Toland Landfill Bad for Schools, Farms

* Well, they’ve done it again! The Board of Supervisors has voted 5-0 in favor of expanding the Toland Park area for Ventura County’s only dumping place. The newspapers said the vote was 3-2, but everybody knows that was only a political vote to save face.

Earlier they voted to build the county jail in the greenbelt and hurried to construct it as fast as possible to quiet down the people. The jail was so poorly constructed that after the last big rainstorm, three-quarters of the jail leaked and the plumbing was also a problem. Repairs are made at taxpayers’ expense!

The Ventura County Planning Commission denied the Toland [Road] Landfill after their unfavorable and dangerous finding to our largest resource, agriculture. The Ventura Regional Sanitation District in desperation rehired interim general manager and supersalesman Ed McCombs to sell the supervisors on approving the project, which he did.

Then I read that within the county officials there were also bad actions, like trying to keep Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail from giving his professional and honest opinion of the danger in situating a landfill in our largest agriculture area in the county.

The VRSD is not concerned about public safety but only to save their unnecessary and obsolete department.

I wonder what other unwanted project will be dumped in the greenbelt!

VICTOR SALAS JR.

Santa Paula

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Imagine 100 garbage trucks rumbling down Highway 126 daily, tearing up the road, spewing their fumes. Of course, this is not counting the other hundreds of vehicles that will also visit the expanded Toland Road dump.

How many schools are next to or near 126? Remember to count the Ventura schools as well as the Santa Paula schools. Will the children go on smog alert? When can they play, eat, assemble outside? Will doors and windows remain closed due to the pollution of noise and air? You ex-teachers on the Board of Supervisors, would you like to spend hours of yard and PE duty in this environment? Supervisor Susan Lacy, in particular, should recall her yard duty days in Santa Paula.

Remember, Ventura, we in the Santa Clara Valley have strong winds. You will be getting our air pollution. Thousand Oaks, why don’t you share your canyons with Oxnard, Camarillo and Ventura? Homes, ranches and golf courses don’t have to go into all your canyons.

JESSIE GIFFIN

Santa Paula