County Could Earn Cash for Junk Cars

Always looking for ways to generate new revenues, Ventura County officials may have come up with their most innovative solution yet: turning junk into cash.

Under a proposal to be considered by county supervisors Tuesday, a Santa Paula firm would pay for the right to haul away abandoned vehicles tagged by the county. Tri-County Auto Dismantlers would pay the county $30 per vehicle.

The 12-month program would not only alleviate a public nuisance but would also generate an estimated $48,600 in revenues, said Thomas Berg, director of the county’s Resource Management Agency. The hauler is expected to average at least 135 abandoned vehicles a month.

For several years, the county has had agreements with local haulers to remove abandoned vehicles targeted by the county at no cost, Berg said. The haulers recovered their cost by salvaging parts and selling the scrap metal.

“Then we thought, ‘What if they paid us for the right (to tow the vehicles)?’ ” Berg said. “So we went out to bid, and seven or eight dismantlers responded.”