Guest View: County diverted $4.8m in landfill funds, but failed to address impacts
San Benito County diverted $4.8 million of rate-payer funds from the Landfill-Solid Waste enterprise to the General Fund and implemented a crippling agreement with the landfill operator to increase acceptance of out-of-county waste in order to get their hands on the money. In addition to diverting the funds, which the county denies was illegal, its own internal documents reveal that it failed to take adequate actions to protect the landfill capacity, address the environmental concerns or transportation impacts including road maintenance/litter, and failed to obtain a any revenue increase from out-of-county waste, which was the agreement’s original purpose.
Community board: Deception defines Measure J campaigns
While this board and its members' conflicting views on Measure J reflect the wider community's disparity in opinions, there is general agreement on one thing: Organized campaigns on both sides of the issue have used deception in trying to steer public sentiments.
