THE ASSEMBLY, ENVIRONMENTAL
SAFETY AND TOXIC MATERIALS
COMMITTEE TO ORDER WE'RE
CONTINUING TO WELCOME THE
PUBLIC. WE PROVIDED ACCESS TO
BOTH IN PERSON AND
TELECONFERENCE PARTICIPATION FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT, SO THOSE FOLKS
THAT WANT TO PROVIDE PUBLIC
COMMENTS BY THE TELECONFERENCE
SERVICE PLEASE USE OUR OUR TOLL
FREE NUMBER, WHICH IS 8772268163
. THE ACCESS CODE IS 736 TO 832.
WE'RE GOING TO BE. HEARING ALL
OF THE PANELS BEFORE TAKING
PUBLIC COMMENT. ONCE WE'VE HEARD
ALL THE WITNESSES, WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THOSE
WHO WISH TO COMMENT ON THE
TOPICS OF ON TODAY'S AGENDA. SO
WE'RE GOING TO BE PROVIDING
UPDATES TODAY ON WORK HAPPENING
WITH REGARDS TO THE POLICY AND
FISCAL REFORMS THAT HAVE BEEN
HAPPENING IN THE DEPARTMENT
TOPICS. TAX EXCEPTIONS CONTROL
DTSC. WE ALL KNOW THAT THE
DEPARTMENT HAS A VERY CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT MISSION. TO PROTECT
PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE
ENVIRONMENT FROM TOXIC
SUBSTANCES. I DON'T THINK IT'S
ANY SECRET TO THE FOLKS HERE
THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS BEEN
LOOKING VERY CLOSELY AT DTSC. WE
STARTED AT WORK ABOUT A DECADE
AGO IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNS
RAISED ABOUT TRANSPARENCY,
ACCOUNTABILITY AND FISCAL ISSUES
AT THE DEPARTMENT, AND WE HAVE
HEARD MANY CONCERNS ABOUT HOW
DTSC IMPLEMENTS ITS PROGRAMS
FROM COMMUNITIES LIVING NEAR
HAZARDOUS WASTE AND CONTAMINATED
SITES AND THOSE THAT OPERATE
HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES AND
CLEAN UP CONTAMINATED SITES. AND
IN RESPONSE TO THOSE CONCERNS
AND FOLLOWING YEARS OF
LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS AND POLICY
CHANGES, MANY OF THEM HELD BY
OUR RESPECTIVE COMMITTEES. SB 1
58 WAS PASSED AND SIGNED INTO
LAW IN 2021 TO IMPLEMENT SEVERAL
REFORM MEASURES AND THIS WAS A
REALLY IMPORTANT MILESTONE. THE
LEGISLATION GAVE THE DEPARTMENT
AS IMPORTANT TOOLS. AND FUNDING
THE COURSE CORRECT AND HELP THEM
BETTER DO THEIR WORK AND IN
ENSURING THAT WE HAVE CLEANER
AND SAFER COMMUNITIES. THERE
WERE SEVERAL POLICY CHANGES IN
THE BILL. UH THERE WAS ALSO AN
INCREASE IN UPDATING OF THE DTS
ES FEES. THE BILL IN SOME OF THE
RELATING BUDGET WORK STABILIZED
FUNDING CREATED THE BOARD
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, WHICH WILL
BE HEARING FROM TODAY, WHICH
SOUGHT TO IMPROVE THE
TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY,
FISCAL STABILITY. SO WE'RE EAGER
TO HEAR ABOUT THE WORK THAT'S
BEEN HAPPENING, THE DEPARTMENT
AND THE BOARD IMPLEMENTING THESE
REFORM MEASURES IN ANY
CHALLENGES THAT NEED OUR
ATTENTION. IN FACT, THE BILL
SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED THIS THIS
GATHERING AND ANNUAL GATHERING
TO HEARING HERE TO REALLY ENSURE
THAT THEIR LEGISLATURE DOES A
DEEP DIVE INTO THESE INTO THE
VARIOUS ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED
BY THE DEBATE OVER DTSC. SO THE
FIRST PROGRESS REPORT ON THESE
REFORMS WAS GIVEN TO US LAST
AUGUST. THIS IS A ONE YEAR
UPDATE FROM THAT FROM THAT THAT
PROGRESS REPORT. SO WE'RE GOING
TO HEAR FROM THE RECENTLY
CREATED BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SAFETY, THE DIRECTOR OF DTSC,
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO WE'VE GOT A
REALLY GOOD STAKEHOLDER PANEL AT
THE END. WE ALL KNOW THE STATES
MADE SOME REALLY IMPORTANT
INVESTMENTS INTO THESE REFORMS
THAT SET PTC PTC UP. FOR SUCCESS
. THE LEGISLATURE IS EAGER TO
ENSURE THAT WE PROTECT OUR OUR
PROGRESS IN THIS IMPORTANT
MISSION. WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS
FEES. COLLECTED BY DTSC FROM
PRODUCERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE IN
THE STATUS OF PERMITS ISSUED BY
DTSC AM PARTICULARLY TO HEAR
ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF
IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE
TO THE SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS
PROGRAM TO ENABLE IT MORE
EFFICIENTLY REGULATE HARMFUL
CHEMICALS AND THE PROGRESS YOU
USE. THAT'S AN AREA THAT I'VE
BEEN SPENDING SOME TIME. MEMBER
OF THE LEGISLATURE. I KNOW ALSO
HAVE SOME REALLY SERIOUS
CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WELL THE
PUBLIC'S BEING PROTECTED FROM
PUBLIC. FROM FROM FROM PRODUCTS
FROM CHEMICALS IN CONSUMER
PRODUCTS. AS EVIDENCED BY MANY
BILLS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING IN
OUR COMMITTEES. LET'S SEEK TO
BAN YOU KNOW, AND THE WHOLE
NUMBER OF CHEMICALS. CERTAINLY
FOX HAS BEEN ONE. THAT'S THAT'S
JURY AND GOTTEN A LOT OF
ATTENTION. CHEMICAL BANDS LIKE
THAT. MAY MAY. YOU KNOW, YOU
KNOW, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS BEEN
MY STRONG FEELING THAT WE WOULD
BE BETTER IF WE HAD A STRONGER,
SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS PROGRAM.
TO REALLY TO REALLY LOOK DO DEEP
DIVE INTO THESE CHEMICALS AND
MAKE DETERMINATIONS OVER THERE.
BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT PROGRAM
HAS HAD ITS CHALLENGES. I'M
CERTAINLY HOPING TO HEAR TODAY
THAT THE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE
MADE TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM OR
YIELDING SOME RESULTS. I'M ALSO
LOOKING FORWARD TO UPDATES ON
SPECIFIC CONCERNS RAISED IN THE
PRESS EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND WE
HAD AN L A TIMES ARTICLE BACK IN
FEBRUARY. THEY RAISED. A LOT OF
SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
ADVOCACY OF DTSC IS CLEAN UP
EFFORT IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS
SURROUNDING THE EXIDE SITE IN
SOUTH EAST LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
AND IT'S BEEN A REAL TOPICAL
CONVERSATION FOR ESPECIALLY
THOSE OF US THAT REPRESENTS
PARTS OF REPRESENT PARTS OF LOS
ANGELES. AND I'M GLAD
SENATOR DAHLE WAS HERE AND IT
WILL BE CERTAINLY NO, SHE'S
GOING TO BE ASKING SOME
QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT TOPIC. IN
ADDITION TO MANY OF THE REST OF
US WE'RE ALSO REALLY EAGER TO
HEAR ABOUT HOW DTSC IS ENSURING
THAT THE RESIDENTS OF THESE
COMMUNITIES AROUND THE EXCITES
SITE ARE BEING ADEQUATELY
PROTECTED FROM LEAD
CONTAMINATION AND WHAT
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS MAYBE NEEDED
. THERE WAS ANOTHER STORY THAT
CAME OUT ABOUT THE FACT THAT
HALF OF OUR TOXIC WASTE IS BEING
DISPOSED OF OUT OF STATE. WHERE
WE MAY KNOW LESS ABOUT
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS WERE,
IN FACT, ONE OF THE EXPLICIT
REASONS IS THAT OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL THEIR
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ARE
WEAKER. THAN OURS. AND THAT
RAISES A WHOLE SET OF CONCERNS
AND QUESTIONS FOR US TO ABOUT
WHAT ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO
ENSURE THAT THE CONDITIONS ARE
RIGHT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO
HANDLE OUR OWN WASTE HERE IN THE
STATE? AS OPPOSED TO EXPORTING
IT ELSEWHERE. THE DTSC ALSO
RELEASED ITS FIRST LET US THAT
MANDATED HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT REPORT LAST MONTH.
I'M CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD TO
THOSE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE
REASONS FOR THIS. YOU KNOW THAT
THE REPORT ACTUALLY DEALS WITH
SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE
THIS SIGNIFICANT WASTE EXPORT
HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROMOTE
BETTER RESPONSIBLE HANDLING OF
TOXIC WASTE HERE. AND THEN, JUST
YESTERDAY HOW MATTERS REPORTED
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ENSURING
HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES ARE
OPERATING SAFELY AND SOME OF THE
CHALLENGES COMMUNITIES IN THE
STATE ARE FACING. SO THERE'S A
LOT OF TOPICS FOR US TO GET
THROUGH. TODAY WE'RE GONNA HEAR
FROM TWO PANELS, FOLLOWED BY A
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. OUR FIRST
PANEL WE'VE GOT JEANNE RIZZO,
WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD.
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, AND
THEN MEREDITH WILLIAMS, THE
DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND
THEN WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM
SOME STAKEHOLDERS WHO HAD BEEN
PARTICIPATING IN THE DTSC REFORM
EFFORTS FOR QUITE SOMETIMES
WE'VE GOT INGRID PROSPERING. WHO
IS THE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY
PROGRAM DIRECTOR AT UC MERCED
COMMUNITY LABOR CENTER. IT'S
ALSO GOT SOME CONSIDERABLE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE EXPERIENCE
AND DON KEPT FROM HUGH CAPTIVE
BY DRONE WAS ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
BALANCE, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
SO I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE
IT. EVERYONE BEING HERE TODAY.
SO MANY MATTERS OF IMPORT AND
INTEREST FOR OUR MEMBERS, AND
I'D LIKE TO END TO LET MY GOOD
COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND WHO'S ALSO
BEEN SUCH AN IMPORTANT LEADER IN
THIS SPACE. ALEX LEAVES CHAIR
AFAR. YES. TÌM COMMITTEE OVER
THE ASSEMBLY. GOOD MORNING AND
THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAIR, ALAN
AND THANK YOU FOR WELCOMING US
ONTO THE RED SEATS. SO IT'S FUN
FOR US. YOU WILL SEE IN THE RED
SEATS FOR ONCE. I WANT TO THANK
ALL THE WITNESSES AND EXPERTS
TODAY FOR APPEARING AND GOING TO
BE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING
ALL THE UPDATES AND THE
TESTIMONY OF THE SHARE WITH US.
I'VE MET WITH SOME OF YOU ON THE
PAST, HOWEVER, LIKE TO EMPHASIZE
THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THESE
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES, I AM
CONCERNED ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE
PROTECTED, ESPECIALLY THOSE
PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES WHO ARE
OVERBURDENED WITH POLLUTION. I
REALIZED THAT THE CHANGES WERE
MADE IN SB 1 58, AND THE FUNDING
THAT WENT OUT WITH IT WILL NOT
SOLVE ALL THESE PROBLEMS
OVERNIGHT. SO I UNDERSTAND THAT
THERE WILL BE A PROCESS WITHIN
SUCCESSES AND, OF COURSE, SOME
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, WHICH IS
WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR. MY OVERALL
ASKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT. IS
THAT WHY YOU ARE IMPLEMENTING
REFORMS IN HIRING ON STAFF?
PLEASE KEEP 11 THING IN MIND
COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION WITH
COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY
CONTAMINATION AND HAZARDOUS
WASTE AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE
LEGISLATURE WITH US, OF COURSE,
COMMUNICATION WITH THOSE THAT
MANAGE HAZARDOUS WASTE FOR BOARD
CHAIR WHO WE'RE GOING TO HEAR
FROM SHORTLY I REALIZED THAT SB
1 58 GIVE YOU A SIGNIFICANT
NUMBER. ER OF DUTIES, AND
HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME YOU'RE
LIKELY BEING ASKED TO THINGS
THAT WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY
COVERED IN THE LEGISLATION. I
ASKED THAT YOU ALSO COMMUNICATE
WITH THE LEGISLATURE. IF
STAKEHOLDERS ARE ASKING THINGS
THAT MAKE UP BEYOND YOUR SCOPE,
YOU COULD BE THE CONVENER. GET
BOTH THOSE STAKEHOLDERS AND
DEPARTMENT AT A HEARING OR
WORKSHOP TO WORK ON THOSE ISSUES
AND ALSO COMMUNITY LEGISLATURE
SO THAT WE ARE ALWAYS AWARE OF
WHAT IS BEING ASKED OF YOU SO WE
CAN THINK ABOUT CHANGES TO MAKE
IN THE FUTURE. AND OF COURSE, IN
THE LINE OF COMMUNICATION. WE
ALWAYS WANT TO BE HEARING FROM
OUR IMPACT TO COMMUNITIES AND
HOW WE COULD BE BETTER SERVICING
THOSE FOLKS. LASTLY, I JUST WANT
TO MENTION THAT THERE ARE A LOT
OF POLICIES THAT ARE DTS ES
AUTHORITY AND WE LIKELY WON'T BE
ABLE TO COVER ALL OF THEM TODAY,
ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE I'M SURE
SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES WILL BE
ASKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE
RECENT STORIES OR SOME OF THOSE
THINGS IMPACT THEIR COMMUNITIES.
BUT IN THE FUTURE, WE COULD LOOK
AT FURTHER OVERSIGHT HEARINGS OR
POTENTIAL BRIEFINGS ON SPECIFIC
ISSUES AS WELL. BEFORE WE START
AGAIN. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE
WITNESSES AND ALL THE FOLKS FOR
APPEARING TODAY. AND, OF COURSE,
ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WILL
COME AFTER ALL ARE GREAT PANELS
HEADED BACK OVER TO YOU,
CAROLINE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I
WANT TO GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY IF
ANY OTHER MEMBERS WANT TO MAKE
SOME OPENING COMMENTS, OKAY,
OBVIOUSLY OKAY. TÌM OVER. THANK
YOU, MR CHAIRS. AND THANKS FOR
COMMITTING. THIS IS GOOD TO SEE
YOU, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS AND
OTHERS. I KNOW IN MY FIVE YEARS
IN THE LEGISLATURE SITTING ON
THE STM, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE
OF SITTING THROUGH MANY OF THE
HEARINGS DISCUSSED IN THE
OPENING REMARKS, AND, UM, I
THINK WE'VE MOVED FAR FROM THOSE
FIRST DISCUSSIONS. HOPEFULLY
SEE, THE DIRECTOR SMILING. UM
AND IT REALLY WAS I THINK A
JOINT EFFORT AND I WANT TO GIVE
CREDIT TO MANY PEOPLE WHO CAME
BEFORE THOSE OF US. SITTING HERE
. SECRETARY BLUMENFELD REALLY
PUSHED VERY HARD FOR THE REFORMS
. IT WAS A GREAT PARTNER IN THAT
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S GARCIA CRISTINA
GARCIA, WHO WOULD ABSOLUTELY
STOOD UP FOR HER COMMUNITY AND
THE COMMUNITIES THAT CHARLIE WAS
MENTIONING THAT HAVE REALLY BEEN
HURT BY SOME OF THESE TOXIC
SUBSTANCES, AND WE'RE NOT
GETTING THE REFORMS DESPERATELY
NEEDED TO BE HEALTHY AND SAFE.
AND YOU KNOW MANY MORE
COLLEAGUES WHO SAW THESE CHANGES
COME INTO FRUITION AND I THINK
UNDER THE DIRECTOR'S LEADERSHIP
, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE
BEEN MOST EXCITED ABOUT IF YOU
WILL, ALTHOUGH IT'S CLEARLY VERY
NERDY TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS
IS THE TRANSPARENCY WHEN WE CAME
INTO THIS GETTING THE
INFORMATION WE NEEDED WAS NOT AS
EASY AS HOPEFULLY WE WILL HEAR
IT IS TODAY. AND I THINK THAT
I'M EXCITED TO HEAR TODAY
WHETHER THAT TRANSPARENCY HAS
TRANSLATED INTO REAL CHANGE. AND
SO I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR
BEING HERE AND EAGER TO HEAR HOW
WE'RE CLEANING UP CALIFORNIA.
FANTASTIC WELL, LET'S WITHOUT
WITH LET'S GET STARTED WITH OUR
WITH OUR OUR PANEL. SO WE'RE
FIRST GOING TO HAVE MISS RIZZO
IS THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, WHICH WE
ALL CREATED IN THE BILL. AND
THEN DIRECTOR WILLIAMS WILL
PRESENT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A
CHANCE FOR SOME ROBUST
DISCUSSION. WE'LL START WITH
YOU, MR RIZZO.
DALLIN LEE AND MEMBERS MY OWN
MEMBER, CONNOLLY, I'M IN YOUR
DISTRICT. GOOD TO SEE YOU. ON
BEHALF OF THE FOUR HALFTIME
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY. WE WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT OUR WORK TODAY. VICE
CHAIR ALEXIS IX HACKER WHO IS
HERE TODAY, AND SUSHMA BHATIA
AND I WERE ALL APPOINTED BY THE
GOVERNOR, LIZETTE RUIZ WAS JUST
REAPPOINTED TO A FOUR YEAR TERM
BY FORMER SPEAKER OF THE
ASSEMBLY. ANTHONY RENDON,
GEORGIA, GÓMEZ IS A SENATE
APPOINTEE. VICE CHAIR. HACKER IS
HERE WITH US TODAY. ALSO HERE
TODAY OR EXECUTIVE OFFICER SWATI
SHARMA. STAFF ATTORNEY GREG
FOREST ADMINISTRATIVE LIAISON.
SHEENA BROOKS, SENIOR STAFF
ENGINEER, LINDA OCAMPO IS TUNING
IN FROM L. A. AS IS OUR NEWEST
MEMBER. EVELYN KNEW. NO. I AM
REALLY PLEASED TO JOIN DR
WILLIAMS TODAY TO REPORT ON THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF SB 1 58.
PROGRESS SUCCESSES AND
CHALLENGES AND IT IS TRULY AN
HONOR TO SERVE THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. MEMBERS OF THE
SECOND PANEL, DON KEP KEE AND
INGRID BRUNNSTROM HAVE REMAINED
DEDICATED CONTRIBUTORS ENGAGED
AND REPRESENTING STAKEHOLDERS IN
OUR DEVELOPMENT AS A BOARD THEY
HAVE BEEN RELENTLESS AND PRESENT
FOR OUR ENTIRE TENURE, AND I
THANK THEM. AS WE REPORTED TO
THIS JOINT COMMITTEE AND LAST
AUGUST, OUR MISSION IS COMPLEX
AND YET ELEGANTLY SIMPLE TO
DILIGENTLY CONTRIBUTE AND
OVERSEE THE TRANSFORMATION OF
DTSC ENVISIONED BY THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SB 1 58 R NORTH
STARS TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF
ALL CALIFORNIANS IS ULTIMATELY
FREE OF THE BURDEN OF TOXIC
EXPOSURES WITH A CLEAR FOCUS ON
WRITING THE HISTORIC WRONGS BORN
BY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. WE
PRIORITIZE TRANSPARENCY AND ALL
WE DO ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE
LEGISLATURE TO THE
ADMINISTRATION IN ALL OF OUR
STAKEHOLDERS, THOSE WHO ARE
REGULATED BY DTSC AND THE PUBLIC
THAT EXPECTS AND RELIES ON DTSC
TO EFFECTIVELY CARRY OUT ITS
MISSION TO PROTECT THE HEALTH
AND SAFETY OF EVERY COMMUNITY
WILL NOW REPORT ON OUR EXECUTION
OF 1 58 MANDATES AS WE HAVE COME
TO UNDERSTAND THEM AND WORK WITH
THEM OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A
HALF LAST JANUARY, 26. DR
WILLIAMS PRESENTED HER
PRIORITIES TO THE FULL BOARD IN
AN OPEN FORUM BOARD HEARING. SHE
ACCEPTED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM
THE BOARD AND AUGMENTED THE
OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES FOR
THIS YEAR, AND THEY WERE
APPROVED BY THE BOARD. THERE WAS
PUBLIC COMMENTS THERE WERE BOARD
QUESTIONS. AND SHE WILL REPORT
OUT ON THE FOUR OVERARCHING
OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES WITHIN
EACH OF THOSE, AND SHE DOES THAT
EVERY SINGLE BOARD MEETING IN
FIELDS, QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
FROM THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC.
WE HAVE SEEN DETERMINED PROGRESS
AND ALL THESE AREAS AS WELL AS
OPENNESS TO BOARD AND
STAKEHOLDERS. WE WILL PROVIDE A
FORMAL EVALUATION OF THE
DEPARTMENT AND THE DIRECTOR IN
FEBRUARY OF 2024, MARKING A YEAR
SINCE THE ADOPTION OF THE
PRIORITIES TO YOUR OVERARCHING
QUESTION ON THE PROGRESS OF THE
DEPARTMENT. WE BETTER NOW
UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THE
CURRENT LEADERSHIP OF DTSC
INHERITED AND OR ATTEMPTING TO
ADDRESS THE GOOD NEWS IS THE
DIRECTOR WILLIAMS AND THE
CURRENT SENIOR LEADERSHIP IN THE
DEPARTMENT AND CALLIE, PA. SHARE
OR IN PATIENTS WITH WITH A
GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
CHALLENGES TO THE PACE AND
PROGRESS OF THE WORK THAT HAS TO
BE DONE. DIRECTOR WILLIAMS
CONTINUES TO WORK TO RESET THE
CULTURE. AND I ALWAYS THINK OF
CULTURE FROM THE LATIN WORD
ALTERA, WHICH IS ABOUT TENDING
THE FIELDS ABOUT SIFTING ABOUT
REALLY BRINGING TOGETHER THE
BEST THAT YOU HAVE, AND I THINK
SHE DOES THAT SHE HAS BEEN
FILLING CRITICAL POSITIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED BY
RECRUITMENT FOR EXPERTISE AND IN
SOME INSTANCES, NON COMPETITIVE
SALARIES, THE CHALLENGE OF
RAMPING UP HIRING AND KEY
POSITIONS ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS
AND SERVICES. AND SIMULTANEOUSLY
RAISING THE BAR FOR COMMUNITY
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. THAT
CHALLENGE CANNOT BE OVERSTATED.
IN THE LAST YEAR, WE SEE
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IS BEING
MADE, AS WILL BE EVIDENCED WHEN
DR WILLIAMS REPORTS ANOTHER
MANDATE IS HOLDING A MINIMUM OF
SIX PUBLIC HEARING HEARINGS, AND
WE DO THAT WITH SIMULTANEOUS
TRANSLATION, FULL ADA COMPLIANCE
AND THREE OF THE MEETINGS MUST
BE OUT OUTSIDE OF SACRAMENTO.
THIS IS AN AREA WE HAVE
PRIORITIZED AND INVESTED IN
HEAVILY AS IT SERVES TO INFORM
OUR WORK AND ALLOWS FOR
EXPANSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
TODAY WE HAVE CONVENED 14 OPEN
BOARD MEETINGS ALL OVER THE
STATE AND THREE MORE SCHEDULE
JUST IN THIS CALENDAR YEAR, WELL
IN EXCESS OF THE ANNUAL MINIMUM
. THE NEXT ONE IS SEPTEMBER 7TH
IN SACRAMENTO HERE, SO YOU ARE
ALL ALWAYS INVITED TO ATTEND AND
ADDRESS THE BOARD AND MEET THE
BOARD MEMBERS. ALL OF OUR
MEETINGS ARE HYBRID IN PERSON,
AS WELL AS INTERACTIVE ZOOM WITH
SIGNIFICANT ALLOCATION OF TIME
FOR PUBLIC FORUM, PUBLIC COMMENT
AND Q AND A AS WELL. WELL AS
PROVIDING A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY
GROUPS TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD
ON ISSUES. SITES AND FACILITIES
OF DEEP CONCERN TO THEM. WE HAVE
INVITED AND ACCEPTED REQUESTS
FOR PRESENTATIONS AND EXTENDED
PUBLIC COMMENTS. SEX SECTION
SEGMENTS AFFORDED COMMUNITY
GROUPS ON EXIDE BROOKSIDE
KETTLEMAN AT OUR LAST MEETING IN
EL CERRITO OVER 50 COMMUNITY
ACTIVISTS PROVIDED PUBLIC
COMMENTS ON THOSE SITES AS WELL
AS NORTH RICHMOND. BAYVIEW
HUNTERS POINT BUTTON WILLOW AT
OUR SEPTEMBER 7TH BOARD MEETING
PARENTS AGAIN. IN SANTA SUSANNA
FIELD LAB WILL PRESENT IN AN
OPEN FORUM. IN TERMS OF THEIR
RESPONSES TO THE P E I. R AT
THAT SAME MEETING DTSC WILL
PRESENT ON THE ON THE P E I R SO
THERE WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
AN OPEN DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE
PRESENTATION IN THE COMMUNITY'S
RESPONSE FURTHER, WE ANTICIPATE
MULTIPLE PERMIT APPEAL HEARINGS
IN SITE SPECIFIC HEARINGS IN THE
NEXT 18 MONTHS. WILL SCHEDULE AS
MANY AS ARE PRACTICABLE AND
AFFORDABLE NEXT YEAR. WE
AVERAGED OVER 100 ATTENDEES PER
MEETING, INCLUDING A WIDE RANGE
OF DTSC STAFF MEMBERS IN NGOS.
THE ENGAGEMENT, I WILL SAY IS
ROBUST, TO SAY THE LEAST,
FURTHER PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR DTSC TO HEAR FROM THE
COMMUNITY AND FOR THE STAFF OF
DTSC, WHO ARE ALSO TUNING IN IN
PRESENT FOR THEM TO HEAR FROM
THE COMMUNITY. BES THE BOARD
CAPTURES ALL PUBLIC COMMENTS
MADE IT MEETINGS BY EMAIL OR
INFO AT THROUGH OUR ARM BOARDS,
AND IT PROVIDES DTSC WITH
QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS RAISED IN
POSTS THEIR RESPONSES AS
RECEIVED. IN PERSON MEETING WITH
STAKEHOLDERS IN ORDER TO
CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH THE
PUBLIC AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS
IMPERATIVE THAT WE ARE
ACCESSIBLE, IMPRISONED IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES AND AT THEIR
CONVENING, WE HAVE PRESENTED
TWICE TO THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY
COUNCIL OF CALIFORNIA AND THE
CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC
BALANCE TO KEEP THE REGULATED
COMMUNITY UP TO DATE. WE MET
WITH CITIZEN GROUPS, INCLUDING
NEIGHBORS AGAINST FIBER TECH
EAST YARDS, COMMUNITIES FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. RICHMOND
SHORELINE ALLIANCE COMMUNITIES
FOR BETTER ENVIRONMENT.
PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY L. A CENTER ON
RACE, POVERTY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT, HEALTHY CONTRA
COSTA COUNTY AND OTHERS. DTSC IS
REVAMPING ITS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
STRATEGY. TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE,
INCLUSIVE AND INTERACTIVE. WE
HAVE PARTNERED WITH THE
DEPARTMENT DEPUTIES PROVIDING
OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ON SITE
VISITS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND
WORKSHOPS. AS I SAID, FROM
BROOKSIDE TO EXIDE FROM T TWO S
SFL, AND IT DOES MAKE A
DIFFERENCE. THIS LEVEL OF
ENGAGEMENT, TRANSPARENCY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY GOES A LONG WAY
TO BUILDING TRUST. EXCUSE ME
HOLDING SITE. SPECIFIC HEARINGS
PERMITTED AND REMEDIATED
COMBINING OUR TRAVEL FOR BOARD
MEETINGS WITH COMMUNITY MEETINGS
IN SIGHT TOURS HAS BEEN MOST
ILLUMINATING. WE HAVE CONDUCTED
SEVERAL SITE VISITS, INCLUDING
BUTTON WILLOW, KETTLEMAN FIBER
TECH. BROOKSIDE ZENECA, EXIDE
KIPP SCHOOL NORTH ISLAND NAVY
BASE IN SAN DIEGO. TODAVÍA AGRA
SCIENCE AND PITTSBURGH, CHEVRON
, ELSA GONDO REFINERY AND WORLD
OIL TERMINAL SITE, AND THAT'S
JUST ALL WE COULD MANAGE IN THE
FIRST YEAR AND A HALF AND
REMEDIATED DRY CLEANER SITE SO
THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
ISSUES WERE IN REMEDIATING THAT
SITE, BUT WE ALSO ADDRESSED AND
VISITED A WET, CLEANER SITE TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF
INVESTMENT. EQUIPMENT AND
TRAINING NEEDED TO TRANSITION
FROM CHEMICAL CLEANING TO WET
CLEANING. WE'VE BEEN ON
COMMUNITY SPONSORED BUS AND
WALKING TOURS IN L, A AND
BAKERSFIELD. DTSC SENIOR
LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING DR
WILLIAMS AND DEPUTIES HAVE
JOINED US AND MANY OF THESE
VISITS AND THEY INCLUDE US NOW
IN SITE VISITS THAT THEY ARRANGE
. THE PARTNERSHIP IS WORKING
WHERE CONNECTING. WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, OR
INVITING EACH OTHER AND WE HAVE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AS WE
VISIT THOSE SITES. OF PARTICULAR
NOTE IS OUR ENGAGEMENT AROUND
THE EXIDE CLEANUP. LAST YEAR, WE
HOSTED REGION. NINE EPA AT A
BOARD MEETING IN MONTE BELLO TO
DISCUSS THE PROCESS OF MPL TO
INFORM THE PUBLIC OF WHAT IT
WOULD TAKE TO MAKE THAT LISTING.
WE CONDUCTED AN OPEN FORUM
CAPTURING CITIZEN AND WORKER
CONCERNS AT THAT VERY MEETING,
WHICH REGION NINE WAS PRESENT
FOR. WE HAVE TOURED RESIDENCES
AND MET WITH A BROAD RANGE OF
COMMUNITY GROUP IN RESIDENTS.
GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE
ISSUES WE NOW THE BOARD NOW HAS
AN EXCITED SUBCOMMITTEE,
ASSIGNING BOARD MEMBERS TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE EXIDE WORKING
GROUP. AS WELL AS SITTING ON THE
PANEL TO APPROVE APPLICATIONS
FOR THE SITE CLEANUP CONTRACT
GOING FORWARD COMMUNITY CONCERNS
AROUND THE CLEANUP REPORTED TO
THE BOARD WAS SHARED WITH DTSC
IN THOSE RESPONSES ARE POSTED. I
JOINED DR WILLIAMS AND HER
DEPUTIES ON ANOTHER TOUR OF THE
CLEANUP SITE WITH LOCAL ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND ATTENDED A MEETING
WITH THE USC RESEARCHERS TO
BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR STUDY
THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE REFERENCED
SO THE QUESTION YOU RAISED. WHAT
DO WE HERE AT ALL THESE PUBLIC
MEETINGS AND HOW ARE THEY BEING
ADDRESSED ALL START BY SAYING
THE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTIES, THOSE
WITH THE ON THE GROUND
RESPONSIBILITIES, ESPECIALLY
SITE MITIGATION, PERMITTING AND
ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY OR
COLLABORATING CLOSELY WITH THE
BOARD TO IDENTIFY AND NAVIGATE
THE ISSUES THAT ARE RAISED. THE
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM IS WORKING
ACROSS ISSUES TO PROVIDE SUPPORT
. SO WHAT ARE WE HERE?
FRUSTRATION AT THE PACE OF
CLEANUPS AND ENGAGEMENT WITH
COMMUNITY ALL ALONG THE WAY
THROUGH THE PROCESS WE SEE
MARKED IMPROVEMENT IN COMPUTING
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AROUND SOME
OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL SITES.
ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT CULTURE
SHIFTS THAT THE DIRECTOR HAS
MADE A PRIORITY FOR ALL SITES
WHERE THERE IS PUBLIC INTEREST
AND CONCERN. WE'RE TRACKING THE
PROGRESS ON THAT. WE'VE SEEN IT
WHEN IT'S FULLY DEVELOPED AND
HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS, AND WE KNOW
THAT THERE IS A LOT MORE WORK TO
DO IN THAT AREA. ANOTHER ISSUE
WE HEAR ABOUT IS DELAYS AND
ISSUANCE OF PERMIT APPEALS. FROM
BOTH REGULATED BUSINESSES AND
COMMUNITIES. PROGRESS IS BEING
MADE, AND YOU'LL HEAR FROM DR
WILLIAMS ON THAT AND IN THE
COMMUNITY VIEW ALLOWANCE OF
FACILITIES TO OPERATE WITH
SERIOUS VIOLATIONS, RESULTING IN
FURTHER LENGTHY PROCESS OF
APPEAL, WHILE THEY REMAIN
EXPOSED TO THE TOXICS IN THEIR
COMMUNITY. CITIZENS LOCATED NEAR
HAZARDOUS SITES, ONE HAZARDOUS
WASTE REMOVED FROM THEIR
COMMUNITIES. OTHERS DON'T WANT
IT MOVED OR TRANSPORTED THROUGH
THEIR COMMUNITIES OR DISPOSED OF
NEAR OR WHERE THEY LIVE. THAT'S
WHY THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT REPORT AND PLAN ARE
GOING TO BE VITAL TO CORRECTING
THAT THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PUBLIC
CONCERN THAT CALIFORNIA EXPORTS
A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF HAZARDOUS
WASTE AS CHAIR ALAN REFERENCED
OUT OF STATE WITH MIXED VIEWS ON
THE SOLUTIONS. THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE HAZARDOUS WASTE PLAN
AGAIN IS CRITICAL TO THAT THERE
IS WIDESPREAD PUSH FOR THE STATE
TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO RE
MEDIATE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ON
SITE, REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF
SOIL THAT HAS TO BE TRANSPORTED
AGAIN. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT
WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE PLAN.
REGULATED BUSINESSES DON'T WANT
FEES RAISED AGAIN, AND THEY WANT
THE PROCESS OF PERMITTING TO BE
STREAMLINED. THEY AND OTHERS
VOICED CONCERN THAT THE
DEPARTMENT MUST RELY ON FEES TO
EXPAND ITS OPERATION AND BENEFIT
AND THAT BENEFIT ALL MEMBERS AND
CITIZENS IN THE STATE. THERE'S
IN GENERAL BUT NOT UNIVERSAL
AGREEMENT ON POLLUTER PAYS.
THERE IS NOT AGREEMENT ON HOW
THAT SHOULD BE EFFECTUATED.
CITIZEN ADVOCATES WANT THE BOARD
TO HOLD AN EXERCISE GREATER
GOVERNANCE AUTHORITY OVER DTSC,
AND THEY URGE OUR GROWTH AND
EXPANSION OVER TIME. WHILE THE
FIRST ROUND OF VCR G GRANTS DID
NOT MEET COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS
, IT IS BEING REVAMPED UNDER THE
NEW SITE MITIGATION DEPUTY TODD
SACKS, AND IT WILL BE FURTHER
DEVELOPED WITH THE NEW DEPUTY
CELINE GRANT. BOARDS OF BROAD
SUPPORT FOR RESTORING AND
INVESTING IN A MODERNIZED Tð.
POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM,
WHICH IS SOMETHING I WORKED ON
20 YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS WITH
BREAST CANCER FUNDING BREAST
CANCER PREVENTION PARTNERS. THE
VIOLATION SCORING PROCEDURE
WHICH YOU WILL HEAR AND HAVE
HEARD ABOUT THEIR SIGNIFICANT
CONCERN WITH THAT. PROCEDURE AND
DTSC IS REVISITING VSP THIS YEAR
, INCLUDING THE DIVISOR, WHICH
WE HAVE HEARD COMPLAINTS ABOUT
WHICH ARE VIOLATIONS DIVIDED BY
THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS. AND
OF COURSE THAT LOWERS THE SCORE
AND SOME FEEL THAT THAT'S AN
UNREASONABLE LOWERING OF THEIR
OF THE SCORE. DTSC HAS ENGAGED
LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN
NORTH RICHMOND TO PILOT A
CUMULATIVE IMPACT PROJECT. THE
LEARNING FROM THIS PROJECT IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH EPA WILL INFORM
AND STRENGTHEN THE 6 73
FRAMEWORK AT OUR JULY BOARD
MEETING, BOTH EPA AND DTSC TEAMS
PROVIDED A DETAILED UPDATE AND
FIELDED QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
ON THAT PILOT. ANOTHER MANDATE,
ADAPTING PERMIT APPEAL
REGULATIONS AND HEARING PERMIT
APPEALS TO PERMIT APPEALS WERE
FILED LITERALLY DAYS AFTER WE
ARE 10 YEARS STARTED, WE ISSUED
A STAY UNTIL SUCH TIME AS WE
COULD ORGANIZED STAFFING AND
REORGANIZE STAFFING TO BE FULLY
BRIEFED AND PREPARED ON CALENDAR
. OCTOBER 27TH IS LIGHTING
RESOURCES AND AT THIS POINT ECHO
ABOUT IS SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER
. 30TH THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY
RULE MAKING AUTHORITY WE ADOPTED
PERMIT APPEAL RAGS. THANK YOU
FOR THAT AUTHORITY. WE HOSTED
THREE PERMIT APPEAL WORKSHOPS TO
INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
REGS, RESPONDING TO BOTH
COMMUNITY AND FACILITY IN
PUTTING CONCERNS ARE BOARD
SUBCOMMITTEE STRAUSS HACKER AND
LIZETTE RUIZ AND OUR STAFF
COMPLETED THE APPROVAL PROCESS
IN SIX MONTHS. COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS AND APPELLANT
REPRESENTATIVES HAVE PUSHED FOR
US TO EXPAND PERMITTED APPEAL
AUTHORITY TO HEAR SEQUEL ON
APPEAL, ADVISING THAT IT IS A
BURDEN FOR THEM TO SEEK SECRET
APPEALS THROUGH THE COURTS
WHILST APPEALING THE CORE PERMIT
, PERMIT MOD OR TEMPORARY
AUTHORIZATION ISSUED BY DTSC
THROUGH THE APPEALS PROCESS
THROUGH THE BOARD, WE DO NOT
HAVE THE STAFF OR CRITICAL
EXPERTISE TO TAKE THAT ON AT
THIS JUNCTURE, WE MADE THAT
CLEAR AND OPEN BOARD MEETING,
BUT WE ALSO AGREED TO LOOK INTO
THIS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR
AND REPORT BACK ON WHAT WOULD BE
REQUIRED AND WHETHER IT'S
ADVISABLE TO CONSIDER ADVOCATING
FOR THAT CHANGE. YEAH WE
ANTICIPATE SEVERAL MORE APPEALS
IN THE COMING MONTHS, INCLUDING
MAJOR HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES AND
OTHERS THAT ARE ALSO QUITE
CONTROVERSIAL. FISCAL
ADMINISTRATION, ASSESSING
CURRENT FEE STRUCTURE AND
ADOPTING FEE RATE REGULATIONS.
IT IS CLEAR THAT THE CURRENT FEE
COLLECTION REPORTING PROCESS
CREATES UNCERTAINTY AND
PROJECTIONS IN THE VERY TIME
FRAME THAT WE ARE CALLED UPON
AND MUST DECIDE ON FEE STRUCTURE
AND RATE SETTING TO COVER THE
APPROPRIATIONS. IN COMPLIANCE
WITH 1 58 TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS
OF DTSC FEE STRUCTURE. BROADLY
WE ENCOURAGED IN SUPPORT THE
DECISION BY DTSC TO BRING ON A
TEAM OF FIVE EXPERTS TO WORK
WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE
BOARD ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE NEW
FEE STRUCTURE, INCLUDING RATES
CONTRACTING WITH CDT, FA FOR
BILLING COLLECTION AND REPORTING
FURTHER REVIEW OF ENFORCEMENT SO
THAT WE ARE ALL CLEAR ON WHETHER
THE STRUCTURE ITSELF IS ADEQUATE
TO MEET THE FISCAL NEEDS OF THE
DEPARTMENT AND THE BOARD OR IF
COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT ARE
THE ISSUES OR BOTH. GIVEN THE
NECESSITY OF A LOAN TO DTSC THIS
YEAR. WE WANT TO ENSURE ADEQUATE
FUNDING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE
DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING ALONE
REPAY PLAN THE BOARD'S
SUBCOMMITTEE, WHICH IS MEMBER
BHATIA AND MYSELF AND STAFF
AFTER MONTHS OF ASSESSMENT WITH
DTSC FINANCE TEAM WILL RECOMMEND
TO THE BOARD ON SEPTEMBER 7TH
THAT WE NOT SEEK FEE INCREASES
THIS CYCLE, WE HELD A PUBLIC
WORKSHOP WORKSHOP ATTENDED BY
OVER EIGHT 80 PERSONS FROM
ACROSS INDUSTRIES AND GOVERNMENT
AND NGOS. THERE WAS NO OBJECTION
TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE
SUBCOMMITTEE. WE WILL VOTE ON
FEE RATES RESOLUTION ON
SEPTEMBER 7TH. THAT BOARD
MEETING ALSO TO PROTECT WILL
VOTE ON IT. EVEN THOUGH WE'RE
NOT RAISING FEES TO PROTECT OUR
AUTHORITY GOING FORWARD AND BE
PREPARED FOR THE NEXT FISCAL
YEAR'S SHOULD FEE RATE INCREASES
OR DECREASES BECOME NECESSARY,
APPROVING THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN, WHICH IS DUE IN
MARCH OF 2025. AND THEREAFTER
EVERY THREE YEARS. THE BOARD'S
SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN MEMBERS.
BHATIA AND RUIZ WERE BRIEFED
DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
REPORT. UPON COMPLETION, ALL
BOARD MEMBERS WERE BRIEFED AND
IT WAS PRESENTED BY THE TEAM AT
AN OPEN BOARD MEETING IN JULY,
ALLOWING FOR BOARD MEMBERS IN
THE PUBLIC TO ASK QUESTIONS,
PROVIDE COMMENTS AND MAKE
RECOMMENDATIONS. GIVEN THE DTSC
WILL PRESENT THE PLAN TO THE
BOARD BY MARCH, 2025, REQUIRING
SUBSEQUENT APPROVAL BY THE BOARD
. WE'RE WORKING WITH DTSC ON A
TIMELINE THAT ALLOWS FOR PUBLIC
FORUMS BOARD CONSIDERATION IN A
TIMELY MANNER. WE RECOGNIZE THAT
THE PLAN WILL HAVE SEVERAL
LEVELS OF REVIEW. AND WE AT THIS
TIME CAN ANTICIPATE WHAT ISSUES
WILL WILL COME COME TO BEAR
DURING THAT PERIOD, BUT OUR GOAL
IS TO BE ON TIME IN MARCH OF
2025 OPEN PROCESS IS EMBLEMATIC
OF THE SHIFT TO MORE
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
BY DTSC. CREATING SUB COMMITTEES
OF THE BOARD. THAT'S ALSO IN 1
58, WHICH INCLUDED THE E JACK,
THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
ADVISORY COUNCIL. EARLY ON,
BOARD MEMBERS AGREED TO
ASSIGNMENTS TO FORM STANDING
COMMITTEES, HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN. BHATIA AND RUIZ
, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, THE
JACK AND TRIBAL RUIZ AND GÓMEZ
PERMIT APPEALS, STRAUSS HACKER
AND RUIZ STRUCTURE, BHATIA AND
MYSELF. BOARD'S OVERSIGHT AND
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. RUIZ AND
GÓMEZ DTSC STRATEGIC PLAN
METRICS PARTY AND GÓMEZ FURTHER
LIAISONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE, WHICH IS IN 1 58.
THAT'S HACKER AND AD HOC
ENGAGEMENT BY ALL OF US WITH
VARIOUS VIDEOS AND ALEXIS HACKER
SERVES WITH ME ON AN EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD WITH OUR
EXECUTIVE OFFICER. I WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT THE WORK OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS RUIZ AND
GÓMEZ, WHICH HAS WORKED CLOSELY
WITH DTSC ON DEVELOPMENT OF A
FRAMEWORK FOR THE E JACK.
WORKSHOPS WERE HELD IN FRESNO,
EL CERRITO, WHAT'S ANGELES AS
WELL AS REMOTELY BES MEMBERS
WILL BE FULLY ENGAGED WITH THE
JACK MOVING FORWARD. ONCE FORMED
, WE LOOK FORWARD TO REPORTS ON
THE WORK OF THE E JACK AT EACH
AND EVERY BOARD MEETING. FURTHER
OUR BOARD MEMBERS, RUIZ AND
BHARATIYA HAVE JOINED THE EXIDE
E TAG MEETINGS AND TWO MEMBERS.
BHATIA AND GÓMEZ ARE SITTING GOT
THAT YOU GOT ALL THE NAMES AND
WHAT WE'RE DOING GOOD FOR
CONTRACTORS APPLYING TO CONTINUE
THE CLEANUP, SO THE WORK ON
REVISING THE CONTRACT AND THEN
SITTING ON THE PANEL TO REVIEW
THE CONTRACT HAS BEEN IMPORTANT
WORK THAT DTSC HAS TAKEN ON
SINCE THE REPORTS OF CONCERN IT
OR LESS JULY MEETING. THE ON
BOARDS. SB 1 58 HAS CHALLENGED
US ON THIS ONE A BIT. IT CALLED
FOR AN OFFICE OF AM BIRDS. WE
GENERATED AN OMBUDSMAN FRAMEWORK
WITH PUBLIC INPUT AND WORKSHOPS
AT BOARD MEETINGS FURTHER, WE'RE
WORKING WITH DTSC TECHNICAL
STAFF TO CREATE A MULTI USE
DATABASE MODEL FOR TRACKING
REQUEST CONCERNS. ACTIONS,
COMMENTS. AS WELL AS THE ACTION
TAKEN IN THE RESPONSES FROM DTSC
. THIS WILL SERVE NOT ONLY OUR
OMBUDSMAN WORK BUT GOING FORWARD
PUBLIC COMMENTS THAT COME INTO
DTSC. THAT'S THAT'S A BIG
PROJECT THAT THE O E. I AM THE
TECHNICAL PEOPLE DTSC ARE
HELPING US WITH WERE CONDUCTING
A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND WILL
REPORT BACK ON OUR
RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT OMBUDSMAN
NEXT YEAR. SO THIS IS SOME OF
WHAT YOUR BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SAFETY HAS BEEN UP TO THE LAST
YEAR. WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT.
THERE'S A LOT MORE TO LEARN, AND
WE'RE ADAPTING OUR WORK AS
ISSUES COME UP THAT ARE MORE
PRESSING, PERHAPS THAN THE ONES
THAT WE THOUGHT WE'D BE
ADDRESSING. BUT I THANK YOU
AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SERVE AND I WELCOME YOUR
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WHY DON'T WE GIVE THE DIRECTOR
OF THE CHANCE TO GIVE HER
PRESENTATION AND THEN OPEN UP TO
BIG BROAD DISCUSSION? THANK YOU,
TERRY ALLEN. CHARLIE AND MEMBERS
OF THE YEAR SINCE THE LAST TIME
WE HAD A HEARING HAS TRULY FLOWN
BY PART OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF
THE NUMBER OF AMBITIOUS
INITIATIVES WE HAVE WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT AND ALL OF THE THINGS
THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING. THIS IS
OUR SECOND YEAR IMPLEMENTING THE
REFORMS FROM SP 1 58, AND THEY
MANDATED THIS HEARING AND MUCH
MORE. THANK YOU FOR TAKING A
MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THOSE WHO
GOT US THROUGH THE REFORM. I IF
YOU'LL INDULGE ME, I WILL
RECOGNIZE ONE PERSON WHO IS NOT
WITH US TODAY. THEN THAT'S OUR
FORMER CHIEF DEPUTY DIRECTOR
FRANCESCA NEGRI, WHO RETIRED
EARLIER THIS YEAR AND WAS A
DRIVING FORCE BEHIND PROVIDING
THE INFORMATION YOU NEEDED TO BE
COMFORTABLE WITH THE REFORM AND
TO MAKE SOME VERY CRITICAL
DECISIONS. ALSO TAKE A FEW
MOMENTS TO TALK ABOUT OUR NEW
LEADERSHIP. WE'VE MADE A NUMBER
OF THE GOVERNOR'S MADE A NUMBER
OF APPOINTMENTS THAT OF DEPUTIES
WHO ARE BRINGING NEW WAYS OF
WORKING TO THE DEPARTMENT AND,
UM TREMENDOUS COMMUNITY
EXPERIENCE AND I'LL HIGHLIGHT
THEM IF YOU COULD WAVE WHEN I
MENTIONED YOUR NAME'S KATIE
BUTLER IS OUR NEW DEPUTY
DIRECTOR FOR THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. TODD SACKS
DIRECTS OUR SITE MITIGATION AND
RESTORATION PROGRAM, WHICH
OVERSEES REMEDIATION OF
CONTAMINATED SITES AND SER LEAN
GRANT. I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S
BACK THERE YET SHE'S STILL JOIN
US SHORTLY IS OUR DIRECTOR,
DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE
OF ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY, WHICH
HOUSES ARE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, JUSTICE
AND TRIBAL AFFAIRS TEAMS. ALL
THREE HAVE WORKED IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE TYPES OF COMMUNITIES
MOST IMPACTED BY OUR WORK. AND
TOGETHER WITH OUR OTHER DEPUTIES
, MANY OF WHOM ARE HERE TODAY.
OUR ENTIRE EXECUTIVE TEAM HAS A
SHARED COMMITMENT TO OUR
MISSION. HEARINGS LIKE THIS ONE
GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO
REFLECT TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND
THAT'S THAT'S A LUXURY. WE THAT
WE DON'T ALWAYS GET. IT IS
REWARDING TO ENCAPSULATE THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE LESSONS
LEARNED OF THE LAST YEAR. AND TO
SEE THAT DESPITE THE UPS AND
DOWNS, WHICH WILL HAVE ALREADY
BEEN REFERENCED, WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS, THOUGH THERE IS A
GREAT DEAL OF WORK LEFT TO BE
DONE. MY HOPE IS THAT LIKE ME.
AFTER THIS DISCUSSION, YOU'LL
RECOGNIZE THAT MILESTONE AFTER
MILESTONE AND YEAR AFTER YEAR,
THE DEPARTMENT IS GETTING
STRONGER AND HEALTHIER AND MORE
EFFECTIVE. HOPEFULLY NOT JUST
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, BUT FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
COMMUNITIES WE SERVE AND FROM
INDUSTRY. WE CLEARLY DON'T HAVE
TIME TO DISCUSS ALL THAT'S GOING
ON IN THE DEPARTMENT, BUT I WANT
TO PROVIDE UPDATES ON OUR
IMPLEMENTATION OF SB 1 58 THE
ANNUAL PRIORITIES WE ESTABLISHED
FOR THE YEAR EXIDE AND THEN I'LL
TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LOOK
AHEAD. SB 1 58 IS SHAPING WHAT
WE DO ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS IS
IMPACTING HOW WE PRIORITIZE OUR
RESOURCES. IT'S ALSO DRIVING US
TO IMPROVE TRANSPARENCY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY ALL AROUND THE
DEPARTMENT, NOT JUST THROUGH THE
BOARD BUT THROUGH IN OTHER WAYS,
AND THAT'S EXACTLY AS INTENDED
BY THE BILL. THE BOARD. UM DOES
PROVIDE THAT VENUE FOR THE
PUBLIC TO HEAR ABOUT OUR WORK TO
ASK QUESTIONS AND TO CALL
ATTENTION TO THEIR CONCERNS ARE
WORK WITH THE BOARD HAS
INFLUENCED EVEN THE WORK WE DO
OUTSIDE OF THEIR SPHERE. AND SO
WE ARE COMMUNICATING MORE. WE
ARE WORKING TO BE MORE
RESPONSIVE. THE BILL CALLED FOR
THE DATA REPORT TO SUPPORT THE
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN
BY 2025. AND EVERY THREE YEARS
THEREAFTER, WE RELEASED THAT
REPORT IN EARLY JULY. WE'VE HAD
WORKED ONE WORKSHOP ALREADY, AND
WE'RE ALREADY SEEING A VERY GOOD
DEEP DISCOURSE AROUND THE ISSUES
THAT THAT REPORT RAISES, AND I
THINK SOME OF THOSE ISSUES WERE
CAPTURED IN THE ARTICLE
YESTERDAY. THE COMPLEXITIES WILL
CONTINUE THAT DISCUSSION THIS
FALL, AND WE ARE ON TRACK TO
SUBMIT THAT TO THE BOARD IN
MARCH OF 2025. SB 1 58 MANDATED
A NUMBER OF NEW TIMELINES FOR
OUR PERMITTING PROCESS AND WE
ARE ON TARGET TO MEET THOSE
TIMELINES, FOR INSTANCE,
FACILITIES ARE NOW REQUIRED TO
SUBMIT THEIR PERMIT APPLICATIONS
WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE ROOM
PERMIT RENEWAL, AND OUR GOAL IS
TO APPROVE ALL OF THOSE PERMITS
WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE END
TERM OF THE PERMIT. WE'RE VERY
CONFIDENT ABOUT THAT. OF COURSE,
WE'RE NOW REALIZING THE REVENUES
FROM SP 1, 58 AND 50 REFORMED
DATE A REMARKABLE JOB OF
CONTROLLING THE TOXIC SUBSTANCES
CONTROL ACCOUNT REFERRED TO AS
TOSCA. WE NOW HAVE ADVOCATE
ADEQUATE REVENUE TO CLOSE SOME
CRITICAL GAPS THAT WERE
IDENTIFIED IN THE WORKLOAD
ANALYSIS THAT SUPPORTED THE
REFORM, PARTICULARLY IN OUR
SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS PROGRAM
AND OUR SITE MITIGATION AND
RESTORATION PROGRAM. OF COURSE,
THAT REVENUE HAS HAS
PRECIPITATED A GREAT DEAL OF
HIRING. AMONG THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT IS THE INCREASE IN
THE SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS
PROGRAM STAFF AND THAT'S GONE
FROM 41, AND IT WILL BE FUNDED
FOR 78 POSITIONS, AND WE HAVE
ALREADY FILLED 22 OF THE 37
POSITIONS THAT WERE AUTHORIZED.
UM SINCE THIS NEW FIT WITHIN
THIS NEW FISCAL YEAR, SO WE'RE
QUICKLY MOVING TO MAKE SURE THAT
PROGRAM HAS ENOUGH RESEARCHERS
RESOURCES TO REACH ITS FULL
POTENTIAL AND IMPLEMENT ALL FOUR
STEPS OF THE REGULATORY PROCESS.
ALL IN ALL SINCE THE REFORM
PASSED IN 21 2021 DTSC HAS
FILLED 620 POSITIONS VACANT
POSITIONS, MANY OF WHICH WERE
THE DIRECT RESULT OF THE
RESOURCES CALLED FOR IN THE
REFORM OVER THE LAST YEAR. ONE
THING THAT'S HAPPENED IS WE'VE
SHIFTED FROM INTERNAL HIRES AND
PROMOTIONS TO MORE EXTERNAL
HIRES, WHICH HELPS US CLOSE THAT
GAP EVEN MORE. AND SO NOW WE'RE
AVERAGING 29 HIRES A MONTH FROM
OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT. AND I
ALSO THINK THAT REFLECTS THE
DEPARTMENT BECOMING A MORE
DESIRABLE PLACE TO WORK IN OUR
SITE MITIGATION PROGRAM. WE HAVE
THE RESOURCES TO RE INVIGORATE,
REINVIGORATE AND SUSTAINED,
SUSTAINED A SITE DISCOVERY
PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY AND
CHARACTERIZE POTENTIALLY
CONTAMINATED SITES TO LOOK FOR
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES. AND MOVED
TO CLEAN UP. UM FOR THOSE
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN
IMPACTED BY INDUSTRIALIZATION
AND DO CARRY THOSE MULTIPLE
ENVIRONMENTAL BURDENS. BOTH
TASCA AND THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
CONTROL ACCOUNT, OR H W C. A ARE
PROJECTED TO HAVE HEALTHY FUND
BALANCES AT THE END OF THE
FISCAL YEAR, ALTHOUGH I THINK WE
ALL KNOW THAT THE LEGISLATURE
HAD APPROVE LOANS TO MAKE SURE
THAT WC A REMAINS SOLVENT
SOLVENT FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR.
WCS SUPPORTS OUR ENFORCEMENT
WORK OR PERMITTING WORK AND
INSPECTIONS, AND ALL OF THOSE
ARE CRITICAL. THE FUND IS
FALLING SIGNIFICANTLY SHORT OF
EXPECTATIONS. SO PER CHAIR.
RIZZO'S COMMENTS WE ARE STUDYING
THE MANY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN
ORDER TO ROOT OUT THE UNDERLYING
PROBLEMS AND IDENTIFY
SUSTAINABLE FUNDING SOLUTIONS
FOR THE FUTURE. WE WILL CONTINUE
TO WORK WITH THE BOARDS FEE
SUBCOMMITTEE AND WILL REPORT
PROGRESS AND LEARNINGS REGULARLY
AT BOARD MEETINGS. LET ME SPEAK
TO THE PRIORITIES THAT WERE THAT
ARE REQUIRED BY SB 1. 58
PRIORITIES ARE DESIGNED TO
MAINTAIN AND ENSURE THAT WE
MAINTAIN FOCUS ON THE AREAS THAT
ARE MOST CRITICAL. FOR MEETING
OUR MISSION. THEY HAVE BEEN
GROUPED UNDER FOUR OVERARCHING
OBJECTIVES. THE FIRST IS
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE. THE
SECOND IS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT,
WHICH WAS PROMPTED BY THE BOARD.
THE THIRD IS JUST EXECUTING ON
SOME VERY CRITICAL DELIVERABLES
, AND THE FOURTH IS A CONTINUED
IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR STRATEGIC
PLAN. WE PROVIDED YOU WITH A
LIST OF THOSE AND SOME STATUS ON
ON THOSE PRIORITIES, AND I HOPE
YOU'VE HAD TIME TO REVIEW THEM.
FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
AND RACIAL EQUITY IS OUR NUMBER
ONE PRIORITY ACROSS THE NEW NEW
SOME ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENTS
ARE TAKING A HARD LOOK AT HOW
EQUITY GETS IN EMBEDDED IN ALL
OF THEIR PROGRAMS. I'LL
HIGHLIGHT THE CLEANUP AND
VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
INITIATIVE, OR CBC IS
SPECIFICALLY INPUT FROM
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY
IS SHAPING HOW WE AWARD THE
EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES
REVITALIZATION GRANT. THERE WAS
SOME FRUSTRATION AT THE FIRST
ITERATION, AND WE'VE GREATLY
CHANGED THE GUIDELINES THAT WILL
GUIDE THE FUTURE AWARDS. THESE
EFFORTS HAVE COME THROUGH
PARTNERING WITH STAKEHOLDERS SO
THEY CAN ACTUALLY BUILD THE
PROGRAM WITH US. AND EFFORTS
LIKE THIS DO HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO RESTORE TRUST IN THE
DEPARTMENT. EARLIER THIS YEAR WE
PUBLISHED IN ENFORCEMENT
STRATEGY THAT WAS GEARED TOWARDS
EQUITY AND ENFORCEMENT. THE
STRATEGY RECOGNIZES AND RESPONDS
TO CALLS FROM HEAVILY BURDENED
COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE PUSHED FOR
YEARS FOR BETTER PROTECTION AND
MORE MORE AGGRESSIVE ENFORCEMENT
. WE HAVE ALREADY EXCEEDED SOME
OF THE GOALS IN THAT STRATEGY,
FOR INSTANCE, WE SET A GOAL OF
90% RETURN TO COMPLIANCE RATE
FOR VIOLATIONS, ISSUED TWO
PERMITS PERMITTED FACILITIES IN
VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. AND IN
THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS
CALENDAR YEAR, WE ACHIEVED A
100% RETURN TO COMPLIANCE RATE.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE
OVER THE AVERAGE OF THE PAST
FIVE YEARS, WHICH WAS A 51%
RETURN TO COMPLIANCE RATE. THE
INCREASED FUNDING WE RECEIVED
DURING THE REFORM MADE THIS
POSSIBLE. DTSC ALSO RELEASED AN
INTERNAL RACIAL EQUITY FRAMEWORK
AND LAUNCHED A NEW PROGRAM
GEARED TOWARD DIVERSITY, EQUITY
INCLUSION AND BELONGING. THIS
PROGRAM IS LED BY A SELECT GROUP
OF OUR DTSC EXECUTIVES AND A
COUNCIL OF STAFF WHO WERE
SELECTED BASED ON THEIR
EXPERIENCE, THEIR EXPERTISE AND
THEIR COMMITMENT TO ADDRESSING
RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGES. PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT IS OUR SECOND
PRIORITY. AND THIS YEAR DTSC
LEADERSHIP HAS CHALLENGED ITSELF
TO PRACTICE MORE MEANINGFUL
ENGAGEMENT AND TO BE MORE
TRANSPARENT TO IMPROVE OUR
EQUITY OUTCOMES. NEW APPROACHES
ARE ALREADY IN PLACE, AND WE'RE
WORKING TO BRING COMMUNITY
VOICES INTO OUR DECISION MAKING
AND CHAIR RIZZO MENTIONED
COMMUNITIES LIKE NORTH RICHMOND
, ALSO KETTLEMAN CITY AND OTHER
COMMUNITIES AND, OF COURSE, THE
COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING THE
EXIDE FACILITY. DEPUTY DIRECTORS
CERTAINLY IN GRANT IS APPLYING
HER VAST EXPERIENCE AND
EXPERTISE TO MAXIMIZE BENEFIT ON
THIS PARTICULAR OBJECTIVE.
SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE IS OUR
THIRD OBJECTIVE AND WE'RE
FOCUSED ON REDUCING THE NUMBER
OF FACILITIES OPERATING UNDER
CONTINUED OR EXPIRED PERMITS
WHILE AWAITING A PERMIT DECISION
. WE CAN ONLY PRACTICE EFFECTIVE
REGULATION IF THERE ARE CLEAR,
MODERN AND ENFORCEMENT PERMIT
CONDITIONS IN PLACE. AND THOSE
THAT'S WHAT ENSURES THAT
COMMUNITIES HAVE THE RIGHT
PROTECTIONS. WE ARE MAKING
PROGRESS. WE HAD 37 CONTINUED
PERMITS IN 2027 2021. WE HAVE
REDUCED THAT NUMBER TO 21
CONTINUED PERMITS TODAY AND THIS
YEAR WE MADE IN A SPECIAL FOCUS
ON THE OLDEST MOST OUT OF DATE
PERMITS. BY THE END OF THE YEAR,
DECISIONS ON ALL BUT ONE OF THE
66 OLDEST PERMITS WILL HAVE
EITHER BEEN PUBLIC NOTICED, OR
THE DECISIONS WILL BE FINALIZED.
OR OTHER TWO DELIVERABLES UNDER
THE SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE WHERE
THE HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
REPORT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN
MENTIONED AND THE CERTIFICATION
OF THE SANTA SUSANNA FIELD LAB
PROGRAM. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
REPORT. WHICH AGAIN WE GETTING
THAT OUT THE DOOR ALLOWS US TO
MOVE ON TO A FULL CLEANUP AND
ROBUST CLEANUP AT THAT SITE. THE
LAST GOAL, THE LAST OVERARCHING
OBJECTIVE FOR THE YEAR IS ARE
COMPLETION OR NEAR COMPLETION OF
OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. WE'RE
CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT THAT.
AND SO THIS FOURTH OBJECTIVE IS
REALLY ABOUT KEEPING OUR FOCUS
ON THE REMAINING ACTIONS THAT
WERE IDENTIFIED. UNDER THAT PLAN
. WE HAVE PUBLISHED A REVISED
DASHBOARD. WE'RE CONTINUING TO
IMPROVE OUR METRICS AND VIEW SO
THAT WE CAN PROVIDE A VERY
TRANSPARENT VIEW OF OUR PROGRESS
TOWARD THAT PLAN. IN ADDITION TO
THOSE PRIORITIES EXCITED,
OBVIOUSLY HAS BEEN A MAJOR FOCUS
FOR THE DEPARTMENT THIS YEAR IN
FEBRUARY, THE INITIAL FINDINGS
FROM THE USC STUDY WERE RELEASED
TO THE PUBLIC, AND THAT
SUGGESTED THAT THE CLEANUP OF
RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
SURROUNDING THE FORMER EXIDE
FACILITY HAD NOT BEEN COMPUTED
COMPLETED PROPERLY. MANY
QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT THAT
STUDY. AND IT'S METHODOLOGY. BUT
OF COURSE, GIVEN THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE ISSUES RAISED, WE ARE
COMMITTED TO TAKING APPROPRIATE
ACTION AS NEEDED. SINCE THE
REMOVAL ACTION PLAN WAS
FINALIZED BACK IN 2017. WE'VE
BEEN IN CONSTANT LEARNING MODE.
WE'VE CONSTANTLY FINDING
OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THE TWO
PERFORM THE CLEANUP MORE
EFFECTIVELY MORE EFFICIENTLY AND
TO PROVIDE THE PROTECTIONS THAT
THIS COMMUNITY WANTS AND
DESERVES. JIM ORGAN WHO WAS MY
FORMER CEO WHEN I WORKED AT
APPLIED MATERIALS IN SILICON
VALLEY, ALWAYS PREACHES THAT BAD
NEWS IS GOOD NEWS IF YOU CHOOSE
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. YOU
COULD SAY THAT WE RECEIVED BAD
NEWS IN THE FORM OF THE
CRITICISM ABOUT THE QUALITY OF
THE CLEANUP OR EDUCATIONAL, OUR
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS. PUBLIC
MEETINGS, OUR WEBSITE AND OTHER
ENGAGEMENT TOUCHPOINTS. WE'VE
EMBRACED THIS TRULY AS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT TO IMPROVE
THE HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES
FOR WORKERS TO IMPROVE RESIDENT
COMMUNICATIONS, TENANT
PROTECTIONS AND THIRD PARTY
VERIFICATION OF THE WORK, SO LET
ME DO A QUICK RECAP OF SOME
SHIFTS IN OUR OVERSIGHT. OUR
EXECUTIVE TEAM AND DTSC STAFF
HAVE WORKED TO ACTIVELY LISTEN
TO COMMUNITY CONCERNS AND
FRUSTRATIONS IN A NEW AND DEEPER
WAY. THERE HAVE BEEN WEEKLY
MEETINGS IN SOME INSTANCES WITH
COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES
THROUGHOUT THE WORK YEAR. WE'VE
WORKED CLOSELY WITH COMMUNITY
BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WORKERS
EXIDE TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY GROUP
MEMBERS, SOME OF YOU UNIONS AND
THE LIST GOES ON. WE RESPONDED
BY CAREFULLY CRAFTING AND A NEW
RESIDENTIAL CLEANUP CONTRACT
THAT RESPONDS TO ISSUES RAISED
AND STRENGTHENS HEALTH AND
SAFETY PROTECTIONS. WE EXPECT
THAT CONTRACT TO BE AWARDED
EARLY NEXT MONTH. WE'VE BEEN
IMPLEMENTING NEW APPROACHES TO
EASE CONCERNS ABOUT THE QUALITY
OF THE OF THE CLEANUP. WE'VE
IDENTIFIED A THIRD PARTY MONITOR
WHO WILL OBSERVE DOCUMENT AND
INSPECT WORK BEING DONE BY THE
CONTRACTORS AND RECEIVED
COMPLAINTS FOR REFERRAL TO
RESPONSIBLE AGENCIES MOVING
FORWARD. WE WILL ALSO REQUIRE
POST CLEANUP CONFIRMATION
SAMPLING ON ALL PROPERTIES THAT
HAVE BEEN CLEANED UP. WE HAVE
PARTNERED WITH THE L. A COUNTY
MENTAL HEALTH CREMATORIES
PROGRAM. TO CONDUCT COMMUNITY
LED OUTREACH AND TO ENCOURAGE
HOMEOWNERS TO SIGN UP FOR
CLEANUP. AND SIGN THOSE ACCESS
AGREEMENTS. BUT CREMATORIES WERE
TRUST ARE ALREADY TRUSTED IN THE
COMMUNITY AND IN THEIR SIX WEEKS
PARTNERING WITH US 20 THROUGH 23
NEW ACCESS AGREEMENTS WERE
SIGNED. COMMUNITIES HAVE LONG
ASKED FOR THE GRASSY PARKWAYS
BETWEEN THE SIDEWALKS IN THE
STREETS TO BE REMEDIATED. THE
REMOVAL ACTION PLAN HAS TO DATE
PRIORITIZED FUNDINGS FOR THE
HOMES THEMSELVES, BECAUSE THAT'S
WHERE PEOPLE ARE AT THE GREATEST
RISK. OF EXPOSURE. I AM PLEASED
TO REPORT AND IT'S NO NEWS TO
YOU THAT IN GOVERNMENT THE
GOVERNOR SUPPORTED AND THE 2023
24 BUDGET ENACTED FUNDING FOR
THE PARKWAYS CLEAN UP. THE
FUNDING WILL COME FROM THE LEAD
ACID BATTERY CLEANUP FUND, AND
WE'RE THANKFUL TO THE GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE, THE DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCE AND, OF COURSE, THE
LEGISLATURE FOR WORKING WITH US
TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE. LASTLY ON
EXIDE. WE ARE WORKING WITH U. S.
C. P A TO COORDINATE THEIR WORK
TO ASSESS A POTENTIAL LISTING OF
EXIDE ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES
LIST. THAT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS.
WE HAVE A QUARTERLY RETREAT WITH
THEM, AND IN BETWEEN THAT OUR
STAFF MEET REGULARLY TO SHARE
INFORMATION AND DATA THAT WILL
HELP THEM MAKE THEIR DECISION.
NOW I WANT TO BRIEFLY TURN YOUR
ATTENTION TO THE FUTURE AND SOME
OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE FACE IN
THIS DEPARTMENT AND BEYOND THIS
DEPARTMENT REGARDING
CONTAMINATION, HAZARDOUS WASTE
AND TOXICS IN OUR ECONOMY ARE
MASSIVE. THE SAFER CONSUMER
PRODUCTS PROGRAM, OR SCP IS AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE SOLUTION.
THE PROGRAM HAS DEMONSTRATED THE
POWER TO INFLUENCE MARKET FORCES
AND TO DRIVE INNOVATION AND
CHANGE IN SOME CASES ARE PROCESS
HAS PROMPTED ENTIRE INDUSTRIES
TO ELIMINATE HARMFUL CHEMICALS
VOLUNTARILY BEFORE WE EVEN HAD
TO TAKE REGULATORY ACTION. AND
THEY HAVE SAID THAT TO US OUR
REGULATORY ACTIONS HAVE RESULTED
IN REMOVAL OF UP TO 100 METRIC
TONS OF P A S CHEMICALS THAT
PERFORM NATED CHEMICALS OR
FOREVER CHEMICALS THAT ARE SO
MUCH THE FOCUS OF RECENT
ACTIONS. 100 METRIC TONS OF PFS
CHEMICALS PER YEAR FROM CARPETS
AND RUGS AND THE TREATMENT PART
OF PRODUCTS FOR FABRICS THAT ARE
SOLD IN CALIFORNIA. AND OUR
ACTIONS HAVE LED TO THE REMOVAL
OF TALL EWING IN NAIL POLISHES.
ALSO WE'RE REQUIRING TIRE
MANUFACTURERS TO SEEK A SAFER
ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL THAT
USED IN THEIR TIRES AND IS
ENDANGERING PROTECTED SALMON.
THIS OCTOBER WILL MARK THE 10TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE ADOPTION OF
THE SAFER CONSUMER PRODUCTS
REGULATIONS AND A FULLY STAFFED
PROGRAM CAN KEEP MORE HARMFUL
CHEMICALS OUT OF OUR PRODUCTS
AND OUT OF THE ENVIRONMENT. WE
WILL BE ISSUING A DRAFT OF OUR
FOURTH PRIORITY PRODUCT WORK
PLAN THIS FALL, WHICH WILL
OUTLINE THE CATEGORIES OF
CONSUMER PRODUCTS WE PLAN TO
EVALUATE FOR POTENTIAL
REGULATION. WE PLAN TO USE THE
NEW AUTHORITY GRANTED UNDER SB 1
50 SB 502. AND THAT GIVES US THE
AUTHORITY TO COLLECT SPECIFIC
CHEMICAL INGREDIENT DATA
INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURERS
AND SO THAT WILL BE CENTRAL TO
THE NEW PRIORITY PRODUCT WORK
PLAN. CHAIR RIZZO MENTIONED THAT
WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO
ESTABLISH THE ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL HIJACK
THE FRAMEWORK WAS RELEASED.
WE'VE HAD PUBLIC WORKSHOPS ON
THAT, AND THE COMMENT PERIOD
CLOSES THIS FRIDAY, AFTER WHICH
THE FRAMEWORK CAN BE FINALIZED
AND WE CAN BEGIN THE RECRUITMENT
FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS. THE CLEANUP
AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
INITIATIVE CONTINUES TO
ADMINISTER MORE THAN $270
MILLION TO PROJECTS THAT PROMOTE
EQUITY AND WE DO ANTICIPATE
AWARDING 85 MILLION
APPROXIMATELY $85 MILLION IN THE
SECOND ROUND OF FUNDING FOR THE
EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES.
REVITALIZATION GRANTS. THE
APPLICATION PROCESS OPENED LAST
WEEK AND FINAL DECISIONS WILL BE
MADE. IN THE BEGINNING OF
OCTOBER. IN CLOSING. I WOULD
LIKE TO REITERATE THAT THE
PROBLEMS OF CONTAMINATION WASTE
MANAGEMENT AND CHEMICALS IN
COMMERCE AND CONSUMER GOODS ARE
DEEPLY ROOTED IN OUR STATE AND
GLOBALLY THEY WON'T BE SOLVED BY
A SINGLE POLICY, SINGLE BUDGET
BUDGET PROPOSAL OR EVEN A SINGLE
MARKET SHIFT. THEY WILL NOT BE
SOLVED BY ONE DEPARTMENT. BUT A
HOLISTIC BUT THROUGH A HOLISTIC
APPROACH THAT TAKES MANY FACTORS
INTO CONSIDERATION. WE WILL HAVE
TO WRESTLE WITH QUESTIONS LIKE
DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT PROTECTIVE
MEASURES IN PLACE? DO WE HAVE
THE RIGHT AUTHORITIES ARE
AGENCIES WORKING EFFECTIVELY AND
COLLABORATIVELY OR ARE THEIR
SILOS THAT ARE IMPEDING
PROTECTIONS? WE NEED TO ADDRESS
THESE QUESTIONS. BUT WE MUST DO
SO IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T IGNORE
THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE VERY
DIFFICULT CHALLENGES AROUND
TOXICS AND CHEMICALS POLICY IN
CHEMICAL IN CALIFORNIA AND THE
WORLD. THE DISCUSSIONS LEADING
UP TO THE RELEASE OF OUR FIRST
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN
WILL CENTER AROUND SUCH
QUESTIONS, AND I HOPE THAT EACH
OF YOU AND ALL INTERESTED
PARTIES WILL ENGAGE US TO FIND
NEW WAYS TO TRANSFORM THE FUTURE
OF TOXICS MANAGEMENT IN
CALIFORNIA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR ATTENTION TO THE ISSUES AND
THE COMPLEXITIES BEHIND THEM.
WORK IS NOT EASY. I THINK YOU
KNOW THAT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT
AND IT DESERVES TIME AND
ATTENTION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
DIRECTOR LET'S START WITH
SENATE-ROOM ARAMBULA. THANK YOU,
CHAIR ALAN AND CHARLIE FOR
HOLDING THIS HEARING. AM EXCITED
TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AS WE
ARE LOOKING AT THE WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT WILL BE
BEFORE US ON MARCH 1ST OF 2025.
I'M GOING TO FOCUS MY COMMENTS
TODAY ON WASTE MANAGEMENT AND
SPECIFICALLY ON CONTAMINATED
SOIL. AND I LIKE TO LOOK AT THE
ANALYSIS, WHICH CAME TODAY AND
WASTE GENERATION TRENDS THAT
HAVE HAPPENED SINCE 2010 WE SEE
THE TOP THREE WASTE THAT WE HAVE
IN OUR STATE IS CONTAMINATED
SOIL WASTE AND MIXED OIL AND
OTHER INORGANIC SOLID WASTE, BUT
WE HAVE NOT SEEN SIGNIFICANT
DECREASES IN THE WASTE REDUCTION
OVER SIMILAR TIME PERIODS. SO
I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IF THERE
ARE SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVE.
TREATMENTS THAT WE CAN BE
CONSIDERING BESIDES DIGGING HALL
AND CAPPING AND I'LL POINT TO IF
I CAN. THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU
USED AS I BELIEVE IT WAS SO
POETIC AS WE'RE LOOKING TO
CHANGE THE CULTURE AND TENDING
THE SOIL AND SIFTING IT,
CULTIVATING IT IF I CAN. I DON'T
HEAR DIGGING HALL AND CAPPING IN
THAT, UM, BUT I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR US TO TREAT THE
SOIL THAT'S BEFORE US. AND SO
CAN YOU SPEAK TO BIO REMEDIATION
AND WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE
TO PURSUE THOSE ALTERNATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES SO THAT WE'RE NOT
CONTINUING TO TRANSPORT INTO THE
SAND WALKING VALLEY THAT I
REPRESENT? I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR US ALSO NOT TO BE
TRANSPORTING THIS SUCH DISTANCES
BUT INSTEAD TO BE TREATING AT
THE SOURCE, AND SO I'D LIKE YOU
IF YOU CAN COMMENT ON THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I
THINK IT'S A QUESTION THAT'S ON
ALL OF OUR MINDS. AND PERHAPS IN
THE MORE EXTENDED Q AND A. WE
CAN DIG INTO THIS MORE DEEPLY.
I'LL SAY AT THE TOP LEVEL THAT
THIS ISN'T THE DEPARTMENT OVER
YEARS LOST SOME OF ITS EXPERTISE
SOME OF ITS EXPERTISE TO LOOK AT
TECHNOLOGIES AND SOME OF THE
RESOURCES TO DO THAT WORK. WE
NOW HAVE SOME RESOURCES THAT
WILL ALLOW US TO DO THAT, AND WE
ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR
OPPORTUNITIES. TO PURSUE
TECHNOLOGIES BIOREMEDIATION
BEING ONE OF MANY POTENTIAL
TECHNOLOGIES. OF COURSE, THOSE
TECHNOLOGIES ARE COMPLEX. IT
DEPENDS ON WHAT ANALYSTS ARE
LOOKING AT, UM, HOW EFFECTIVE
THEY ARE. IT'S OFTEN NOT ONE
SIZE FITS ALL. NEVERTHELESS IT
IS IMPORTANT TO FIND WAYS
WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO TREAT SOIL
IN PLACE. THAT DOES A LOT FOR
US. NOT JUST AND IN THIS AGE OF
CLIMATE WE HAVE TO BE THINKING
ABOUT THAT. AND SO IT'S
TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT PORTON,
SO I THINK THAT WILL BE A FOCUS
OF THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN. BUT I DON'T WE
DON'T INTEND TO WAIT FOR THAT
PLAN. BEFORE WE START PURSUING
OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE MORE
AUTHORITY UNDER OUR ORPHAN SITE
FOR OUR OVERSIGHT OF ORPHAN
SITES, WHERE WE, FOR INSTANCE,
DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A
RESPONSIBLE PARTY WHO'S PAYING
FOR IT, BUT THAT GIVES US
PERHAPS A LITTLE LATITUDE TO BE
ABLE TO PURSUE SOME SOME
ALTERNATIVES AND AGAIN DEPUTY
DIRECTOR SACKS CAN SPEAK MORE TO
THE ISSUE IF THERE'S TIME. THE
BEST WAY FOR US TO WORK ON. THIS
IS TO PREVENT MUCH OF THAT
CONTAMINATION IN THE FIRST PLACE
. AND SO IF I CAN NOT THEN
TRANSPORTED INTO OUR COMMUNITIES
AND INSTEAD TREATED WHERE IT IS
, I THINK WE'RE GETTING UPSTREAM
AND I AM APPRECIATIVE OF YOUR
EFFORTS, BUT WE JUST ENCOURAGE
YOU AS THESE ALTERNATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES WERE BROUGHT TO ME
BY COMMUNITY GROUPS WHO HAVE
BEEN ADVOCATING IT FOR A WHILE
AS WELL. AND I BELIEVE IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THESE
FORUMS AND TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS
THAT DIRECTLY TO YOU, AND I
APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE
TODAY. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR.
ALONG THOSE LINES. I KNOW BARCA
HAS A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS,
INCLUDING ON SOME OF YOUR
COMMENTS ON GREEN CHEMISTRY,
WHICH HAS TO DO WITH THE
UPSTREAM. SO LET'S GO TO YOU AND
THEN SENATOR DOLLY! UM THANK YOU
, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY TO
DIRECTOR YOU HAVE BEEN AN
INCREDIBLE TROOPER THROUGH THIS
TOOK OVER THIS DEPARTMENT WHEN
ALL WE HAD TO SAY WAS BAD THINGS
AND YOU HAVE STUCK WITH IT, AND
I THINK, UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU
FOR THAT DEDICATION TO
CALIFORNIANS THAT ARE SUBJECT TO
THESE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS,
AND I HAVE TO SAY SO. I LOOKED
UP THE DASHBOARD, WHICH YOU KNOW
IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS FOR
THOSE THAT ARE NOT YOU'RE
LAUGHING AT ME, BUT FOR THOSE
THAT HAVE NOT SEEN IT, YOU KNOW
ON DTSC S WEBSITE FOR THE PUBLIC
TO SEE AS A DASHBOARD THERE
REALLY TRACKS IN GREAT DETAIL. A
LOT OF THESE THINGS BOTH IN
GRAPH FORM AND MORE DETAIL, AND
I THINK IT REALLY GIVES A
SNAPSHOT OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
FIRST OF ALL, KUDOS YOUR
ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH NUMBERS.
TRASK IMPROVEMENT THERE, WHICH I
THINK IS A TESTAMENT TO YOU. UM
AND CLEARLY YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE
REFLECTING BACK WHAT YOU SAID
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONAL
HEALTHIER WORKING ON ALSO, THE
FISCAL STEWARDSHIP PIECE LOOKS
ALSO PRETTY POSITIVE. AND
GENERALLY ACROSS THESE NUMBERS.
WE'RE SEEING SOME PRETTY
IMPRESSIVE TEXT IN COMPLIANCE
AND THE LIKE LIKE YOU
HIGHLIGHTED, SO I DON'T WANT TO
HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON
THINGS THAT DON'T LOOK GOOD AS
IT'S NOT SURPRISING DIRECTOR BUT
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IF
ANYONE LOOKS AT THIS DASHBOARD,
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD NEWS IN
IT. AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S OUR JOB
TO LOOK OUT FOR THE PLACES WHERE
IT'S NOT. SO I'LL START WITH
GREEN CHEMISTRY. ONE THING I
NOTED ON THIS GREEN CHEMISTRY IN
THE DASHBOARD WAS IT ONLY
INCLUDES 2022 2023 NUMBERS? YES
WHICH DOESN'T GIVE US A HUGE
LOOK BACK OF WHERE THOSE REPORTS
ARE, WHICH I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT,
AND A LOT OF PLACES WE CAN SEE
FISCAL YEAR IMPROVEMENT. NOT ON
THAT ONE. IT DOES SHOW THAT
YOU'VE YOU KNOW, DONE FIVE
REPORTS THIS YEAR, BUT IT SHOWS
ONLY ONE REGULATION ADOPTION SO
AGAIN MOVING TOWARDS REGULATION
AND IMPROVEMENT. WE'RE NOT
SEEING THE PACE OF REGULATION
THAT I THINK THE LEGISLATURE
WOULD LIKE, OFTEN, UCS MOVE
BILLS, AND I KNOW THE GOVERNOR
DOESN'T LOVE IT WHEN WE START TO
GET IN THE SPACE OF THE SAFER
CONSUMER PRODUCT DIVISION, BUT
WE HAVE A LOT OF PRODUCTS THAT
ARE HARMING CALIFORNIANS. AND WE
AS YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW I WANT
TO SIT CHAIR. ALAN HAS BEEN A
HUGE LEADER IN THIS SPACE LIKE
WE HAVE BEEN PUSHING TO MOVE
THIS FASTER BECAUSE WE HAVE TO
PROTECT CALIFORNIANS FROM THESE
CHEMICALS AND WE'RE SEEING THE
EU OUTPACE US. AND SO HOW DO WE
CATCH UP? AND SO I JUST WANT TO
GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO COMMENT ON
THOSE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR NUMBERS
AND SORT OF WHERE WE'RE GOING TO
MOVE THAT FASTER? YEAH THANK YOU
FOR THAT. I THINK THERE'S A LOT
TO SAY A AND I DO WANT TO POINT
BACK TO THE FACT THAT IT'S THE
TENURE UNIVERSITY ANNIVERSARY
AND WE WILL PUBLISH AND
ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT THAT WILL
CATALOG ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED UNDER
THE PROGRAM. WHETHER THAT'S YOU
KNOW, SEVEN PRIORITY PRODUCTS
THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED.
ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY, THE NUMBER
IS THIS. THIS YEAR TO HAVE BEEN
FINALIZED ADOPTED IN REGULATIONS
. THE NAIL COLUMN CODINGS WITH
TYWIN WAS EFFECTIVE IN JANUARY
AND THE AUTOMOTIVE TIRES
CONTAINING SIX PPD TAKES EFFECT
ON OCTOBER 1ST. SO THERE ARE TWO
THERE HAVEN'T THE PROPOSALS
AREN'T ARE FORTHCOMING. THERE
ARE NUMBERS THAT ARE IN THE
QUEUE. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU AND
WE CAN SHARE THIS WITH YOU. IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN YOUR
MATERIALS AHEAD OF TIME. WE HAVE
A TIMELINE. IT'S PRETTY WEEDY,
BUT IT SWEETIE FOR A REASON
BECAUSE THEY TEAM IS ACTUALLY
LOOKING. UM AT SUCH A VERY BROAD
RANGE OF PRODUCTS. SO THERE'S A
QUEUE. THERE'S A BIT OF A
BACKLOG WILL START TO SEE
ANNOUNCEMENTS OF PRIORITY
PRODUCTS IN THE IN THE COMING
MONTHS AND HOPEFULLY, UM YOU
WILL START TO SEE SOME
DIFFERENCES AND, UH YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY SEVEN PRODUCTS OVER
THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. WE DO
HAVE A MORE AMBITIOUS TARGET FOR
OURSELVES. THAT'S ON THE
DASHBOARD, AND WE NEED TO MEET
THAT TARGET. AND THEN AND THEN
SOME, I WOULD SAY I THINK THE
NEW RESOURCES WE HAVE NOT ONLY
WILL HELP US GET THROUGH THE
PRODUCT DECISION MAKING AND THE
PRIORITIZATION PROCESS BUT
ENFORCE. WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A
MUCH BETTER POSITION TO ENFORCE.
WE'RE ALREADY DOING IN SOME
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS LIKE TESTING
SAM SAMPLES OF PRODUCTS TO MAKE
SURE THAT COMPANIES WHO SAID
THEY REMOVED THE CHEMICAL
ACTUALLY REMOVED THE CHEMICAL
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO
STRENGTHEN THAT PART OF THE
PROGRAM. SO THERE'S A LOT GOING
ON THERE. UM AND THE DATA CALL
IN AUTHORITY THAT WAS
STRENGTHENED WILL ALSO BE A VOTE
TREMENDOUS HELP. 70 YEAR WOULD
BE A HUGE IMPROVEMENT. SO TO
YOUR POINT MOVING US IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION, THE OTHER PLACE
THAT SORT OF JUMPED OUT OF ME ON
THE DASHBOARD WAS HAZARDOUS
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THE
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF THAT I
NOTICED THAT COMPLIANCE RATES
FOR VIOLATIONS ISSUED HAS TAKEN
IT A LITTLE BIT OF A NOSEDIVE.
IN PAST YEARS. WE'VE BEEN WELL
ABOVE 95% WERE NOT 73. FOR
COMPLIANCE. AND, UM. THERE WAS
ANOTHER ONE ON HERE. THAT WASN'T
LOOKING GREAT WITH. YOU KNOW THE
REVIEWS OF THAT. SO I JUST
WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT, GIVE
YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON
THAT BECAUSE THAT'S OBVIOUSLY
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE
MANAGING THOSE WHERE WE SEE
VIOLATIONS WERE GETTING THEM
CLEANED. AND I'M I'M NOT
ACTUALLY PREPARED TO SPEAK TO
THAT. OKAY WHEN WE GET TO THE IF
YOU'RE STILL AROUND WHEN WE GET
TO THE GENERAL QUESTIONS, I'M
SUSPECT. K¾T BUTLER CAN SPEAK TO
THAT. BUT I DO KNOW THAT THAT
NUMBER DOES FLUCTUATE. IT'S A
LITTLE BIT OF A IT'S A HARD
NUMBER BECAUSE WEDNESDAY
INSPECTION WEN'S THE QUARTERLY
SNAPSHOT THAT GOES ON THE
DASHBOARD IS THE 90 DAYS OR
WHATEVER THEY DON'T WE BRING HER
UP, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT
WE'RE GONNA YOU KNOW. LOOK, WE
GOT THIS A LOT OF QUESTIONS. WE
GOTTA ASK, SO I LET'S GET THIS
QUESTION ANSWERED. I THINK IT'S
A VALUABLE ONE. AND I THINK WE
ALL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
DASHBOARD. SO THIS IS OUR TIME
FOR GENERAL QUESTIONS LIKE IT'S
QUITE FRANKLY SO AND YOU'RE
GONNA HAVE TONS OF TIME,
ETCETERA. SO YEAH, GREAT
QUESTION BECAUSE THE ROLLING
NATURE OF THAT METRIC UM DOES
REFLECT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING SO
AH! IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE
YEAR. YOU'LL SEE A LOWER
PERCENTAGE AND THEN AS WE MOVE
THROUGH THE YEAR AND, UM, FOR
EXAMPLE, SOME FACILITIES MIGHT
HAVE 90 DAYS TO RETURN TO
COMPLIANCE. AND SOME HAVE MAYBE
30 DAYS DEPENDING ON THE
VIOLATION AND THE SEVERITY AND
SO THERE'S A LOT OF NUANCES TO
COMPLIANCE THAT ISN'T REFLECTED
IN THAT SIMPLISTIC METRIC, BUT
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A REAL TIME.
UM EVERY QUARTER THAT WILL BE
UPDATED SO NEXT QUARTER.
HOPEFULLY, WE'LL SEE THAT METRIC
FOR THE FIRST QUARTER IMPROVE,
SO IT WILL BE UPDATED AS WE GET
THE REAL TIME COMPLIANCE RETURN
TO COMPLIANCE DATA. GOT IT. OKAY
SO WE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT
BECAUSE THAT'S A NUMBER. WE
DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN. YOU WERE
AT 100% 97% IN FISCAL YEAR 21
22. WE WANT TO KEEP AND THOSE
NUMBERS UP HIGH, SO I APPRECIATE
THAT. THANK YOU HAD TWO
QUESTIONS. TWO MORE QUESTIONS. I
KNOW THE SENATOR IS GETTING
UPSET WITH ME. BUT HE KNOWS ME
WELL ENOUGH AT THIS POINT. YOU
KNOW, I ALWAYS HAVE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS. SO I NOTICED THAT YOU
WERE TALKING ABOUT AND YOU
MENTIONED THIS DIRECTOR, BUT IT
SOUNDED MORE ROSY THAN WAS IN
OUR BRIEFING, WHICH IS THAT
THERE HAS BEEN A REDUCTION OF
WASTE SO THEREFORE REDUCTION OF
FEES. I ALWAYS FIND IT FUNNY HOW
WE DO FEES, WHICH WOULD YOU
KNOW, WE WANT WHICH PUSHES US TO
WANT MORE WASTE BECAUSE THEN WE
GET MORE FEES. BUT ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WAS HIGHLIGHTED WAS
THAT, UM THERE IS AN EXEMPTION
FOR WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS
DOING THE CLEANUP RIGHT SO THEY
DON'T PAY THE FEES ON BEHALF OF
THE PERSON WHO CAUSED THEM
HAZARD CAUSED BY ANOTHER. THAT
MAKES SENSE. AND THAT WAS PART
OF THE WORK. WE DID, BUT THERE
STILL IS A PARTY THERE. THAT
SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THAT RIGHT.
AND I GUESS WHAT ARE WE DOING TO
GO BACK AND MAKE SURE THOSE
MONIES ARE BEING COLLECTED FROM
THE PARTY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE WASTE? YOU PUT YOUR
FINGER ON IT THE THERE ARE, AS I
SAID, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO THE SHORTFALL IN
W. C. A BUT THE ONE WE HAVE TO
LOOK AT FIRST IS COMPLIANCE AND
ENFORCEMENT. PEOPLE AREN'T
PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE FOR
HAZARDOUS WEIGHTS IS BEING
GENERATED, NOT NECESSARILY
TALKING ABOUT GOVERNMENT HERE.
THAT'S THAT'S THE LOW HANGING
FRUIT UNTIL WE GET THAT SALT,
YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THINGS ARE
OF LESSER PRIORITY TO ADDRESS WE
DO HAVE THIS. TEAM OF FIVE FOLKS
WHOSE ANALYZING THOSE THINGS
WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH
CDT ESTÁ. TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS THAT HELP US
DO THE ENFORCEMENT MORE
EFFECTIVELY PRIORITIZE SOME OF
THAT WORK, EITHER WITH OUR STAFF
FOR THEIR STAFF AND WILL BE
REPORTING OUT ON THAT REGULARLY
AND GO BEFORE THE BOARD, BUT YOU
PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT. WE DO
HAVE OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES
. WE DO THERE ARE REGULATORY
ACTIONS. ASSOCIATED WITH THESE
THINGS, SO WE HAVE TO GET
APPRECIATE THAT I LOVE
ENFORCEMENT AND TO THE EXTENT
THAT WE CAN BE SUPPORTIVE IF YOU
NEED TO CHANGE TO ENSURE THAT
THOSE FOLKS ARE PAYING, I THINK
THE POLLUTERS SHOULD ALWAYS PAY.
AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS
TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND NOW YOU
HAVE PARTNERS HERE IN ENSURING
THAT THE CASE MY LAST QUESTION
WAS. THERE WAS A NOTE IN THE
BRIEFING THAT OUR CRITERIA FOR
HAZARDOUS WASTE WAS OUTDATED,
WHICH I FOUND INTERESTING AND
THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME AS
INNOVATION HAPPENS IN THE
CHEMICAL SPACE. WE MAY NOT BE
IDENTIFYING THINGS PROPERLY, AND
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
INTERESTED ME AND I THOUGHT
MIGHT INTEREST MY COLLEAGUES. IF
YOU COULD TOUCH ON THAT AND TALK
ABOUT HOW WE CAN GET THAT
UPDATED TO BE ADDRESSING THINGS
PROPERLY. I'LL JUST MAKE A QUICK
COMMENT AND TURN IT OVER TO
KATIE BUTLER. UM, THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE CRITERIA HAVEN'T BEEN
REVISITED FOR A LONG TIME AGAIN.
WE DID NOT HAVE A UNIT TO DO
THAT. AND BELIEVE ME, THERE WAS
TREMENDOUS IT'S THERE IS
TREMENDOUS EXPERTISE IN THE
DEPARTMENT, A LOT OF WHICH HAS
RETIRED AROUND THIS PARTICULAR
ISSUE, AND SO WE'RE BUILDING ALL
OF THAT KEPT CAPACITY BACK UP.
AND I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THAT
MINUTE TO AGAIN. APPRECIATE
HAVING THE RESOURCES TO EVEN DO
THAT WORK AND THEN K¾T CAN TALK
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE ROAD
MAP LOOKS LIKE FOR ASSESSING
THEIR HAZARDOUS WASTE CRITERIA.
YEAH. THANKS SO, AS YOU KNOW,
OUR CALIFORNIA HAZARDOUS WASTE
CRITERIA, THEY'RE MORE BROAD AND
MORE STRICT THAN THE FEDERAL
CRITERIA AND BECAUSE OUR
CRITERIA WERE DEVELOPED SO LONG
AGO, SOME OF THE TOXICITY
ASSUMPTIONS AND OTHER SPECIFICS
OF THE TOXICITY TESTS, THEY MAY
NOT REFLECT MODERN SCIENCE AND
THEN ALSO WE WANT TO DO ANOTHER
COMPARISON TO CURRENT FEDERAL
CRITERIA AND STANDARDS TO MAKE
SURE THAT YOU KNOW WE'RE
ADOPTING ANY IMPROVEMENTS AND
FEDERAL STANDARDS THAT HAVE
HAPPENED OVER THE LAST DECADE.
UH AND SO THAT THAT WILL BE ONE
OF THE FIRST PRIORITIES OF THIS
CRITERIA. TASK IS TO COMPARE TO
THE FEDERAL STANDARDS AND THEN
WE'LL ALSO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW THE
SPECIFICS OF TOXICITY TESTS AND
GET INTO SOME OF THAT MORE NERDY
SCIENCE WORK, AND THAT WILL TAKE
SOME TIME. AND BECAUSE THAT WILL
TAKE TIME. AT THE SAME TIME
WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT IT
WAS MENTIONED EARLIER
ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
OPPORTUNITIES ALONG WITH THE
CRITERIA YOU KNOW, TO LOOK AT
HOW WE DEFINE HAZARDOUS WASTE
AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ROOTED
IN THE CURRENT SCIENCE. PERFECT
WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR
TIME AND BEING HERE AND
ANSWERING ALL MY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND WE CAN COME
BACK TO YOU WITH THIS MORE. COME
UP, SANTELLI. THANK YOU, MR
CHAIR, AND I WANT TO THANK BOTH
OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I'M
GOING TO DO IT JUST A LITTLE BIT
OF COMMENTS. I DIDN'T DO THAT AT
THE START. UM SO I'VE SAT ON THE
ASSEMBLY STM, WHICH I WAS THE
VICE CHAIR FOR THE WHOLE MOST OF
THE TIME. I WAS IN THE ASSEMBLY
AND ALSO SAID ON THE EQ. THE
COMMITTEE HAS VICE CHAIR HERE IN
THE SENATE, AND I WANT TO JUST
PREFACE IS SOME OF MY COMMENTS
TO START OUT WITH THE YOU KNOW,
OVER THE 10 11 YEARS I'VE BEEN
HERE. WORKED WITH CRISTINA
GARCIA ON THE EXIDE ISSUE. UM
SEEING THAT YOU KNOW HER
COMMUNITY WAS REALLY BEING
DESTROYED. WE HAVE NEW THINGS
OUT. WE HAVE THE FAUCET
SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT
. THERE WAS BELIEVE THREE OR
FOUR BILLS THIS YEAR ON FOSS
RECOMMENDED THAT WE MAY HAVE A
OH, ACTUALLY HEARING LIKE THIS
ON FOX AND TALK ABOUT WHAT THE
FUTURE THAT LOOKS LOOKS LIKE
BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO SEE THESE
BILLS EVERY YEAR. JUST THIS WEEK
OR LAST WEEK, I TOURED A CARPET
RECYCLING FACILITY IN MY
DISTRICT. AND THE MET WITH HIM
IN THE CHALLENGES THEY'RE FACED
WITH RECYCLING CARPET, SO I LOVE
THIS COMMITTEE. IT'S ONE OF THE
TOUGHEST THINGS I'M A LITTLE BIT
NERDY AS A REPUBLICAN WHO GETS
IN THE WEEDS A LITTLE BIT, SO I
WANT TO JUST KIND OF GIVE SOME
BROAD COMMENTS. I DO HAVE A
QUESTION ON ON SOME OF THE OIL
RECYCLING, BUT I WANT TO SAY
THAT AS A FARMER WHO WORKS IN
THE FIELD EVERY DAY. WE'RE
HARVESTING RIGHT NOW CERTIFIED
ORGANIC FARMER TRYING TO DO THE
RIGHT THING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO
BALANCE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO
HAVE TO MAKE FOOD, SO WE'RE 95%
CERTIFIED ORGANIC BECAUSE 5% OF
OUR FARM HAS SUCH A NOXIOUS WEED
PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO USE
HERBICIDES TO MANAGE IT. EXCUSE
ME THAT 5% WOULD NOT BE TERRIBLE
UNDER AN OR GETTING SITUATION.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CALIFORNIA
, AND WE LOOK AT LIKE, HOW ARE
WE GOING TO, LIKE, MAKE IT WORK
, SO, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO OIL.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'VE BEEN
THROUGH A FAST CHANGE OIL
RECENTLY. IT USED TO BE 29 99
AND YOU, THEY SERVICED YOUR CAR
AND IT'S CLOSE TO $100. AND THAT
IS BECAUSE THE PRODUCERS ARE
THERE IS A FEE CHARGED UP FRONT
ON THE OIL AND THIS IS THE COST
OF LIVING IS GOING UP. AND SO I
THINK FOR ME TO TRY TO WHAT I'M
TRYING TO SAY IS THAT WE HAVE TO
BALANCE THE ABILITY FOR TO DO
THE RIGHT THING FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT AT THE SAME TIME,
MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE
DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES CAN
ACTUALLY AFFORD TO DO THE THINGS
THEY NEED TO DO SO, FOR EXAMPLE
, I'M NOW TRANSFER INTO THE
PART. I WANTED TO HAVE THE
QUESTION ABOUT, UM I REPRESENT A
VERY RURAL AREA WHERE $100 TO
CHANGE YOUR OIL OR $90 IS A HUGE
AMOUNT WHERE YOU CAN GO TO THE
TO THE LOCAL HARDWARE STORE, AND
YOU CAN GET YOUR OIL AND YOU CAN
CHANGE IT. AND THEN WHAT DO YOU
DO WITH THAT OIL FOR ME? I WANT
TO MAKE SURE IT GOES TO
RECYCLING CENTER. AND THAT YOU
ACTUALLY DO IT BECAUSE THEY CAN
PROBABLY CHANGE ROLE FOR MAYBE
30 OR 40 BUCKS ON YOUR OWN, BUT
BUT WE KNOW AT THE, YOU KNOW,
FACILITY WHERE YOU GO. IT GETS
IT GETS RECYCLED, SO THERE'S A
BALANCE THERE AND NOT ALL TOXICS
ARE EQUAL. SOME ARE DEFINITELY
HARDER TO CONTROL THAN OTHERS,
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT. WHEN
WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE GOING TO GO
AFTER THE PRODUCERS OR WE'RE
GOING TO RECLAIM THIS I WANT
THAT WAS ONE OF MY MAIN POINTS
TODAY. WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE
OIL. ACTUALLY OIL IS ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE CAN RECYCLE AND
REUSE. WE TAKE OUT THE
CONTAMINANTS FROM THE MOTORS IN
IT, PUT IT BACK IN. SO, UM AND
AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS LOOKED AT
THE GENERAL FUND MANAGED THAT WE
PUT FORTH FOR LIKE THE EXIDE
PROJECTS, SO THE TAXPAYERS
PAYING AND THE CONSUMERS ARE
PAYING UP FRONT FOR THE FEES ARE
ON TOP OF THAT. SO THOSE ARE
JUST GENERAL COMMENTS. I WANTED
TO JUST LET YOU KNOW ABOUT AND
SOME OF MY CONCERNS AND I WANT
TO GO NOW TO, UM I ACTUALLY SENT
A LETTER TO THE DIRECTOR. MARCH
1ST ON AN ISSUE WITH, UM THE
RECYCLE CENTERS AND OILS FOR, UM
PLACES THAT RECYCLE IN MY
DISTRICT. AND SO THERE WAS SOME.
THERE WAS SOME, UH CONFUSION ON
THE RULEMAKING ON 1 58 WHETHER
UM, RECYCLE CENTERS WERE HAPPY
TO PAY THE TONNAGE PRICE OR NOT
, AND SO I GOT BACK. THANK YOU.
BY THE WAY, UH, SOME INFORMATION
, BUT THEY CONTRADICTED EACH
OTHER. AND SO QUITE FRANKLY, NOW
WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE WE'RE
IN A THERE'S A ACTUALLY FILED. I
THINK THEY USED OIL PEOPLE HAVE
FILED THEY'RE GOING TO COURT ON
IT ON ON YOUR ON THE
INTERPRETATION. BUT BUT MY POINT
TO THAT THAT WILL FIGURE IT OUT
ITSELF OUT IN COURT IS
UNFORTUNATELY HAVE TO GO THAT
ROUTE. BUT FOR THE RULEMAKING
PROCESS, I WANTED TO ASK WHERE
THE STAKEHOLDERS ABLE TO COME IN
AT THE RULEMAKING PROCESS AND
HAVE THOSE THEY SAID THEY DID
NOT HAVE THAT ABILITY TO COME IN
DURING THE RULEMAKING PROCESS
THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE THAT
ABILITY FOR THEM TO COME IN AND
ACTUALLY GET, UH, INFORMATION ON
THE DISCREPANCY IN THE IN THE
BILL. I WANT 58. OKAY, SO I'M I
WON'T I. I'LL SPEAK TO THAT
FIRST AND THEN I'LL GO BACK AND
MAYBE MAKE A COMMENT ON YOUR
WHICH IS THAT I'M NOT CERTAIN
ABOUT THAT COMMENT, SOME SIMPLY
BECAUSE WE FOLLOW THE
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ACT
WHENEVER WE DO ALL MAKING, EVEN
IF WE DO EMERGENCY RAGS, THOSE
EMERGENCY REGS. HAVE TO BE
FOLLOWED ON BY FULL RULEMAKING,
AND THERE'S ALWAYS A PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD. SO IF YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT THAT PART OF IT,
WHERE WE IMPLEMENTED THE
REGULATION, AND I'M NOT SURE
WHAT REGULATION YOU'RE SPEAKING
TO. THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITY
FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, IF WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL
FORMATION OF SB 1 58. WE
ACTUALLY HELD WEEKLY MEETINGS.
WITH THREE SETS OF STAKEHOLDERS.
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATUTE, AND
THAT WAS ONE GROUP WAS COMMUNITY
GROUPS AND NGOS AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT. ONE WAS THE
LEGISLATURE MAKING SURE WE
ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS AND
FOUGHT THROUGH HOW TO MAKE THIS
A WORKABLE, PRACTICAL,
MEANINGFUL, LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE
STATUTE, AND THEN THE LAST ONE
WAS WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY.
AND SO AGAIN WEEKEND AND WEEK
OUT, WE MET WITH THEM THROUGHOUT
THE DEVELOPMENT OF 1 58, AND
THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES IF WE
MISS SOMEBODY IN TERMS OF
OUTREACH OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S A
LOST OPPORTUNITY. WE WOULD
WELCOME CONVERSATION. ADDITIONAL
CONVERSATION. WE'RE WELL, THE
COMMENT WAS MADE ABOUT THE NEED
TO COMMUNICATE. THE
COMMUNICATION HELPS US
UNDERSTAND. WHAT THE CHALLENGES
ARE FOR BUSINESSES WHAT ISSUES
COMMUNITIES ARE FACING. AND
THAT'S HELPING US DO A BETTER
JOB SO I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO
HEARING FROM THEM. OKAY. WELL, I
WANTED TO JUST SO FOR MY TAKE IS
THAT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT, WE NEED TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE HAVE PLACES TO TAKE
THE PRODUCTS THAT PEOPLE THAT DO
IT AT HOME. DO AND IF WE LOSE
THAT OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN
VARIOUS SO I LIVE 75 MILES FROM
THE CLOSEST WALMART THAT WILL
GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF HOW RULE
OF THE COMMUNITIES NOW, THANK
GOD WE HAVE AT OUR TRANSFER
STATIONS. THE RURAL COUNTIES
HAVE A PROGRAM WHERE WE CAN TAKE
OUR OIL TO THE TRANSPORTATION
AND THEY JUST TAKE IT. IT'S
GREAT. WE DO ALL KINDS OF PUBLIC
OUTREACH. BUT IF YOU'RE IN AN
AREA WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE THAT
FACILITY AND YOU'RE RELYING ON A
RECYCLING CENTER, AND WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE STILL
AVAILABLE, AND BECAUSE THE COST
IS GOING UP ON ALL THINGS AND
PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO DO IT IN
THEIR BACKYARD, WHICH I
PERSONALLY DON'T WANT. I WANT TO
SEE THEM DO IT AT A FACILITY
WHERE IT'S ALL COLLECTED, BUT
THAT'S THEIR CHOICE. WE STILL
HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO,
YOU KNOW, SAVE SOME A FEW BUCKS
HERE AND THERE BECAUSE THE COST
IS VERY EXPENSIVE. YEAH WE ARE
IN THIS CRITICAL MOMENT. WE'RE
MOVING TOWARDS A CIRCULAR
ECONOMY AND YOU HEAR THOSE WORDS
THROWN AROUND A LOT, BUT I THINK
WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN? WHAT IS THE
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT TRULY
SUPPORTS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY? YOU
CAN'T. WE DON'T WANT TO BE
RECYCLING PRODUCTS THAT HAVE
TOXIC CONTENT. HOW ARE WE GOING
TO GET THAT CONTENT OUT OF
PRODUCTS IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE
CIRCULAR ECONOMY ECONOMY TO
FUNCTION? HOW DO WE LOWER THOSE
BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE TO ADDRESS
THE TOXICS THAT THEY MAY HAVE
USED AND MAY BE READY TO DISPOSE
OF, BUT MAY HAVE SOME VALUE
AFTER THE INITIAL USE. THESE ARE
THESE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE
WRESTLED WITH. I THINK THE
RECYCLING CENTERS. UM I THINK
YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE ONES
THAT CALORIE CYCLE HAS MORE
AUTHORITY OVER AND THAT'S BEEN
CERTAINLY A POINT OF A LOT OF
DISCUSSION OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
YEARS AND WE ARE COORDINATING
WITH CALORIE CYCLE ON A NUMBER
OF ISSUES RELATED TO TOXIC
CONTENT. CIRCULAR ECONOMY, THEY
WILL BE INSTRUMENTAL IN OUR
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN BECAUSE
WHAT WE DO THERE COULD HAVE
IMPLICATIONS FOR WHAT HAPPENS AT
CALORIE CYCLE AND WE WANT WE
WANT HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS WHEN WE
GO OUT. YOU KNOW, OUR DEPARTMENT
IS THE FIRST DEPARTMENT THAT
GOES OUT AFTER THESE WILDFIRES
AND FLOODS. AND OUR JOB IS TO
MAKE SURE THOSE THAT LANDSCAPE
THOSE PROPERTIES ARE SAFE FROM
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS THAT MAY BE
ON SITE AND WHAT WE FIND IN THE
PICTURES ARE QUITE STUNNING. ARE
JUST WE COLLECT ALL OF THAT
MATERIAL. WE FACILITATE THE
COLLECTION AND THE PILES AND
PILES. OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
THAT ARE FOUND EVERYWHERE ARE
REMARKABLE, YOU KNOW, AND THEN
THEN YOU EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT
YOU'RE GOING TO GET ME CARRIED
AWAY. SO I WILL STOP AFTER THIS
, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT OUR
FIREFIGHTERS, OUR FIREFIGHTERS
ARE SUFFERING FROM CANCER AND
ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH RATES
COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE
GENERAL POPULATION. AND WHY IS
THAT? AND A LOT OF THAT IS
BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY TOXIC
PRODUCTS IN OUR HOUSE HOUSES
THAT WERE NOT RECOGNIZING THAT
WHEN THEY GO UP IN FLAMES AND
CREATE DIOXINS OR CREATE OTHER
OTHER OTHER BYPRODUCTS, THEY'RE
THE ONES WHO HAVE TO GET
EXPERIENCE THOSE EXPOSURES, SO
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO
AROUND THESE ISSUES. IF I MAY
JUST MAKE A LAST COMMENT TO
THAT, AS SOMEBODY WHO REALLY IS
NERDY IS, AS SENATOR BAUER-KAHAN
SAID, WHEN IT COMES TO THESE
TOXINS, BUT AT THE END OF THE
DAY, I THINK THIS IS THE THING I
WANT TO DRIVE HOME. WE'RE NOT
GOING TO DO AWAY WITH BATTERIES,
AND WE NEED BATTERIES, AND WE'RE
NOT GOING TO DO WHAT YOUR TIRES
AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO AWAY
WITH GASOLINE OR DIESEL FOR A
LONG TIME, AND THEY ARE TOXIC.
WE KNOW THAT SO THE BALANCE IS
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR. IS THE
BALANCE OF HEY, LOOK, I
REPRESENTED PARADISE WHEN IT
BURNED UP AND I WAS THERE WHEN
WE CLEANED IT UP AND IT WAS.
YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF
TALK STUFF THERE, SO WE WANT TO
DO OUR BEST. TO GET THE TO GET
THOSE PRODUCTS SAFE AS WE CAN.
AT THE SAME TIME. YOU KNOW,
MAKING IT SO WE CAN STILL AFFORD
TO LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. IF YOU
PURCHASED A BATTERY LATELY. I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE, BUT WE
HAVE FARM EQUIPMENT. $150
BATTERY IS $400 NOW. SO. BACK TO
MY OIL SCENARIO. IF I'M GOING TO
PAY $90 VERSUS 30, I'M ON A
FIXED INCOME AND I CAN'T GET IT
. I CAN'T PAY THAT. I'M GOING TO
CHANGE IN MY BACKYARD. AND
THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT I WANT
PEOPLE TO CHANGE THE OIL. I WANT
THEM TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, SO
THERE HAS TO BE A BALANCE AND AT
THE SAME TIME WE'RE NOT ONLY
CHARGING THEM UP FRONT. WE DO
IT. WE HAVE A FEE ON A BATTERY
TO RECYCLE THE BATTERY UPFRONT.
YOU'RE PAYING IT AS A CONSUMER.
SAME AS WITH OIL, SO WE'VE THE
LEGISLATURE. HAS TAKEN THE
APPROACH TO CHARGE THE PRODUCER
UPFRONT. THAT MONEY IS SUPPOSED
TO GO TO YOU KNOW, GO ON THE
CYCLE, AND THEN THEY COME BACK
TO THE LEGISLATURE AND WE START
NOW WE'RE ADDING MORE FEES ON
TOP OF THOSE FEES TO GET THE JOB
DONE, SO I'M LOOKING FOR A
BALANCE OF FAIR BALANCE THAT
SAYS, LOOK, WE'RE NOT GOING TO
DO AWAY WITH THESE PRODUCTS.
IT'S THE SAME SCENARIO. AS I
SAID, WHEN I FIRST THAT 5% OF MY
FARM I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THAT
WITH HERBICIDES BECAUSE THERE'S
NO IT WON'T PRODUCE AFTER THAT
BEFORE THAT, SO THAT'S WHERE I'M
I WANT TO MAKE THAT STATEMENT.
SO KEEP THAT IN THE BACK OF YOUR
MIND THAT IF YOU DRIVE THE COST
SO HIGH THE CONSUMER WILL DO
SOMETHING DIFFERENT. WE'LL HAUL
IT OUT OF STATE. IS THAT
NECESSARY? THE BEST THING FOR
THE ENVIRONMENT? NO IS THERE A
COST TO DO THAT? YES SO THE
BALANCE IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
WE, YOU KNOW AS THE MAJORITY OF
LEGISLATURES PASSED THE
LEGISLATION THINKING THEY'RE
SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT. GREAT.
BUT ARE THEY REALLY AT THE END
OF THE DAY? WHAT ARE WE DOING?
ARE WE DRIVING THE COST UP SO
HIGH THAT THE DISADVANTAGED
PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA WE HAVE THE
HIGHEST POPULATION OF POOR
PEOPLE IN THE NATION, AND WE'RE
THE FIFTH LARGEST ECONOMY
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. SOMETHING'S
WRONG. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK
YOU FOR COMING. I WANT TO SHARE
MY CONCERNS ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE
AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN I
TALKED TO MY CONSTITUENTS WHO
MAY HAVE TO DRIVE 50 MILES TO
GET TO A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN
EVEN GET THEIR OIL CHANGED ARE
GOING TO DO IN THEIR BACKYARD,
AND IT'S GOING TO END UP NOT
WHERE I WANT IT. TYPICALLY IF
THERE IS NOT A PLACE EASY FOR
THEM TO TAKE IT, SO I JUST WANT
TO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND I
WILL FOLLOW UP WITH. I KNOW
THERE'S LITIGATION NOW AT THIS
POINT OVER THE INTERPRETATION OF
1 58, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE COST
PEOPLE MONEY, AND I THINK
THEY'RE RIGHT. I THINK THEY WERE
EXEMPTED FROM THE PROGRAM TO
START WITH. SO THANK YOU, MR
CHAIR. APPRECIATE YOU INDULGING
MY TIME AND I WILL BE WATCHING
FROM MY OFFICE. I HAVE OTHER
MEETINGS VERY INTERESTED IN THIS
, BUT I'M SORRY. I CAN'T STAY
FOR THE WHOLE MEETING. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU, SENATOR. LET'S HEAR FROM
SENATOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
MR CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THE
PRESENTATION TODAY AND
SPECIFICALLY WANT TO THANK
DIRECTOR WILLIAMS FOR VISIT. UM
AND FOR EVERYONE WHO WAS
INVOLVED IN PUTTING IT TOGETHER
. I WAS ABLE TO GO TO AND DO A
VISIT AND THE RESIDENTIAL AREA
WHERE THIS CLEANUP IS TAKING
PLACE RELATED TO EXIDE. AND
EXCITED, GOTTEN OBVIOUSLY A LOT
OF ATTENTION FOR SEVERAL YEARS
NOW WE WERE VERY SLOW TO REACT.
WE WERE VERY SLOW TO START TO
IMPLEMENT. UM AND WE WERE SLOW
TO TAKE IN AND ABSORB. ALL OF
THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WERE COMING
FROM THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE THE
COMMUNITY WAS JUST NOT AH WAS
JUST NOT INCLUDED, OR ISSUES
WEREN'T TAKEN SERIOUSLY. SO
WE'RE AT WHERE WE'RE AT NOW, UM
AND I JUST, YOU KNOW FROM THE
VISIT. OBVIOUSLY I SAW FOR
MYSELF THE COMPLICATIONS OF
DOING A CLEANUP OF THAT
MAGNITUDE OF THAT SIZE IN A
RESIDENTIAL AREA. THE
SENSITIVITY WITH WHICH THE
CLEANUP CREWS, PEOPLE WHO ARE
ACTUALLY DOING THE CREW CLEANUPS
THE WAY THEY DO IT. UM AND, UH,
YOU KNOW, ONE THING HAS AN
IMPACT ON THE OTHER THING AND
THE OTHER THING AND GET INTO THE
BACKYARD AND, UH, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE THERE WAS AH, WELL, YOU
KNOW, EITHER ELECTRICAL WORK
BEING DONE ILLEGALLY, AND SO HOW
DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT IT? HOW DO
YOU YOU KNOW, MAYBE EVEN GAS
LINES WERE ILLEGALLY PUT IN SO A
LOT. A LOT OF UM. REAL
PRECAUTIONS, EXTRAORDINARY
PRECAUTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE
AND ALSO SENSITIVITY TO THE TO
THE RESIDENTS THEMSELVES ARE
RESPECT FOR THEIR CONCERNS. YOU
KNOW, THEY HAVE A YARD WITH
TREES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE, YOU
KNOW, FOR DECADES AND YOU JUST
CAN'T COME ALONG AND YANK THEM
OUT BECAUSE YOU CAN DO THE
CLEANUP. UM THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN GETTING PERMISSION FROM
OWNERS AND RENTERS. UM SO I GOT
TO, UH, I THINK BEGINNING OF AN
IDEA OF WHAT IT WHAT IT TAKES TO
BE OUT THERE, SO IF YOU CAN BE A
LITTLE BIT SPECIFIC ABOUT AH,
WHERE WE'RE AT IN THAT CLEANUP
PROCESS AS FAR AS, UM, THE TIME
FRAME THAT YOU EXPECT FOR THIS
CLEANUP TO BE GOING ON AND ALSO
, AH, I KNOW. I THINK THIS
CONNECTED WITH, UM
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S ARAMBULA IS THE
ALTERNATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN
PROPOSED BY, UM AH ADVOCATES.
COMMUNITY ADVOCATES ON DOING THE
. SOME IT WAS MENTIONED HERE
EARLIER, BUT THEY GO UP AND THAT
BUT VERSUS THEIR OTHER
REMEDIATION PROCESS, SO ONE IS
SPECIFICALLY WHERE WE AT AND
WHERE DO WE EXPECT TO BE WHAT'S
GOING TO BE NEEDED TO FINISH
THAT PROJECT AND ALSO
ALTERNATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN
PROPOSED. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE
TIME TO VISIT THE SITE, THE
CLEANUP. IT'S ALWAYS INFORMATIVE
. AND I THINK YOU YOU REALLY DID
GET A PICTURE OF HOW COMPLICATED
THAT THAT CLEANUP IS. IT'S A
VERY INTIMATE PROCESS TO DO THAT
CLEANUP IN PEOPLE'S HOMES AND
YARDS, AND THAT PRESENTS A LOT
OF CHALLENGES. AT THE HIGHEST
LEVEL. WHERE WE ARE IS WE WERE
GIVEN AN APPROPRIATION TO GET US
TO 5900 PROPERTIES. AND WE
ANTICIPATE DOING COMPLETING THAT
CLEANUP IN 2025. UM, THAT'S THE
FUNDING WE RECEIVED. AND RIGHT
NOW WE'RE CLEANING UP PROPERTIES
THAT ARE CONTAMINATED DOWN TO
200 PARTS PER MILLION
CONTAMINATION LEVEL. WE CONTINUE
AS WE CLEAN UP HOUSES, THAT
NUMBER CONTINUES TO DROP. AND
THAT MEANS THAT THE EXPOSURES
THAT YOU KNOW WHEN WE STARTED
THIS PROJECT, THERE WERE
PROPERTIES THAT HAD 508 100 PPM.
ON THOSE PROPERTIES, AND NOW
WE'VE DROPPED DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY
WHEN WE'RE DOWN TO 200 PPM,
WHICH IS BELOW EPA'S CURRENT
CLEANUP STANDARD. JUST FOR THE
RECORD, I'M SO ARE AT THE
HIGHEST LEVEL. WE WEIRD SHOOTING
FOR THAT 59 40. I WILL TELL YOU
WE HAVE DONE AND I HAVE TO
SALUTE OUR ASSISTANT DEPUTY
DIRECTOR MANY BETTER HAR FOR
THIS AMONG OTHER PEOPLE, BUT HE
HAS CONTROLLED THE COSTS ON THE
ON THIS PROJECT TO A DEGREE
THAT'S ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE. WE
ARE STILL PAYING THE AMOUNT THAT
WERE ESTABLISHED THREE YEARS AGO
AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT INFLATION
HAS DONE. WE ARE NOW GOING OUT
FOR BID ON A NEW CONTRACT. I
DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO ASSUME
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO
MAINTAIN THE COSTS THAT WE HAVE
BEEN SO THAT 59 40 IS STILL IN
OUR SIGHTS, BUT WE MAY COME BACK
TO YOU AND EXPLAIN JUST HOW MUCH
WE CAN DO WITH THE REMAINING
FUNDS. SO THAT'S THE HIGHEST
LEVEL. WE ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS
TO IMPROVE THE CLEANUP. WE
ALREADY FOUND ONE I THINK, AND I
CAN'T REMEMBER IF WE SHARE THIS
WITH YOU. WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW
IS YOU KNOW THOSE WELL
ESTABLISHED TREES? WE DON'T WANT
TO PULL THEM UP. WE DON'T WANT
TO YANK THEM OUT. THERE'S SO
IMPORTANT TO JUST THE FEEL OF
THE COMMUNITY AND TO INDIVIDUALS
WHO LIVE IN THOSE ON THOSE
PROPERTIES. AND SO YOU KNOW, WE
CLEANED DOWN AS FAR AS WE CAN
UNTIL WE GET TO THE ROOTS, AND
WE WERE THEN PUTTING CLEAN DIRT
OVER THAT. BUT WE'VE ACTUALLY
CHANGED THAT PROCESS A LITTLE
BIT. WE'RE NOW PUTTING ANOTHER
FABRIC LAYER AROUND THE ROOTS.
AND THEN WE PUT GRAVEL ON. AND
SO WE AND THEN FILL DEPENDING ON
HOW HOW DEEP WE GET IT THE
SPACES TO THE ROOTS, SO WE'RE
AT. IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE ADDING
AN ADDITIONAL PROTECTION AND
WE'RE LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES
LIKE THAT. WE'RE PUTTING IN
PLACE THIS CONFIRMATION SAMPLING
TO MAKE SURE THE CLEANUP WAS
DONE PROPERLY. UM AND WE'RE JUST
TAKING A NUMBER OF STEPS TO
ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT HAVE
BEEN RAISED AND SOME OF THOSE
WILL BE REFLECTED IN THE NEW
CONTRACT. I'M NOT SURE I
ANSWERED THE FULLNESS OF YOUR
QUESTION. YEAH, I THINK THAT.
THE ANSWER. I APPRECIATE THE
ROLE OF THE GETTING THE PROMO.
TORRE'S INVOLVED IN REACHING OUT
TO THE COMMUNITY. OBVIOUSLY THE
ISSUE OF TRUST IS SOMETHING THAT
WAS IGNORED FOR SO LONG FOR SO
MANY YEARS. PEOPLE JUST DON'T
KNOW WHO TO TRUST. WHAT WILL
HAPPEN. UM AND YOU KNOW IF ANY
LESSON FOR OTHER AREAS THAT WE
DISCOVER CONTAMINATED THEIR
EARLY ON THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE
LIKE IMMEDIATE BEFORE ANYTHING
STARTS IS MEETING WITH THE
COMMUNITY. WHAT WHAT ARE THE
ISSUES? WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL
BECAUSE WE'RE CATCH UP HERE?
WE'RE TRYING TO CATCH UP. TO A
COMMUNITY THAT DISTRUST
GOVERNMENT BECAUSE GOVERNMENT
DID NOT RESPOND WHEN THEY WERE
WHEN THEY WERE ASKED TO
INTERVENE, SO I THINK A LOT OF
THIS IS DOING IT WAY BEFORE, NOT
AFTER THE FACT BECAUSE. IT WILL
CERTAINLY FACILITATE THE PROCESS
, BUT IT WILL SHOW THE COMMUNITY
AND US WHERE WE'RE DOING IT
RIGHT AND WHERE WE'RE DOING IT
WRONG AND WE HAVE. THAT'S WHAT
TRUST IS ALL ABOUT BELIEVING
THAT IF I CRITICIZE IT'S NOT TO
BE TAKEN NEGATIVELY. CRITICISM
IS LET'S DO SOMETHING BETTER.
LET'S DO SOMETHING RIGHT. THAT'S
NOT BEING DONE RIGHT? SO JUST
AGAIN WITH THAT, AND, UM I
APPRECIATE MY, UM OTHER
COLLEAGUES FROM THE STATE
LEGISLATURE BEFORE I CAME AND
WHO FOUGHT SO HARD TO GET THE
RESOURCES AND SO MANY OTHER
ISSUES THAT I KNOW ARE CONNECTED
WITH THIS, UM, WE PAY FOR THE
CONSEQUENCES ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
AND SO UP FRONT TO BE. AH YOU
KNOW TO NOT RAISE THESE ISSUES
WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM ANYWAY.
I JUST WANT A COUPLE OF OTHER
AREAS. UM AH, JUST IN THIS IS A
VERY, UM VERY SPECIFIC AND THEN
A VERY BROAD QUESTION IS ABOUT
THE VSP PROCESS. UM WHICH YOU
MENTIONED EARLIER, BUT I HAD A
BILL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO
REFORM. UM THE GRADING STRUCTURE
TO BETTER ACCOUNT FOR THE NATURE
OF THE VIOLATIONS AND NOT ALLOW
THE SCORES TO BE DELUDED. UM.
DTSC EXPRESSED CONCERN IN THE
POLICY COMMITTEE ANALYSIS. UM
THAT VSP SHOULD BE REFORMED. UM
BUT THERE WAS A COMMITMENT MADE
TO REFORM THE VSP PROCESS AND SO
WHERE ARE WE IN THAT? UM AND
WHAT? WHAT IS THE DELAY TO DOING
THIS ADDRESSING THIS? THANK YOU
FOR THAT, UM, AND OF AGAIN, GET
IT STARTED AND KICK IT OVER TO
KATIE BUTLER. WE HAVE MADE VERY
GOOD PROGRESS ON ASSESSING THE
IMPACTS OF ANY CHANGES TO THE
FORMULATION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF
VSP. I WILL GET ON MY LITTLE
SOAPBOX AND SAY VSP HAS BEEN
GOOD FOR DTSC AND GOOD FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT AND GOOD FOR
COMMUNITIES AND THAT YOU KNOW IF
YOU LOOK AT 10 YEARS OF
COMPLIANCE HISTORY AND
DOCUMENTATION OF COMPLIANCE AND
HOW INSPECTIONS WERE WERE
CONDUCTED. AND UM, YOU YOU LEARN
A LOT. YOU LEARN ABOUT A LOT
ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO DO A GOOD
INSPECTION WHAT IT TAKES TO
TRULY ENFORCED AND TO TAKE LEGAL
ACTION AND SO AS A RESULT OF VSP
AND INHERENTLY HAS MADE OUR
ENFORCEMENT WORK MUCH MORE
EFFECTIVE, SO WE'VE DONE A LOT
OF ANALYSIS AND WE ARE
ANTICIPATING UM, FREE PRE
RULEMAKING CONVERSATIONS THIS
YEAR AND KATIE. MAYBE YOU CAN
TALK MORE ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
ANYTHING ELSE WE HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON REVISED REGULATIONS
AND A PROPOSAL FOR REVISED
FRAMEWORK. WE AREN'T AS FAR AS
LONG AND PUBLICLY SHARING THAT
YET AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN
THIS POINT IN TIME, OTHER
COMPETING PRIORITIES AT THE
DEPARTMENT, BUT WE ARE LOOKING
AT SHARING THE POTENTIAL
REVISIONS EARLY NEXT YEAR. AND
UH, LIKE DIRECTOR, WILLIAMS SAID
, WE ARE SEEING A DECREASE IN
ESPECIALLY CLASS ONE VIOLATIONS
, THE MOST SERIOUS VIOLATIONS
SINCE THE SP WAS IMPLEMENTED, SO
IT HAS BEEN POSITIVE, ESPECIALLY
IN IMPROVING COORDINATION
BETWEEN OUR PERMITTING AND
ENFORCEMENT DIVISIONS. AND SO
YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE VERY
IMPORTANT TOOL WE HAVE IN OUR
TOOLBOX. AND YEAH, WE LOOK
FORWARD TO SHARING THOSE
POTENTIAL REVISIONS WITH WITH
YOU AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
SHORTLY. SO IF YOU'D BE OPEN TO
A BRIEFING ONCE WE GET CLOSER WE
WELCOME THAT CHANCE. OKAY OKAY.
AND THEN, UM UM, AS MUCH TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE, BUT THE COMMUNITY
IMPACT SCORING SYSTEM. IF YOU
COULD TALK ABOUT THAT IT'S STILL
NOT COMPLETED. UM. WHY WHY IS
THAT AND KATIE YOU WANT TO JUST
DIVE IN THERE OR YOU WANT ME TO
BECAUSE SO WE'VE IMPLEMENTED, UM
FIVE OUT OF SEVEN CRITERIA FROM
SENATE BILL 6 73. SO ONE IS THE
ENFORCEMENT HISTORY WITH VSP TWO
IS FINANCIAL ASSURANCE. THREE
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT
REQUIREMENTS. UM, AND THEN FIVE
IMPROVED TRAINING HAZARDOUS
WASTE TRAINING FOR WORKERS ON
SITE. AND SO THERE'S TWO MORE
CRITERIA TO SENATE BILL 673 THAT
WE'RE WORKING ON. AND THAT'S THE
COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY, WHICH I
THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO AND
CONSIDERING SETBACK DISTANCES,
AND SO WE ARE. WE WERE HOPING
OVER THE SUMMER TO HAVE A PUBLIC
WORKSHOP ON THIS. WE'RE PUSHING
IT BACK. PROBABLY. LATER THIS
FALL, DEFINITELY BEFORE THE END
OF THE YEAR, WILL BE PROPOSING
THE REVISED FRAMEWORK FOR THAT.
OKAY THAT WHAT WILL THAT WAS
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN COMPLETED
BY 2018? SO ALL OF SENATE BILL
673? YES WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
COMPLETED BY 2018 AND WE HAVE
IMPLEMENTED FIVE OUT OF SEVEN
PARTS OF THAT BILL AND, UM, THIS
LAST PART IT IS COMPLEX. IT'S
LOOKING AT CUMULATIVE IMPACTS,
FRAMEWORKS AND COMMUNITY
VULNERABILITIES. USC AH IS
ACTIVELY WORKING ON THEIR
FRAMEWORK. UM AND WE'RE EAGERLY
WAITING TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE
GOING TO COME UP WITH, AS WELL
WILL WANT TO FOLD THAT IN IN THE
FUTURE IN OUR WORK, SO IT'S AN
ACTIVE AREA OF RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT. UM THAT WE'VE BEEN
MONITORING CLOSELY AND WORKING
ON. HOW DO WE APPLY IT HERE IN
OUR STATE? UM IF I MAY, SO IT
HAS BEEN A LONG TIME, IT'S BEEN
TOO LONG. EVERYBODY WANTS TO SEE
THOSE REGULATIONS IN PLACE. I
WILL SAY IT IS IT IS SOMEWHAT OF
A HOLY GRAIL. IN TERMS OF YOU
LOOK NATIONALLY, PEOPLE
WRESTLING WITH HOW TO DO THIS IN
AN EFFECTIVE WAY. IT'S VERY
CHALLENGING, AND I THINK WE'VE
DONE SOME GOOD THINKING AROUND
IT. THERE WILL BE NO PERFECT
SOLUTION, BUT I THINK WE HAVE
SOME VIABLE PATH FORWARD. BUT
THERE ISN'T THERE IS OBVIOUSLY
AN URGENCY TO ENACT THOSE
REGULATIONS. IN THE MEANTIME,
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE FOR A
COUPLE OF COMMUNITIES. WE FOUND
A WAY TO CONSIDER CUMULATIVE
COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY IN OUR
PERMIT DECISION MAKING PROCESS,
MOST NOTABLY FOR THE KETTLEMAN
AND BUTTON WILLOW COMMUNITIES.
KETTLEMAN CITY AND BUTTON WILLOW
. SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE STARTED
WITH CALLEN VIRUS SCREEN. WE
LOOKED AT WHAT THE IMPACTS THERE
. WE DID OUR OWN ASSESSMENT OF
WHETHER YOU KNOW WHERE WE
THOUGHT THE LIKELY IMPACTS WERE
AND WE'RE ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
TO SEE IF OUR TAKEAWAYS OR
CONSISTENT WITH THEIR LIVED
EXPERIENCE AND SO SHORT OF
REGULATIONS. WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT
INFORMATION SO THAT IF THERE ARE
PERMIT CONDITIONS OR ACTIONS
THAT COULD BE TAKEN IF A PERMIT
IS GRANTED THAT WOULD HELP US
PROTECT THAT COMMUNITY IN SOME
WAY, OR IF DTSC CAN PLAY A ROLE
IN PROVIDING A WHOLE OF WHOLE OF
GOVERNMENT SOLUTION THAT WE ARE
DOING THAT FOR THOSE TWO
COMMUNITIES AND THEN CHAIR RIZZO
ALSO MENTIONED THAT IN NORTH
RICHMOND, WE'RE PARTNERING WITH
US CPA TO DO A VERY
COMPREHENSIVE CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
ANALYSIS FOR THAT COMMUNITY,
WHICH HAS REFINERIES. IT HAS
HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES. IT
HAS TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES,
YOU NAME IT, THEY GOT IT. AND SO
THAT GIVES US AGAIN. PART OF
WHAT WILL GET OUT OF THAT IS HOW
DO YOU ENGAGE COMMUNITY TO
VALIDATE THE EXPERIENCE OF
BETTER VALIDATE THE OBSERVATIONS
THAT COULD LEAD TO AN ASSESSMENT
OF CAME OUT OF IMPACTS AND
COMMUNITY VULNERABILITY. OKAY
THANK YOU. JUST OVERALL. I
APPRECIATE CHERRIES. OH, THE
COMMENTS ABOUT COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT AND YOU WERE VERY
SPECIFIC ABOUT ORGANIZATIONS AND
NUMBER OF MEETINGS AND ALL THIS,
I THINK PART OF THE FRUSTRATION
AND PART OF WHAT WE LOOK FORWARD
TO IS HOW TO TAKE ALL OF THAT
AND TURN IT INTO MORE ACTION.
MORE CHANGE MORE OF WHAT NEEDS
TO BE DONE NOT ONLY HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS IT. BUT
THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING? AND HOW
ARE YOU DOING? AND HOW QUICKLY
ARE YOU TAKING THAT AND REALLY
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE? SO YOU KNOW
THAT I THINK THE OVERALL UM
FEEDBACK THAT I GET FROM
COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
CHAIR APPRECIATE THE GREAT
DISCUSSION THIS MORNING AND
THANK YOU TO THE WITNESSES FOR
YOUR WORK. BOARD CHAIR, RIZZO.
GREAT TO SEE YOU IN THIS ROLE.
AW YOU'RE TREMENDOUS WORK OVER
THE YEARS ON BREAST CANCER
ISSUES AND MY DISTRICT AND STAY
WIDE. AS WE SEEK TO REALLY
IMPLEMENT ROBUST IMPLEMENTATION
OF SB 1 58. I JUST WANTED TO ASK
IF YOU FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS BASED
ON. THE COMMITTEE MATERIALS AND
THE TESTIMONY YOU'VE GIVEN SO
FAR. ONE OF THE KEY PURPOSES OF
SB 1 58 WAS TO REFORM DTS IS FEE
STRUCTURE AND A STABILIZED
FUNDING DTSC. BUT IT APPEARS IF
HE'S COLLECTED UNDER THE NEW FEE
STRUCTURE ARE LESS THAN HALF OF
THE ANTICIPATED $80 MILLION. I
UNDERSTAND THE DTSC IS STILL
GATHERING DATA ON THIS. BUT IF
FINDINGS INDICATE THE EXISTING
FEE LEVELS ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO
COVER COSTS, ADD DTSC. WHAT OUR
NEXT POTENTIAL STEPS REGARDING
THAT SHORTFALL. THANK YOU AND
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN TO LAST
TIME I SAW YOU. YOU WERE HIKING
A MOUNTAIN FOR US. SO THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. NOW I'M IN A CASH.
NO, I SAW THAT. TO YOUR POINT
EXACTLY THE REASON THAT WE MADE
NO FEET RECOMMENDATION FOR NO
FEE CHANGE THIS YEAR IS BECAUSE
WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION
WE HAVE TO REALLY DIG IN WITH
CTF TO LOOK AT HOW THEY DO IT.
THERE WAS THAT THIS FIRST YEAR
WHERE THERE WAS A DUPLICATION
PERIOD WHERE PEOPLE WERE, YOU
KNOW, PAYING THE OLD FEES AND
THEN THE NEW THE NEW TIME FRAME
WAS COMING IN, SO THERE'S A
QUESTION OF AS EVERYBODY
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY OWE. DID
THEY PAY IS CDT ESTÁ DOING A
GOOD JOB OF COLLECTION AND
ENFORCEMENT AND REPORTING BACK
AND ARE THEY? WE SHOULD ASK. THE
QUESTION IS THAT THE WAY WE WANT
TO DO IT GOING FORWARD? THERE'S
A THERE'S A FEE INVOLVED THE
PERCENTAGE FEE THAT I THINK THIS
YEAR IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND. $6
MILLION FOR THE COLLECTION IS
THAT THE BEST THE BEST WAY FOR
US TO COLLECT FEES TO UCD TFA
THAT'S BEEN RAISED. I HAVE NO
OPINION ABOUT IT. BUT JUST THAT
WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT IS
THAT THE BEST MODEL AND
UNDERSTANDING. THE PROJECTIONS
HAVE TO COME AT A CERTAIN PERIOD
OF TIME WHEN THERE ARE TWO
PAYMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE,
ONE OF WHICH IS DELAYED OR LATE
, AND PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO FEEL
AN OBLIGATION TO BE ON TIME WITH
THEIR PAYMENTS. SO THAT MAKES IT
MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO COME
UP WITH THE ABSOLUTE NUMBERS.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SPEND
THIS NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WITH
THE FINANCE TEAM AT DTSC AND CDT
TO AND DIG INTO IT, SO WE DIDN'T
WANT TO PENALIZE RATEPAYERS NOW
BY INCREASING RATES FOR THOSE
WHO ARE COMPLIANT. ESPECIALLY
SINCE THE LOAN WAS FORTHCOMING,
BUT WE DO HAVE IN OUR SIGHTS.
THE REPAYMENT OF THAT LOAN HAS
TO BE CALCULATED IN THE FUTURE.
SO I THINK YOUR POINT IS WELL
TAKEN. WE DON'T KNOW WHY THAT
FELL SO SHORT. AND IS IT A
QUESTION OF THE CONSOLIDATION OF
THE DIFFERENT FEES. AND SO THE
TEAM HAS BEEN AMAZING AND SOME
OF THEM ARE HERE TODAY AND THEY
KNOW THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR THE
BOARD. GREAT CHANGING DIRECTION
A LITTLE BIT. WHY IS THIS SAFE
FOR CONSUMERS PRODUCT PROGRAM
MOVING SO SLOWLY AND COUPLE
RELATED QUESTIONS. WHAT ARE THE
LIMITATIONS TO EFFICIENT
OPERATIONS OF THIS PROGRAM? AND
WHAT IS DTS IS PLANNED TO SHORE
UP THE SAFE FOR CONSUMERS
PRODUCT PROGRAM. SO I WILL START
AND. I DON'T KNOW. CALL YOU MAY
HAVE AND WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO
THIS CONVERSATION. SO WHEN THAT
PROBLEM WHEN THE GREEN CHEMISTRY
LAWS CAME INTO EFFECT AND THE
PRODUCT THE PROGRAMS ESTABLISHED
THERE WEREN'T NO RESOURCES THAT
WERE DEDICATED TO IT. SO THAT'S
ONE REASON THERE'S NO POLLUTION
PREVENTION PROGRAM AT THE
DEPARTMENT NOW, AND SO IT WAS
PULLED TOGETHER AND IT IS HAS
BEEN A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM IN
TERMS OF THE IMPACT THAT IT'S
HAD IN THE WORK THAT IT'S BEEN
DONE THE WORK THAT IT'S DONE
THAT SAID. WE ALL RECOGNIZE MORE
IS EXPECTED OF THE PROGRAM. IT
NEEDS TO MOVE FASTER. IT HAS THE
AUTHORITY, IT HAS IS TREMENDOUS
AND SO IT REALLY CAN DRIVE A LOT
OF CHANGE. I WILL SAY THAT HATS
OFF TO CARL AND THE TEAM BECAUSE
THEY PRIORITIZED HIRING. FOR THE
PAST, I WOULD SAY SIX MONTHS IN
ANTICIPATION OF KNOWING THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO GET NEW
RESOURCES. IT'S VERY HARD TO
BRING FOLKS INTO STATE SERVICE
AND YET IN THIS PERIOD SINCE THE
JULY 1ST, UH, BUDGET THEY'VE
ALREADY BROUGHT 20 PEOPLE ON
STAFF. SO THE FIRST REASON THE
PROGRAM HAS BEEN SLOW HAS BEEN
RESOURCES. SECONDLY THERE IS A
SCIENTIFIC CERTIFICATE, RARE
THAT THE PROGRAM SET UP VERY
HARD, HIGH BAR FOR ITSELF, AND
I'LL TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY
FOR THAT, UM, AND GATHERING
INFORMATION INFORMATION, AS CARL
WOULD ALWAYS SAY IS THE COIN OF
THE REALM AND SO GET FIGURING
OUT HOW TO GET THE INFORMATION
TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS HAS BEEN
VERY CHALLENGING. SO THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.
BUT CARL, COULD YOU SAY A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK IS
GOING TO ACCELERATE THE PROGRAM
AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO
SAY ABOUT WHAT'S CONTRIBUTED TO
SLOW YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
FOR THE QUESTION. YES, AS
MEREDITH INDICATED, YOU KNOW,
THIS PROGRAM. THANK YOU TO THE
LEGISLATURE WAS A VERY AMBITIOUS
, INNOVATIVE PROGRAM TO START
WITH. NO ONE IN THE WORLD IS
DOING IT THIS WAY. AND SO WE HAD
A BIG LEAP OF HOW ARE WE GOING
TO DO THIS? AND WE'VE DONE THAT
NOW, AND WE'VE ONLY IDENTIFIED
AND REGULATED SEVEN PRODUCTS.
BUT AS SOME SAY, OUR SHADOW IS
SOMEWHAT BIGGER THAN OUR SHAPE.
AND THAT WE'VE HAD OTHER IMPACTS
AND AS DR WILLIAMS SAID, OUR
PRIORITY IS GETTING THE STAFFING
UP. WE ONLY HAD 40 PEOPLE ABOUT
25 SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO
DO THE CORE WORK AND WE'RE VERY
STRATEGIC ABOUT WHAT WE DID DO
AND WE'VE BEEN IMPACTFUL IN WHAT
WE HAVE DONE, BUT WE RECOGNIZE
THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE AND DO
IT FASTER. AND IN THE YEARS THAT
WE'VE BEEN IMPLEMENTING THE
PROGRAM, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT.
WE'VE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN THE
PRODUCT MANUFACTURING WORLD,
WHICH WE FOUND IS INCREDIBLY
COMPLEX. AND INTERESTINGLY, MANY
OF THE BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO
COMPLY AND WANT TO BE MORE
TRANSPARENT. DON'T EVEN KNOW THE
CHEMICALS THAT ARE IN THEIR
PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEIR SUPPLIERS
WON'T TELL THEM SO. IT'S A
COMPLEX WORLD THAT WE'RE IN, BUT
WE'VE LEARNED A LOT. I THINK A
GOOD INDICATOR OF WHERE WE'RE
GOING IS OUR MOST RECENT
REGULATIONS THAT WE HAVE ADOPTED
FOR TIRES CONTAINING THE
CHEMICAL SIX PPD. WE WHEN THAT
PAPER CAME OUT AND THE END OF
2020, WHICH WAS THIS SILVER
BULLET THAT ANSWERED THE
QUESTION, WHY ARE SALMON IN THE
WEST AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST DYING
IN THESE THESE EVENTS THAT
HAPPENED THAT WAS BEEN STUDIED
FOR OVER 20 YEARS. WE QUICKLY
MOVED ON THAT AND UNLESS THAN
THREE YEARS THAT REGULATION WILL
BE IN EFFECT, AND THAT MAY SEEM
LIKE A LONG TIME. BUT FOR A VERY
COMPLEX CHEMICAL FOR COMPLEX
PRODUCT AUTOMOTIVE TIRES,
WORKING WITH THE INDUSTRY,
HAVING WORKSHOPS BRINGING PEOPLE
TOGETHER THIS IS A NATIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL ISSUE WHERE WE'RE
ACTUALLY LEADING TO SAY, WHAT
ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS
AND WORKING WITH THE INDUSTRY TO
SEE IF THERE IS A SAFER
ALTERNATIVE? NOT TO NECESSARILY
BAN THAT CHEMICAL BUT SAY, WHERE
CAN WE GO TO MAKE IT BETTER AND
STILL WORK? SO THE CHALLENGES
ARE REAL. BUT WE DID THAT IN A
MUCH QUICKER THAN WE'VE DONE
ANYTHING, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE
THE FOUR FOR SHARING THE PACE
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE. NOW THAT
WE HAVE STAFF TO GET UP TO THAT
THAT LEVEL OF EFFORT AND SPEED
AND WE'VE ALSO REFINED THAT
PROCESSES. WE HAVE A VERY
TRANSPARENT PROCESS. DR WILLIAMS
ALLUDED TO OUR TIMELINE THAT
WE'RE PUTTING OUT THAT EVERY
QUARTER. WE TELL PEOPLE
EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING ON THESE
PROJECTS. WE ALSO ARE GOING TO
BENEFIT FROM THE NEW AUTHORITIES
. WE HAVE SP FIVE OR TO THANK
YOU, MEMBER ALLAN FOR THAT
ALLOWS US TO IMPORTANT THINGS.
ONE IS TO ACTUALLY GET
INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURERS
THAT THEY'RE REQUIRED. TO GIVE
US NOW, WHICH THEY WEREN'T
BEFORE. IS ALL VOLUNTEERING. SO
NOW WE CAN USE THAT VERY
TACTICALLY AND STRATEGICALLY TO
GET INFORMATION THAT CAN MOVE US
FORWARD FASTER AND MORE
EFFICIENTLY AND ALSO ALLOWS US
TO POINT TO OTHER WORK THAT IS
DONE IN OTHER STATES AND
INTERNATIONALLY THAT WE CAN USE
TO ACCELERATE OUR PROCESS. SO
THOSE ARE TWO KEY THINGS THAT
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE IN
THE COMING YEARS. UM, AND THEN
JUST REALLY QUICKLY. JUST THE
STAFFING ISSUE. WE HAVE AN
AMAZING STAFF. WE'VE BEEN VERY
SUCCESSFUL IN ATTRACTING HIGH
QUALITY STAFF AND WE'RE GETTING
MORE. AND SO ONCE THEY GET UP TO
SPEED, WHICH WILL TAKE A LITTLE
TIME WE WILL HIT THE PACE ON OUR
TARGETS THAT WE SAID WE WOULD.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT
THAT OUR PROGRAM ISN'T THE BE
ALL END ALL TO CHEMICALS
MANAGEMENT, AS THE DIRECTOR
SAID. THERE'S A LOT OF TALK
ABOUT THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY.
THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT
CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT WRIT LARGE
. OUR APPROACH IS VERY IMPORTANT
, BUT IT'S ONLY ONE PART OF A
MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT
NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND
WHETHER THAT'S LOOKING AT
CLASSES OF CHEMICALS IS LOOKING
AT ACCESS TO INFORMATION DATA IS
LOOKING TO STIMULATING
INNOVATION AND, UM, AND
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
. ALL THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE
ACCENTUATED. THANKS THE ONE
THING IF I MAY ADD, IS THAT WHAT
WHAT MEDIA IS LESS VISIBLE ARE
THE PRODUCTS THAT THE TEAM HAS
RESEARCHED AND HAS DECIDED NOT
TO PURSUE. AND THEY HAVE
ACTUALLY MADE SOME OF THAT
INFORMATION PUBLIC, SO YOU KNOW
WELL, THERE MAY BE A GAP IN
TERMS OF PRODUCTS THAT DON'T GET
ANNOUNCED. PART OF THAT IS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE EXTENSIVE
RESEARCH AND IN ONE CASE, THE
FOOD PACKAGING CASE, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE THEY HAD DONE SO MUCH
RESEARCH. I THINK THAT THAT
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S THINGS BILL.
THAT WENT THROUGH LAST YEAR TO
BAN FASTEN FOOD PACKAGING HAD A
VERY STRONG FOUNDATION. BECAUSE
THE ISSUE WAS HAD AN THEY RELIED
HEAVILY ON THE WORK THAT THE
TEAM HAD DONE ON FOOD PACKAGING
AND DEBATED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT
TO LIST IT AS A PRIORITY PRODUCT
. AND I THINK ALL OF THAT FED IN
SO THERE ARE THESE THINGS THAT
GET UNDERTAKEN WHERE THEY DON'T
TAKE ACTION. BUT THERE'S VALUE
THERE, AND I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR THE PROGRAM TO
MAKE THAT MORE VISIBLE. I JUST
WANT TO ADD ONE OTHER THING IS
THAT WE ALSO WE'RE NOW ABOUT
READY TO GO TO THE LAST PHASE OF
THE REGULATIONS, THE REGULATORY
RESPONSE THAT WAS PUT ON HOLD
FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AS WE WERE
SUED BY THE AMERICAN CHEMISTRY
COUNCIL. I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT
WE WON THAT CASE ON APPEAL. AND
SO NOW WE'RE PREPARING TO MOVE
FORWARD, SO THAT WILL BE THE
LAST SEGMENT OF THE FRAMEWORK
REGS AND THEN WE'LL BE. WE'VE
BEEN JUGGLING STAFF BETWEEN EACH
FUNCTION, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE THE STAFF TO DEDICATED TO
EACH PART. THANK YOU. JUST ADD
TO THAT HAVING BEEN REALLY
INVOLVED LONG TIME AGO IN THIS
IN THIS PROGRAM. THE DISCLOSURE
OF INGREDIENTS THAT YOU'VE HAD
TO WORK SO HARD AND THE ABILITY
OF BUSINESS NOT TO HAVE TO
DISCLOSE INGREDIENTS OR HIDE AND
INGREDIENT BEHIND THE WORD
FRAGRANCE, WHICH I KNOW YOU HAD
TO DEAL WITH. RIGHT THERE COULD
BE HUNDREDS OF CHEMICALS IN
FRAGRANCE, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE TO
BE. IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE
REVEALED OR PUT ON THE LABELS,
AND I THINK WE ALL TOOK TO
LOOKING ONLINE BECAUSE ONLINE
MORE INGREDIENTS HAVE TO BE
DISCLOSED, BUT THAT THAT EFFORT
SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE MADE BY
EVERY CONSUMER IN EVERY
REGULATOR, SO I REALLY APPLAUD
THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE TO
PUSH ON THAT. THAT MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T
KNOW WHAT IT IS, CAN'T DO
ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND REVERSE
ENGINEERING, TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT THEY PUT IN. IT IS NOT
WORTHY EFFORTS. SO, UM, I THINK
YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH
THAT, BY THE WAY. A COUPLE MORE
QUESTIONS. IF WE HAVE TIME, THE
BACKGROUND PAPER INDICATES A
NUMBER OF FACILITIES OPERATING
WITH EXPIRED PERMITS. WHAT IS
DTSC DURING THE CORRECT THIS AND
WHAT STEPS IS THE AGENCY TAKING
TO ENSURE PROTECTION OF
COMMUNITIES AND NEAR THESE
FACILITIES? THANK YOU FOR THAT
QUESTION. UM ARE WE HAVE SOME OF
THE OLDEST PERMITS THAT WE'RE
LOOKING AT THIS YEAR AND REALLY
WORKING HARD TO RENEW THEM
BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT
THEIR MODERN OUR NEW PERMITS
THEY OFTEN HAVE OVER 100 SPECIAL
CONDITIONS THAT ALLOW US TO HOLD
FACILITIES RESPONSIBLE. HOLD
THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO MORE
REQUIREMENTS ABOVE AND BEYOND
THE STATE'S HAZARDOUS WASTE LAWS
. UM SO WHAT WE DO OFTEN TIMES
FOR A FACILITY THAT IS OPERATING
ON ONE OF THESE CONTINUED
PERMITS THAT HAS EXPIRED. WE
STILL HAVE OUR STATE HAZARDOUS
WASTE LAWS THAT WE CAN ENFORCE,
AND WE DO THAT TO THE FULLEST
EXTENT. UM, AND SO ARE STATE.
HAZARDOUS WASTE LAWS ARE STRONG
AND THEY DO GIVE US AN ABILITY
TO ENFORCE. YOU KNOW, FOR
EXAMPLE, AN OFFSITE RELEASE OR
IF THERE IS LEAKING CONTAINERS
ON SITE AND A NUMBER OF OTHER
REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, STEPS THAT
OPERATORS HAVE TO TAKE FOR THE
SAFE AND APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT
OF HAZARDOUS WASTE ON SITE. SO
WHILE GETTING THOSE PERMITS
RENEWED OR DENIED, OR MODIFIED,
WHATEVER THE DECISION IS OF
CRITICAL IMPORTANCE. WE STILL
HAVE OUR STATE HAZARDOUS WASTE
LAWS THAT WE ENFORCE. AND
THANKFULLY WE DO HAVE A LOT MORE
ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES NOW THAT
ENABLE US TO DO THAT, EVEN
BETTER, AS THE DIRECTOR SPOKE TO
EARLIER I'VE MADE IT UP. VERY
FRANKLY, INVESTED A LOT IN
MAKING SURE THESE PERMIT
DECISIONS GET MADE. I MEET WITH
THAT TEAM ON WE HAVE WHAT WE
CALL OUR CONTINUED PERMITS
MEETING. AND FOCUSED ON THE
PERMITS THAT ARE MORE THAN FIVE
YEARS OLD. EXPIRED AND, UM,
EVERY, YOU KNOW THAT'S MY WAY OF
HOLDING FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE FOR
MAKING PROGRESS ON THOSE PERMIT
DECISIONS, AND I'VE SEEN THAT
NUMBER. WHEN WE STARTED THOSE
MEETINGS. THERE WERE 17 PERMITS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON THAT
SPREADSHEET, AND NOW WE'RE DOWN
TO I THINK SIX. SIX PERMITS THAT
ARE MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OLD AND
AGAIN. ALL BUT ONE OF THEM ARE
SLATED FOR SOME KIND OF DECISION
OR PUBLIC NOTICE THIS YEAR, SO
THAT WILL BRING THE AVERAGE AGE
OF EXPIRED PERMITS DOWN. AND
EVEN EVEN NOW, WE USED TO JUST
FOCUS ON THOSE FIVE PLUS FIVE
YEAR OLD PLUS. PERMITS NOW WE
TALK ABOUT THE ONES THAT ARE
BETWEEN TWO YEARS AND FIVE YEARS
. WE'RE JUST CONTINUING TO WORK
OUR WAY DOWN AND AGAIN. I WORK
WITH THAT TEAM REGULARLY BECAUSE
I KNOW THIS IS SUCH A PAIN POINT
AND AGAIN. WE CANNOT. K¾T IS
RIGHT. WE HAVE TREMENDOUS OF
AUTHORITY AND WE USE IT. BUT,
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE
TO BE THAT CREATIVE. WE JUST
WANT OUR INSPECTORS TO BE ABLE
TO GO OUT AND SAY THIS IS THE
PERMIT CONDITION. YOU'RE NOT
MEETING IT, FIX IT, OR WE'RE
GOING TO ENFORCE AND THE MORE WE
GET MODERNIZED PERMITS IN PLACE
, THE MORE WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT
GREAT. APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN
FINALLY JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON
THE ISSUE OF EXPORTS OF
HAZARDOUS WASTES. NAMELY WHAT IS
DTSC IS LONG TERM PLAN TO DEAL
WITH THE EXPORTS OF CALIFORNIA'S
HAZARDOUS WASTE. WELL I WILL SAY
, ALTHOUGH DTSC IS PUTTING
TOGETHER THAT HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT PLAN, IT'S NOT GOING
TO BE DTS ES PLAN. IT'S GOING TO
BE THE STATE'S PLAN BECAUSE IT
IS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO THINK
THERE WAS A COMMERCE AND, UM,
THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT THE
RIGHT INCENTIVES ARE. WE DON'T
WANT TO JUST REDUCE THE AMOUNT
OF HAZARDOUS WASTE IF THAT MEANS
WE'RE NOT CLEANING UP
CONTAMINATED SITES. AT THE SAME
TIME. ARE WE LOOKING AT
TECHNOLOGIES THAT COULD REDUCE
THE AMOUNT THAT HAS TO BE
DISPOSED IN HAZARDOUS WASTE
LANDFILL? UM AND IT'S THE PLAN
IS THE KEY TO ANSWERING THAT
QUESTION. AND I REALLY WISH I
COULD SIT HERE AND SAY WE HAVE A
PLAN TODAY, BUT IT'S COMPLEX AND
WE WILL PUT PUT ADDRESS THAT
THAT WE HAD TO PRIORITIZE. WE'RE
HAVING TO PRIORITIZE ALL THE
DIFFERENT ISSUES COULD BE
ADDRESSED UNDER THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN.
THANKFULLY IT'S NOT A ONE AND
DONE IT'S GOING TO ROLL EVERY
THREE YEARS. BUT I DO THINK THAT
CERTAIN ISSUES RISE TO THE TOP
FOR WARRANTING FOCUS IN THAT
FIRST HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
PLAN, AND THE EXPORT OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE IS OBVIOUSLY
VERY HIGH ON THAT LIST.
APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. YEAH
HIM BACK. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT I THINK WE OUGHT TO DO
SINCE IT'S ALREADY AFTER 11. WHY
DON'T WE ASK THE CHAIR AND THE
DIRECTOR TO JUST MOVE TO THESE
TWO SEATS? OKAY WE CAN ASK DON
AND INGRID TO COME UP INTO THESE
TWO SEATS. AND WE ASK EVERYBODY
TO STAY, YOU KNOW, IN THE ROOM,
OBVIOUSLY FROM FROM FROM THE
DEPARTMENT AND WE CAN HEAR FROM
OUR STAKEHOLDERS. WE'RE
PURPOSELY KEEPING YOU UP HERE
JUST BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE
DISCUSSION IS GOING TO CONTINUE,
AND I KNOW THAT CHARLIE AND I
BOTH HAVE SOME QUESTIONS AS
WELL. BUT WE DO WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE GIVE SOME TIME TO
BOTH. HOWEVER OUR OTHER
STAKEHOLDER PRESENTERS TO
PRESENT AND THEY'VE GOT SOME
GOOD THOUGHTS TO SHARE WITH US.
SO LET'S START WITH. LET'S
CONTINUE WITH THE TWO OF YOU AND
I THINK WHO IS ON THE AGENDA
FIRST, IS IT IT'S INGRID. OKAY?
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO WITH YOU AND
EXPRESSION FIRST. ALL RIGHT,
THANKS VERY MUCH. FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY. I
WANTED TO START WITH SOME HIGH
LEVEL TAKEAWAYS, PARTICULARLY
COMING FROM THE HAZARDOUS WASTE
MANAGEMENT REPORT THAT CAME OUT
UM SO I THINK WHAT REALLY STRUCK
ME INITIALLY WAS THAT CALIFORNIA
IS NOT FOLLOWING ITS
STATUTORILY. SUGGESTED HIERARCHY
. YOU KNOW THAT IS THAT OUR
FIRST MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE
REALLY FOCUSED ON HAZARDOUS
WASTE GENERATION REDUCTIONS.
THAT IS IN STATUTE. THAT'S WHAT
WE SHOULD REALLY BE FOCUSED ON.
AND THEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
LIST, THE LEAST PREFERRED OPTION
OF MANAGING OR HAZARDOUS WASTE
IS LAND DISPOSAL, AND WE HAVE
TURNED THAT ON ITS HEAD. AT THIS
POINT. WE HAVE NO POLLUTION
PREVENTION PROGRAM AND NOTHING
REALLY. IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT
IS FOCUSED ON REDUCING THE
GENERATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE.
AND WE HAVE BY FAR MOST OF OUR
HOUSES. THIS WASTE IS BEING LAND
DISPOSED AT THIS POINT, AND SO
WE NEED TO GIVE EFFECT TO THE
HIERARCHY AND WE NEED TO RE
BALANCE AND, OF COURSE, REALLY
LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING ON
THE HOUSING DISPLACED MANAGEMENT
PLAN WITH THAT LENS. UM WE NEED
TO RE ESTABLISH THE POLLUTION
PREVENTION PROGRAM THAT WAS IN
2012 REMOVED ALL THE FUNDING FOR
THAT, BUT WE NEED TO REVAMP IT
AND MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. WE NEED
TO RESTRUCTURE FEES AND WE
REALLY INTENTIONAL. HOW DO WE
USE THE FEE STRUCTURES TO DRIVE
REDUCTIONS IN GENERATIONS, SUCH
AS GRADUATED HERE TEAR FEES. UM
AND WE REALLY. YOU KNOW, CAN'T
REALLY ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM
UNTIL WE ADDRESS CONTAMINATED
SOILS BY ADOPTING MECHANISMS TO
PUSH FOR MORE INNOVATION, MORE
TECHNOLOGY, OTHER ALTERNATIVES
TO DIG IN HALL OR CAPPING, UM.
AND I WANT TO FOCUS ON THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION
AROUND THE EXPORT OF WASTE. UM,
AND SO MUCH OF THIS CONVERSATION
HAS BEEN FOCUSING ON CAPACITY,
INCREASING CAPACITY OR THE
DECREASE IN CAPACITY IN THE
STATE. UM. AND YOU KNOW HOW WE
NEED TO REALLY STOP WASTE FROM
BEING EXPORTED, AND I REALLY
THINK THE STRONGER GUIDING
PRINCIPLE NEEDS TO FOCUS MORE ON
WHAT IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE
LEAST IMPACT TO COMMUNITIES. UM
AND YOU KNOW IF WE LEAD WITH
THAT AS THE LENS TO HELP GUIDE
OUR HEALTH TO DISPLACE
MANAGEMENT PLAN. UM YOU KNOW,
THAT'S REALLY GOING TO GET US TO
THE RIGHT DECISIONS, SO THERE
ARE REASONS TO BE CONCERNED
ABOUT OUT OF STATE DISPOSAL WITH
THE IMPACT LENS, AND THAT'S
BECAUSE THERE'S TRANSPORTATION
RELATED IMPACTS IN TERMS OF LONG
DISTANCES TRAVELED. AS WELL AS
THE ISSUE OF NON RICK ROWE WASTE
BEING DISPOSED AT MUNICIPAL
LANDFILLS OUT OF STATE BECAUSE
THERE IS LESS PROTECTIVE
MEASURES, BUT WE REALLY NEEDED
MORE NUANCED APPROACH. WE NEED
TO LOOK OUT OF STATE. WHERE ARE
THESE? WHERE ARE WHERE IS THE
WASTE GOING? WHAT ARE THE
DEMOGRAPHICS? WHAT ARE THE
COMMUNITY IMPACTS ASSOCIATED
WITH THAT? BECAUSE I THINK IF WE
JUST LIED WITH BLINDERS ON ABOUT
FOCUSING ON JUST STOPPING ALL
EXPORTS. WE MISS A REALLY
IMPORTANT PART OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS
HERE BECAUSE IF WE REALLY FOCUS
ON CAPACITY WE DON'T WANT TO
ARTIFICIALLY, YOU KNOW, KEEP
OPEN FACILITIES THAT ARE HURTING
THE COMMUNITIES. WE DON'T WANT
TO ADD NEW FACILITIES IN E J
COMMUNITIES, AND WE DON'T WANT
TO WEEKEND HAZARDOUS WASTE
STANDARDS. THOSE ARE ALWAYS YOU
CAN YOU KNOW YOU INCREASE THE
LIFESPAN OF CAPACITY IN THE
STATE, BUT ALL OF THOSE WILL
HAVE A VERY LARGE IMPACT
DISPROPORTIONATELY ON EJ
COMMUNITIES, SO WE NEED A
NUANCED APPROACH AND WE NEED TO
LEAD WITH IMPACT. NOW I WANT TO
JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM
, BUT THE BOARD IN DTSC AND KIND
OF WHERE WE'VE SEEN IMPROVEMENT
AND WHERE WE'D LIKE TO SEE MORE,
STARTING WITH DTSC AREAS THAT
WE'VE SEEN IMPROVEMENT AND YOU
HEARD IT MENTIONED A COUPLE OF
TIMES IS THAT YOU KNOW, THERE'S
BEEN A LOT MORE EFFORT,
PARTICULARLY AROUND THE CLEANUP
AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
INITIATIVE AND EQUITABLE
COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION GRANT
TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GROUPS. UM
REALLY IN RESPONSE TO THE ROUND,
ONE OF FUNDING CYCLE AND
CONCERNS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAD
SO IN RESPONSE TO THAT DTSC HAS
WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH A GROUP
OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
ORGANIZATIONS TO REALLY ADDRESS
THOSE CONCERNS, AND I THINK YOU
KNOW WE SPENT FOR ALL DAY
CONVENING WITH THE TSC. UM AND
YOU KNOW THIS TYPE OF
COLLABORATION IS IMPORTANT TO
BUILD TRUST. UM AND IT MOVES US
AWAY FROM THE ANTAGONISTIC AND
DEFENSIVE POSTURING THAT WE
REALLY FELT THAT DTSC FOR A LONG
TIME. UM SO REALLY HAVE
APPRECIATED THAT COLLABORATIVE.
WE THINK IT'S A MODEL MOVING
FORWARD AND THAT ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE, COMMUNITIES AND
ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD BE SEEN AS
PARTNERS IN DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS
, AND I JUST KNOW FOR THE
LEGISLATURE. JUST FUNDING FOR
PARTICIPATION IS NOT CURRENTLY
AVAILABLE, SO GROUPS HAVE TO
PROVIDE ON TRAVEL ON LUNCH. AND
THAT WILL BE AN IMPEDIMENT FOR
IMPACTED RESIDENTS TO FULLY
PARTICIPATE IN SO IT IS AN
ONGOING BARRIER. UM AND I JUST
WANTED TO NOTE THAT IN TERMS OF
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR DTSC,
IT WAS MENTIONED HERE, BUT WE
NEED TO, UM WE NEED TO HAVE THIS
SP 6 73 REGULATIONS ADOPTED, UM
IT'S WAY OVERDUE. IT'S VERY,
VERY IMPORTANT TO ASSESS
COMMUNITY VULNERABILITIES. UM
AND, UH. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
OF THAT LEGISLATION WAS REALLY
LOOKING AT COMMUNITY
VULNERABILITY AND CUMULATIVE
IMPACTS, AND SO THAT IS THE PART
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. UM
ANOTHER THING THAT I'D LIKE TO
SEE IS THERE STILL APPEARS TO ME
TO BE A RELUCTANCE TO MAKE THE
HARD DECISIONS. UM THOSE
CONTROVERSIAL SITES. THOSE ARE
STILL THE ONES WAITING PERMITS
AND IT IS GOING TO BE VERY
TELLING. TO SEE WHERE DTSC LANDS
ON SOME OF THE MOST POLLUTING
FACILITIES AND THEY'RE
PERMITTING DECISIONS COMING
FORWARD. THERE HAS BEEN A RISK
ADVERSE NOUS AT DTSC FOR A VERY
LONG TIME, A FEAR OF LITIGATION.
AND YOU KNOW I FOR ONE, I'M
GOING TO BE REALLY LOOKING AT
WHAT DTSC MOVEMENT IS DOING
MOVING FORWARD. UM YOU KNOW, IN
TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT
COMMUNITY PRIORITIES ARE MET,
RATHER THAN LEADING WITH
INDUSTRY INTERESTS, UM AND THEN
FINALLY, UM SEQUA. SO UM, SECRET
IN IN IN THE ABSENCE OF 6 73
RAGS IS THE PLACE WHERE
COMMUNITIES CAN REALLY ENGAGE
AND LOOKING AT HOW THEY ARE
IMPACTED BY HAZARDOUS WASTE
FACILITY DECISIONS AND UNDER THE
NEWSOME ADMINISTRATION, THERE
HASN'T BEEN A SINGLE, NOT A
SINGLE E I R PREPARED FOR ANY
DEPARTMENT DECISION. SINCE 2
2018. THERE'S NOT BEEN A SINGLE
ER FOR ANY DTSC DECISION, AND I
THINK THAT'S REFLECTIVE OF THIS.
UH, THE DIFFICULTY THAT
COMMUNITIES HAVE IN REALLY
ENGAGING THE DEPARTMENT. AND IS
THIS WHAT IMPACT IS THIS HAVING
ON COMMUNITY AND HOW CAN WE
ENTER OURSELVES INTO THAT
CONVERSATION? SO UM, MY
RECOMMENDATIONS, INCREASE YOUR
OUTREACH AND COLLABORATION WITH
DJ AND COMMUNITY GROUPS ACROSS
THE STATE ADOPTED 6 73 REGS. AND
MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS. FOR THE
BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY.
YOU KNOW THE THEORY BEHIND
CREATING THIS BOARD? IS THAT BY
SUN LIGHTING ISSUES BY MAKING
SURE THAT DECISIONS ARE MADE IN
PUBLIC, AND THERE'S A PUBLIC
FORUM THAT WE WILL, UM AND
ALLOWING THE BOARD TO ASK THE
HARD QUESTIONS OF DTSC IN A
PUBLIC FORUM THAT THAT WAS WHAT
WAS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, LEAD TO
CHANGE. AND SO I MEAN, I THINK
IT'S STILL AN EXPERIMENT. WE
HAVE YET TO SEE WHETHER THIS
THEORY IS GOING TO WORK. UM YOU
KNOW, THE ACCOUNTABILITY
STRUCTURES WE'VE PUT IN PLACE IN
IN 1 58 PERFORMANCE METRICS A
PUBLIC PROCESS WITH PUBLIC INPUT
ON WHAT WE MEASURING THE
HEARINGS AND THE MEETINGS TO
QUERY DTS OBTAINED RESPONSES TO
COMMUNITY CONCERNS. THIS HEARING
THIS ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE HEARING
IS A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF
THE ACCOUNTABILITY. AS WELL AS
THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
ON DTSC AND DIRECTOR. OF COURSE
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO SEE HOW
MUCH IS THE BOARD USING THESE
DIFFERENT ACCOUNTABILITY
STRUCTURES TO MEASURE PROGRESS
IN THE PUSH PROGRESS? WHAT HAVE
WE SEEN? I DO APPLAUD THE BOYS
TRANSPARENCY. YOU KNOW, I HAVE
APPRECIATED THE WORDS COMMITMENT
TO EXPERIENCE E AND I SEE IT
INCORPORATED IN MANY OF THE
PROCESSES AND DECISIONS. UM THE
FACT THAT THERE'S BEEN HIGH
PARTICIPATION THAT YOU KNOW THE
PUBLIC FORM IS BEING USED. YOU
KNOW, WE THERE'S ROUTINELY, YOU
KNOW, OVER 100 PARTICIPANTS IN
THE HEARINGS, UM AND BY SUN
LIGHTING ISSUES, THIS CAN LEAD
TO INCREASED FOCUS ON THEM AND
HOPEFULLY RESOLUTION OF THE
ISSUES THAT ARE BEING RAISED IN
THESE AREAS. AND I HAVE REALLY
APPRECIATED THAT THEY POSTED
MEETINGS ACROSS THE STATE AND
BEN INTENTIONAL TO USE THOSE
OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET WITH
COMMUNITY GROUPS AND LEARN ABOUT
FACILITIES IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
IN TERMS OF AREAS OF
IMPROVEMENT. THERE IS A STEEP,
STEEP LEARNING CURVE FOR THIS
BOARD. UM AND YOU KNOW THE BOARD
MEMBERS. THEY'RE LEARNING A LOT
. AND UM, YOU KNOW THE EXPERTISE
THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO
CHALLENGE DTSC, THE WHOLE DTSC
ACCOUNTABLE. I THINK THAT'S
STILL DEVELOPING IS STILL
GROWING. UM AND THAT, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE
DTSC IS GETTING MOST OF THEIR
INFORMATION. AND EXPERTISE FROM
DTSC. SO THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE A
LITTLE BIT OF THAT CLASH WITH.
HOW CAN WE EXPECT THE BOARD TO
HOLD DTSC ACCOUNTABLE WHEN DTSC
IS THE MAIN PROVIDER OF
INFORMATION TO THE BOARD? SO HOW
DO WE GET THE BOARD? MORE
INDEPENDENCE AND MORE TRAINING
AND MORE KNOWLEDGE, SO THEY'RE
NOT RELYING JUST ON A SINGLE
SOURCE E. JACK, THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY
BOARD. A COUNCIL CAN BE AN
IMPORTANT TOOL TO PROVIDE AN
ALTERNATE SOURCE OF EXPERTISE.
FIGURING OUT THE JACK IS GOING
TO BE ESSENTIAL. AND ALSO, HOW
ARE THEY INTERACTING WITH BOTH
THE BOARD AND DTSC? NEXT
CAPACITY. UM. YOU KNOW, THE
BOARD IS COMING ON THE HEELS OF
DECADES OF COMMUNITY CONCERNS,
AND MANY OF THESE ARE NOT
ADDRESSED, AND SO YOU KNOW MANY
DOZENS OF SITES INVOLVES
SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY CONCERNS,
AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE
BOARD WAS TO HOLD SPECIFIC
HEARINGS TO START UNPACKING.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE
COMMUNITIES? HOW CAN WE GET
ANSWERS FROM THE TSC? AND WE
HAVEN'T YET SEEN A HEARING ON AN
INDIVIDUAL SITE, SO I KNOW THE
BOARD IS TASKED WITH A LOT, BUT
THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ITS
FUNCTION. SO HOW DO WE? HOW DO
WE MAKE SURE THAT THESE HEARINGS
AND INDIVIDUAL SITE HOW DO WE
PRIORITIZE THE SIDES? IS THERE A
MECHANISM TO REQUEST A HEARING?
LIKE HOW DO WE MORE
INSTITUTIONALIZE THE SITE
SPECIFIC HEARINGS. UM THROUGH
THROUGH ASSESSMENT TEAMS THROUGH
PRIORITIZATION AND THROUGH A
FORMAL MECHANISM TO REQUEST A
HEARING. AND THEN AND THEN
FINALLY, NO SECRET REVIEW FOR
PERMIT APPEALS. AS I STATED YOU
KNOW, WITHOUT THE 6 73
REGULATIONS PROVIDING AN AVENUE
TO LOOK AT COMMUNITY IMPACTS.
SEQUEL WAS WHAT WE HAD. THAT WAS
A TOOL WE HAD AND THAT HAS BEEN
REMOVED FROM OVERSIGHT. IT IS
VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE
BOARD TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT.
DETAIL IS COMPLIANCE WITH SEQUA
. I KNOW WE HEARD. THAT IS A
COMPLICATED PROCESS. BUT AS I
MENTIONED, WE'RE NOT AT THIS
POINT. WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR
DETAILS TO DO SEQUA. SO WE'RE
NOT ASKING FOR REVIEWS OF YOU
KNOW, 1000 PAGE DOCUMENTS WERE
LOOKING AT SHOULD HAVE DTSC DONE
IN HERE BECAUSE THERE'S A
POTENTIAL IMPACT IN THIS
COMMUNITY. THAT'S THE LEVEL OF
DECISION THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR
THE BOARD SO THAT CAPACITY IN MY
OPINION IS ALREADY THERE. AND SO
I JUST WANTED TO FIGHT TO CLOSE
OUT BY HAVING A FEW
RECOMMENDATIONS HOW THE
LEGISLATURE CAN BE HELPFUL HERE.
FIRST IF DTSC CONTINUES TO FAIL
TO ACT ON SV 6 73 REGULATIONS,
THE LEGISLATURE MAY NEED TO STEP
IN TO BOTH STRENGTHEN THAT
DEADLINE AND TO IMPOSE SOME
SPECIAL CONDITIONS. SO THAT'S
GOT TO BE ON THE TABLE. WE CAN'T
SEE YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER AGO
WITHOUT ADOPTING THOSE RULES. UM
TO THE EXTENT THAT THE BOARD
DOES NEED MORE RESOURCES TO
CONSIDER SEQUEL COMPLIANCE, IT
IS SUCH A CRITICAL PART. OF
WHAT? WE WANTED THE BOARD TO DO
THAT WE SHOULD FIGURE OUT HOW WE
CAN SUPPORT THE BOARD IN DOING
SECRET COMPLIANCE, REVIEW AND
APPEALS. UM THIRD MAKE EGYPT A
PERMANENT BODY RIGHT NOW. THE
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY
COUNCIL EXPIRES IN 2025. WE'RE
JUST GOING TO GET STARTED. AT
THAT POINT. THIS NEEDS TO BE A
CONTINUING COLLABORATION,
CONTINUING PARTNERSHIP. AND SO
WE NEED A PERMANENT SOURCE OF
FUNDING THERE. PROVIDING
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND
DIRECTION TO DTSC TO MANDATE A
POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRAM.
THAT'S LONG OVERDUE AND
ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE CAPACITY
ISSUES AND THE THINGS WE'VE
HEARD ABOUT SOILS. WE NEED TO
REALLY FOCUS ON SOURCE
REDUCTION. AND THEN FINALLY,
REGARDING SOIL CONTAMINATION. WE
WOULD NEED MORE RESOURCES TO
FIGURE OUT THE TECHNOLOGY AND
INNOVATION NEEDED SO WE'RE NOT,
YOU KNOW, USING ALL OF OUR
CAPACITY IN THIS IN OUR
HAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILLS TO
TAKE CONTAMINATED SO IT'S GOT TO
BE OTHER MECHANISMS OUT THERE
SUCH AS BIOREMEDIATION THAT WE
NEED TO LOOK AT. SO WE MAY NEED
SOME MORE RESOURCES TO BRING THE
BEAR ON LOOKING AT THOSE
TECHNOLOGIES. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH REALLY APPRECIATE
THOSE COMMENTS. NOW GO TO MS
KEPT GREAT. THANK YOU. DON KEPT
KEY WITH MCCUE CAP KEEPER DRONE
ON BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA
COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND
ECONOMIC BALANCE. I THINK YOU
TWO CHAIR ALAN CHARLIE AND THE
MEMBERS OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO
CONVEY SOME FEEDBACK EXPERIENCES
RELATED TO SEED AND ITS MEMBERS
INTERACTION RELATED TO THE
PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL 1 58 THAT
REFORM ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH DTSC
AND THE BOARD OF ENVIRONMENTAL
SAFETY. AS MANY OF YOU WILL
RECALL AS HE WAS VERY ENGAGED
OVER THE MULTI YEAR EFFORT TO
GET TO SP 1 58 PASSAGE AND THE
REFORMS CONTAINED THERE WITHIN
AND CERTAINLY CONTINUES TO BE
ENGAGED WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS
WELL AS THE BOARD TO THIS VERY
DAY IN AN EFFORT TO BE A
CONSTRUCTIVE, PROACTIVE
PRODUCTIVE RELATED TO ALL THINGS
HAZARDS, WASTE GENERATION
MANAGEMENT SITE MITIGATION AND
CLEAN UP GREEN CHEMISTRY AND
MORE AS YOU ALL CAN WELL
UNDERSTAND, BASED ON THE
CONVERSATION TODAY, AND
CERTAINLY YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING
, HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
CLEANUP ISSUES, VERY COMPLEX
ISSUES AND MULTILAYERED,
MULTIFACETED. AND CHALLENGING,
UM, WARRANTY IN A LEVEL OF
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE THAT SOME OF
US ONLY JUST PRETEND TO HAVE,
BUT THERE IS A LOT TO THAT AND A
LOT. WE CAN IMPACT JUST
LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION
THIS MORNING WITH THE CHAIR AND
DIRECTOR. I MEAN, THERE'S SO
MANY DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, PIECES
OF THAT THAT WOULD WARRANT
ADDITIONAL TIME. A WHOLE HEARING
ON PERHAPS TO UNPACK, DISCUSS
AND DIG INTO, AND SO CERTAINLY
THE COMPLEXITIES ADD TO SOME OF
THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE
DEPARTMENT'S WORK THE BOARD'S
WORK IN THIS AREA. ADDITIONALLY
IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SEEMS
ENGAGEMENT IN THAT REFORM EFFORT
WAS CERTAINLY SIGNIFICANT. WE
CAME TO THE TABLE IN EARNEST TO
BE PRODUCTIVE, PROACTIVE, BUT IT
WASN'T AN EFFORT THAT OUR
MEMBERS AND THE BROADER
REGULATED COMMUNITY TOOK LIGHTLY
. IT CERTAINLY INCLUDED A NUMBER
OF SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS,
INCLUDING FEES. THAT WERE VERY
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. THERE
WAS AN APPRECIATION THAT NEEDED
TO OCCUR AT SOME LEVEL TO ENSURE
WELL FUNDED DEPARTMENT TO BE
RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF
COMMUNITIES, ENVIRONMENT,
REGULATED COMMUNITY AND
PERMITTING ACTIVITIES, SITE
CLEANUP AND BEYOND, BUT MANY OF
OUR MEMBERS MID THAT'S THE
INCREASE OF FACED SIGNIFICANT
INCREASES EVEN UPWARDS OF WELL
ABOVE 370% ACROSS THEIR FEES, SO
IT'S NOT INSIGNIFICANT. COMTE.
NEVERTHELESS THEY ARE CONTINUING
TO MOVE FORWARD AND WORKING WITH
THE DEPARTMENT TO BE COMPLIANT
AND TO BE ENGAGED IN TERMS OF
KIND OF OUR WORK. ALSO NOTABLY
WITH THE BOARD YOU MAY RECALL IS
PART OF THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BOARD.
OUR MEMBERS IN THE BROADER
REGULATED COMMUNITY WAS VERY
NERVOUS ABOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A BOARD. THAT YOU KNOW, IN
OTHER REALMS HAS OFTEN BEEN
POLITICIZED IN OTHER MEDIA AND
OTHER BOARDS, SCENARIOS, AND SO
WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THAT. SO CERTAINLY IT WAS
IMPORTANT FROM OUR MEMBERS
PERSPECTIVE TO ENSURE THAT THE
BOARD DID HAVE AND BRING TO BEAR
CERTAIN TYPES OF EXPERTISE TO
KIND OF HELP GUIDE THEIR WORK,
UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WOULD
STILL BE A SIGNIFICANT LEARNING
CURVE. WE'RE REALLY JUST PLEASED
WITH THE BOARD AND TO DATE AND
THEY'VE BEEN VERY ENGAGED, OPEN
ACCESSIBLE AS WAS NOTED,
TRANSPARENT IN THEIR WORK,
THOUGHTFUL IN THEIR WORK, AND
WHILE CERTAINLY MANY CHALLENGES
YOU FACE THEM IN THEIR WORK AND
HEAD, WE WOULD ARGUE THAT I HAS
BEEN, YOU KNOW, A BENEFICIAL
ENVIRONMENT AND STUDYING FOR
WHICH REGULATED COMMUNITY AS
WELL AS COMMUNITIES.
ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO COME TO THE TABLE.
IN HIS DISCUSSIONS. AND THEN
ALTHOUGH THE REFORM PACKAGE WAS
NOT NECESSARILY PERFECT FROM THE
REGULATED COMMUNITIES
PERSPECTIVE, YOU MAY RECALL THAT
THERE WERE A NUMBER OF
PROVISIONS THAT THE REGULATED
COMMUNITY WAS PARTICULARLY
SUPPORTIVE OF IN THAT PACKAGE.
AMONG THEM WAS THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE HAZARDS, WASTE MANAGEMENT
PLAN AND ENSURING THAT THAT WAS
UNDERTAKEN IN A MORE EXPEDITED
FASHION TO BE DEVELOPED ALONG
WITH GENERAL FUND RESOURCES,
UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT WAS THE
PLAN FOR THE WHOLE STATE.
CERTAINLY VERY POSITIVE, ALSO
CERTAINLY A POSITIVE THAT THERE
WAS THE ABILITY FOR THE BOARD TO
HEAR HEARING APPEALS OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE FROM FACILITY
PERMIT DECISIONS, WHICH WAS A
PRIORITY AS WELL. ALSO
IMPORTANTLY, PROVIDING THE BOARD
THE AUTHORITY AND ABILITY TO
REVIEW AND MAKE DECISIONS.
RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO
VARIOUS DETEST THESE AUTHORITIES
OVERLAPPING RESPONSIBILITIES
WITH OTHER AGENCIES.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL
IMPROVEMENTS, EFFICIENCIES AND
PROGRAMMATIC AS WELL AS
REGULATORY RESPONSIBILITIES AND
MORE, INCLUDING FEE STUDYING
EFFICIENCIES. WHAT HAVE YOU AND
CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO
HAVE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
DETAIL SEE ON BUDS PERSON, AS
WELL AS A BOARD ON BUDS PERSON
TO SERVE AS AN IMPARTIAL
RESOURCE TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS AND
THE GENERAL PUBLIC ALSO REVIEW
AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
REGULATORY AND POLICY CHANGES TO
ADDRESS CONCERNS WITH DTS ES
SITE MITIGATION REMEDIATION
ACTIVITIES. AND FINALLY, BUT NOT
CERTAINLY LESS OF A PRIORITY
ALSO INCLUDED AUTHORITY TO HELP
DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT,
STANDARD RECOMMENDATIONS AND
APPROACHES FOR WAYS THAT ARE
CLASSIFIED IN CALIFORNIA AS
HAZARDOUS WASTE UNDER STATE LAW
. THESE PROVISIONS WILL HELP
ENSURE THOROUGH DISCUSSION,
ANALYSIS AND ACCOUNTABLE,
TRANSPARENT, RESPONSIVE
DECISIONS. ARE MADE TO ENSURE
PROGRESS ON THE CONCERNS OF ALL
STAKEHOLDERS, COMMUNITIES,
ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND
THE REGULATED COMMUNITY ALIKE.
EFFORTS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY AND
STEPHEN ITS MEMBERS INTEND TO
APPROACH THESE EFFORTS IN A
PROACTIVE, PRODUCTIVE
COLLABORATIVE MANNER. AS WE LOOK
AHEAD, LIKE TO DRAW THE
LEGISLATURE DEPARTMENT BOARD
BROADER ADMINISTRATION'S
ATTENTION JUST TO A FEW
CONSIDERATIONS SPECIFIC TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE REPORT MANAGEMENT REPORT,
AND IT'S CURRENTLY OUT FOR
REVIEW AS WELL AS THE ULTIMATE
PLAN. C WOULD JUST NOTE THAT
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE REPORT
WAS VERY WELL LAID OUT,
PROVIDING A GREAT DEAL OF
INSIGHT AND UNDERSTANDING INTO
THE VARIOUS HAZARDOUS. WE
STREAMS HOW AND WHERE THEY ARE
MANAGED AND MUCH MORE. ALTHOUGH
WE CAN'T HELP BUT NOTE THAT
THERE IS AN INHERENT TENSION AS
PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS RELATED
TO THE REPORT ITS FINDINGS THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN AND HOW
THAT INTERACTS WITH FEES AS WELL
. CERTAINLY THERE IS A STRONG
INTEREST ON THE STATE
DEPARTMENT'S ENVIRONMENTAL AND
COMMUNITY ADVOCATES IN REDUCING
THE GENERATION OF HAZARDOUS
WASTE, AND CERTAINLY THE
REGULATED COMMUNITY. ENDEAVORS
TO DO THAT, AS WELL AND WOULD
SUPPORT REDUCTION IN GENERATION
. WHEREVER POSSIBLE. HOWEVER,
THERE ARE COMPLEXITIES AND
CHALLENGES IN DOING SO. SUCH
REDUCTION EFFORTS CAN BE
UNDERMINED A NUMBER OF WAYS,
INCLUDING THE FACT THAT SOILS AS
ONE EXAMPLE ONE OF THE LARGEST
HAZARDS WASTE STREAMS IN THE
STATE CAN'T BE MINIMIZED OR
REDUCED JUST THROUGH
MINIMIZATION OF GENERATION,
THOSE ULTIMATELY PART OF CLEANUP
IS JUST GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE
A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE. ADDITIONALLY
PUSHING TO EXPEDITE CLEANUP OF
ORPHAN SITES AND OTHER SITES
WITHIN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES
ALSO WILL INCREASE WASTE STREAMS
FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF WASTE, LIKE
HAZARD LIKE SOILS. ALSO THE PUSH
TO CLEAN UP SITES TO BACKGROUND
LEVELS, RATHER THAN A RISK BASED
CLEANUP WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO
INCREASE WASTE AND CHALLENGE THE
ABILITY TO MANAGE THAT CAPACITY
OVER CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS
WASTE WITH VERY BROAD
DEFINITIONS OF HAZARDS WASTE
THAT MAY DIFFER FROM THE REST OF
THE COUNTRY. CONSERVATIVE
HANDLING RETICENCE TO CONSIDER
ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
, INCLUDING ON SITE TREATMENT
THAT COMES WITH SOME CHALLENGES
. COMPLEXITIES FOR PERMITTING
HAVE PHARMACEUTICAL MEMBERS. AN
EXAMPLE WHO'S ALREADY BEGUN SOME
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE
DEPARTMENT ON LOOKING AT WAYS TO
DO A CIRCULAR APPROACH WITH A
PARTICULAR HAZARDOUS WASTE WHERE
THEY CAN TREAT THAT ON SITE AND
PUT IT BACK INTO THEIR PROCESS,
RATHER THAN HAVING TO DISPOSE OF
IT, BUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES
ARE LEADING THEM TO HAVE TO
DISPOSE. THOSE OF THAT,
CURRENTLY SO LOOKING FORWARD TO
WORKING MORE ON THAT, YOU KNOW,
IN THE INTEREST OF POLLUTION
PREVENTION, CIRCULARITY
REDUCTION AND REUSE. ALSO
CHALLENGES WITH A NERVOUSNESS
AND UNWILLINGNESS TO ADOPT NEW
TECHNOLOGIES PROCESSES AND THE
HURDLES TO MOVING IN SUCH
DIRECTIONS, BOTH AT THE
REGULATED COMMUNITY LEVEL AS
WELL AS GETTING BUY IN FROM THE
DEPARTMENT COMMUNITIES. WHAT
HAVE YOU IN TERMS OF
TECHNOLOGIES FOR OTHER TREATMENT
OPTIONS? THERE'S OFTEN ARE VERY
EXPENSIVE, ENERGY INTENSIVE.
CERTAINLY THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
REGULATED COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
LOOKING AT THOSE AND WHAT
OPTIONS MIGHT BE AVAILABLE. WE
EVEN AS SIB. PARTICIPATED IN A
DEPARTMENT LED INITIATIVE A
NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. LOOKING AT
SOME OF THOSE TECHNOLOGY
TREATMENT TYPE OPTIONS VISITING
NUMBER OF SITES IN CALIFORNIA
THAT ARE WORKING ON THOSE
CHALLENGES REMAIN WITH THE
ENERGY INTENSIVE NATURE OF SOME
OF THOSE TECHNOLOGIES, AT LEAST
CURRENTLY, AS WELL AS THE
THROUGHPUT CAPACITY THAT THEY
COULD EVEN MANAGE AT THIS STAGE
, BUT CERTAINLY SUPPORTIVE OF
CONTINUING TO LOOK AT WAYS TO
PROVIDE RESOURCES ENCOURAGE
ADDITIONAL WORK IN THAT AREA.
ADDITIONALLY WHEN IT COMES TO,
YOU KNOW THE REDUCTION OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE GENERATION. WE
WOULD ALSO JUST NOTE THAT IF
THERE WAS THE ABILITY FOR
GENERATORS TO FURTHER REDUCE
THEY MOST CERTAINLY WOULD EXPECT
, REALLY GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE
FACED OVER 300% INCREASES FOR
MANY GENERATORS IN THE
GENERATION OF THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE IN THEIR PROCESSES, SO
THERE IS A VESTED INTEREST IN
THEIR PART TO DO WHATEVER THEY
CAN TO REDUCE THE GENERATION
WITHIN THEIR PROCESSES. IN TERMS
OF FEES, GETTING BACK TO THAT
TENSION THAT I MENTIONED AND THE
INTEREST IN REDUCING HAZARDOUS
WASTE GENERATION SOMETHING THAT
THE DEPARTMENT, THE BOARD
STAKEHOLDERS AND THE LEGISLATURE
WILL HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH IS
EVEN IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL IN
MAKING HEADWAY AND REDUCING THE
GENERATION OF HAZARDOUS WASTE IN
STATE THAT INEVITABLY IS ALSO
GOING TO RESULT IN SOME
ADJUSTMENT IN THE FEES PAID BY
THOSE GENERATORS AND THE FUNDING
AVAILABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT TO
UNDERTAKE THEIR WORK. CERTAINLY
A GOAL BUT CERTAINLY A
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. ULSTER
SHOULD BE NOTED AND WAS
HIGHLIGHTED IN THE COMMITTEE
BACKGROUND AND THE FACT THAT
SOME ENTITIES LIKE SOME
GOVERNMENT ENTITIES MAY NOT BE
ALSO CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE
MANAGEMENT OF THE WASTE THAT
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR AS WELL
AND SO CERTAINLY PLACES
ADDITIONAL BURDEN ON THE
REGULATED COMMUNITY TO PICK UP
THE SLACK. FEW WIVES TO HELP
SUPPORT THAT DEPARTMENT AND THE
STATE. WE WOULD ALSO JUST NOTE
INCREASES ON THOSE WASTES FOR
THOSE GENERATORS WILL LIKELY
RESULT IN FURTHER DECLINE OF
SOME OF THESE HAZARDS, WASTE
PERMITS AND PRIMITIVE FACILITIES
. NOT ONLY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT
THE GENERATORS THAT ARE PAYING
THESE FEES, BUT THEY'RE ALSO
FACILITY FEES AS WELL THAT ARE
PAID FOR THE OVERSIGHT OF THOSE,
AND EACH OF THOSE CERTAINLY HAS
AN IMPACT ON THE CAPACITY AND
FACILITIES IN STATE AND THEN
ALWAYS CONCERNS RELATED TO SOME
OF THE SMALLER GENERATORS WHO
MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THOSE
INCREASE. LEASING FEES OVER
TIME. COULD RESULT IN IMPROPER
DISPOSAL BY UNREGULATED ENTITIES
TO ESCAPE THOSE COSTS.
MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS. WHAT
HAVE YOU IN TERMS OF ALTERNATIVE
MANAGEMENT STANDARDS AND
HAZARDOUS WASTE CLASSIFICATION.
CERTAINLY SOMETHING WE VERY
STRONGLY SUPPORT AND LOOKING AT
AND REVIEWING. WE WOULD JUST
NOTE ONE EXAMPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN
WORKING WITH THE LEGISLATURE
DEPARTMENT ON THIS YEAR UNDER
ASSEMBLY BILL 407 BY
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S CHEN THAT BILL
REALLY SEEKING TO CLARIFY IN
CALIFORNIA LAW. THAT THE CURRENT
EXEMPTION PATHWAYS FOR VERY
SMALL SUBSET OF USED OIL. THE
HIGHLY CONTROLLED USED OIL
DIELECTRIC FLUID ALREADY HAS THE
EXEMPTION PATHWAYS IN STATE LAW
. THE LEGISLATURE APPROVED THAT
AND YET THE CONCERN BEING IS
THAT UNDER FEDERAL LAW, THERE IS
A PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THAT
CAN ONLY CONSIDER THAT NOT
HAZARDOUS WASTE IF IT'S BURNED
FOR ENERGY RECOVERY, AND CLEARLY
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT THIS
STATE SUPPORTS AND SO LOOKING TO
CLARIFY THAT, BASED ON OTHER
FEDERAL STATUTES, AS WELL AS EPA
GUIDANCE THAT IT DOES NOT INDEED
HAVE TO BE TREATED IN THAT
MANNER AND BURNED FOR ENERGY
RECOVERY THAT IT CAN BE RECYCLED
BASED ON CERTAIN CRITERIA AND
MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS. AND YET
THERE'S SOME CHALLENGES AND
TENSION IN WORKING THROUGH THAT
, WITH THE DEPARTMENT BASED ON
CONCERNS AGAIN ABOUT FEES
ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, IF THAT IS
INDEED EXEMPT, MUCH LESS THE
OVERSIGHT OF THAT AS WELL, SO IT
JUST SHOWS SOME OF THE TENSION
WITH WANTING TO LOOK AT WAYS TO
PUSH TOWARDS SIRTE. CLARITY
RECYCLING RE USE OF THESE WASTE
WHEREVER POSSIBLE, AND THAT
TENSION ON A FEE OVERSIGHT BASIS
AS WELL. THAT WILL CERTAINLY
HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH AND THEN
FINALLY, IN TERMS OF THE TOOLS
FOR HOUSES, WASTE MANAGEMENT. WE
TALKED TO HER A LOT ABOUT
CAPACITY. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE
HAVE A COMBINATION OF IN AND OUT
OF STATE TOOLS THAT ARE CRITICAL
TO MANAGING CAPACITY IN THE
STATE, AS YOU WELL KNOW, THE
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT POINTED OUT
THERE TO PERMITTED HAZARDOUS
WASTE LANDFILLS AND STATE BUT AT
THE CURRENT RATE OF LAND
DISPOSAL IN STATE AS WELL AS OUT
OF STATE. THERE IS A COMBINED 20
YEARS OF PERMITTED CAPACITY
REMAINING IN STATE THAT SAID, IF
THE INTEREST IS SOLELY TO FOCUS
JUST ON IN STATE, WHICH IS
IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT INSTINCT
CAPACITY TO BE SURE THAT
TIMELINE WILL REDUCE
SIGNIFICANTLY IF WE'RE FOCUSED
ONLY ON IN STATE CAPACITY FOR
MANAGING THIS, AND THAT WILL
REDUCE THAT TIMELINE BY OVER 10
YEARS. FURTHER THE ADDITIONAL
RATCHETING UP OF FEES WILL ALSO
HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE SHIFT OF
THAT POTENTIALLY OUT OF STATE
EVEN MORE, SO, ALL OF US TO SAY
COMPLEX AND WE NEED AN ARRAY OF
TOOLS, BOTH IN STATE TOOLS AS
WELL AS OUT OF STATE TOOLS TO
MANAGE THAT CAPACITY NOT ONLY
JUST FOR DISPOSAL BUT FOR
TREATMENT. RECYCLING WHAT HAVE
YOU AND CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE THAT
TO BE AT THE FRONT OF MIND? SO
WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST WANT
TO CLOSE AND JUST SAY APPRECIATE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE STEPHEN
ITS MEMBERS PERSPECTIVES ON
THESE COMPLEX ISSUES. PLEASED
TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO WORK
WITH YOU ALL AS WELL AS THE
BOARD THE DEPARTMENT WHEN ALL OF
THESE ISSUES MOVING FORWARD
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ON
THE TOPIC SEGMENTS AND ALSO
WEARING OTHER HATS RELATED TO
GREEN CHEMISTRY AND BEYOND THOSE
ARE OF INTEREST, BUT WITH THAT,
I'LL LEAVE IT THERE AND JUST
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.
THANK YOU. THANKS VERY MUCH,
OKAY? SO MUCH TO GRAPPLE WITH
HERE, AND I KNOW YOU'VE GOT A
HOST STRING OF QUESTIONS. SO
LET'S LET'S TURN OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'LL FIRST
START WITH OUR CURRENT PANEL
SINCE THE FIRST FEDERAL HAVE A
LOT OF MORE QUESTIONS. I'M SURE
SO I JUST WANTED TO GENERALLY
BECAUSE I HEARD A LOT OF
FEEDBACK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE
WITH THE BOARD AND HOW YOU
PARTICIPATE WITH IT. BUT IN
GENERAL, I JUST WANTED MORE
CLARIFY AND CAPSULE. IT IS. DO
YOU FEEL THAT THE ADDITIONAL THE
BOARD THAT THE OPERATIONS THAT
WITH THE ADDITION OF THE BOARD
HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE
OPERATIONS OF DTSC? POSITIVE,
BOTH OF THEM. I MEASURE SUCCESS
BY IMPACTS ON THE GROUND IN THE
COMMUNITIES, AND SO YOU KNOW, I
MEAN, YOU'RE YOU'RE TALKING MORE
ABOUT THE OPERATIONS. I THINK MY
MEASUREMENT IS GOING TO BE
COMMUNITY IMPACTS. UM AND SO I
THINK AT THIS POINT, IT'S TOO
EARLY TO TELL BECAUSE THERE'S A
LAG TIME, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, FOR
THINGS TO CHANGE AT DTSC WITH BS
AS AN OVERSIGHT BODY FOR THAT,
TO MAKE ITS WAY INTO COMMUNITY
DECISIONS. THAT'S GOING TO JUST
TAKE A LITTLE WHILE SO IT'S FROM
MY PERSPECTIVE. IT'S TOO EARLY
TO TELL, BUT I KNOW WHAT MY
BENCHMARK IT'S AND SO I REALLY
WANT THE BOARD. ALSO TO CONSIDER
THOSE AS PERFORMANCE METRICS IS,
ARE WE HEARING DIFFERENT
FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITIES?
ARE THERE FEWER COMPLAINTS AND
YOU KNOW SO FOR TO ME, FRANKLY,
JUST A LITTLE TOO EARLY TO TELL
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I
WOULD ARGUE THAT I THINK IT IS
PROVIDING SOME BENEFIT IN A
NUMBER OF WAYS THE BOARD IN
TERMS OF THEIR ROLE. PARTIAL
OVERSIGHT CERTAINLY HAS HELPED
TO SPUR THE DEPARTMENT, WHICH
YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR WILLIAMS HAS
BEEN DOING A FABULOUS JOB IN
MOVING THE DEPARTMENT FORWARD,
BUT STAKEHOLDERS FOR MANY YEARS
IF NOTHING ELSE HAD BEEN ALIGNED
IN CONCERNS AROUND, YOU KNOW,
TRANSPARENCY. LACK OF
RESPONSIVENESS TIMELINESS, AND I
THINK YOU KNOW WHAT FROM A
REGULATED COMMUNITY STANDPOINT,
WHERE WE ARE SEEING IS THAT
HAVING THE BOARD YOU KNOW,
ESTABLISHED WORKING WITH DTSC
VERY CLOSELY CONTINUING TO PUSH
THE ENVELOPE ON THESE TOPICS IS
THAT THAT RESPONSIVENESS THE
TIMELINESS OF, YOU KNOW,
ACTIVITIES. TRANSPARENCY IS
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING, YOU
KNOW, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE
BOARD. CERTAINLY THE DIRECTOR
HAS DONE A LOT IN TERMS OF
MOVING THAT FORWARD, BUT I THINK
THE BOARD IS KIND OF HELPING TO
EXPEDITE THAT AS WELL AND
CERTAINLY THE ADDITION OF THE
DIRECTORS AND NEW TEAM MEMBERS
OVER THE LAST YEAR. TWO YEARS
HAS REALLY BEEN VERY HELPFUL AS
WELL. BUT I THINK WE ARE SEEING
YOU KNOW, KIND OF OVERARCHING,
YOU KNOW, BENEFIT IN TERMS OF
THAT TRANSPARENCY, TIMELINESS
RESPONSIVENESS IN PICULA. AND I
JUST WANT TO FOLLOW WITH INGRID
BUSTER. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WORK
WITH A LOT OF THE IMPACT
COMMUNITIES, ENVIRONMENTS,
JUSTICE GROUPS, YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF
TRUST REBUILDING AND THAT
PROCESS HAS TO HAPPEN. AND AGAIN
. THIS MIGHT BE TOO EARLY TO
SAY, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS FROM
YOUR PERSPECTIVE. DO YOU FEEL
IMPACT COMMUNITIES FEEL THERE'S
A STRONGER SENSE OF TRUST OR
FEEL THAT THIS PROCESS IS
WORKING RIGHT NOW. WE'RE STILL
TOO EARLY TO TELL. I MEAN WITH
TRUST WHEN IT'S BROKEN, IT TAKES
A LONG TIME TO REBUILD. AND SO
YOU KNOW, I KNOW DTSC HAS BEEN
HEARING CHALLENGES FOR A LONG
TIME FROM COMMUNITIES AND I
DON'T THINK THAT TRUST IS NOT
GOING TO BE BUILT, REBUILT
OVERNIGHT. THERE HAS TO BE
SUSTAINED EFFORTS OVER THE YEARS
AND IT HAS TO RELATE TO, YOU
KNOW CHANGES ON THE GROUND. SO
I'M GOING TO BE QUITE CANDID
THAT I THINK MY ANSWER IS GOING
TO BE NO, WAIT. THERE'S STILL A
LONG WAY TO GO IN ORDER TO
REBUILD COMMUNITY TRUST. LIKE I
SAID, I THINK YOU KNOW, STARTING
WORKING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS ON
SPECIFIC PROGRAMS LIKE THE G. I
THINK THAT'S A REALLY GOOD
MODEL. FOR YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN
KIND OF, YOU KNOW, BE AGAINST
EACH OTHER. YOU KNOW WHEN WE SEE
DTSC BE RESPONSIVE TO THE
CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED FOR
THE FIRST ROUND OF AND ACTUALLY
LEAD TO CHANGES IN RGB. MEANING
WHICH I'M SORRY. OH GOD MESSED
UP ON THE EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE
COMMUNITIES, REVITALIZATION
GRANTS BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT
RATS. SO WE ACTUALLY SAW THE
COMPLAINTS. YOU KNOW, MADE FROM
THE FIRST ROUND ACTUALLY LEAD TO
CHANGES IN THE SECOND ROUND, SO
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS
THAT IS GOING TO REBUILD. TRUST
OVER TIME. OKAY THAT'S GOOD TO
HEAR. THANK YOU FOR THAT. NOW I
HAVE SOME QUESTIONS TURNED BACK
TO OUR FIRST PANEL. IF THAT'S
OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW
, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO
CONGRATULATE CHAIR RIZZO ON YEAR
1.5 1.5 YEARS WORLD TOUR THAT
YOU SEEM TO HAVE CONDUCTED
ACROSS THE STATE WITH THE BOARD.
SO I DO THANK YOU FOR DOING
THAT, AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY
GOING TO THE SIDES LISTENING TO
FOLKS AND EVEN GETTING 100 PLUS
ATTENDEES. I JUST WANTED TO ASK
YOU MORE BRIEFLY IS YOU KNOW YOU
MENTIONED THAT YOU MET WITH A
LOT OF GROUPS AND EVEN GROUPS
I'M FAMILIAR WITH IN THE BAY
AREA, BUT BRIEFLY, WHAT'S THE
KIND OF FEEDBACK YOU'RE HEARING
FROM COMMUNITY GROUPS ABOUT
SITES OR ABOUT DTSC? IN GENERAL?
I'VE HEARD YOU MEET WITH A LOT
OF PEOPLE, BUT I WANT TO HEAR
WHAT THAT FEEDBACK IS. I THINK
THE THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION,
CHARLIE. THE I THINK INGRID
SPOKE TO MANY OF THE THINGS THAT
WE HEAR. AND WHEN I TALKED ABOUT
EARLIER WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM
THE COMMUNITY, THEY WANT THINGS
FASTER, BETTER, MORE OPENED
DEEPER ENGAGEMENT. I THINK
THAT'S UM THEY FEEL SOME
INSTANCES, THE PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION CAN, UM EFFORT ON
THE PART OF DTSC WITH THE
COMMUNITY IS GOOD. IN OTHER
INSTANCES, THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S
NOT EXISTENT. SO THEN WE HAVE A
CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, OR
WHETHER IT'S NORTH RICHMOND
HEALTHY CONTRA COSTA AND WE ALL
WENT OUT THERE. WE ALL WENT OUT
THERE ON A 2.5 3 HOUR TOUR WITH
THE NORTH RICHMOND PEOPLE TO
HEAR FROM THEM OR BROOKSIDE.
THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT
BROOKSIDE WASN'T GETTING THE
KIND OF ATTENTION THAT THEY FELT
. AND I THINK WHAT WE HEARD IS
THAT THERE'S A DISTRIBUTION
CENTER GOING INTO THEIR
COMMUNITY. OKAY AND THEY DIDN'T
WANT THAT. THEY PREFERRED THAT
THERE BE A HOUSING OR A PARK.
WELL, THAT WAS A LAND USE
ISSUED. UM, DECIDED. BY THE
COUNTY. SO NOW IN THE LAND USE
DECISION IS MADE, AND THEY
DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEY ABOUT THE
ACTIVISM. THEY COULD HAVE. TODD
SACKS INVITED US TO COME AND
MEET WITH THE COMMUNITY WITH THE
DEVELOPER. WE ALL SAT FOR HOURS
WITH 40 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THEY
CAME AWAY UNDERSTANDING THAT
NEXT TIME THEY'RE GOING TO GET
INVOLVED IN LAND USE AT THE
COUNTY LEVEL, BUT GIVEN WHERE WE
ARE NOW THEY COULD REALLY
PARTICIPATE IN WHAT THEY WANTED
FROM THE DEVELOPER AND THE
DEVELOPER SAT THERE AND AGREED
TO PUT A GREEN WALL IN AND
CHANGE THE ORIENTATION OF THE
ACCESS. THEY DIDN'T GET
EVERYTHING THEY WANT BY ANY
MEANS, BUT THEY GOT SOME
CONCESSIONS. AND SO THAT LEVEL
OF ENGAGEMENT IT'S JUST A LOT
MORE WORK, RIGHT. IT'S LIKE
EVERYBODY TALKING, BRINGING AND
THE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE WILLING
TO COME WITH THEIR LAWYERS. THEY
ALL SHOWED UP. AND THEY MADE
SOME AGREEMENTS SO THEY WERE
GOING TO ISSUE A REPORT ONCE A
WEEK. THEY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT?
WILL THE COMMUNITY WANTED TO
MEET WITH THEM ONCE A WEEK, SO
THAT'S THE COMMITMENT THAT WAS
MADE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
GETTING SOME KIND OF A REPORT
AND ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT
WHAT'S HAPPENING OR THE TRUCKS,
YOU KNOW. IS THERE DIRT, YOU
KNOW, BEING MANAGED WELL, OR THE
TRUCKS TRAVELING WHERE THEY'RE
SUPPOSED TO? WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED
TO. I FOUND THAT TO BE REALLY
GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE CAN
ACCOMPLISH WHEN WE'RE ALL SAYING
THAT THIS MATTERS SO THE HEALTHY
CONTRA COSTA PEOPLE THE THEY'RE
NOT HAPPY THAT THERE'S A
DISTRIBUTION CENTER GOING IN,
BUT THEY FEEL THEY'VE GOT SOME
OWNERSHIP AND SOME SAY IN WHAT
HAPPENS AND WHAT DTSC S ROLE IS
GOING TO BE IN IT, DTSC CARE
CONTROL LOCALLY END LAND USE
ISSUES, SO THAT HAS SEPARATING
OUT WHAT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY
AS OPPOSED TO WHAT COMES BEFORE
AFTER, BUT WE COULD DO A BETTER
JOB, COORDINATING AND INFORMING
AND ENGAGING. SO YEAH, I WAS
GONNA SAY CERTAINLY THAT'S A
GREAT DEMONSTRATION OF THE
CONVENING POWER OF THE SUPPORT
IS ABLE TO DO AND PERHAPS
OUTSIDE THE WELL, GOOD, WELL
POWERFUL OUTSIDE THE ORIGINAL
VISION OF IT STILL, WHICH IS, I
THINK STILL POWERFUL, BUT I DID
WANT TO HONE IN ON SAYING THAT
YOU KNOW, SINCE YOU ARE
CHANNELING AND HEARING A LOT
FROM COMMUNITIES, UH, ESPECIALLY
ALSO ABOUT DTSC. HOW DO YOU
FEEL? THE DTSC HAS BEEN
RESPONSIVE TO THOSE CONCERNS.
COMPLAINTS THAT YOU HAVE
PROVIDED CHANNEL UP TO THE
DEPARTMENT TO. I THINK IT'S
VARIED, I THINK, HAVING, UM,
KATIE BUTLER TODD SACKS AND NOW,
SIR, LEAN BECAUSE THERE WERE
POSITIONS THAT WERE NOT FILLED.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST CAME ON
BOARD AND I FIND THEM TO BE
INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE TO THE
ISSUES, AS IS DR WILLIAMS AND
FRANCESCA BEFORE THAT, BUT
THERE'S JUST SO MUCH YOU CAN
EXECUTE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE
WHOLE TEAM IN PLACE, SO I AM
SEEING I AM SEEING A CULTURE
SHIFT IF THAT'S THE RIGHT
LANGUAGE FOR IT, AND
RESPONSIVENESS AND SAYING, LET'S
DO THIS TOGETHER. WE'RE HEARING
THIS. IT'S TAKING US OFF A
LITTLE BIT OF THE CHECKLIST OF
ISSUES FOR US TO DEAL WITH, BUT
WE DON'T FEEL LIKE WE CAN DO
THIS JOB UNLESS WE FIRST ENGAGE
ON THE GROUND. AND THAT'S PART
OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN SPENDING OUR
TIME DOING, UM, AND IN ORDER TO
BE EFFECTIVE AT THE AT ON THE
OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE ON OUR
LIST, RIGHT, UM ARE MANDATES AND
I WILL SAY THAT UNTIL WE REALLY
, REALLY LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE IN
1 58 ON THE OMBUDSMAN HAVE WORK
TO DO ON THAT. THAT THAT HAS TO
BE AT A WHOLE HIGHER LEVEL AND
MORE DEVELOPED LEVEL THAN WHAT
THEN? CERTAINLY THERE ARE
BUDGET, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO
TALK. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT MONEY
HERE. I KNOW THAT. UM BUT WE DO
TALK ABOUT COMING BACK TO YOU
WITH A LIST OF WHAT WE WOULD
NEED TO DO TO AFFECT SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT YOU'RE ASKING US TO
DO. THANK YOU JUST CLARIFY TO
ALL THE TOPIC OF MONEY. YOU SAID
I THINK THAT YOU SAID IN YOUR IN
YOUR STATEMENT. BEFORE THAT YOU
ARE GOING TO BE HOSTING A
WORKSHOP OR MEETING ABOUT THE
FEES LATER ON, RIGHT. THAT
HASN'T HAPPENED YET. NO. WE HAD
A WORKSHOP ON THE FEES. THE
SEPTEMBER 4TH BOARD MEETING, THE
FEE SUBCOMMITTEE WILL MAKE A
RECOMMENDATION TO THE FULL BOARD
WILL DO THAT. THEY WILL BE
PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR COMBINATION
WE MADE AT AND THEN THEN YES, WE
WILL VOTE ON IT ON SEPTEMBER 7TH
SEPTEMBER 7TH OKAY, VERY GOOD.
WELL I WOULD HAVE TO SHIFT OVER
DR WILLIAMS, TOO. YOU KNOW, ON
THE TOPIC OF OUR BUDGETARY
ISSUES. I WANT BE THIS DEATH
BECAUSE YOU'VE HEARD FROM MY
COLLEAGUES ABOUT IT A COUPLE OF
TIMES, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS WE
TALKED ABOUT THE NON COMPLIANCE
ASPECT OF, UM WASTE GENERATORS
THAT SHOULD BE PAYING. IT IS
QUITE ALARMING TO US THAT THE
LOW HANGING FRUIT CATEGORY OF
FOLKS ARE NOT PAYING IT. SO
OBVIOUSLY PLEASE WORK WITH US TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST DO
COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT. AND I
KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY, EVEN THOUGH
IT'S SHIFTING PUBLIC MONEY FROM
ONE DEPARTMENT ANOTHER, THERE IS
A $6.6 MILLION CONTRACT BETWEEN
CITY, TFA AND DTSC. WHERE, OF
COURSE, UM. AND WHAT I
UNDERSTAND IS THAT THERE IS A
DATA TRACKING ISSUE WHERE YOUR
DATA SYSTEMS DON'T MATCH BUT
DTSC ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, THE
ONLY REASON WE KNOW THERE ARE
PEOPLE. NONCOMPLIANCE IS YOUR
DATA SYSTEM SHOWS WHILE THE
COLLECTIONS IS NOT COMING
THROUGH, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT LOW HANGING FRUIT IS THERE.
THE LEGISLATURE, OF COURSE,
APPROVED $55 MILLION TO FILL
THAT GAP IN ITS ALONE, BUT WE
DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO KEEP DOING
THAT AND KEEP SETTLING THE
DEPARTMENT IN THAT SENSE. SO
YOU'VE HEARD FROM MY COLLEAGUES
ENOUGH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WANTING
TO STRENGTHEN ENFORCEMENT
COMPLIANCE WITH, PLEASE DO YOU
KNOW IF THERE ARE IDEAS OR
THINGS IS SOMETHING THAT I'M
INTERESTED IN WORKING ON AND
MAKING SURE THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE
WE DON'T WANT ULTIMATELY THE
COMMUNITY PAYING THE TAX RATE.
YOU'RE PAYING WHAT? THE POLLUTED
TREE BANK IF THERE ARE INDEED
POLLUTING, AND WE DON'T WANT ANY
NONCOMPLIANCE, SO JUST WANT TO
ADD ON TO THAT POINT AND. YEAH,
I THINK A LOT OF MY COLOR
COLLEAGUE HAD SAID THINGS I WANT
TO SAY, BUT I AM GLAD TO HEAR
THAT. THERE'S A LOT OF PROGRESS
BEING MADE IN TERMS OF LISTENING
TO THE INPUT OF IMPACT THE
COMMUNITIES AND I THINK THE
BOARDS HAVE BIG INTERRUPT PART
OF THAT AND WANT TO CONTINUE
WORKING ON THAT, AND ALSO, UM,
ON THE PERMITTING ISSUE. I KNOW
NOW IT'S YOUR GOAL TO THIS YEAR
TO HANDLE A LOT OF THE PERMIT
DECISIONS RIGHT AND YOU'RE
HOPING TO DO THAT BY THE END OF
THE YEAR FOR MOST OF THESE
CONTROVERSIAL SITES TO IS THAT
CORRECT, THAT'S CORRECT, SO
HOPEFULLY AGAIN, YOU KNOW
SOMETHING? IF THAT NEEDS TO BE
SOMETHING THE LEGISLATION IS
TAKE A LOOK AT TWO IN THE LONG
TERM MAKES RESOURCE SUSTAINABLE.
THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO
COURSE AS YOU HEARD FROM INGRID
. TESTIMONY OF THE SAME SITES
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME TOP
CONTROVERSIAL SITES, AND WE
DON'T WANT THEM TO LINGER
FOREVER. IN THE SAME SENSE THAT
SOME OF THESE ARTICLES TALKED
ABOUT HOW LIKE, SAY FIBER Ó.
HAS LASTED FOR DECADES WITH A
CONTINUING PERMIT WHERE THE
PERMIT THEY WERE GIVEN IN THE
NINETIES IS DIFFERENT SCIENCE,
DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING,
DIFFERENT EVEN URBAN DEVELOPMENT
AROUND THERE MUCH DIFFERENT
TIMES. WE DON'T WANT THAT TO BE
LINGERING. I MEAN NOT TO STRESS
THE POINT, BUT THE FACT IF I
BROUGHT HASN'T BASICALLY ON
CONTINUING PERMITS SINCE I WAS
ALIVE, BASICALLY SO AS LONG AS
I'VE BEEN ALIVE, BUT WE DON'T
WANT THAT TO BE THE CASE THAT
SAYS QUOTE AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU
ARE MAKING PROGRESS ON THESE
THINGS. BUT I DON'T WANT THIS TO
BE LAPS WHEN YOU'RE YOU KNOW
WHEN WE'RE ALL GONE. I DON'T
WANT THIS TO BE A THING I WANT
TO INSTITUTIONALIZE. I JUST WANT
TO MAKE THAT COMMENT THAT WE
DON'T WANT THIS TO BE CONTINUING
THINGS COULD I COULD I SPEAK
ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU BECAUSE
THAT IS A GREAT POINT THAT THE
IDEA OF NOT HAVING THIS BE ONE
AND DONE. THERE'S THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF FACTORS ARE GOING TO
HELP US. AVOID SEEING THIS BE
THE CASE IN FUTURE YEARS. FIRST
OF ALL, THERE WAS KIND OF A SLUG
OF PERMIT DECISIONS THAT NEEDED
TO BE MADE BECAUSE OF WHEN THE
HAZARDOUS WASTE THEY WERE ALL
BUNCHED UP, AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY
BEEN SPREAD OUT. THE OTHER THING
IS, WE'RE NOW USING OUR
AUTHORITY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, A 10
YEAR PERMIT FOR THIS FACILITY IS
OKAY. BUT THIS 15 YEARS, SO
WE'RE ALSO TAKING THAT INTO
ACCOUNT SO THAT WE CAN KEEP A
CLOSER TOUCH ON SOME FACILITIES
AND MAYBE EVEN SHORTER TIME
PERIODS, DEPENDING ON THE
FACILITY. UM, THIRD OF ALL. I
CANNOT OVERSTATE THE IMPACT OF
SB 1 58 AND THE CHANGE TIMELINES
THAT ARE CALLED OUT IN SP 1 58
FOR ONE, WHEN WE GET INFORMATION
TO START THE PERMIT PROCESS WHEN
ENGAGEMENT STARTS WITH
COMMUNITIES AND WHEN AND CLEAR
DEADLINE FOR OUR DECISION MAKING
, SO I DO THINK THAT WE ARE WELL
POSITIONED. TO HAVE ADDRESSED
THIS. THESE PROBLEMS AS YOU SAY
, INSTITUTIONALLY AS A AS
OPPOSED TO JUST YOU KNOW, ONE
OFF, OKAY? WE TOOK CARE OF THAT.
AND LASTLY, OF COURSE, THE
QUALITY OF THE PERMITS HELPS
AVOID A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS. YES
YES. ABSOLUTELY WELL, I JUST
HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION FOR DR
WILLIAMS AND I WENT TO THEN
MAYBE HANDED OVER TO SENATOR
STERN, WHO JUST JOINED US. BUT I
NOTICED THAT AND OF COURSE WE
BROUGHT THIS UP TO THAT. OF
COURSE, DTSC OPTED OUT OF SP 1
58 IN THEIR OWN PROJECT TO
CREATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS
STILL TO BE CREATED TO COME TO
FRUITION. I WOULD SAY THIS IS
SOMETHING OF PERSONAL INTEREST
TO ME, YOU KNOW, BY VICE LAW
RIGHT NOW, I'M TRYING TO DO A
BILL WHERE ANOTHER SISTER AGENCY
WITHIN CAL EPA DPR. I'M TRYING
TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR
THEM. SO I AM JUST CURIOUS IN
DEPOSIT E Y. DID DEPARTMENT COME
TO THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT
CONCLUSION THAT THEY SHOULD
CREATE AN HIJACK FOR THEMSELVES?
WHY DIDN'T WHY DID WE? YEAH WELL
, I WOULD SAY IT WAS A JOINT
EFFORT. I WOULD SAY SOME
ENCOURAGEMENT FROM PEOPLE LIKE
INGRID THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT. I
THINK INGRID'S PERSPECTIVE ON
WHAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT LOOKS
LIKE IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND IT'S
UM, AGAIN, THERE ARE LOTS OF
WAYS TO LOOK AT ENGAGEMENT. AND
SOMETIMES YOU LOOK AT THE
ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE ADVOCATING
AND SOMETIMES YOU LOOK AT THE
ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED
EXPERIENCE. AND SO I THINK
PEOPLE LIKE INGRID REALLY
CONVEYED THE IMPORTANCE OF
GETTING THOSE VOICES MAKING SURE
THAT PEOPLE ARE HEARD THERE WAS
A GOOD MODEL. I THINK I THINK
THE COMMUNITY PROTECTION AND
HAZARDOUS WASTE REDUCTION
INITIATIVE HAD SOME GOOD ASPECTS
TO IT. THERE WAS SOME OTHER
INITIATIVES THAT HAD HAPPENED
WHERE I THINK AND QUITE HONESTLY
, THE PEOPLE SENATE, UM I
ACTUALLY KEPT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE
PEOPLE'S SENATE ON MY DESK. AND
I WOULD JUST LOOK AT IT. A
COUPLE TIMES A WEEK. THROUGHOUT
THE WHOLE REFORM PROCESS,
BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING I
WASN'T THERE FOR ALL OF IT. BUT
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS IT DID A
GOOD JOB OF CAPTURING AGAIN.
COMMUNITY VOICE. AND UM, YOU
KNOW, IT'S TIRING. TO LET PEOPLE
DOWN ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. IT
WOULD BE MUCH BETTER IF WE COULD
BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE AND HAVE
THAT TRUST, WHICH IS NOT GOING
TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, BUT THE
BOARD HAS PRECIPITATED A LOT
MORE TRANSPARENCY. I DON'T I
DON'T THINK FOLKS EVEN REALIZED
WE WENT THROUGH EVERY QUESTION
THAT THE BOARD HAD RECEIVED
AROUND EXIDE FOR OVER THE COURSE
OF THE YEAR AND RESPONDED TO
EVERY SINGLE ISSUE CAME OUT TO
SOMETHING LIKE 30 PAGES. NOW
GOOD FOR US, MAYBE, BUT SHOULD
IT HAVE TAKEN A YEAR TO MAKE
TOGETHER ALL THOSE RESPONSES OR
SHOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN
REAL TIME? IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN
HAPPENING IN REAL TIME. SO WE'RE
BUILDING PUBLIC FACING DATABASES
THAT WILL ALLOW US TO SAY WE GOT
THIS THIS WE TOOK THIS ISSUE IN.
WE'RE ADDRESSING IT THIS WAY,
AND WE'RE BEING MORE RESPONSIVE
. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE
KNOW WE NEED IN ORDER TO AGAIN
CHANGE THE DYNAMIC. WITH HOW
WE'RE ACTING WITH COMMUNITIES.
THANK YOU. JUST TO BE FAIR. YOU
ANGRY? WANT TO ASK YOU SINCE
YOU'VE BEEN CREDITED WITH SOME
OF THE ADVOCACY FOR THIS? HOW DO
YOU FEEL THAT AND REJECT WOULD
COMPLEMENT THE EFFORTS WERE
TRYING TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE OF
COURSE, YOU HAVE A BOARD AS
WELL. SO HOW WOULD THIS BE
COMPLEMENTARY OR ADDITIVE TO
THIS EFFORT AS WELL? I SEE GREAT
VALUE FOR THE JACK. UM NO. YES
TO BE A PARTNER, BUT ALSO TO BE
AN ACCOUNTABILITY TOOL. I TALKED
ABOUT SOME OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY
TOOLS THAT ARE BUILT INTO 1 58.
SOME OF THOSE ARE PERFORMANCE
METRICS. UM THE EJECT CAN
PROVIDE INPUT TO THIS
PERFORMANCE METRICS. WHAT SHOULD
BE MEASURED. WHAT ARE THEY
HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITIES
THAT THEY WANT TO SEE CHANGE SO
THEY CAN PUT INPUT INTO THE
PERFORMANCE METRICS AS WELL AS
THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW,
YOU KNOW. HEY HOW ARE THINGS
GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
WHERE ARE THEY? NOT SO, YOU
KNOW, MY IDEA OF THE JACK IS
BOTH TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, UH,
ADVICE RECOMMENDATIONS USING YOU
KNOW THEIR PERSPECTIVES TO BOTH
THE BOARD AND BES, BUT ALSO, I
THINK VERY IMPORTANTLY IS, YOU
KNOW IT'S A IT'S AN ADDITIONAL
ACCOUNTABILITY, LAYER AND
FEEDBACK, BOTH FOR THE
LEGISLATURE. AND FOR THE BOARD
ON, YOU KNOW, ARE WE SEEING
THOSE ON THE GROUND CHANGES
THAT'S GOING TO BE LIKE THE
GUIDING METRICS FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
ORGANIZATIONS. WELL ONE OF THE
MANY CHALLENGES WE HAVEN'T WE
HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO REALLY
TALK MUCH ABOUT IT EXTENSIVELY
IN THE EXIDE. BUT OF COURSE,
THERE IS A SANTA SUSANNA. FIELD
LAB AND ALL THE CHALLENGES THERE
AND I HAD A BIT OF AN EARFUL
FROM SOME OF SENATOR STERN AS A
MEMBER. SZABO'S CONSTITUENTS
THIS WEEKEND ON THE ISSUE AND
DTSC S ROLE. SO I'M I KNOW
SENATOR SZABO WAS HERE EARLIER
WASN'T ABLE TO GET IN SOME TIME
FOR QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GRATEFUL
THAT SINISTER WAS ABLE TO MAKE
IT SO THAT HE CAN PUT A LITTLE
BIT OF FOCUS ON THIS REALLY THIS
TROUBLING ISSUE. I KNOW THAT YOU
GUYS ARE LOOKING TO HAVE SOME
WORKSHOPS WITH STAKEHOLDERS ON
THE TOPIC AND THE FALL SO PEOPLE
WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
WEIGH IN. I AM. BUT GOSH, I
MEAN, YOU KNOW HEARD SOME
CRITICISMS ABOUT. YEP FOCUSING
ADMINISTRATION, SAYING ONE THING
TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT NEGOTIATIONS
WITH BOEING AND THEN DOING
SOMETHING ELSE. YOU KNOW, BUT
LET ME TURN IT OVER TO THE
CENTER STERN TO ASK WHATEVER
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ON THIS
TOPIC AND OTHERS. THANK YOU BOTH
THE CHAIRS FOR, UM FOR HOLDING
THIS HEARING AND DIGGING IN DEEP
. UM YOU KNOW, OUR REGION TALKED
ABOUT SORT OF LINGERING ISSUES
OR THE CHALLENGES OF EVEN
GETTING GOING ON SOME OF THESE
CLEANUPS. SUZANNE IS ALMOST A
DIFFERENT ANIMAL ENTIRELY. IT'S
BEEN A VERY LONG AND WINDING
ROAD AND NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT
THE KENYAN ROADS THAT WE HAVE UP
AND DOWN TO THAT SITE, BUT
GETTING TO A PLACE OF PROGRESS.
UM, HAS BEEN. YOU KNOW, DECADES
IN THE MAKING, AND I JUST WANTED
TO GET SOME SOME INSIGHT FROM
DIRECTOR WILLIAMS IN TERMS OF
WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE PROCESS
NOW, AND WE TALKED, HAD BEEN
WATCHING THE HEARING AND SORT OF
HEARING ABOUT RESTORING TRUST
AND WHAT THOSE PATHWAYS LOOK
LIKE AND HOW TO ACTUALLY GET
STARTED. THE DEPARTMENT SEEMS TO
HAVE AT LEAST CHARTED OUT. S¼.
INITIAL COMPASS ON HOW YOU WANT
TO GET THERE, BUT FROM WHAT I
CAN TELL FROM AT LEAST THE E I R
THAT WAS JUST POSTED AS
CERTIFIED AND FINAL. IT'S NOT
REALLY FINAL LIKE THAT. WE DON'T
QUITE KNOW YET. WHAT CLEANUPS
ULTIMATELY GOING TO LOOK LIKE
WHAT THOSE LEVELS ARE THAT ARE
ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE HIT AT
THE STANDARD THAT HAS BEEN
ADOPTED. YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SAY
IT'S RISK BASED, OR YOU COULD
SAY IT LEAVES THE COMMUNITY IN
LIMBO, NOT KNOWING WHAT WHAT
THINGS ARE REALLY GOING TO BE,
AND I THINK THERE'S A DEEP
FRUSTRATION AND SKEPTICISM ABOUT
WHETHER THERE'S GOING TO BE
MOVING TARGETS GOING FORWARD. IN
OTHER WORDS, I KNOW THAT
SOMETIMES SCIENCE DOESN'T GIVE
YOU THAT CERTAINTY, ALWAYS AND.
AND SO YOU HAVE A VERY HARD JOB
IN THAT REGARD. BUT JUST HOPING
YOU CAN SHARE SOME INSIGHT THERE
AND REALLY WHY YOU CHOSE TO GO
THIS PATH. AND WHAT ABOUT S¼?
FEDERAL DYNAMICS. YOUR
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PRIVATE
ENTITY RESPONSIBLE HERE. BOEING
WHY? WHY GO THIS ROUTE AND WHAT
DO YOU SEE GOING FORWARD IN
TERMS OF LANDING THIS WITH THE
COMMUNITY AND ESPECIALLY WITH
FROM MY CONVERSATIONS, THE L. A
COUNTY SIDE. I THINK THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT ON THE
VENTURA COUNTY SIDE OF THE OF
THE OF THE SITUATION. BUT AS WE
KNOW THE HILL GOES BOTH WAYS,
AND SO, UM, JUST HOPING YOU CAN
SHARE A BIT OF THAT. AH SANTA
SUSANNA, WE COULD SPEND ANOTHER
HOUR. TRY NOT TO, UM AND I
ACTUALLY MIGHT BE HAPPY TO TALK
ABOUT SENTENCES. INTER FOR AN
HOUR. IT DESERVES IT. IT
DESERVES THE TIME IT DESERVES
THE ATTENTION. UM WE DID
FINALIZED THE PROGRAM
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT. AND
AS YOU SAY IT IS A PROGRAM LEVEL
ARE AS OPPOSED TO, UM THE
DECISION DOCUMENT IN THE ER ALL
IN ONE, AND WE DID THAT BECAUSE
THERE ARE THREE RESPONSIBLE
PARTIES. THE E I R CAPTURES THE
OUTER ENVELOPE OF WHAT THAT
CLEANUP COULD LOOK LIKE. SO NOW
WE HAVE ANTICIPATED THE
POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND WHAT IT
WOULD TAKE TO MITIGATE THOSE
IMPACTS FOR THE MOST THAT FOR
THE MOST AGGRESSIVE, CLEAN UP
THAT WE COULD FORESEE FOR THAT,
AND THAT BEING, OF COURSE, THE
BACKGROUND CLEANUPS FOR NASA AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THE
BACKGROUND CLEANUP TO READ IT
FOR RADIATION FOR BOEING, AS
WELL AS THEIR RISK BASED
CLEANUP. FOR BOEING FOR TO A
RESIDENT WITH GARDEN STANDARDS.
SO THOSE ARE THE STANDARDS THAT
WERE ASSUMED IN THE E I. R AND
THOSE ARE THE DECISION DOCUMENTS
THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED BY THE
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES AND BELIEVE
ME, THEY ARE BEING DEVELOPED.
YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT. EVERYBODY
WANTS CERTAINTY. MOVING TARGETS
DON'T HELP ANYONE, AND TO THAT
END. THERE THIS IS VERY
CHALLENGING. JUST A VERY
CHALLENGING, CHALLENGING CLEAN
UP TO GET TO BACKGROUND AS
THOUGH NOTHING HAD EVER HAPPENED
ON THAT SIDE IS REALLY
CHALLENGING AND TO BE ABLE TO
SAY WITH SOME LEVEL OF
CERTAINTY. YES, WE HAVE MET THAT
STANDARD. THE RESPONSIBLE
PARTIES WANT THE CERTAINTY OF
WHAT DO YOU HOW ARE WE GOING TO
KNOW WHEN WE'RE REALLY THERE?
AND SO WE'RE HAVING DEEPLY
TECHNICAL CONVERSATION ABOUT
LAMB METHODS. ABOUT BACKFILL.
HOW DO YOU CERTIFIED BACK? IT'S
GOING TO BE HARD TO FIND
BACKFILL MATERIAL TO BRING ONTO
THE SITE AFTER WE'VE EXCAVATED
THAT WILL MEET THE STANDARDS.
THAT'S HOW AGGRESSIVE THEY ARE.
YOU CAN CODE YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST
GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE, AND SO
WE'RE DIGGING INTO THE TECHNICAL
ISSUES. I MEAN, LAB METHODS OF
LAB METHODS HAVE EVOLVED. SINCE
2010 WHEN THE WHEN THE 22,007
WERE IN THE BUT THE NASA AND
JOEY UM, BACKGROUND COMMITMENTS
WERE ESTABLISHED, SO A LOT OF
WORK TO BE DONE THERE. CAN I
SEND THOSE BACKWARDS? I SAID IT
BACKWARDS. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I
KNOW. YOU KNOW THE PROJECT. WELL
ENOUGH, UM. SO NUMBER ONE. I
WILL SAY THEY'RE THE RESPONSIBLE
PARTIES ARE EXTREMELY MOTIVATED
TO GET THIS CLEANUP GOING.
THEREFORE THEY'RE SHOWING UP IN
A WAY THAT I WILL SAY IS VERY
DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS. WHEN I
TOOK THIS TOOK THIS JOB, THEY
YOU KNOW THEY WERE TO USE THE
VERNACULAR. WE FELT LIKE WE WERE
GETTING BLOWN OFF A LOT. I DON'T
THINK THAT'S THE CASE ANY LONGER
. UM WE HAD SOME OF US HAD THE
PRIVILEGE OF VISITING THE SITE
LAST WEEK. UM IN A MEETING THAT
BOEING FACILITATED, BUT IT WAS
REQUESTED AT THE IT WAS
PRIMARILY AT THE REQUEST OF THE
TRIBES. THERE'S A SACRED SITES
COUNCIL THAT IS COMPOSED OF ALL
THE TRIBES WHO HAVE A CONNECTION
TO THAT LANDSCAPE, AND, UM. IT
WAS QUITE A DAY IN TERMS OF
UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE LAND
MEANS TO FOCUS. I MEAN, I'VE
HEARD IT ON PAPER. I'D SEEN IT
THROUGH ZOOM BUT TO BE ON THE
LANDSCAPE AND UNDERSTAND THE
CONNECTION IN A VERY DEEP WAY
WAS IT WAS SOMETHING SOMETHING
APART FROM THAT, AND I THINK
WHAT I HEARD FROM THE TRIBES IS
WE RECOGNIZE THIS LAND NEEDS TO
BE CLEANED UP. WE OF COURSE,
WANT TO PROTECT OUR OR
CONNECTION TO THE LAND, VERY
UNIQUE RESOURCES THAT ARE THERE.
BUT THROUGHOUT THE DAY THE
URGENCY ABOUT MOVING FORWARD
WITH THE KEY WITH THE CLEANUP
CAME THROUGH. WE HAD I HAD A
CHANCE TO MEET AND THE SECRETARY
HAS MET WITH HIGH LEVEL
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NASA
REPRESENTATIVES. I AM IN FACT.
LAST WEEK GAVE US SOME OF THAT
OPPORTUNITY, AND THEY WANT TO
KNOW HOW THEY CAN KEEP
EVERYTHING MOVING AND HOW THIS
CLEANUP CAN GET GOING. THEY HAVE
AGGRESSIVE TIMELINES FOR WHEN
THEIR DECISION DOCUMENTS WILL BE
DONE. AND THEY'RE STICKING TO
THOSE. UM WE WILL. AS AS WAS
MENTIONED. WE WILL HAVE A SERIES
OF WORKSHOPS WE PULLED. WE CAN
PULL THE COMMUNITY EARLY THIS
YEAR TO SEE WHAT TOPICS ARE OF
INTEREST TO YOU. WHAT IS IT THAT
YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT? AND SO
WE ARE LINING UP WORKSHOPS THAT
ARE BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THAT
SURVEY. THEY'RE VERY TOPICAL.
THE LAST THING I'M GOING TO SAY
, MAYBE I'LL PAUSE THERE IS THAT
WE HAVE PULLED TODD TODD SACKS
INTO THIS TODD'S. I MEAN, HE'S A
PHD IS A PROFESSOR ACTUALLY
TEACHES AT SAC STATE. HIS
TECHNICAL RIGOR IS EXEMPLARY,
AND I THINK HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO
HOW WE MOVE FORWARD ARE GOING TO
BE TREMENDOUS. UM NOBODY'S GOING
TO GET ANYTHING OVER ON TODD
FROM THE TECHNICAL STANDPOINT,
AND HE'S A CREATIVE IN TERMS OF
WORKING TOWARDS SOLUTION. HE
UNDERSTANDS THE ISSUES. YOU KNOW
, HIS STAFF HAS BEEN BRIEFING
HIM AND BRINGING HIM UP TO SPEED
AND I'M HEARING SOME VERY
ENCOURAGING THINGS ABOUT HOW WE
CAN KEEP THINGS MOVING FORWARD,
SO I'LL PAUSE THERE AND WAS THE
TOUR. BEFORE HILLARY CAME
THROUGH L A YES. YES. JUST BEGS
THE QUESTION IN MY MIND. I KNOW
WATER, YOU KNOW, NO ONE EVER
THINKS RAINS IN L A UNTIL RAINS.
WAY WAY TOO MUCH WAY WAY TOO
FAST. YEAH. I KNOW THAT'S A
LINGERING ISSUE, ESPECIALLY DOWN
MOUNTAIN IN L. A WHAT? THAT
GROUNDWATER RUNOFF AND SORT OF
THOSE OVERLYING ISSUES ARE GOING
TO BE MM. COMMENTS THERE. I WILL
JUST SAY EXTREME WEATHER
GENERALLY, WHETHER IT'S THE
WILDFIRES. WE ALL KNOW THE
WOOLSEY FIRE STARTED THERE, AND
EXTREME RAIN EVENTS ARE FRONT
FRONT CENTER. THE WATER BOARD
HAS NOW GRANTED THAT NPD S
PERMIT THE CONDITIONS FOR BOEING
TO GET OUT OF THAT PERMIT ARE
VERY STRINGENT. UM, THE AMOUNT
OF MONITORING THEY HAVE TO DO
AFTER THEY SAVED SAY THEY'VE
FINISH THAT CLEANUP. UM, IS LONG
ENOUGH TO REALLY ESTABLISH
WHETHER OR NOT THEY THEY'VE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL. THERE ARE PROVISIONS
SO THAT EVEN IF THEY HAVE
FINISHED THEIR CLEANUP AND NASA
AND VIDEO WE HAVEN'T NASA INDIA
WE WILL PICK UP THAT THAT WORK.
UM BUT IT DOES. ALL OF THAT DOES
GIVE ADDED URGENCY TO KEEPING
THE CLEANUP MOVING. AND I THINK
THAT'S MANIFESTED IN THE WORK
WE'VE DONE TO TRY TO FIGHT
OPPORTUNITY, FIND OPPORTUNITIES
TO DO INITIAL CLEANUPS. THERE
ARE PLACES ON THE ON THE SITE
WHERE. THE CLEANUP. JUST MAYBE
ISN'T AS COMPLICATED OR WHAT WAS
DONE OPERATIONALLY ON THE SITE
DOESN'T ISN'T GOING TO BE EASIER
THAN SOIL. YOU GOT IT, AND WE'RE
JUST WE'RE AND NOW THERE ARE
EVEN SOME PLACES WHERE WE CAN
LOOK AT THE SOIL AND GET A JUMP
. START AND KEEP THINGS MOVING
IT. YOU KNOW, IT'S SCHEDULED TO
BE A 15 YEAR CLEAN UP SO DOING
WHAT WE CAN WHEN WE CAN IS GOING
TO BE VERY IMPORTANT WITHOUT
COMPROMISING THE CLEANUP
STANDARDS. UM APPRECIATE ALL
THAT. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING
HARD ON THIS. I DO KNOW THERE'S
STILL I THINK JUSTIFIABLE
SKEPTICISM. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
SKEPTICISM AND OUTRAGE, BECAUSE
YOU KNOW? PEOPLE ARE SICK. THEY
HAVE QUESTIONS AS TO WHY THAT
THAT DISASTER DECADES BACK STILL
LINGERS. MEANWHILE YOU KNOW MY
NIECES ARE GOING TO SUMMER CAMP
AND LIKE STILL, YOU KNOW THERE'S
GARDENS AND I MEAN, WE'RE
TESTING OUT THAT RESIDENTIAL
GARDENS AND A REAL TIME JUST
ACROSS THE HILL, SO THE STAKES
ARE VERY HIGH FOR YOU ALL TO GET
THIS RIGHT? I WANT TO HELP WITH
THAT. BUT I JUST I AM GOING TO
EMPHASIS ONCE AGAIN IS THE
BROADER THEME OF THIS THE LOCAL
STAKEHOLDERS, THE COMMUNITY
GROUPS AND THOSE WHO MAY NOT
NECESSARILY RESPOND TO A POLE,
RIGHT? BUT WHO YOU HAVE TO GO
FIND OR GET THAT GET TO THE
HEART OF IT, BUT ALSO LOCAL
GOVERNMENT. REALLY THEY'RE
EITHER GOING TO BE. THEY'RE
EITHER IT'S EITHER GOING TO BE A
BATTLE HERE, AND IT'S JUST THIS
THING IS JUST GOING TO CARRY ON
OR WE TRY TO ACTUALLY LAND
SOMETHING AND I GET THAT THERE
WERE DEALS NEGOTIATED WITH THE
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES. BUT NOW THE
IMPACTED NEED TO BE PART OF THAT
DEAL, TOO. AND UNLESS THAT
HAPPENS, I JUST DON'T SEE HOW
WE'RE GOING TO BE DURABLE ENOUGH
TO JUST TO ROLL OUT THE WAY YOU
WANT TO, AND I WANT TO, AND I
APPRECIATE THE SORT OF FOR THE
LET'S DO WHAT WE CAN RIGHT NOW
AND PICK THOSE SPOTS, AND THAT
MAY BE A BETTER GOOD BLUEPRINT
FOR FUTURE THINGS TO WRITE LIKE
PICK THE PLACES YOU CAN'T AGREE
AND KNOCK THEM OUT AND GET
MOVING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CAN
GET FEDERAL DOLLARS AND OTHER
THINGS GOING BECAUSE WE KNOW
BUDGETS, THE BIG ISSUE AND
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES TO THE
TABLE, RIGHT. BUT UM I JUST I'M
CONCERNED THAT THE PROCESS
ITSELF STILL HAS FOLKS FEELING
LEFT OUT, AND THAT MAY BE
BECAUSE OF THE STRATEGY ITSELF
EMPLOYED. A P E I R IS NOT GOING
TO BE IS TANGIBLE OR OR
DEPENDABLE, BUT, UM, I JUST
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP PUSHING YOU
IN THE SPIRIT OF YOU KNOW, YOUR
THE INTEGRITY OF THE DEPARTMENT
. KEEP DOING IT THE HARD WORK
HERE AND HOPEFULLY SET A MODEL
AND NOT A CAUTIONARY TALE,
RIGHT? SO A COUPLE OF THINGS ON
THAT. UM YOU'RE RIGHT. THAT.
THERE NEEDS TO BE ENGAGEMENT,
AND IN FACT, THERE WILL BE A LOT
OF ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY AROUND
THE INDIVIDUAL DECISION
DOCUMENTS. THERE'S A PUBLIC
PROCESS FOR THAT. THAT WILL. IN
ADDITION TO THE WORKSHOPS, I
MENTIONED THAT CERTAINLY
EXPECTATIONS. SECOND OF ALL, I
AM YOU SAID, WHERE I ESSENTIALLY
SAID TO THE RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
MYSELF. LIKE IF THEY'RE TRYING
TO EVADE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT WE ARE
GOING TO BE BOGGED DOWN IN LATER
LITIGATION FOR ANOTHER 15 YEARS
UNTIL WE GET TO THE CLEANUP. I
THINK THEY GET IT. I THINK THEY
GET IT THAT SHIRKING THAT
RESPONSIBILITY. JUST JUST STALLS
. EVERYTHING AND I CAN'T BE SURE
THEY DID IT. THEY GET IT AND
IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A
REGULATOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
DO AND IF THEY DON'T TO HOLD
THEM ACCOUNTABLE. UM, BUT YOU
ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IF WE
DON'T ACTUALLY CLEAN IT UP THE
WAY THE AGREEMENT S¼ IT WILL
NEVER GET CLEANED UP BECAUSE IT
WILL BE JUST AN ENDLESS CYCLE.
AND IF THE COMMUNITY I WILL SAY
THIS, THOUGH, WE HAVE WORKED TO
MAKE OURSELVES AVAILABLE. I DO
THINK THAT OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH
THE COUNTIES, ESPECIALLY AFTER
THE BOEING SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
WAS VERY HELPFUL IN TERMS OF
THEIR LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF
SOME OF THE TECHNICAL ISSUES
THAT WERE CONTAINED IN THE
BOEING SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. WE
ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO HAVE
THOSE DISCUSSIONS. THERE'S SOME
MISSTATEMENTS ABOUT THE LEVEL OF
CLEANUP THAT'S BEING DONE THAT
ARE QUITE ACCURATELY, QUITE
QUITE FRANKLY, WRONG. AND
INACCURATE. THEY'RE NOT FACTUAL
. AND YET WE HAVE STRUGGLED TO
FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE
WITH COMMUNITIES TO GET THEM,
UM, TO LET ITS LET US EXPLAIN.
LET US EXPLAIN THE TECHNICAL
ISSUES BEHIND, UM, BEHIND HOW
WE'RE GOING TO GO FORWARD WITH
THIS CLEANUP. I AM HOPEFUL. THAT
THE SEPTEMBER 7TH BOARD MEETING
WHERE SANTA SUSANNA IS ON THE
AGENDA WILL GIVE US ANOTHER
OPPORTUNITY TO WALK THROUGH SOME
OF THE SOME OF THE ISSUES, BUT
THE BOARD IS NOT THE RIGHT PLACE
FOR SOME OF THAT. IT TAKES
SOMETIMES TWO HOURS OR MULTIPLE
MEETINGS TO GO THROUGH THE
TECHNICAL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH
RISK BASED SCREENING LEVELS OF
DRY LETTUCE VERSUS WET LETTUCE.
IT'S JUST NOT SIMPLE. AND WE'RE
WILLING TO DO THAT WERE
AVAILABLE TO DO THAT. AND WE
WELCOME IN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
. UM YOU KNOW, I HAD A LONG LIST
OF QUESTIONS, MOST OF WHICH WERE
TOUCHED UPON IT SOME TO SOME
DEGREE OR ANOTHER, BUT I'M
CERTAINLY GOING TO DO SOME
FOLLOW UP. I DID WANT TO. I A
COUPLE OF THINGS THAT INGRID'S
HAD INTRIGUED ME THAT I'D LIKE
TO ASK ABOUT. SHE MADE A COMMENT
ABOUT THE INDUSTRY SERVE
RELUCTANCE ON THE PART OF THE
DEPARTMENT TO MAKE HARD
DECISIONS. MAYBE JUST TO START
WITH YOU AND GRID. WHAT EXACTLY
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE MORE
LIKE TO DIG INTO A LITTLE BIT
MORE ON TO THAT COMMENT AND
MAYBE GET THE RESPONSE FROM THE
DEPARTMENT. YEAH YEAH, AND I
MEAN, I THINK THE CONTROVERSIAL
HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES IT IS
A IS AN OBVIOUS PLACE WHERE THAT
HAPPENED. UM YOU KNOW, WE
ACTUALLY FINALLY DID SEE A
DENIAL JUST RECENTLY OF A
HAZARDOUS WASTE PERMIT. BUT
BEFORE THAT, THERE, THERE HAD
BEEN NONE AND THE ONE THAT WAS
MADE, UM YOU KNOW, I THINK IT IS
A TESTAMENT THAT WE WERE SEEING
SOMEWHAT OF A SHIFT ON THOSE
DECISIONS. BUT THE REAL
CONTROVERSIAL SITES WHERE
COMMUNITIES HAVE CONSISTENTLY
ENGAGED, UM YOU KNOW THE CONCERN
THERE IS THAT WE ARE GOING TO
CONTINUE TO PERMIT FACILITIES
AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND
LEAVE THESE BASICALLY
COMMUNITIES AS SACRIFICE ZONES.
AND I THINK I HEARD SOMEONE
MENTION, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THE
DTSC THAT CAPACITY IS NOT ONE OF
THE FACTORS THAT THEY LOOK AT
WHEN PERMITTING A FACILITY. UM
AND YOU KNOW, I WOULD HOPE THAT
IS TRUE BECAUSE IT REALLY NEEDS
TO BE LOOKED AT ON JUST THE
INDIVIDUAL BASIS, BUT I DON'T I
DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE THAT IS
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, EARLIER BACK
WHEN I STARTED THIS WORK, YOU
KNOW, SOME OF THE DEPUTY
DIRECTORS AT THAT TIME SAID. WE
NEED TO MAKE COMPLIANCE, EASY
AND ECONOMIC BECAUSE OF CAPACITY
. AND SO YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY
LOOKING AT SOME OF THE VERY
PROBLEMATIC FACILITY PERMIT
DECISIONS COMING UP AND THE FACT
THAT THERE WAS A DRAFT APPROVAL
FOR FIBER TECH GIVES ME CONCERN
. UM I MEAN, WHAT? WELL OKAY,
BUT ARE TO THE WASTE MANAGEMENT
REPORT. DOESN'T IT SAY THAT IF
ALWAYS DESTINED FOR LAND
DISPOSAL, UM, ORDER REMAIN IN
CALIFORNIA. COMING OUT OF THE
OTHER CONCERNS RAISED BY THE
OTHER ARTICLE WITH US SENDING
STUFF OFF TO ARIZONA, NEVADA,
ETCETERA. YOU KNOW, IF ALL THAT
WOULD REMAIN IN CALIFORNIA,
THEN, UM YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY
BE AT CAPACITY WITHIN A DECADE.
AND SO PART OF THE CHALLENGE
HERE IS THERE IS ONE ARGUMENT
YOU MAKE COMING OUT OF THAT
ARTICLE THAT WE GOT TO TAKE CARE
OF OUR OWN PROBLEMS. AND THE
ONLY WAY WE DO THAT IS BY HAVING
MORE SPACE HERE TO DO THAT WORK.
BUT ANYWAY, I THINK THAT THE
FLYING THAT THAT ARGUMENT IS
THIS IDEA OF LIKE CALIFORNIA
COLLECTIVELY CREATED THE WASTE
OF CALIFORNIA COLLECTIVELY NEEDS
TO JUST, YOU KNOW, HANDLE IT AT
THE BACK. AND BUT BUT THE FACT
OF THE MATTER IS WE AS A STATE
ARE GENERATING THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE AND TO COMMUNITIES IN
CALIFORNIA ARE DEALING WITH THE
FALLOUT WITH CATTLEMEN. SO TO
ME, IT'S A IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF
A FALSEHOOD. FALLACY THAT YOU
KNOW WE HAVE SOME KIND OF
RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE IT DOES
FALL SO DISPROPORTIONATELY AND
SO FEW CALIFORNIANS, AND THAT'S
WHY, IF YOU LEAD WITH AN IMPACT
LENS RATHER THAN KIND OF A KNEE
JERK, WE CAN'T EXPORT WASTE.
THEN WE CAN GET INTO THE
DETAILS. WHERE IS THIS GOING OUT
OF STATE? WHERE IS THIS GOING
IN? UTAH NEVADA, ARIZONA. HOW DO
WE REALLY TRY TO REDUCE THAT
GENERATION SO THAT WE'RE JUST
RELYING ON LANDFILLS LESS BUT
YOU KNOW, THE CAPACITY ISSUE,
UM, CAN LEAD TO SOME, YOU KNOW,
I THINK POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EJ
OUTCOMES IF WE'RE NOT VERY
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT KIND OF THE
IMPACTS IF WE LIED TOO MUCH WITH
THE CAPACITY QUESTION. GOTCHA.
THANK YOU. ANY RESPONSE OR NOT
SURE, I WANT TO PICK UP ON THIS
CAPACITY ISSUE AND EVERYTHING IN
THE STATE. I WILL SAY THAT
NATIONALLY, THE PHILOSOPHY ABOUT
CAPACITY IS THAT YOU NEED TO
CONSIDER IT ON A NATIONAL LEVEL
. SO INCINERATION IS STILL PART
OF HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL LIKE
IT OR NOT, AND THERE ARE NO
INCINERATORS IN CALIFORNIA. AND
THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE,
OKAY, SO SOME OF THE WASTE IS
GOING TO GO TO INCINERATORS
THAT'S REQUIRED BY LAW. UM AND I
ACTUALLY VERY MUCH APPRECIATE.
THE LENS THAT RING GRIDS
ADVOCATING FOR WHICH IS THINK
ABOUT IMPACTS. DON'T
OVERSIMPLIFY THIS, UH AND SO I
DO HOPE THAT THAT BECOMES PART
OF THE CONVERSATION AS WE MOVE
FORWARD. GOING BACK TO JUST THE
GENERAL ISSUES AROUND THE HARD
DECISIONS AND THESE PERMITS.
I'LL SAY A COUPLE OF THINGS. I
JUST FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S NO
COMPARISON BETWEEN A PERMIT
THAT'S ISSUED TODAY IN A PERMIT
THAT WAS ISSUED 10 15 YEARS AGO,
THE DEPARTMENT DID NOT FIRST OF
ALL THE POSTER CHILD FOR NOT
MAKING A DECISION AND PUTTING
OFF OUR DECISION IS EXIDE AND I
THINK THAT EVERYBODY DID LEARN
THAT LESSON ABOUT UM, ABOUT
NEEDING TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
WE ARE WILLING TO MAKE THE
DECISIONS. AND THE DECISIONS ARE
NOT BLACK AND WHITE. IN ALL
CASES. I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT. FOR INSTANCE, THESE SIX
FACILITIES THAT ARE VERY
COMPLICATED AND YOU KNOW? IS THE
ANSWER TO DENY ALL SIX PERMITS.
I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK IT'S
MUCH MORE NUANCED THAN THAT. I
THINK IT'S ARE THERE PERMITS
THAT COULD BE ISSUED THAT WOULD
BE PROTECTIVE. UM AND, UM WHAT'S
OUR CONFIDENCE ABOUT COMPLIANCE
AND DO WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED TO
ENFORCE? I WILL SAY THAT RIGHT
NOW WE'RE HAVING WORKSHOPS ON A
NEW FRAMEWORK FOR PENALTIES
PENALTY REGULATIONS BECAUSE IF
VIOLATING HAZARDOUS WASTE
CONTROL LAWS IS JUST THE COST OF
BUSINESS WERE NEVER THE PERMITS
AREN'T GOING TO DO THE JOB. SO
WHEN WE DO ISSUE PERMITS, SO I
JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WE
RECOGNIZED THAT HARD DECISIONS
HAVE TO BE MADE, BUT THEY
SOMETIMES THE HARD DECISION IS
TO DENY AND SOMETIMES THE HARD,
HARD DECISION IS TO ISSUE THE
PERMIT. SO UM, WE WILL CONTINUE
THAT CONVERSATION. I'M SURE AS
WE MOVE THROUGH THESE OLDEST AND
MOST CHALLENGING PERMITS. OKAY
ALL RIGHT. UM WE WE'VE GOTTEN A
LONG, LONG TIME, AND I KNOW
THERE'S SOME FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC
WHO WANT TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
SO WHY DON'T WE GIVE THEM THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SOME FOLKS WANT
TO COME UP AND LINE UP AND MAKE
SOME BRIEF. COMMENTS. UH WE'LL
START WITH YOU, MICHAEL. THANK
YOU. GOOD MORNING OR AFTERNOON
CHAIRS LEE AND ALAN. MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE MIKE CAPRIO,
REPRESENTING REPUBLIC SERVICES.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT TODAY AND I APPRECIATE
THE OPPORTUNITY OR THE EFFORT
PUT FORTH BY DTSC STAFF IN
PREPARING THE REPORT. FOR POINT
OF REFERENCE REPUBLIC OWNS FOR
THE FIVE OUT OF STATE FACILITIES
THAT RECEIVE CALIFORNIA
HAZARDOUS WASTE. AND CERTAINLY
SOURCE REDUCTION AND TREATMENT.
THE PRIMARY FIRST OPTIONS FOR
MANAGING THIS STREAM. BUT FOR
THE MATERIALS THAT ARE LEFT,
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH THEM. AND
IN A PERFECT WORLD, ALL THAT
WOULD STAY IN STATE IN THE
IMPACTS WOULD BE NOT SO SEVERE
ON JUST TWO COMMUNITIES FOR THE
MOST PART OR A FEW COMMUNITIES.
BUT THE CAPACITY AND PERMITTING
LIMITATIONS ARE REAL. AND THOSE
CONSTRAINTS DIDN'T STATE
FACILITIES MAKE IT UNLIKELY THAT
ALL THE MATERIAL CAN BE MANAGED
IN STATE. GIVEN THOSE
CIRCUMSTANCES, WE ADVOCATE FOR A
DIVERSE SET OF OPTIONS FOR
MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE.
AND WE THINK THAT THE OUT OF
STATE FACILITIES THAT SERVE THE
STATE NOW SHOULD BE VIEWED AS AN
ASSET RATHER THAN MAYBE A
NEGATIVE THAT'S BEEN FRAMED.
OTHERWISE JUST SOME QUICK NOTES
ON OUR FACILITIES. FOR THE HOUSE
WASTE MANAGEMENT REPORT. NONE OF
THEM ARE LOCATED NEAR SENSITIVE
RECEPTORS. ALL OF OUR FACILITIES
ARE RATED IN THE LOW END OF THE
FEDERAL EJ SCREENING TOOL.
FACILITIES ARE ALL DESIGNED AND
CONSTRUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
DETAILED FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR
LANDFILLS. SUBTITLED THE
STANDARDS ARE VERY RIGOROUS. THE
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS,
MONITORING SYSTEMS, WASTE
CONTAINMENT FEATURES, WASTE
CHARACTERIZATION AND CHAIN OF
CUSTODY PROCEDURES FOR
MANAGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF
MATERIALS ARE MORE THAN
SUFFICIENT FOR THE WAYS THAT ARE
RECEIVED AT THE FACILITIES, AND
THAT INCLUDES THE CALIFORNIA
HAZARDOUS WAYS TO SIT THERE. WE
HAVE A VERY STRONG COMPLIANCE
RECORD IN EACH OF THE FACILITIES
AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL
COMMUNITIES ARE EXEMPLARY AND
MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL. WE TAKE
THESE RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY
ON A NATIONWIDE BASIS, AND NOT
JUST IN CALIFORNIA, AND WE VIEW
OURSELVES AS LONG TERM STEWARDS
OF ALL THE MATERIALS PLACED INTO
OUR FACILITIES, NOT ONLY THE
CALIFORNIA HAS THIS WASTE, BUT
EVERYTHING THAT'S BROUGHT THEIR
BOTTOM LINE. THE WASTE THAT ARE
SENT FROM CALIFORNIA TO THE
STATE FACILITIES ARE IN VERY
GOOD HANDS. AND WE LOOK FORWARD
TO PARTICIPATING IN THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HOUSE WASTE
MANAGEMENT REPORT AND CONTINUING
TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT
HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS
VERY MUCH APPRECIATE. AND WE'RE
ASKING FOLKS TO KEEP THEIR
COMMENTS AT TWO MINUTES, PLEASE
. THANK YOU. THIS IS MIGUEL
LATORRE JUNIOR AND ONE OF THE
RESIDENTS OF KETTLEMAN CITY. AM
ORGANIZER FOR GREEN ACTION. A
MEMBER OF AL PUEBLO PARA LLEGAR
AYALA, OLYMPIA, THE KETTLEMAN
CITY AND A DIRECTOR FOR
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
COALITION. AND I'M HERE TODAY
WITH THE REALLY HEAVY HEART, THE
PLIGHT OF KETTLEMAN CITY AND
BUTTON WILLOW, CALIFORNIA IS A
DIRE ONE. THESE COMMUNITIES
VULNERABLE EXPOSED ARE TRAPPED
IN A CYCLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
INJUSTICE THAT CAN NO LONGER TO
BE IGNORED. CALLEN VIRUS SCREEN
4.0. THE STATE'S OWN TOUR
EXPOSES THE VULNERABILITY OF
THESE COMMUNITIES WITH KETTLEMAN
CITY, RANKING 92 AND BUTTON WILL
IN 96% TILE. THESE FIGURES
REPRESENT NOT JUST NUMBERS BUT
LIVES BURDENED BY AN UNFAIR,
SURE POLLUTIONS CONSEQUENCES IN
THE SHADOW OF THE STARK NUMBERS
. WASTE MANAGEMENT'S KETTLEMAN
HILLS FACILITY HAS OPERATED ON
AN EXPIRED PERMITS SINCE JUNE.
30TH OF 2013 CLEAN HARBORS
BUTTON WILLOWS FACILITIES PERMIT
EXPIRED EVEN EARLIER ON APRIL
6TH 2006 NOTICE OF DEFICIENCY
SERVES AS A HAUNTING REMINDER OF
REGULATORY VIOLATIONS THAT
CONTINUE TO PLAGUE THE
COMMUNITIES. BUT THE GREATEST OF
ALL IS THE STATE'S FAILURE TO
ENACT A CUMULATIVE HEALTH IMPACT
CRITERION PERMIT DECISIONS
DESPITE A MANDATE TO DO SO.
JANUARY 1ST OF 2018, THIS VERY
SYSTEM DESIGNED TO PROTECT US
REMAIN SILENT IN THE FACE OF
INJUSTICE. ESTEEMED MEMBERS. I
IMPLORE YOU TO GRASP THE
SEVERITY OF OUR SITUATION. WE
NEED TO PUT A MORATORIUM ON THE
DUMPING IN THE COMMUNITIES OF
KETTLEMAN CITY AND BUTTON
WILLOW, AND THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT WE HAVE ASKED TO BS MANY
TIMES POLITELY AND POLITELY AT
THE LAST L CERRITO MEETING. WE
BROUGHT 100 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS
THAT WERE VERY UPSET WITH THE
BSS DECISION FOR KEEPING WELL
NOT JUST THE BS, BUT UM, THIS
DECISION TO KEEP THESE TOXIC
WASTE DUMPS OPEN IN THESE
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, SO
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO
YOU GUYS HELPING US OUT IN THIS
REFORM AND GETTING THESE STAMPS
CLOSED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. YES, SIR. GOOD
AFTERNOON CHAIRS AND MEMBERS. MY
NAME IS JOHN TO PRUITT,
REPRESENTING THE CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENT OF JUSTICE ALLIANCE
. WE APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY
OFFER OUR INSIGHTS ON THIS ISSUE
. WE ALSO APPRECIATE THE ONGOING
PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE WITH DTSC.
IT'S ESSENTIAL TO REALLY
RECOGNIZE THAT THIS HEARING AS A
RESULT OF THE YEARS OF WORK, THE
DAYCARE EFFORTS OF PRESIDENTS IN
ORDER ORGANIZATIONS LEADING THIS
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE DRIVEN
WORK. IN OUR LETTER, WE NOTED
SEVERAL KEY AREAS, FOREIGN
LEGISLATIVE ATTENTION AND ACTION
AND DUE TO TIMING UP REFEREE
JUST TOUCH ALONG ONE OF THEM IN
DTS ES ROLE IN HOUSING
REDEVELOPMENT PROCESSES IS
UNCLEAR, AND SIGNIFICANT GAPS
NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. CONTRARY
TO COMMON, BELIEVE DTC DOES NOT
PROVIDE CONSULTATION AND
OVERSIGHT FOR ALL REDEVELOPMENT
INITIATIVES ON CONTAMINATED
SITES. THIS CAN LEAD TO A
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE DEVELOPERS CHOSEN SOIL
REMEDIATION METHOD AND DTSC
STANDARD. THIS MISCONCEPTION
HIGHLIGHTS AND ASSESS ITTY TO
FOREIGN IMPROVED DDC OVERSIGHT
ON BROWNFIELD. REDEVELOPMENT
PROCESSES IN THIS PROCESS IS
NEEDING. WE UNDERSTAND THE
PRESSING NEED TO ADDRESS THE
HOUSING REQUIREMENT IN IN
CALIFORNIA, HOWEVER. EXPEDITING
THAT PROCESS SHOULD NOT BE AT
THE COMPROMISE THROUGH
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS AND PROPER
CLEANUP, GIVEN THE CURRENT
CHALLENGES IN IDENTIFYING TOXIC
SITES STATEWIDE, WE WOULD LIKE
TO SORT OF SEE IT IN
ESTABLISHED, SECURE AND
EFFICIENT SITE REVIEW PROCESS,
WHICH IS IMPERATIVE TO ENSURE
THAT THE CREATION OF SAFE AND
HOW HEALTHY HOUSING THEY HAVE
REMAINS COMMITTED TO FOSTERING A
COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH
DTSC AND BES. WE APPRECIATE YOUR
THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION OR
CONCERNS AND HOPE THAT YOU TAKE
OUR ACTIONS AND REQUESTS AND
HELP LEAD POSITIVE CHANGE IN
DTS. THANK YOU, DTSC. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOOD
AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS CHRIS
CHURRASCO, COMMENTING ON BEHALF
OF THE CENTER AND RACE, POVERTY
AND ENVIRONMENT, THANK YOU SO
MUCH AGAIN FOR HAVING THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND PROVIDE
FEEDBACK TODAY. I'D LIKE TO
FIRST START OFF BY THINKING, UM
CURRENT ONGOING EFFORTS BY DTSC
AND BS TO REALLY WORK WITH
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
UM YOU KNOW, IT IS A VERY
NECESSARY FIRST STEP TO START
DEVELOPING THAT TRUST WITH
COMMUNITIES, BUT THERE'S STILL
SOME MORE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE
DONE. DESPITE THIS OUT FOR EACH
AND EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE
ALREADY COMMUNICATED WITH THIS
ORGANIZATION. THERE ARE STILL AS
YOU'VE HEARD TODAY, A LOT OF
COMMUNITY CONCERNS THAT REMAIN
UNADDRESSED. THERE ARE MANY
CONTAMINATED SITES THROUGHOUT
THE STATE THAT HAVE NOT
UNDERGONE NECESSARY CLEANUPS AND
THESE ARE SITES. COMMUNITY
MEMBERS HAVE COME FORWARD TO BE
S HEARINGS TO DTSC DIRECTLY
MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE
PAST YEARS, AND NOTHING HAS BEEN
DONE. AND IT MIGHT BE AN ISSUE
WITH CAPACITY RESOURCES, BUT
STILL, THIS NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED. WE UNDERSTAND THAT
THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES
ASSOCIATED WITH THESE CONCERNS.
BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME
MECHANISM PERHAPS THE
LEGISLATURE CAN HELP WITH TO PUT
FORTH SOME STRATEGIES,
IMPLEMENTATION INVESTIGATION OR
WORKING WITH THESE COMMUNITIES
DIRECTLY TO TRY AND ADDRESS
THESE IN A MORE EXPEDITED MANNER
. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AJAX IS
A GREAT STEP FORWARD IN THIS
PROCESS, BUT CURRENTLY THE
BUDGET ONLY ALLOWS FOR IT TO BE
GOING UNTIL 2025. AND FOR
DECADES, DISADVANTAGED AND
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES HAVE
BEEN DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC
HEALTH AND DETRIMENTS AND SAFETY
IMPACTS DUE TO HAZARDOUS WASTE
FACILITIES AND CONTAMINATED
SOILS IN THEIR AREAS. AS SUCH,
WE PROPOSE THAT A BUDGET SHOULD
BE EXPANDED TO ALLOW THIS TO BE
A PERMANENT BODY SO THAT YOU CAN
CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM COMMUNITY
MEMBERS DIRECTLY ON HOW TO
ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN A MANNER
THAT IS SUFFICIENT. AND LASTLY,
I'D LIKE TO END BY ASKING THE
LEGISLATURE TO PLEASE MONITOR
DEVELOPMENT OF 673
IMPLEMENTATION. IF THERE ARE
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR
OVERSIGHT THAT IS NEEDED TO
REALLY EXPEDITE THIS, SO THAT
THE CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ARE
ADDRESSED IN THE PERMITTING,
THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR
COMMUNITIES TO GET BACK AND GET
BETTER BASED ON THE DECADES.
MILT DECADES OF TOXIC WASTE THAT
HAS BEEN UNDER SEEN OVER UNDER
SEEN IN THESE COMMUNITIES. THANK
YOU SO MUCH AGAIN. THANK YOU.
YES, MA'AM. GET AFTERNOON. MY
NAME IS JENNIFER GRANADA WITH
COMMUNITIES FOR A BETTER
ENVIRONMENT. I WANTED TO THANK
YOU FOR HAVING THIS HEARING. I
THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. I
ALSO WANTED TO THANK THE WORK
THAT DTSC HAS DONE SO
COMMUNITIES FOR A BETTER
ENVIRONMENT HAS WORKED WITH DTSC
ON THE CLEANUP FOR EXIDE FOR
MANY YEARS, UM SINCE DIRECTOR
WILLIAMS HAS BEEN THERE, I WOULD
SAY THIS HAS BEEN A PRETTY
FRUITFUL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE
AGENCY AND OUR ORGANIZATION FOR
A STATE AGENCY. I FEEL LIKE WE
HAVE PRETTY MUCH WEEKLY
CONVERSATIONS NOW. UM BUT I DID
WANT TO KIND OF RAISE UP
SOMETHING THAT INGRID HAD RAISED
AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH SECRET
EXEMPTIONS. UM AND IN REGARDS TO
THE CLEARER PROCESS AND THE
CALIFORNIA LAND USE LAND. REUSE
AND REVITALIZATION ACT. UM. I
THINK A REPORT THAT SENATE EQ
DID A FEW YEARS BACK AT A
SEQUENCE SURVEY FROM 2011 TO
2016. IN THAT SEQUENCE SURVEY
388 CATEGORICAL EXEMPTIONS
HAPPENED UNDERCLASS 30
EXEMPTIONS 90 NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE
NEGATIVE DECLARATIONS. SIX
MITIGATED NECK DECKS AND ONLY
16. E I. R S SO THAT MEANS THAT
THE AGENCY IS LOOKING AT, YOU
KNOW, CLEAN UP. THAT WOULD
HAPPEN ON BROWNFIELDS. BUT OFTEN
TIMES THOSE ARE NOT GOING
THROUGH A RS AND ACTUALLY BEING
EXEMPTED BY SEQUA, WHICH HAS, I
THINK A DIFFERENT IMPACT IN
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY WHERE
THOSE SITES MIGHT BE PRETTY
CLOSE TO RESIDENTIAL. AND SO I
THINK. KIND OF GOING BACK TO AN
INJURED WAS SAYING, LOOKING AT
THE DATA AND HOW THAT'S
HAPPENING. SO MY UNDERSTANDING
OF THE CLASS 30 SECRET EXEMPTION
IS IF THE CLEANUP IS LESS THAN A
MILLION DOLLARS, IT GETS AN
EXEMPTION. BUT THE INFORMATION
AS TO WHETHER IT'S A MILLION
DOLLARS OR LESS THAT'S COMING
FROM THE PROJECT PROPONENT. SO I
DON'T SO I MEAN, IF YOU'RE THE
PROJECT PROPONENT, YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO SEE YOUR CLEANUP IS
GOING TO COST A MILLION DOLLARS
OR MORE, BECAUSE THEN YOU HAVE
TO DO AN AI ARE SO IF THERE IS A
WAY TO LOOK AT THAT, BECAUSE
THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE SEEING
IN SOUTH EAST L. A WE HAVE A
PROJECT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO
CLOSE DOWN WITH THE HELP OF THE
L. A COUNTY. BUT IT'S STILL ZONE
IS INDUSTRIAL AND THEY WANT TO
DO REUSE. BUT BECAUSE IT'S A
MINISTERIAL EXEMPTION THAT'S
LOCAL LAND USE, WHICH DTSC CAN'T
REALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT WENT
THROUGH, UH, YOU KNOW,
MINISTERIAL EXEMPTION, HOWEVER,
THE SOIL REMEDIATION GOES
THROUGH DTSC, AND THROUGH THE
CLEARER PROCESS, THEY CAN DO A
SITE REMEDIATION PLAN. BUT IF
IT'S LESS THAN A MILLION DOLLARS
, THEN IT COULD STILL BE
EXEMPTED. SO THAT STILL MEANS
THE COMMUNITY THAT'S BEEN
IMPACTED FOR MULTIPLE YEARS HAS
NO SAY IN WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
PROJECT, EVEN THOUGH THAT
PROJECT IS ACROSS THE STREET
FROM WHERE LOTS OF FOLKS LIVE,
SO I JUST WANTED TO RAISE THAT,
AND I DO APPRECIATE THE SPACE,
CBS, A MEMBER OF SAHAR'S LOVER
ARE ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED
ALREADY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANKS VERY MUCH. HI THERE.
THANK YOU. CHAIR. EXCUSE ME
SHARE ALLEN. CHAIR LEE SENATOR
STERN. TIM CHESTED WITH AMERICAN
CHEMISTRY COUNCIL JUST WANTED TO
MAKE A BRIEF COMMENT ABOUT A
PARAGRAPH IN THE IN THE
BACKGROUND DOCUMENT. IT SPEAKS
TO THE VARIOUS BILLS THAT HAVE
PASSED OVER THE YEARS, REALLY
RESTRICTING CERTAIN CHEMICALS IN
VARIOUS PRODUCT APPLICATIONS.
THE FACT THAT MANY OF THOSE DO
NOT HAVE ANY PROVISIONS AROUND
PROVIDING GUIDANCE TO THE
REGULATED COMMUNITY, NO
STANDARDIZED TESTING METHODS FOR
COMPLIANCE, REALLY, RESULTING IN
A SITUATION WHERE IT MAY BE
VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE
REGULATED COMMUNITY TO COMPLY
WITH SOME OF THOSE SOME OF THOSE
REQUIREMENTS, AND WE'RE ALSO
SEEING THAT THIS YEAR A COUPLE
OF BILLS THAT ARE MOVING THROUGH
THE LEGISLATURE WITH THAT SAME
SAME SITUATION, JUST SPEAKING
TODAY WOULD ENCOURAGE THE
COMMITTEE ENCOURAGED THE
LEGISLATURE TO PERHAPS CONVENE
VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS OVER THE
INTERIM TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE SOME
APPROPRIATE ROLES, PERHAPS FOR
DTSC TO PLAY TO INFORM THOSE
THOSE LAWS TO PROVIDE SOME
GUIDANCE TO THE REGULAR
COMMUNITY, PERHAPS PROVIDE SOME
INSIGHT INTO VARIOUS TESTING
METHODOLOGIES THAT MIGHT BE
AVAILABLE FOR THE REGULATED
COMMUNITY TO COMPLY. SO I CAN'T
SPEAK FOR THE BROADER BUSINESS
COMMUNITY. BUT I KNOW I THINK
THERE WOULD BE INTEREST FROM A
NUMBER OF MY COLLEAGUES TO
PARTICIPATE IN THAT DISCUSSION
WOULD ENCOURAGE THE LEGISLATURE
TO LOOK AT THAT. SO APPRECIATE
THE TIME TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. YES. I AM GOOD
AFTERNOON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CREATING
THIS TIME AND SPACE FOR US TO
SPEAK TO YOU. ALL MY NAME IS
JASON JOHNSON. I'M THE DIRECTOR
OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
PROGRAMS THAT PHYSICIANS FOR
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. LOS
ANGELES. EXCUSE ME. WE'RE IN
ENVIRONMENTAL. EXCUSE ME. HMM.
SORRY HAVEN'T ENOUGH WATER TODAY
WE'RE IN ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH
AND JUSTICE ORGANIZATION BASED
IN L A. AND WE'RE ALSO A PART OF
THE COALITION. AND SO I WANT TO
FIRST THINK DTSC STAFF FOR THEIR
TIRELESS EFFORTS AND WORK THIS
YEAR OVER THE PAST YEAR TO WORK
WITH EJ GROUPS ACROSS THE STATE,
PARTICULARLY THROUGH ROBUST
CONVERSATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE
CBC PROGRAMS ESPECIALLY CR DND
DND PROGRAMS. ARE CENTERING
EQUITY AND PREVENTING FURTHER
HARM TO COMMUNITIES. AND THIS
COLLABORATION IS A TREMENDOUS
STEP FORWARD, I THINK IS INGRID
INGRID SIDE TOWARDS ENSURING
THAT ON THE STATE AND THE AGENCY
ARE BOTH RESPONSIVE TO COMMUNITY
NEEDS, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY
CENTERING COMMUNITIES IN
CONVERSATION THAT ULTIMATELY
LEAD TO CHANGES THAT WILL IMPACT
THESE COMMUNITIES AND ALLOW THEM
TO THRIVE IN PLACE. UM DESPITE
THESE EFFORTS, THOUGH, THERE IS
STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE.
I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD THIS A DOZEN
ONE TIMES, BUT WE JUST WANT TO
UPLIFT. YOU KNOW THAT THAT SOME
OF THE THINGS THAT SEVERAL
SPEAKERS HAVE SAID TODAY AND
THAT'S REALLY LOOKING AT THE
WAYS IN WHICH WE DISPOSE OF
HAZARDOUS WASTE AND HAZARDOUS
WASTE. AND YOU KNOW, PATENTS
THAT TO THE FACT THAT THERE UM
THAT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY
CENTERING EQUITY OR HEALTH AND
SO LOOKING AT CURRENT POLICIES
AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE AGENCY
THAT REALLY LIMIT ITS ABILITY TO
TRULY REIMAGINED THE WAYS THAT
WE'RE GENERATING AND MANAGING
WASTE AND MAKING SURE WE'RE
PRIORITIZING THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF COMMUNITIES. UM THOSE
THINGS SUCH AS, UM, THE LIMITED
POLICY AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR
SAFER MEDIATION TECHNIQUES,
INCLUDING BIOREMEDIATION, THE
LACK OF PRIORITIZATION OF
COMMUNITY AND PUT IN REMEDIATION
WORK, PLAN, APPROVAL OR
SELECTION, AS WELL AS APPROACH
PRIORITIZATION OF CLEANUPS TO
THE HIGHEST HIGHEST STANDARD,
REGARDLESS OF BEING USED TO
TRYING TO WAS MENTIONED AS A
CHALLENGE WITH SOMETHING WE
SHOULD REALLY BE STRIVING
TOWARDS AND ALSO LENGTHY AND
BURN SOME BUREAUCRATIC PROCESSES
THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR REMEDIAL
ACTION TO TAKE PLACE ON SITE SO
THINGS THAT ARE PREVENTING SORT
OF EARLY REMEDIATION PROCESSES
TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THAT. THAT
PLAN IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED. SO I
THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE
TALKED ABOUT IS POTENTIALLY
EXPLORING USING BARREL MEDIATION
EVEN BEFORE PLANS ARE FULLY IN
PLACE, SO THAT SITES ARE NOT
JUST SITTING VACANT AND HARMS
HER. YOU KNOW, BEING OUR
COMMUNITIES ARE BEING HARMED IN
THE MEANTIME. UM FURTHER, WE
WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE RESOURCES
ALLOCATED TO ENSURE THAT THE
AGENCY IS NOT NECESSARILY
RELYING ON DEVELOPERS AND
MUNICIPALITIES FOR COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT, BUT INSTEAD ARE
PROACTIVELY ENGAGING AND
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH
CLEANUP COMMUNITIES. AND I KNOW
A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE GOING
TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE HAZARDOUS
WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN. BUT
REALLY, WE NEED TO WORK ON THESE
NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT COMMUNITY
AREN'T CONTINUING TO BE PUT ON
HOLD, WHILE UM WHILE THE PLAN IS
BEING REVIEWED AND IMPLEMENTED,
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SO JUST
QUICKLY JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT
WE DO HAVE A LONG STANDING
HISTORY WITH WORKING WITH
DETAILS CMBS AND WE REALLY JUST
WANT TO AGAIN PRIORITIZE
RESTORING COMMUNITIES TO THEIR
FULL HEALTH AND JUST WANT TO
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR THE
ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'VE HAD. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. UM
WE'RE SO OVER TIME I AM. WE'RE
GOING TO GO TO THE PHONE LINES.
WE'RE GONNA ASK THE FOLKS ON THE
PHONES TO PROVIDE UP TO ONE
MINUTE OF TESTIMONY. LET'S GO TO
YOU, MODERATOR. THANK YOU. NOT
THIS TIME, PLEASE. PRESS ONE,
THEN ZERO AGAIN, IT'S 10.
MINGLES FIRST TO LINE NUMBER 14.
ONE MOMENT HERE. PLEASE GO AHEAD
AND LINE 14. HI THIS IS MELISSA.
WELL, WE CAN HEAR YOU. YEP.
GREAT. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS
MELISSA BUMP SAID, UM, I LIVE
LESS THAN FOUR MILES FROM THE
SANTA SUSANNA FIELD LAB. MY
DAUGHTER IS A TWO TIME CANCER
SURVIVOR. AND HE'S ONE OF 80
KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO
RECENTLY SENSOR IN FACT, UM, TWO
CHILDREN LAST MONTH WERE
DIAGNOSED WITH RARE CANCERS AND
SIMI VALLEY. EARLIER THIS YEAR,
DTSC BROKE 2007 AND 2010 CLEANUP
AGREEMENTS FOR THEIR SITES. WITH
THEIR NEW P E I R. THAT HAS
PROVISIONS THAT WILL ALLOW
BOEING TO LEAVE 90% OF THE TALK
TO CONTAMINATION ON SITE. AND
NASA AND DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.
CAN NOW LEAVE UP TO 65% OF THEIR
ACREAGE CONTAMINATED THAT IS
WRITTEN INTO THE P I R LANGUAGE.
THESE NEW AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN
DONE WITHOUT PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
WITHOUT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW,
AND THEY'RE GOING TO LEAVE
GENERATIONS OF RESIDENTS AT RISK
EXPOSURE FROM RADIOACTIVE AND
TOXIC CONTAMINATION. GTSI SO
CALLED INVEST SCIENCE. SHE USED
THE FAVORITE POLLUTERS, AND IT
CONTRADICTS, ESTABLISHED AND
HELP PROTECT THE SCIENCE. UM AND
WE DO NOT CONSIDER THE 20 MINUTE
PRESENTATION NEXT MONTH AT THE
YESTERDAY TO ACTUALLY BE
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BECAUSE THE
DOCUMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN
FINALIZED. WE WORKED VERY HARD
TO BE HEARD BY THE DPS. D UM AND
WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO HAVE
SOME OVERSIGHT WITH THE BES, BUT
THAT IS NOT BEEN PROVIDED TO US.
UM AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT'S
CONTRARY TO THE INTENT OF THE 1
58, AND I THINK THERE'S ROOM TO
REVISE FOR SPECIFIC REVIEWS. OUR
GRASSROOTS GROUP, THE PTSD AND
BOEING OVER VIOLATIONS ALONG
THEIR NGO GROUPS AND HOPE OF
RETURNING TO A SITE PROTECTED
STANDARD. BUT HAVING THIS DO FOR
JUSTICE IS AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN
ON FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES. WE
BELIEVE THAT PTSD IS BEING
INFLUENCED BY CORPORATE
DEVELOPERS, POLLUTERS AND
POLITICS. BUT CONTINUE TO HARM
COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE. WE HOPE
THAT YOU WILL, UM TAKE FURTHER
CONSIDERATION INTO REVISING SP 1
58 TO INCLUDE SITE, UM, SPECIFIC
REVIEWS SO THAT WE COMMUNITIES
LIKE MINE DON'T HAVE TO DO BUT
CAN ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEONE WE CAN
BRING OUR AGREEMENTS IS TO
DECIDE. THANK YOU. NEXT CALLER.
AND THAT WILL BE LINE 39. HELLO.
HI THERE. YEAH, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
HI I'M RACHEL ROUND IT CONCERNS
THAT HAS BEEN, UM IT IS FAILING
THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW AND
FEELING TO DO IT STOPS REGULATE.
TO BRING UP SOMETHING THAT A LOT
OF PEOPLE HAVE BROUGHT UP AND
ITS DESCENT SKILL LABORATORY,
ONE OF THE MOST POLLUTED SITES
IN THE STATES. THE CLEANUP WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE DONE IN 2017.
PTSD ONLY PUBLISHED THEIR DRAFT
ER AT THIS TIME, THE FINAL E I R
ONLY BEING CERTIFIED THIS YEAR.
WITHIN THE EI ARE NOT HOLD THE
SENATE OF THE LEGALLY BINDING
CLEANUP DOCUMENTS SIGNED YEARS
AGO. INSTEAD, THEY LET THE
POLLUTERS NASA GOING IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY GET AWAY
WITH THE SUBSTANTIVE CLEANUP.
PUTTING OUR COMMUNITIES AT RISK.
THE LEADERSHIP CLAIMS CERTIFYING
THE PR WILL ALLOW YOU TO MOVE
FORWARD WITH FULL PEANUTS
LABORATORY YET. T I, R REACHES
THE 22,007 AND 2010 AGREEMENTS,
WHICH REQUIRED A FULL ENOUGH AND
ONE SAID, ALLOW THE GREAT
MAJORITY OF THE CONTAMINATION
AND NEVER BE CLEAN UP WITHIN THE
ER. THE DGSE FAILS TO DIRECTLY
ANSWER COMMENTS OF THEIR
ASSESSMENT OF ALTERNATIVE AND
THEY'LL DO WHAT THE ER IS MEANT
TO DO. I ASKED YOU TO LEAVE THE
POLITICS, POWER AND MONEY ASIDE
AND THINK OF WHAT OUR COMMUNITY
NEEDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU NEXT
CALLER. LINE 34 JUST GO AHEAD.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. MY NAME IS
DANIEL HIRSCH AND THE RETIRED
DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM ON
ENVIRONMENTAL AND NUCLEAR POLICY
AT UC SANTA CRUZ AND PRESIDENT
OF THE COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THE
GAP. I FOLLOWED THREE DECADES.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST
DYSFUNCTIONAL AND CAPTURED
AGAINST AGENCIES CAPTURED BY THE
INCLUDING INTEREST IS SUPPOSED
TO REGULATE THAT. I KNOW RATHER
THAN MAKING PROGRESS REFORMING
ITSELF. IT IS CURRENTLY WORSE
THAN I HAVE EVER SEEN IT. POSES
A TOXIC THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
I WAS SIMPLY FLABBERGASTED AND
EXTRAORDINARY FALSE STATEMENTS
DIRECTOR WILLIAM NEED EARLIER
TODAY ABOUT THE SOUND OF THE
HEAVILY CONTAMINATED FORMER
REACTOR MISSILE TESTING FACILITY
IN THE L. A AREA. SHE CLAIMED
THAT HE HAD JUST CERTIFIED AND
AIR THE CURRENCY'S QUOTE FULL
UNQUOTE CLEANUP. IN FACT, THE IR
BREACHES 2007 AND 2010 LEGALLY
BY THE AGREEMENT, WHICH REQUIRED
CLEANUP INSTEAD ALLOWED A
MAJORITY OF THE CONTAMINATED
SOIL NEVER BE CLEANED UP AND
LAST YEAR, BREAKING LONGSTANDING
PLEDGES NOT TO DO SO WIDELY
CRITICIZED BACKROOM DEAL WITH
BOEING AGGREGATING THE 2007
AGREEMENT. BROKEN PROMISES WILL
, IF NOT A RETURN TO THE PUBLIC
THAT PERPETUAL RISK. URGED THE
COMMITTEE TO HOLD A FIELD
HEARING ON THE STAND SCANDAL,
WHICH, IF NOT ADDRESSED AND PUT
AT RISK TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE. INCLUDING MANY IN THE
DISTRICTS OF SENATOR STERN AND
ALLEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU NEXT
CALLER. LINE. 36, PLEASE GO
AHEAD. 36 YOUR LINE IS OPEN. CAN
YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN. YES,
PLEASE PROCEED. OKAY UM, I AM
ALSO SPEAKING ON THE FIELD LAB.
MY NAME IS JENNY ASKED, UM, FOR
THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH
OVER 700,000 PEOPLE LIVE WITHIN
10 MILES OF THE SITE. I WAS
ACTUALLY FUNDED, INDEPENDENT
STUDY SHOWS 60% INCREASED CANCER
INCIDENCE RATES FOR CERTAIN
CANCERS FOR THOSE LIVING WITHIN
TWO MILES OF THE TASTE. THEY
DOCTOR WILLIAMS STATED THAT
THERE WAS INFORMATION ABOUT THE
CLEANUP DECISIONS WAS BEING
CIRCULATED. THAT WAS NOT TRUE.
SPEAKING ABOUT THE DECISIONS
TODAY, STATING THAT KILLING IS
BEING LET OUT OF OVER OF THEIR
CLEANUP AGREEMENT. UM BUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF LEAVING OVER 90%
OF THEIR SOIL CLEANUP NOT
CLEANED UP ON SITE. THAT IS,
ACCORDING TO SPECIAL
INVESTIGATIVE STUDIES PUBLISHED
BY REUTERS. THE INDEPENDENT
EXPERT ANALYSIS BY COMMITTEE TO
BRIDGE THE GAP PRINTS ARE NOT
FALL. THEY'RE INDEPENDENT AND
BASED ON SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS,
REPUTABLE SOURCES THE DECISIONS
THAT THEY CAME TO IT. BOEING
WERE DONE WITHOUT LIKE INPUT
WITHOUT ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
BREAKING SPEAKER REGULATIONS AND
WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IS
THAT. THE DECISIONS HAVE ALREADY
BEEN MADE. SO WE HAVE NOT HAD
STATED WE'RE HAVING. WE'RE BEING
FORCED. ASK OUR ELECTED. TO THE
STATE TO MAINTAIN THOSE 2007
2010 CLEANUP AGREEMENTS. WE
WOULD LIKE THIS LEGISLATIVE BODY
JOINT COMMITTEE. UM. JUST STAY
ON TASK BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT
THE STILL A CAPTURED AGENCY, BUT
THEY ARE FAILING. MOVED IN THE
DETAILS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT,
LET'S LET'S HEAR FROM NEXT
CALLER. LINE 11. YOUR LINE IS
OPEN. THANK YOU, WILLIAMS. I'M
SORRY TO DISAPPOINT THE
LEGISLATORS WHO ARE HOPING TO
SEE THAT YOUR EFFORTS ARE
BEARING FRUIT. THEY'RE NOT
FUNDAMENTALLY UNCHANGED. YOU'VE
GOTTEN A TASTE TODAY OF WHAT WE
IN THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITIES
EXPERIENCE WHEN DEALING WITH
DTSC. YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD THAT
DIRECTOR WILLIAM'S LIFE. TO YOUR
FACE. WHEN SHE SAID TODAY THAT
THE NEWLY RELEASED CR BENEFIELD
LAB WILL RESULT IN A FULL QUEEN
UP. WHEN IN FACT IT WILL LEAVE
MOST SITE CONTAMINATION RIGHT
WHERE IT DIRECTOR WILLIAMS CAN'T
ADMIT THIS BECAUSE DOING SO
WOULD ROCK THE BOAT TOO MUCH, SO
SHE ACCUSES THE COMMUNITY OF
BEING FACTUALLY INCORRECT. WHEN
WE GET INTO THE FACTUAL DETAILS,
IT'S CLEAR HER POSITION HAS NO
BASIS. BUT WE DON'T HAVE TIME IN
A HEARING LIKE TODAY'S TO GET
INTO THOSE DETAILS. AND SHE'S
ABLE TO FALL BACK ON HER
AUTHORITY. BECAUSE WHO ARE YOU
GOING TO BELIEVE HER OR THE
COMMUNITY? PTSD CONTINUES TO BE
PATRONIZING. THE COMMUNITY
MEMBERS CONTINUES TO SIGN OFF ON
POLLUTER FRIENDLY DEALS AND
CONTINUES TO BE BELIEVED BY
PEOPLE IN POWER WHEN IT LIES
ABOUT ALL THIS. GERI ALLEN. I
CALL ON YOU IN PARTICULAR TO GET
INVOLVED. IN A SENSE, SUSANNA
FIELD, LOUD FARMING CONSTITUENTS
IN YOUR OWN DISTRICT. PLEASE.
ERA. CHANGED THE PATTERN. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LET'S
GO TO THE NEXT COLOR. 37, PLEASE
GO AHEAD. HELLO THANK YOU FOR
TAKING MY COMMENT. PTSD IS
OBJECTIVELY FAILING TO DO ITS
JOB TO REGULATE TOXIC CHEMICALS.
THEY ARE CAPTURED BY POLLUTERS
AND WORKING FOR THE POLLUTERS
INSTEAD OF PUBLIC IF WE TAKE THE
SANTA SUSANNA FIELD LAB AS AN
EXAMPLE, DTSC NEGLIGENCE CLEARLY
VISIBLE. LEGALLY BINDING 22,007
AND 2010 CLEANUP AGREEMENTS
APART AS FELT COMPLETELY CLEANED
UP BY 2017. BUT HERE WE ARE IN
2023 AND THE PROMISE CLEANUP HAS
YET TO BEGIN. YOU JUST THE ONLY
PUBLIC DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT SUPPORT THE CLEANUP IN
2017 6 YEARS. DO IT DO THE
DEEPLY FLAWED FINALLY IR. WE'VE
HEARD TODAY ALREADY THAT
DIRECTOR WILLIAMS CLAIM THAT THE
E I R. ASSURES FULL CLEANUP OF
US FL IS FALSE. THE E I, R.
BREAKS THE 2010 AND 2017
AGREEMENTS IN MANY WAYS AND
INSTEAD ALLOWED GREATLY SPEAKER
CLEANUP STANDARDS THAT WILL
LEAVE THE MAJORITY OF TOXIC
CHEMICALS AND RADIONUCLIDES TO
NEVER CLEANED UP BY STALLING THE
CLEANUP FOR YEARS BEYOND ITS DUE
DATE AND THEN VIOLATING THAT
REQUIRED A FULL CLEAN UP
CONTAMINATION FROM SFL CONTINUES
TO MIGRATE OFFSITE INTO THE
SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. DTSC
HAS PUT THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES
ARE GREAT RISKS. WE NEED THE
LEGISLATOR TO HOLD THEIR FEET TO
THE FIRE. OKAY ALL RIGHT. THANK
YOU. LET'S HEAR FOR THE NEXT
CALLER. LINE NINE. PLEASE GO
AHEAD. YES. YOU HEAR ME? AT
LEAST WE CAN. OKAY UM, MY NAME
IS SALLY TOBIN. UM DTS HAS A
CORE MISSION OF PROTECTING
CALIFORNIA'S PEOPLE, COMMUNITIES
AND ENVIRONMENTS, SOME TOXIC
SUBSTANCES AND RESTORING
CONTAMINATED LAND. UNFORTUNATELY
AS YOU'RE HEARING UP AND DOWN
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DSPS
PERFORMANCE IS A BIG
DISAPPOINTMENT. I SPEAK AS A
RESIDENT OF RICHMOND,
CALIFORNIA. WHICH ONE IS AN
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY, BY ANY
MEASURE WITH INCOME DISPARITY,
ASTHMA, MAJOR FREEWAYS REFINERY
AND A LONG HISTORY OF YET DTSC
ADVOCACY OF TAPPING THEIR THEIR
ZENEFITS SITES, SHORELINE IS
VIRTUALLY GUARANTEED TO INCREASE
THE BURDEN OF TOXIC SITE BY
SPREADING CONTAMINATION INTO
NEIGHBORHOODS AND FRANCISCO BAY
BEING BOTH THE HEALTH OF FUTURE
RESIDENT AND THE VIBRANT
BIOLOGICAL LIFE CYCLE THAT IS
THE BASIS FOR COMMERCIAL
FISHING, CRABBING. SPORT FISHING
AND RECREATIONAL INDUSTRY DEAD,
THEY WILL NO LONGER CARBON
CONTRIBUTING TO THE CLIMATE.
WELL WHY ISN'T BEING REQUIRED TO
CLEAN UP? AND HOW MANY WERE
BECAUSE BRITAIN. THANK YOU. AND
WHY ISN'T YET CARRYING OUT A
COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF
SHORELINE SITES, ESPECIALLY
AROUND THE BACK? I'M THERE JUST
SEEMS TO BE APPLAUD OF, UM
QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE
ANSWERED BEFORE BECAUSE
COMMUNITY THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO TO THIS CAR.
AND LINE 35. PLEASE GO AHEAD.
GOOD AFTERNOON. JANET JOHNSON.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN.
GREAT THANK YOU. I AM RICHMOND
SHORELINE ALLIANCE CO CHAIR AND
SUNFLOWER ALLIANCE COORDINATOR
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU. THE
PSC AND IT'S BES HAS UPLIFTED
NORTH RICHMOND BUT DOWNPLAYED
RICHMOND SUPER FUN QUALIFIED
SENECA SITE, RIGHT? UNDERSTAND,
FRANCISCO PAY SHORELINE IN AN SB
5 35 DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY. 86
ACRES TYPE CONTAINS HALF A
MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF
CONTAMINATED SOIL. A TOXIC SOUP
OF CHEMICALS AND HEAVY METALS
DUMPED BY STAUFFER CHEMICAL FOR
HIS CENTURY, TSP HAS IGNORED THE
WILL OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR AN
APPROPRIATE CLEANUP, AS WELL AS
THE THREAT OF RISING SEA LEVEL
AND GROUNDWATER AND ITS ENABLING
DEVELOPMENT, OF COURSE, 1000
CONDOS THERE BY RECOMMENDING
EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT AND THEN
CAPPING THIS ONLINE SITE.
REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
AS PTSD REVAMPED ITS PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION STRATEGY. IMPACTED
COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO
SUBMIT RECOMMENDATIONS DURING
THE PROCESS AND NOT BE RELEGATED
TO INPUT AND FEEDBACK. THANK YOU
SO MUCH AGAIN. THANK YOU NEXT
COLOR. CURRENTLY NONE FOR THEIR
OWN QUÊ. OKAY ALRIGHT. I REALLY
DO APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS.
GOSH SO MUCH. ALMOST AN
OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF TOPICS TO
DEAL WITH, AND SOME WHOLE SLEW
OF IMPORTANT FOLLOW UP TO DO SO
. I DO APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S
PARTICIPATION. AH OBVIOUSLY MORE
MORE AND MORE TO COME, BUT THIS
WAS VERY FRUITFUL AND LEARNED A
LOT AND WITHOUT WE'RE GONNA
WE'RE GONNA ADJOURN THIS
HEARING. THANK YOU. SO. STEP
LEADING BRAND.