San Diego Firm Presses for West County Dump

Ojai Valley residents don’t want it, and a majority of the Board of Supervisors says it’s not needed.

So why is a San Diego investment firm so confident that county voters who go to the polls March 26 will back its plan to build a new landfill in Weldon Canyon?

Richard Chase, general partner of Taconic Resources, the sponsor of Measure T, gives this answer: The west county will have no better place to put its trash after Bailard Landfill in Oxnard closes this summer.

“We believe Weldon is the most reliable, most competitive long-term solution for the west county,” Chase said. “It’s also the best site for a landfill.”

Garbage, say opponents.

There are existing landfills and recycling centers that are willing to take the area’s trash at much cheaper rates and under better terms, said Andrew Stasse, a member of Citizens Against Measure T.

Stasse and others say that Taconic’s real motive is to turn Weldon Canyon into a lucrative regional dump, noting that there is nothing in Measure T that would stop the importation of trash from other counties. Opponents also point out that the measure would exempt the landfill operator from local rate controls.

“The bottom line is they can’t be trusted,” Stasse said. “They’re just a bunch of out-of-county speculators trying to make a quick profit off Ventura County.”

Chase said that a Weldon Canyon landfill can make money without taking out-of-county trash. He said Taconic has even offered to sign an agreement with the county prohibiting the importation of waste.

County attorneys argue that such an agreement would not be legally binding if Taconic were to sell its development rights after winning voter support. Chase counters that he believes the company could bind a successor.

As for rate controls, he said that the market will ultimately determine what the landfill charges for dumping. “It’s a competitive world, and there is nothing in Measure T that requires anybody to use Weldon Canyon,” Chase said. “The cities will control the rates by whether or not they supply waste to the landfill.”

The idea of putting a dump in Weldon Canyon, located 2 1/2 miles north of Ventura, has been kicked around for more than a decade.

*

Waste Management International, the nation’s largest trash disposal firm, spent $13 million in an attempt to develop a landfill there, only to withdraw its application in 1993 because of a lack of political support.

One year later, Taconic negotiated an option with Waste Management, which still controls the lease on the 551-acre canyon site, to seek development rights.

Faced with opposition from the Board of Supervisors, Taconic spent more than $335,000 on a successful initiative drive. But the landfill measure was eventually struck from the ballot after a judge declared it invalid in 1994.

Armed with a new initiative, Taconic spent $104,000 to put a landfill measure on this month’s ballot and vows to spend another $400,000 before the election.

Opponents said they are frustrated but not surprised by Taconic’s determination.

“It’s like that movie ‘Friday the 13th’--’They’re back,’ ” Stasse said. “But I guess with that kind of money they can afford to come back.”

Still, Citizens Against Measure T is gearing up for a showdown, having raised more than $42,000 in cash and nonmonetary contributions for its own campaign.

Although the group is based in Camarillo, more than half of its campaign contributions come from residents in Ojai and Ventura, the cities closest to the proposed landfill.

“All I can say is bless them for it,” said Milton Kramer, a Thousand Oaks resident who is managing the group’s campaign. “It takes money to get your message out.”

Chris Westphal, a member of the Ojai-based Coalition to Stop Weldon Canyon Dump, said his group decided to let Kramer’s campaign organization take the lead on the landfill issue mainly for tactical reasons.

“This is a countywide issue,” he said. “We didn’t want this to be tainted as the not-in-my-backyard, hoity-toity Ojai people against the poor landfill speculators.”

In addition to destroying a pristine canyon, Westphal and others argue that construction costs and the development of large recycling centers in Ventura and Oxnard would make it extremely difficult for a Weldon Canyon landfill to be economically feasible.

They say there are cheaper and less environmentally damaging options available to the west county.

But just how viable some of these options are is not certain.

*

For example, Waste Management, which operates the Simi Valley Landfill, has offered to take more west county trash at significantly lower rates in exchange for exclusive 20-year contracts with cities. But so far, no west county city has been willing to lock itself into such a long-term pact.

Another option is expansion of the Toland Road Landfill near Santa Paula. Under the plan, approved late last month by the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, the landfill would be able to take 1,500 tons a day over a 30-year period, up from 135 tons per day currently.

If the expansion is approved, the landfill could be ready to go by the time Bailard Landfill closes in August, say officials of the Regional Sanitation District, which operates both dumps.

Attracted by this and a low $18-per-ton dumping fee, the Ventura City Council recently endorsed the Toland expansion plan along with one-time opponent Supervisor John Flynn.

Supervisor Susan Lacey has suggested that she is open to the idea. “I’ve taken a position against any new landfills in canyons,” Lacey said. “Obviously, this is not a new landfill.”

But Santa Paula growers and the city of Fillmore oppose an expanded Toland Road Landfill and plan to file separate lawsuits against the sanitation district. Both contend that the environmental impact report for the landfill expansion does not adequately address concerns about increased traffic, noise and dust.

“What people need to understand is that this is more than an expansion,” said Rob Sawyer, the attorney representing the growers. “This is huge. This will create a gigantic mountain.”

Fillmore Councilwoman Linda Brewster said that traffic and dust from the expanded landfill would not only hurt the local agricultural industry, but would also damage Santa Paula and Fillmore’s attempts to attract tourists.

“We’re trying to promote the rural atmosphere that we have,” she said. “This is vital to us. This is what we are.”

Mark Zirbel, an attorney for the sanitation district, said it can resolve many of the concerns raised by local residents and officials. For example, he said, the district is proposing the use of large transfer trucks to haul trash from recycling centers in Oxnard and Ventura to the landfill.

“This would make a significant difference in terms of traffic and noise,” he said.

Zirbel said that Toland Road is by far the best trash disposal solution because of the low rates it could charge and because it is an existing landfill, locally and publicly controlled. “If Toland goes forward, Weldon Canyon is dead,” he said.

Even Taconic’s Chase acknowledges that the proposed Toland Road dumping fee would be difficult to compete against, with Weldon Canyon’s fee projected to be in the range of $30 to $35. In addition, he said, the landfill would not accept trash for at least 18 months.

But Chase said he believes that opposition in Santa Paula and Fillmore could ultimately kill the Toland Road project, leaving Weldon Canyon as the best option.

And while there are landfills outside the county that offer competitive rates, including Chiquita Canyon in Los Angeles County, Chase said shipping waste to these landfills would only mean sending jobs and local tax dollars elsewhere.

*

Chase said that Taconic polled 600 Ventura County residents in 1994 and found that 60% supported the Weldon Canyon landfill. “I’m confident that we’re going to win by a two-to-one margin,” said Chase, adding that he expects the strongest support to come from the eastern part of the county. Some public officials in the east county have said the west county should take care of its own trash at its own landfill.

If Measure T is approved by voters, opponents said they would seriously consider filing a lawsuit to block its construction. They say they would argue that the initiative is invalid because it would usurp the county’s rights over the project. But opponents said they are confident they will win at the ballot box.

“The people who have contributed to our campaign are truly Ventura County citizens,” Stasse said. “They’re willing to stand up against a large corporation to try and protect the interests of the county. It’s a David and Goliath battle. But David can win.”