*** UPDATE: Barbra Williamson has resigned as Chair of the Task Force, but still remains a member of the group. ***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Resignation of Barbra Williamson, Chair of the Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force

Simi Valley, CA (December 8, 2010) – Barbra Williamson announced today the resignation as Chair of the Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task force effective immediately.

Citing the perception of a possible conflict of interest due to her recent appointment to the negotiating committee with Mayor Huber and City Manager Mike Sedell on discussions with Waste Management and the proposed landfill expansion, Williamson thought it best to step down.

SVLET member Louis Pandolfi will take over as acting chair.  “The Task Force has exceeded my greatest expectations and I know it will continue in its professional investigation of the impacts of the landfill expansion on the residents and businesses in our Community”, Williamson said.

“Task Force members will surely miss the leadership that Barbra has provided for over three years, during which she has worked tirelessly to protect Simi Valley from the negative environmental impacts that will result from the proposed landfill expansion”  said Charles Blaugrund Task Force Member. “We wish her success in her new assignment with Mayor Huber.”

For information regarding the Landfill Expansion Taskforce, dates and schedules, as well as related documents, check out www.savesimi.com.

Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force Announces Website Availability

Simi Valley –Barbra Williamson, Chair of the Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force announced today that the Task Force has created a website available for viewing at savesimi.com  Responding to numerous requests by interested community members concerned about the negative impacts of the proposed Simi Valley Landfill expansion by Waste Management, Inc., Ms. Williamson states, “This website makes it easy for members of the public to contact the Task Force directly and share their points of view with us. I receive inquiries daily on how people can get involved in the Task Force and learn more about the landfill expansion. This gives them an opportunity.”

Found on the website is an overview of the landfill expansion, highlights of critical impacts effecting Simi Valley and neighboring communities, links to forward thinking waste-to-energy techniques and documents associated with the Task Force. Enlisting the aid of local college students, the creation of the website is one example of the commitment of volunteers to inform the community of the impacts resulting from a three-fold expansion of the landfill.

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The Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force is an independent community group formed in 2007 by Simi Valley City Councilwoman Barbra Williamson and members of the community. The Taskforce is not affiliated with the City of Simi Valley or any other government body. Its mission is to keep the public informed and engaged on issues involving the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center’s proposed expansion currently under consideration by the County of Ventura.

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Mayor-elect Bob Huber spoke as well, identifying WM as a large Texas billion dollar corporation that produced a press release that he found offensive, standing up for Councilwoman Williamson’s right to free speech. Additional speakers suggested alternatives to the large landfill regarding waste disposal, like new state of the art facilities for disposal as well as rail transport to ship waste to landfills outside of Simi Valley.

The number of folks there to speak out in favor of Waste Management: ZERO!

During Council Comments, Barbra Williamson took a few minutes to recite a prepared presentation on her thoughts regarding Waste Management’s recent position. It was a strong, moving statement that I would like to share with you hear. I’m hoping to have a transcript of the presentation later this afternoon.

It’s a terrible position that we’re in as the approval deadline approaches for this landfill. From my observations, the landfill expansion has been surrounded by a mix-up of fear inducing statements and confusing, sometimes conflicting figures. Most people have taken either a firm pro or anti position against the landfill, but for those who want to study the facts and make an educated decision, it’s difficult. Every seemingly credible source is easily followed up by another just as credible source with conflicting data. With one side suing the other, and the other side now refusing to participate, clarity does not seem likely any time soon.

As an added note, Councilwoman Foster’s remarks regarding annexation seemed dead-on to me. Annexation cannot occur without willing participation from the land owner — Waste Management. With that said, as a City we should be laying the pressure on the County Board of Supervisors to ensure that we are represented.

November 4, 2010

Mike Smith
General Manager
Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center
2801 Madera Road
Simi Valley, CA 93065

Dear Mr. Smith:

The Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Taskforce invites Waste Management to participate in an open forum/debate on the issues surrounding the expansion of Simi Valley Landfill. We believe the community would benefit from an opportunity to hear all sides of the proposed expansion in a forum that ensures the debate does not become a battle of competing sound bites, half-truths and unanswered questions.

A community forum/debate with mutually agreed upon rules would prove beyond a doubt WM’s commitment to the principles outlined in your April ll, 2007 press release announcing Waste Management’s application for expansion of the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center. You stressed that WM is “committed to meeting the long-term waste disposal and recycling needs of Ventura County in an environmentally sensitive, cost-effective and community-focused manner.”

We would like to schedule this for early to mid December and have already spoken with California Lutheran University Professor Herbert Gooch, PhD. and he has agreed to serve as the moderator. I am hopeful you will accept our invitation at which time we can finalize the remaining pertinent details.

You can contact me at your convenience at 805.231.2497.

Barbra Williamson
Councilwoman, City of Simi Valley
Chair, Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Taskforce

So far, all we know at this point is that Waste Management is in receipt of this letter. No official word yet on whether or not they will accept the challenge and participate in the debate.

This Motion is made on grounds the County of Ventura is currently expending significant monies to process an application for the tripling of capacity at the Simi Valley Landfill, for a location that is expressly and unambiguously prohibited by state law, as expressed in the County’s own “Countywide Siting Element.”  The Countywide Siting Element was approved by all of the cities within the County and by the state’s Waste Board (now CalRecycle), and the Element clealry excluded from consideration the location of the expansion.  Thus, the processing of this application is a waste of public funds that must be immediately enjoined. 

This Motion shall be based upon the attached Points and Authorities, the Declaration of Barbara Williamson, the Request for Judicial Notice filed concurrently herewith, upon all pleadings and papers on file in this matter, and upon such other evidence, oral and documentary, which may be presented at the time of hearing.

The document can be viewed in its entirety by clicking here.

With the current application for expansion of the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center and the resulting negative impacts on the community, the issue of annexation of the landfill site and contiguous property owned by Waste Management to the City of Simi Valley should be of paramount importance to the City.  Therefore, at the September 20th Simi Valley City Council meeting, Council Member Barbra Williamson will request scheduling for public discussion the annexation of the landfill and adjacent Waste Management properties.

Established three years ago to inform the residents of Simi Valley of the potential impact the expanded Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center would have on our community, the Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force remains committed to its mission. Having completed technical reviews of the project’s draft environmental impact report, the Task Force is focusing its efforts on actions that will protect present and future generations from the adverse environmental impacts proposed by the expansion and to avoid any economic repercussions caused by the landfill’s operations. The Task Force’s position has always been to explore annexation of the property as a means to strengthen Simi Valley’s decision making capacity, and as the host City for the landfill, to safeguard our community. Now that the landfill project objectives and scope are known, it is time to investigate the possibilities and options annexation may present to the City.

Simi Valley Landfill Expansion Task Force

Here’s your chance, folks! Pay attention to that council meeting to see how that goes. Once a date is determined, you can bet that I’ll be publishing it here.

I am probably being a little oversensitive in writing this letter, but today’s (April 29) publication was the last straw, if you know what I mean.

I, like everyone else, refers to your newspaper as the Acorn , or Acorn . What if they were to call you “corn,” just leave off the “a.” It’s just a little thing but nonetheless I am sure it’s important to the owners of your newspaper.

Well, it’s just as important to a resident of our community that we be addressed as Simi Valley, not Simi.

Like I said . . . a little oversensitive perhaps, but let’s show a little respect when referring to our beautiful valley; it’s only six more letters.
Barbra Williamson
Simi Valley

I’m guilty of this.  I often refer to Simi Valley as Simi.  Also, and this may be beside the point, I often refer to Thousand Oaks as “T.O.” and sometimes, I even call Moorpark “M to the P.”  These are tough habits to break, but I suspect I have the willpower to get past this.  I’m pledging publicly that I will give it my best shot.  However, my bad habits don’t end here.

Interestingly, I often refer to the Simi Valley Acorn as “the corn.”

“Good morning, dear. The Corn is a little wet this morning because they tossed it in the lawn.  Good thing the Corn is online!”

It didn’t occur to me until I read Barbra’s letter that this might be an obvious display of disrespect, or as I often refer to it, a display of “d’spect.”  For the record, it should be noted that not only do I have a huge amount of respect for the Simi Valley Acorn, I also really enjoy corn of various varieties. East coast grown white corn on the cob is easily my favorite.  It nicely compliments any summer time barbecue [edit: replaced "BBQ" with "barbecue"].

Having lived in Simi Having lived in Simi Valley all of my life, I feel I owe it to B-Will owe it to Barbra Williamson to put my best foot forward and represent my city as it was intended — with two word, not one!

P.S. I love Barbra Williamson!

Barbra has always been open with me on everything and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate that.  She offered me this explanation on her real opinion of Bob Huber:

I’ve know Bob for many many many years.  He’s a good guy.  And you can quote me on that. Bob has given a lot to this community and never asked for anything in return.  The reason I am supporting Steve because I believe he is more in touch with what the future holds for our community.  He’s coming from a “hands on” position.  He can hit the ground running.  Bob would need some catching up and in this economy I don’t think we have time to wait.

I appreciate Barbra’s honest position on the topic, but I believe some real campaigning is required in order to win this election.  Bob Huber is a worthy candidate with a lot of support, and I asked Barbra if she agreed.  She replied as follows:

Yes, I believe Bob is a very worthy opponent and will keep Steve on his toes.  In the end, I do believe Steve will be victorious, because of his 12 years of dedication to this community.  He hasn’t left his post….Bob did after four years to further his career, where Steve has made Simi Valley his “career” by the leadership he continues to provide.

Regarding the quote in the Simi Valley Acorn and the subsequent letters to the editor in Bob Huber’s defense, Barbra feels she’s always been open about her positions on both candidates and feels the quote was taken out of context.  She submitted her own letter to the editor as follows.

Ms. Jan Gardner and Mr. Cadwell (letters, Simi Valley Acorn , April 2), please, don’t be perplexed any longer. As much as I respect Carissa Marsh’s reporting, you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.

In reviewing my “prepared” speech at Councilmember Sojka’s announcement in running for mayor, I never used the phrase “relic from the past” when referring to the other candidate(s). I not only relied on my notes but took the time to contact others in attendance who verified I did not use “relic” in any of my comments.

To quote Ms. Gardner, “Barbra said, the mayor shouldn’t be a ‘relic’ and should be between the ages of 45 and 54.”

In fact this is what I really said: “Between 2006 and 2008 the population of Simi Valley was approximately 122,000. Today it’s upwards of 125,000; of that, 98,203 residents are between the ages of 45 and 54 with only 24,683 between the ages of 55 and 85. It is my belief that someone in the age bracket of 45 to 54 is more likely to be in touch with our community than someone whose time has come . . . and gone.”

Like I said at the beginning of my prepared speech, I like Bob Huber. Funny, no one had a complaint about that part of my speech.
Barbra Williamson

And there you have it! Barbra has a clear amount of respect for Bob Huber, but maintains a strong level of support for Steve Sojka, as her recent comments on this blog suggest.

Barbra’s remarks were as follows:

Councilmember Barbra Williamson enumerated Sojka’s accomplishments, saying that his successes are current and ongoing, not “relics from the past”—a jab at Sojka’s challenger, local attorney Bob Huber, who last served on the council in 1984.

Williamson said she believes someone in the “45 to 54 age bracket” will be better in touch with the community’s needs than “someone whose time has come and gone.”

“I like Bob Huber, but I really like Steve Sojka,” she said with a grin, adding that the city needs “a young, up-and-coming man whose roots are firmly planted in the history of our community but also the future.”

Steven Cadwell says, no way!  Here’s his letter to the Simi Valley Acorn:

Barbra Williamson inferred at the mayor kickoff for her dear friend Steve Sojka that Bob Huber is a “relic from the past.” Curious, I went to Bob Huber’s website to verify for myself.

Well, Barbra, there is more to our city than just our city politicians.

By Williamson’s comments, anyone not currently on the City Council is irrelevant. That’s just balderdash and the people of our city know that.

Let us just look at the past three years. Bob Huber has been recognized by three unbiased organizations for his leadership since 2007.

In 2007, the Rotary Club named Huber “Rotarian of the Year.” Also in 2007, the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce named him the “Strathearn Lifetime Achievement Award” winner for his leadership in Simi Valley.

In 2009, the Ventura County Bar Association bestowed upon Huber its highest honor: The Nordman Award, which is given once a year to only one attorney in Ventura County for public service and leadership.

It sure does not sound like Bob Huber is a “relic from the past.” Incidentally, what public service recognition has Steve Sojka received in the past three years? I wish he had a website so I could verify for myself.

Additionally, for the past two years Huber has served as chair of the board of trustees of the Ventura County Community College District, which runs Moorpark College, Oxnard College and Ventura College with a budget over twice the size of our city.

Twice, Huber has been unanimously elected chair by his fellow trustees because of his leadership.

As chair of the college district, Huber, unlike Sojka, has actual hands-on experience running a public agency at the top.

Actual leadership is a must in these scary financial times. Again, it sure does not sound like Bob Huber is a “relic from the past.”

It’s up to the people of our city to pick our next mayor—not the good ol’ boy system.

Excellent letter, all good points.  I think Steven Cadwell should run for office next!

Seriously, I love Barbra Williamson. You don’t always have to agree with her, but she’s definitely not afraid to say what’s on her mind, even if the Simi Valley Acorn is there, feverishly writing down her every word!

We have in this great country an amendment which gives us freedom of speech with limits; let me repeat, with limits. As a former and likely future candidate, I know one of the first things all candidates are told is we are limited on what we can say about other candidates.

The five who sit on the council (mayor and four council persons) have more power than any other citizen or official of Simi Valley. The one thing they can do that no other can is make law.

This amplifies their voices far beyond the rest of us. They were elected by the citizens to represent the citizens. They are supposed to listen to us before they decide an issue. But it is their decision and theirs alone which counts.

To hear any elected official say they are being punished because they cannot voice their concerns as a private citizen (I have to be careful of those pesky limits) is silly. One is an elected official 24/ 7, from the moment they are sworn in to when they leave office.

It is sad some just don’t get it.

For being “limited on what you can say about other candidates” I’d say Mr.Jenkin’s message is loud and clear. So, this issue now as well as his position on city guidelines on where to store your trash bins should make for a compelling platform on which to run again in 4 years. Good luck Daniel!

Here’s Barbra Williamson, who in this video seems comfortable saying whatever is on her mind…