Business coalition fights plans to reopen old dump
Sacramento Bee Story
6/24/2008

A coalition of Sacramento County business owners says it is going to court to block plans to reopen an area landfill once blamed for numerous environmental problems.

The Power Inn Alliance, which represents more than 600 largely industrial businesses along the Power Inn Road corridor...

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1034800.html

NEW BOARD MEMBERS ADD CLOUT
6/12/2008

The Alliance Board of Directors, which has always been a major influence in this area, recently increased its effectiveness with the addition of three well known education and business leaders.

STEPHAN PEREZ, PhD, Assistant to the President, California State University, Sacramento.

KEVIN RAMOS, Chief Investment Officer, The Buzz Oates Group of Companies.

RANDY SATER, Sr. Vice President, Teichert Stonebridge Properties.

Their addition brings the Board total to twenty. The full Board of Directors can be found at:

COUNTY SUED OVER REOPENING FLORIN-PERKINS LANDFILL
6/3/2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2008
Contact: Jerry Vorpahl

The Power Inn Alliance, a coalition of over 600 local business and property owners, has filed suit in California Superior Court against the County of Sacramento’s Environmental Management Department and Local Enforcement Agency over issuance of a permit to reopen the Florin-Perkins Landfill. The suit alleges that the county failed to follow CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) guidelines and did not call for a full environmental impact report as required by law.

“Almost 95% of the county’s landfills, transfer stations and solid waste operations are located in the Power Inn area,” said Jerry Vorpahl, executive director of The Alliance, “and we’ve set some pretty high standards for all of them. But this landfill is being let in under the wire based on standards as far back as 1992 and not required to meet any upgrades.” He noted the absence of a covered facility in which waste and debris are processed, while existing and new transfer stations are mandated to be fully enclosed.

The Alliance cited over 32 deficiencies in the county’s April 29 adoption of a negative declaration (implying the proposed facility would have less than substantial impact on the environment); everything from failing to consider the impacts on global warming, as required by CEQA, to failing to investigate whether the facility is consistent with the city’s new general plan, which is expected to be completed this year.

The site, located on Florin-Perkins Road south of Jackson Highway, has had a troubled history and was closed in 2005 for illegal operations. The Power Inn Alliance has worked diligently for over 14 years for the benefit of businesses and citizens of the southeastern Sacramento community to bring new industry and economic prosperity to the area. “This project flies in the face of the efforts of The Alliance and the community at large by ignoring basic community standards,” Vorpahl said.

In addition to The Alliance, the nearby College Glen Neighborhood Association, representing over 4,500 residents, has also filed suit in Superior Court.
# # #


Case No: 2008-00012179
Title: POWER INN ALLIANCE VS. COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT LOCAL ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

Crime Committee Combats Metal Theft Teaming with Local Recyclers and SPD
Curbing Metal Theft
5/9/2008

Stopping thieves was the agenda of the Security and Crime Abatement Committee when they met with Sacramento Police and representatives from local scrap metal companies on May 7 to discuss metal theft prevention and detection.

Managers from Schnitzer Steel and Sims Metal, the world’s largest metal recyclers, and a representative from Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) said that the best methods of deterring thieves from selling stolen property are communication and identification. The sooner metal theft is reported to law enforcement and to ISRI’s online reporting system, recyclers will be on the lookout for the stolen items that may have been brought in for recycling. Since scrap metal is processed and shipped within three days, timing is crucial.

On a recent “Business Walk,” the most common complaint was about crime, and the most common crime was copper and other metal theft. One police captain said many businesses that haven’t experienced this yet are likely to in the near future.

MARK YOUR PROPERTY!

Police and recyclers at the recent meeting said businesses should log any serial numbers or spray paint distinguishing marks on air conditioning coils, copper pipes, and plates (even in rooftop units), sprinkler backflow valves and brass caps over fire hose valves. They should use a unique marking system, such as two colors or a symbol. When property is easily identified, recyclers are less likely to accept it.

In case of theft, victims should immediately report stolen items to Sacramento Police online Crime Report www.sacpd.org, then e-mail a detailed report and description of stolen goods to ISRI at theftalert@isri.org. E-mail broadcast theft alerts are sent to metal recyclers and agencies across Northern California.

The Power Inn Alliance is reviewing pending legislation that will mandate specific policies for metal recyclers in California, such as obtaining a thumbprint and photo from anyone turning in metal products for recycling. Currently each city and county adopts individual programs. Schnitzer and Sims Metal both have comprehensive systems that photo the seller, the materials purchased, along with a copy of the seller’s identification and signature. The Crime Committee suggests that all recyclers in the Power Inn Area do the same.

Got a Date? Here are Some Good Looking Ones
5/8/2008

May 28 – THE MIXER’S AT LAWNMAN, 4:30 – 6:30 pm, 4181 Power Inn Rd. Join us for food, drinks, prizes and contacts. Members/nonmembers invited. $10 at the door. RSVP: 453-8888.

May 30 – MEET THE CONTENDERS, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Jose Rizal Center, Florin Mall. Have lunch with BOTH Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson as The Alliance joins other south area Business Improvement Districts to present this candidates’ forum. Reservations a must. RSVP by 5/23: 453-8888.

Alliance Opposes Reopening Troubled Florin-Perkins Landfill; Not What it Says it is
4/25/2008

The Power Inn Alliance announced its opposition to reopening the Florin-Perkins Landfill which has been closed since 2005 due to illegal dumping and running afoul of environmental regulators.

The Alliance, a coalition of over 600 business and property owners throughout the Power Inn corridor, took this action following findings by the County Department of Environmental Review and Assessment (DERA) that no significant environmental changes have occurred since 1990 when the landfill permit was issued.

In response to the county, The Alliance noted 28 serious flaws in the document itself and questioned why a new out-of-town operator was being grandfathered in under old permit conditions, while current operators have had to meet severe restrictions imposed in recent years. “We have set a high bar for all the operators here,” said Jerry Vorpahl, executive director of The Alliance, “but one is being allowed to walk under it.” (The Power Inn area contains almost all landfill and solid waste operations in the county).

“They aren’t even being asked to process waste in an enclosed facility like all the other companies must do,” said Vorpahl. “It will all be done outside, under the hot Sacramento sun and you can imagine the stench that will emit.”

In addition to noxious odor, other problems include increased traffic along Florin-Perkins Road, impacts on water quality (“That stuff sitting out in the open gets rained on and then where do you think the contaminated water goes?” said Vorpahl), and incompatibility with the County General Plan which proposes urban centers along Jackson Rd. adjacent to the property.

Of major concern to The Alliance, as well as the 4,500 residents of the College Glen Neighborhood Association, which also opposes the project, is that the permit application was for a Materials Recovery and Transfer Station (where recyclables are sorted and then moved out) and not a traditional landfill (where refuse gets buried and covered up with dirt). However, the intended operator placed a quarter-page ad in the new AT&T Yellow Pages identifying itself specifically as a “Public Landfill.”

“Exactly what they contend they aren’t,” said Vorpahl. “We’d been given every assurance by both the county and the operator that this was not and would never be a landfill, when all along that’s exactly what they planned.”

Burnie Lenau, chairman of the Alliance Planning and Zoning Advisory Committee (PZAC), said of the county's environmental report, "That a landfill disguised as a "Materials Recovery/Large Volume Transfer Station," and accepting 500 tons of assorted waste per day, will have no impact on traffic, air quality, water quality, noise, odor or carbon emissions strikes me as more than an imcomplete report."

In response to the county’s assertion that the proposed landfill would have no negative impact, The Alliance noted, “Although the current Project proponent is new and cannot be held to account for past violations, the site’s history of mismanagement and the years of regulatory headaches it caused serve as a reminder of the need for the lead agency (DERA) to undertake the permitting process carefully and deliberately.”

May is Bike Month
4/11/2008

Dust off your bike, cycling season is here.
Join other Sacramento cyclists of all levels for cleaner air and healthier lifestyles.

Be a part of the Sacramento Region Million Mile May or most miles challenge.
Ride to work, for fun, or instead of driving when doing errunds. Logging every mile enters you for a chance to win prizes in the May is Bike Month website (below).

Explore Alternative Ridestyles

"TOP COP" Awarded to Local Officer; Businesses Recognized for Leadership, Development & Environment "TOP COP" Awarded to Local Officer; Businesses Recognized for Leadership, Development & Environment
4/10/2008

Officer Elmer Marzan of SPD's 6th. District was presented with a new Alliance award, "TOP COP" at the recent Annual Luncheon. Officer Marzan worked for months in a high crime area, making arrests, arranging for clean up, and facilitating undercover stings, which resulted in a significant reduction in crime and calls for service. In an area inundated with drug dealing, gang violence, and numerous shootings, Marzan worked countless hours to identify the bad guys and clean up the neighborhood. He has also solved a difficult homicide case of a homeless person.

In presenting this first-of-its-kind award, Executive Director Jerry Vorpahl said that while the award will be given to one individual of the Sacramento Police or County Sheriff's Department who works in the area, "it is meant to honor all law enforcement people who patrol our streets, track down thieves and protect our people."

Other major awards were presented to TEICHERT, INC. for "Business of the Year," to SMUD for "Best Environmental Practices," also a new award to THE BUZZ OATES GROUP OF COMPANIES for "Best New Development" for the Florin Perkins Center, and to JOE HENSLER, the Immediate Past Chairman, for "Member of the Year." Trong Nguyen was honored as Director Emeritus.

Senator Steinberg Addresses Record Crowd at 14th Annual Luncheon
3/21/2008

California's designated Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg spoke to over 170 people at the 14th Annual Luncheon of the Power Inn Alliance. In recounting his days as a City Councilman from this District, Steinberg said he has always been mindful of where his political career began and is proud of the substantial progress and development over the years.

One of the original founders of The Alliance, and still a Director Emeritus, the Senator also chairs the Natural Resources and Water Committee and told the gathering the recent Alliance initiative to "Go Green and Clean" will help place Sacramento in a leadership position to attract sustainable and technical industries from throughout the world.

Mayor Heather Fargo and Councilman Kevin McCarty also spoke. McCarty said that many local business areas are looking at the Power Inn Alliance as a model to create their own Property-based Business Improvement District.