R-19 Correspondence – Kimberly Amaya
From: Kimberly Amaya [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 3:40 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Agenda Item #19
-EXTERNAL-
My name is Kimberly Amaya, I live in West Long Beach near the SERRF incinerator and I’m a member of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. I’m here today to say that we need your commitment to decommission the incinerator as soon as possible, and have an RFP that doesn’t look to extend SERRF’s life in order to protect our communities from further harm.
Community members have voiced their concerns repeatedly on the health impacts SERRF has caused. We have expressed our needs for a future where we’re not relying on trash burning to the City of Long Beach. Each time our concerns were cast aside and instead of possible solutions, we just heard how great the incinerator was. The lack of urgency to look into alternative solutions from the City of Long Beach has exposed our communities to unnecessary risks and far dirtier air.
Now the city is faced with the reality that if it weren’t for subsidies, SERRF would have never existed. It is deeply upsetting that even till this moment the conversation regarding SERRF’s future is purely from a financial lens, rather than the harm it’s been causing for decades. The SERRF incinerator is exposing my community and other EJ communities outside of Long Beach to filthy air and harmful chemicals every day, as burning trash is a dirty and dangerous process that releases many pollutants and produces toxic ash that threaten our health and safety.
We have been waiting far too long for the city to implement a zero waste transition that is rooted in the community and we cannot afford to wait any longer.
As representatives who have been elected by the community, we urge you to make SERRF’s closure and the city’s transition to zero waste a top priority. Commit to decommissioning the incinerator and create an RFP that does not extend SERRF’s life which means instead of exploring anaerobic digestion or any other waste to fuel or waste to energy polluting scheme, look into managing organic waste via composting which will benefit our communities by making nutrient rich compost available to restore the health of our soils among many other things. You all have the power to set us on a true zero waste path that will lead to less generation of waste and allow our city to process and handle waste within our city while bringing more local jobs.
Thank you.
R-19 Correspondence – Laura Cortez
From: Laura Cortez [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 3:06 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment- Agenda Item #19
-EXTERNAL-
Good evening,
My name is Laura, I'm a member, organizer, and Co-Director at East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. I’m writing today to ask that the LB city council make SERRF’s closure and the city’s transition to zero waste a top priority.
It has been clear for years that incinerators harm our communities; this is one reason the City of Commerce made the right choice in 2018 to shut down the incinerator. The SERRF incinerator is exposing our communities to filthy air and harmful chemicals every day, as burning trash is a dirty and dangerous process that releases many pollutants and produces toxic ash that threaten our health and safety. This is in addition to the significant pollution caused by goods movement by the ports and the 710, SERRF being a contributor to that goods movement pollution.
As representatives who have been elected by the community, we urge you to commit to decommissioning the incinerator and create an RFP that does not extend SERRF’s life which means instead of exploring anaerobic digestion or any other waste to fuel or waste to energy polluting scheme, look into managing organic waste via composting which will benefit our communities by making nutrient rich compost available to restore the health of our soils among many other things. You all have the power to set us on a true zero waste path that will lead to less generation of waste and allow our city to process and handle waste within our city while bringing more local jobs.
Kindly,
--
**************************
Laura J. Cortez (she/they-- ella/elle)
Co-Executive Director/Organizer/Member
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R-19 Correspondence – Kirk Kunihiro
From: LB Community Compost [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 12:13 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: PUBLIC COMMENT - Agenda Item 19, Council Meeting 1/17/23
-EXTERNAL-
Hello,
My name is Kirk Kunihiro, I’m a District 1 resident, small business owner, lead organizer with Long Beach Community Compost, and recent Sustainable City Commission appointee. I live 3.2 miles from the incinerator.
From my perspective as a waste management consultant specializing in the implementation of SB 1383, I realize that in all likelihood the city will be utilizing anaerobic digestion as its primary method of managing organic waste, whether locally, if the incinerator is converted to a biogas facility, or further afield. Realistically, I know that industrial collection and processing will be needed to process the amounts of organic waste generated by a city as populous as Long Beach, whether that is through aerobic windrow composting or anaerobic digestion.
That said, I want the record to show that a significant portion of the community and a number of community environmental groups desire local food scraps composting at the community scale, otherwise known as community composting. In 2022 Long Beach Community Compost converted over 54,000 pounds, or 27 tons, of food scraps into nutrient rich compost that was re- distributed back into the community. Hundreds of individuals have dropped off their food scraps with us since we've been in operation over the last 3 years. Many come every week. The organization itself has no paid staff and is run by a team of volunteers. Imagine what we could do with additional support from the city.
We envision an organic waste management plan that recognizes the contributions that are made by community composting in the form of compliance with SB 1383 regulations, greenhouse gas emission reductions, fostering community bonds, and creating locally made nutrient rich fertilizer that supports urban agriculture and home gardens.
Recognition of these benefits could look like continued support through grants, city land use agreements, other resource sharing, and most importantly, open dialogue and cooperation. I say continued support because I want to acknowledge that the city has already been very supportive of community composting efforts thus far and we are very appreciative of that.
I urge the city to share the results of the study commissioned by HDR Engineering as soon as possible, and open up a public comment period for possible future uses of the SERRF site to explore alternatives to anaerobic digestion prior to releasing the RFP for organic waste processing. Perhaps a portion of the SERRF site itself could host a small windrow composting facility. The northwest corner of the property looks to be undeveloped and unused.
The memo for agenda item 19 refers to compliance with the Climate Action Plan. While the CAP does indicate that the should consider anaerobic digestion, it also says the following:
The Climate Action Plan goals W-4.1 and W-4.2 state that the city should:
•
•
• (W-4.1): Evaluate options for processing organic waste in Long Beach, such as composting, mulching,
• and anaerobic digestion facilities, and
•
•
•
• (W-4.2): Collaborate with other agencies to identify potential locations for organic waste processing
• facilities and share more information with interested parties, including how to navigate the permitting process.
•
Goals W-2.1 and W-2.2 state that the city should:
•
•
• (W-2.1): Work with stakeholders to design an organic waste collection program for City-serviced
• properties to meet California’s organic waste disposal goals and requirements. •
•
•
• (W-2.2): Develop a pilot program for smaller multifamily and commercial properties serviced by
• the City to identify challenges and solutions to implementation of an organics collection program.
•
In its effort to comply with the CAP, as stated in goals W-2.1, W-4.1, we urge the city to work with stakeholders, including Long Beach Community Compost, to evaluate and consider all options for managing organic waste, including community composting.
I want to thank the council for their time and consideration. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you wish to discuss the topic further.
Thank you,
Kirk Kunihiro
R-19 Correspondence – Andrea Svenneby
From: Andi Svenneby [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 3:54 PM
To: Council District 1 <[email protected]>; CityClerk <[email protected]> Subject: Public comment for 1/17/23 23-0039
-EXTERNAL-
1. 2.
3. 4.
5. 6. Hello,
7. 8.
9. 10.
11. 12. My name is Andrea Svenneby. I live in Long Beach’s 90813 zip code, in Councilmember Zendejas District 1. Our neighborhood is near the SERRF incinerator
13. and I’m a member of Long Beach Community Compost. I’m here today to say that protecting our city from further financial risks is not enough; we need your commitment to decommission the incinerator as soon as possible, and an RFP that doesn’t look to extend
14. SERRF’s life in order to protect our communities from further harm.
15. Despite repeated calls from the community throughout the decades, the City of Long Beach has failed to plan for a future where we’re not relying on trash burning and that failure has exposed our communities, myself and my neighbors included, to unnecessary health risks and far dirtier air.
Now the city is faced with the reality that if it weren’t for subsidies, SERRF would have never existed. It is deeply upsetting that even till this moment the conversation regarding SERRF’s future is purely from a financial lens, rather than the harm it’s been causing for decades. The SERRF incinerator is exposing my community and other frontline communities outside of Long Beach to filthy air and harmful chemicals every day, as burning trash is a dirty and dangerous process that releases many pollutants and produces toxic ash that threaten our health and safety.
I have lived in my neighborhood for 14 years and have recently developed very serious health issues that have affected my quality of life, physical and mental abilities. I have also noticed many of my neighbors suffer from asthma. Like most people in Long Beach, especially as you get closer to the incinerator, we don’t have air conditioning and rely on having our windows open to keep cool during the summer and have any sort of circulation during other seasons.
Unfortunately this comes at a cost to our health. As is evident with the thick, heavy soot that lines our windowsills, the the dirty ash from the toxic trash being burned at the incinerator finds its way into our homes. A place we should be safe from being harmed, but instead we are under constant attack of the dangers of this filth.
The worst part is the neighborhoods affected most by the incinerator are also overburdened with pollution from the port, the freeways, and refineries. These neighborhoods are systemically put at risk with no regard to the effects on their health. We see this with data showing lower life expectancies, and higher rates of many chronic health concerns. Ask yourselves, if SERRF wanted to set up an incinerator, or even an anaerobic digester in Park Estates, or El Dorado neighborhoods, would it even be considered? This is a take of two cities and I don’t understand how in 2023 you can in good conscience support a project that you know has health effects on people’s lives. It is absolutely unethical to back any projects you have information about causing harm to the residents of this city and surrounding cities as well. It’s time to invest in our communities rather than cause further harm, and you can make that change starting today.
It’s unjust to remove the city from any financial risks, while neglecting the responsibility to protect our communities from SERRF’s continued operations as-is or in any iteration that will harm public health. We have been waiting far too long for the city to implement a zero waste transition that is rooted in the community and we cannot afford to wait any longer.
As representatives who have been elected by the community, we urge you to make SERRF’s closure and the city’s transition to zero waste a top priority. Commit to decommissioning the incinerator and create an RFP that does not extend SERRF’s life which means instead of exploring anaerobic digestion or any other waste to fuel or waste to energy polluting scheme, look into managing organic waste via composting which will benefit our communities by making nutrient rich compost available to restore the health of our soils among many other things. You all have the power to set us on a true zero waste path that will lead to less generation of waste and toxic pollution and instead, allow our city to process and handle waste within our city while bringing more local jobs.
Thank you,
Andrea Svenneby
Resident of LB District 1