How to resolve AdBlock issue? Some people hold their trash too long, others throw it along the road and others store it in a pile.
District 3 Supervisor Jim Steele called the joint meeting to find out if the community was in favor of moving forward with mandatory trash collection services.
The three town hall council chairs were present at the meeting including Gene Paleno, West Region; Bob Gardner, Lucerne Area; and Denise Loustalot of the East Region.
Also on hand were Lars Ewing and Kati Galvani of County Public Services and Bruce McCracken, owner of Lake County Waste Solutions, Lake County’s waste franchise hauler.
As pictures of trash sites in neighborhoods and the backcountry flashed on the screen, sighs of alarm could be heard throughout the room. Some had seen the problems first-hand; others were amazed it was so bad; some called for a quick solution; and some were concerned about the cost – including one individual against increased taxes and government and another who thought requiring trash pick up might be a form of social cleansing.
These latter concerns seemed to take a back seat to the sentiments of most who testified during the 1.5 hour-long public meeting.
According to Steele, currently, garbage pickup is an optional service with an average of only 40 percent of the residents in District 3 paying to have their trash picked up weekly.
Considerable public testimony was heard. Several expressed outrage at living with neighbors who they claimed refused to keep their yards clean, some expressed frustration that complaints to the county proved fruitless, and others expressed support for a way to fix the problem of trash on hillsides, in neighborhoods and along the Highway 20 corridor.
One person announced that he and his wife decided to keep the Nice-Lucerne Cut-off area clean, on their own, inviting others to join in efforts to maintain a cleaner roadside presence.
A few in attendance lost patience during the testimony, demanding to know how the problem could be solved. “What’s the solution?” one person asked.
Another expressed skepticism, saying the practice of dumping old mattresses was not a problem that could be solved.
At one point a Lucerne resident, who compared the problem to third world conditions, asked for a show of hands in favor of mandatory garbage collection. The majority raised their hands in support.
Steele said the trash issues in District 3 generated more calls than any other single issue. He said he wanted to know if there was enough support to move forward with a requirement of mandatory garbage collection for all renters and property owners within the community growth boundaries of District 3 through a fee for service approach.
“It is not a tax, it is a fee for service,” Steele explained. “The fees collected do not go into the County’s general tax fund. They are used for the exclusive purpose of paying for the cost of the pick up or similar service.”
He said some money could even fund dedicated code enforcement staff if the public wanted better response.
Steele also said that a few exceptions to the weekly pickup fees could be considered, like neighbors with limited need for service to share a weekly pickup or reduced rates for low income individuals. “But it can’t be free – it cost money to pick up and haul garbage to the landfill,” he said.
Another possible exception to mandatory garbage service was to allow people to haul their own garbage to the dump, provided they follow the state law requiring garbage to be dumped after 7 days.
Ewing explained that the county employees do not handle garbage pickup services directly. “We contract that out to Lake County Waste Solutions and the contract must be negotiated,” he said.
McCracken explained that they offered once-a-month free pickup of large items, such as furniture and appliances.
Five different handouts were available including information on free paint disposal; “sharps” disposal by mail; hazardous waste dropoff and recycling programs; free and fee-based dropoff; and spare tire amnesty programs.
For more information about these programs people can contact Lake County Waste Solutions at 707-234-6400 and Lake County Public Services Department at 707-262-1760.
In response to questions from the audience, Ewing explained that mandatory garbage pickup was common in cities but not in the unincorporated areas of a county.
The meeting ended with a commitment from Steele to pursue the necessary steps to implement a mandatory garbage collection program. “We may be able to do it by ordinance – or it may come down to a ballot measure where people would have to vote on whether or not to require trash collection in the community growth areas of the district.”
Citizens are encouraged to contact Steele at his office number, 707-263-2368, or to send a message at
Another way to provide input is at the local town hall council meetings. To find out when the town hall councils meet, a Facebook page has been set up, Lake County, District 3, Town Hall Advisory Council Meetings.
