Williamson announces her selections for Simi Valley landfill advisory committee

City Councilmember Barbra Williamson announced Wednesday the appointment of a sevenmember citizen task force to investigate the impacts of the proposed of the Simi Valley Landfill expansion.

Williamson, who will serve as the task force chairperson, will be joined by Jim Dantona Sr., an independent businessman; Bob Swoish, former Simi Valley planning commissioner; Louis Pandolfi, a geochemist; Gary Selvaggio, founder of Community Union; Geoff Cady, an information technology manager; and Alice Sterling, a senior planning manager.

Expansion plans from Waste Management, Inc. call for increasing the landfill area to 371 acres, doubling the solid waste received received each day from 3,000 to 6,000 tons, and more than tripling the existing disposal capacity to almost 100 million tons.

"The city of Simi Valley has hosted this landfill for more than 35 years," Williamson said. "If Waste Management's lateral and vertical expansion plans are approved as submitted we may have to host a much larger version for 35 additional years."

Her plans call for up to six public task force meetings during the next six to nine months.

Williamson said a representative from Waste Management will be invited to give a synopsis of their expansion plans at the first meeting, which wills serve as the starting point for the task force's investigation.

"Full public disclosure by Waste Management of all the relevant details of their landfill expansion plans is in the best interest of the corporation, Simi Valley residents and businesses, and trash rate payers in general," Williamson said.

Williamson wants Waste Management to post copies of its expansion plans for public viewing at the city halls and libraries of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.