staff, CR&R; has requested deferral of rent payments for the period from last October through this month. The company is also asking to defer payments it must make to the city based on the number of tons of trash it processes at the Stanton plant.

“Apparently they’re in a little bit of a financial bind,” Councilman Harry Dotson said.

CR&R; representatives were not available for comment.

Dotson said the rent and fees from CR&R; provide about 20% of the city’s general fund. “We need to keep them in the community,” he said. “They hire a good number of local people.”

Sapien said he favors a payment plan providing for penalties on late CR&R; rent payments. The plan proposes 7% interest on late payments, but grants CR&R; permission to defer rent payments and fees until February. They would pay the deferred rent and fees along with February’s normal payments.

Under the current agreement, CR&R; does not pay interest on late payments, Sapien said. “It corrects a deficiency that we had in the current lease,” Sapien said of the proposed agreement.

Meanwhile, only nine people applied for 11 vacancies on the Planning Commission, Personnel Advisory Board and the newly created Community Services Commission. The seven-member Community Services Commission was created to take the place of the Recreation and Leisure Services Commission.

Sapien said only one person has applied for the two seats for business representatives on the new commission.

To combat prostitution in Stanton, Sapien wants to adapt a Chicago law allowing impoundment of cars used in prostitution. Convicted violators pay $500 impoundment fees in Chicago.

Sapien wanted to pass a city ordinance earlier this fall that would allow the city to levy such a fee, but was told by City Atty. Thomas W. Allen that such an ordinance would violate state law.

Sapien said he will try to get the Orange County League of Cities and the California League of Cities to lobby the Legislature to change the law. He seeks council approval tonight.