An Oxnard, California recycling company, Paradise Industries, has been under the microscope as a zoning official pressures the company to either take care of problems or close down.
According to Gloria Goldman, a zoning code enforcement officer for Ventura County, the company continues to have serious zoning violations, and has failed to address most of the most egregious complaints.
After receiving many complaints by neighbors of the recycling facility, Goldman says, she met with the owner of the facility and negotiated procedures to remedy the situation. However, the company failed to meet the deadlines to correct he problems.
However, Keith Fuller, owner of the facility, says that the company has taken steps, and, in fact, the zoning officer has a vendetta against his company, and is out to put him out of business.
While acknowledging that some problems still need to be taken care of, the timetable for the cleanup was far too soon, and the follow-up inspections have come before the prescribed deadlines, fueling his opinion that he is the subject of a witch hunt.
According to Goldman, an inspection showed piles of recyclables 20-feet high. In fact, she added, the material located at the site had a significant amount of solid waste commingled with the recyclables.
Goldman first issued Fuller a violation notice in February. Last month the two sides worked out an agreement. According to local press reports, Fuller has failed to comply with 25 of its conditions.
Charges include a lack of proper containers for recycled materials that poses fire and pollution risks, untreated waste water flowing into a storm drain, fuel leaks and other toxic spills, installation of a trailer without proper permits, and use of flammable and combustible liquids without proper permits.
She said that Fuller was actively involved in putting together the compliance agreement. “He had complete input. However, he missed all three deadlines.”
The next step, she adds, is to submit a report to Ventura County’s planning commission. In it there will be several options. The county may opt to accept the company’s request for a modification, or it might decide to yank the company’s operating permit, essentially shutting down the operation.
Fuller, however, feels that he is being singled out by the enforcement officer. As to complaints filed against his company, he notes that a majority of them came from a competitor in the county.
Further emphasizing his opinion that the one enforcement officer is making it difficult for him, he says that the head of the enforcement office is scheduled to visit the site this on May 30. At that time, Fuller says, the agency will see that the steps he has taken have been significant, and that despite some steps that still need to be taken, the company is making every effort to operate legally.
One problem, Fuller continues, is that while he is willing to submit plans to repair some of the problems, the county will not accept them until the company remedies the previous violations.