California City repels sludge bill in current form

California City repels sludge bill in current form
The Bakersfield Californian

Posted: Wednesday March 16th, 2005, 11:20 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday March 16th, 2005, 11:48 PM

The California City Council voted Tuesday night 3-2 against a bill by state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, that would ban the import of biosolids across county lines.
California City was one of four towns considering a vote in support of the anti-sludge dumping bill Tuesday night, and the only town to oppose it. Shafter, Wasco and Taft all unanimously supported the bill. Sludge is processed human waste.

California City Councilman Bill Dempsey, one of three opposed to the bill, said his vote was against the bill and not for sludge delivery in California City. He said the bill would have a lot of changes and when it was finalized, he wanted to look at it again.

Dempsey said he's very opposed to importing sludge to California City.

California City Mayor Larry Adams said he was surprised at the outcome of the vote and called Florez's office to apologize. Adams said two companies have expressed interest in buying land in California City for an agricultural preserve, which he fears will be turned into a sludge dump.

"I have no idea why a county, i.e. Los Angeles and Orange, would think it's OK to take something they create and dump it on someone else's county," Adams said.

"I'm certainly not in favor of it and I don't want it in my community," he said.

http://www.bakersfield.com/local/story/5365740p-5385272c.html