ILLEGAL DUMPING TARGETED; SUBCOMMITTEE URGES MORE MONEY, STIFFER PENALTIES.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer After nearly three years of studying the best ways to combat illegal dumping in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , the Illegal Dumping Subcommittee of the Antelope Valley Anti-Crime Committee has asked the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five member governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district, the current members as of April 2006 are:
In a letter sent to the board last week, subcommittee officials asked the board to allocate money for more aggressive enforcement of anti-dumping laws anti-dumping law Health law Any legislation enacted to prevent the inappropriate transfer of Pts who are medically unstable–eg, in early labor, or with impending rupture of aortic aneurysm, to other health care facilities. See Dumping. , to stiffen stiff·en tr. & intr.v. stiff·ened, stiff·en·ing, stiff·ens To make or become stiff or stiffer. stiff penalties against illegal dumping, to set up a hotline for reporting violations and to authorize inmate works crews for cleanup efforts. ``We realize that it's difficult, but we're asking for monies for overtime so we can target some illegal dumpers,'' said Wayne Argo, the subcommittee chairman. ``We want a law enforcement effort that would be under our committee.'' The latest recommendations came after the failure of a subcommittee suggestion last October that all residents of unincorporated Adj. 1. unincorporated - not organized and maintained as a legal corporation unorganised, unorganized - not having or belonging to a structured whole; "unorganized territories lack a formal government" Antelope Valley be required by law to pay for trash collection services. The supervisors agreed to look into the proposal, but the idea was quashed by vocal opposition by residents. One of the subcommittee's newest goals is to get more aggressive enforcement by sheriff's deputies and county health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract personnel. ``We want to make some arrests and publicize pub·li·cize tr.v. pub·li·cized, pub·li·ciz·ing, pub·li·ciz·es To give publicity to. publicize or -cise Verb [-cizing, -cized] them,'' said Argo. ``We want to bring an awareness to the public as to just how serious this crime is.'' District Attorney's Office officials in Lancaster have found a section of the state health and safety code that makes illegal dumping a misdemeanor, punishable by jail time. Previously, dumpers were ticketed and fined. ``It had never been used before,'' said Argo. ``The Antelope Valley District Attorney's Office has agreed to prosecute illegal dumpers under this state law.'' Faced with continual costly cleanup of desert areas, subcommittee officials are hoping the board will approve the use of inmate work crews to clean up illegal dumps. The subcommittee was created in 1996 following action from the Board of Supervisors in an effort to address the problem of illegal dumping in the Antelope Valley. Made up of community leaders and representatives from the Sheriff's Department, District Attorney's Office, health services, Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
The subcommittee's recommendations followed a series of public meetings last year throughout the Antelope Valley. At those meetings, residents suggested that illegal dumping could be reduced by lowering landfill fees and complained that some houses are in areas where trash trucks do not go. In response, county officials said valley landfills and trash collection services are all conducted by private businesses on a free-market basis, and the county cannot dictate to them their dump fees or service areas. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Old furniture and appliances create an eyesore eye·sore n. Something, such as a distressed building, that is unpleasant or offensive to view. eyesore Noun something very ugly Noun 1. on property west of 75th Street West and Avenue M. (2) Trash dumped west of 75th Street West and Avenue M illustrates the problem under study by the Illegal Dumping Subcommittee. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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