The Chula Vista City Manager declared a Local Emergency January 12 in response to the four-week Republic Services work stoppage. The Republic Services work stoppage has caused interruptions and delays in trash service that have been impacting Chula Vista since December 17, 2021.
The order authorizes City Manager Maria V. Kachadoorian to implement all actions necessary to ensure the safety of City residents, businesses, and the communities served. A Special City Council meeting will be held Friday, January 14 at 4 p.m. for City Council to take immediate action to ratify the Local Emergency order. In the interest of the public health and safety, this meeting is being held virtually.
Following are actions the City Manager is implementing to address the Local Emergency:
- Starting Wednesday, January 12, City teams were deployed to collect trash surrounding dumpsters at multi-family complexes and take it to the landfill. This will clear the area around the bins so Republic Services trucks can more efficiently access the bins and dump the waste into their trucks.
- In the interests of public health, staff is picking up overflow trash that is unsightly, attracting rodents and bugs and affecting the quality of life for the community.
- Upwards of 30 staff from Community Services, Public Works, and Environmental Services have been redirected to pick up and transport the overflow trash, respond to inquiries, and coordinate public requests for assistance with trash. The City also is enlisting support from contractors such as Work for Hope and Alpha Project to assist with overflow pick up.
- This effort is focused on clearing overflow trash in the City at multi-family housing complexes initially and then to commercial and industrial locations. This effort does not include emptying individual trash carts or dumpsters as the City does not have the equipment to do that safely. Republic Services is responsible for that.
- While the City does not have the staff or equipment to provide this service long-term, this effort will help reduce the mounds of overflow trash that are unsightly, attract bugs and rodents, and affect the quality of life for residents.
- The City Manager authorized the use of overtime for this weekend to continue efforts to clean up the City as soon as possible.
- The City also will establish an email and set up a call center for residents to report overflowing trash. These services will be live by Tuesday, January 18.
- The City will continue to coordinate with Republic Services to help with efficiencies to reduce the pile-up of trash in the community.
The proclamation outlines several factors supporting the Local Emergency including Republic Services has been unable to perform its obligation to collect and dispose of solid waste and recyclables; food, yard waste and recyclables are being treated as trash; excess is creating pest infestations; and overflowing trash, recyclables and organic waste are contaminating city streets and storm drains.
“This is a public health emergency,” declared Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. “We shouldn’t have to move staff from their regular jobs to help clear some of the trash that has piled up over the past four weeks, but unfortunately that is what we have to do. The best way to get this resolved is to have all parties get back to the negotiating table and come to agreement on a fair deal for our essential sanitation workers.”
The Special City Council meeting on January 14, 2022 at 4 p.m., is being held virtually at www.chulavistaca.gov/councilmeetings. Once the agenda is published, the public may submit eComments before the meeting or live during the Council meeting. Council Chambers will be closed and there will be no public in attendance.