Landfill opponents see appropriations committee approval of SB 833 as measure to stop proposed Gregory Canyon dump

After discussion on Monday, May 23, the California Senate Appropriations Committee has sent SB 833 to the Senate floor upon finding that the bill will have no negative fiscal impact to the State. This is an important step towards its final passage, first in the Senate and then the Assembly.

“We are pleased that the Committee has seen fit to send SB 833 to the Senate floor for the consideration it deserves,” said Robert Smith, Chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians. “This bill will protect Gregory Canyon from an unnecessary garbage dump that would desecrate sacred sites and threaten drinking water supplies.”

SB 833 would prevent a landfill from being built within 1,000 feet of one of San Diego County’s most valuable water resources and from being built within 1,000 feet of sites listed in the California Native American Heritage Commission Sacred Lands Inventory.

“We’re glad the <Appropriations> Committee recognizes the ecological significance of Gregory Canyon and the San Luis Rey River,” said Damon Nagami, staff attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “It’s irresponsible to build a garbage dump next to a sacred site like Gregory Mountain that is so spiritually important to the Luiseno people, and in a location that directly threatens critical drinking water sources for San Diego County residents.”

With existing landfills providing adequate capacity for years to come, a decline in county waste production, and an increase in recycling, the proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill is an unnecessary and irresponsible proposition for San Diego County.

“We are pleased that the California Legislature is taking action to prevent both the desecration of sacred land and the endangerment of our valuable water resources,” said Chairman Smith.