The City Council in San Ramon considers the City Recycling Center unimportant when there is money to be made. Recycling Center at Omega Road has been an important part of San Ramon environmental health for 17 years. It has been effective run by Valley Waste Management for many years and has become a regional asset for residents throughout the Tri-Valley area.
The City Council voted to close the center permanently on August 30 even though the 2020 General Plan requires that the city have a recycling center. They do not plan to open another site. The center land which is owned by the residence of San Ramon, will be sold off to a developer to build housing and retail mixed buildings similar to the conditions under which the City Center was sold off to Sunset Development.
The City Council has determined that we don’t need a recycling center any more. The money paid to Valley Waste Management in our monthly trash fee for operating the center ($146,000.00 per year) will go now be given to the city to put in their general fund and not returned to the residence of San Ramon in lower fees.
The San Ramon General Plan calls for the establishment of a permanent recycling center located within the city. The existing site should not be closed until another sit is selected. Until then redevelopment of the site can wait. Mixed use housing in this area is not a good idea. It will be in the middle of light industrial uses that are not going anywhere. That may be the plan all along, to drive local businesses out of the city by putting housing in the center of other uses. Just think what conditions these houses will be in five years with trucks from Morgan Masonry running around all day in the resident’s front yard. I call that instant plight.
The Recycling Center serves many purposes besides recycling. It serves to show that we in San Ramon care about the environment. It provides a show place that recycling is important and should saves materials from going to landfill which are fast becoming full. It teaches us and our children that the earth is not unlimited and should be protected. Recycling and reuse of materials are important to our future and our children’s future.
The City Council wants to show us that they care more about money and their economic agenda than the environment quality of our live in San Ramon. This should not be so in San Ramon and we should tell them at the next council meeting on May 13th. If you care about Earth Day and the environment come and say so.
Jim Gibbon, AIA
San Ramon For Open Government
Thursday, April 24, 2008
San Ramon City Council Votes to Close Recycling Center on Earth Day
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Saw an article in the San Ramon Times with the following quote:
"San Ramon's redevelopment agency owns the property occupied by the recycling center. Purchased more than 15 years ago with special housing funds, the land always was intended for affordable housing, city officials said Tuesday. In 1992, the city and the redevelopment agency entered into a two-year agreement to allow the property to temporarily be used for recycling.
The lease, which has continued to be renewed, was never meant to be permanent, San Ramon Councilman Dave Hudson said."
Wakeup San Ramon. The redevelopment agency is the San Ramon City Council! The City Council turns their hats around and votes as the Redevelopment Agency all the time. The City Council gets to be Judge, Jury, and Executioner for every single aspect of what happens with every single piece of property owned by the Redevelopment Agency. Note: The redevelopment areas can be expanded to include anything in San Ramon. It just needs to be declared blight. Who has the power to declare it blight? The Redevelopment Agency of course. They have eminent domain power in their hands too. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
The City Council can say anything they want. Who's going to call them on it - The Redevelopment Agency??? This is just the start of something much bigger to do away with all the small business in that area.
Does anyone see the potential for money under the table? Talk about sweetheart deals for a developer and any Redevelopment Agency official.
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCIES ARE JUST ANOTHER NAME FOR REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS. Pasadena disbanded theirs years ago because it was out of control.
A redevelopment agencies job is to redevelop so it will find something to redevelop.
Is San Ramon so old that it needs one?!? I don't think so. Its time to get rid of ours.
Our Mayor Abram Wilson and Councilmembers Jim Livingston, Dave Hudson, Scott Perkins and Carol Rowley approved a new plan a few months ago, for our garbage rates to double and triple for San Ramon Citizens, while knowing, they had plans (in just a few short months) to close down the recycling center on Earth Day, April 22, 2008 and to save the City millions of dollars by reallocating the cost of recycling services from the City's responsibility to the Citizens of San Ramon! How arrogant! Now, Mayor Abram Wilson brags about his EXCESS MONEY "he created" the $146,000,000 million dollars he stole from the citizens of San Ramon in his garbage deal. Stop these liars who claim they represent the best interests of the San Ramon residents! VOTE NO - ABRAM WILSON AND "HIS COUNCIL" ARE DISHONEST! WE NEED TO AUDIT THE BOOKS AT CITY HALL!!!
Opps - that's $146,000.00 thousand per year! I guess over a few years that will become $146,000,000 million over time. It's still stealing from the people, no matter how you look at it!
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