CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
June 5, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Rene Guerrero, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE AMENDED AND RESTATED JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL AGENCY (LARA) RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
Adopt the following resolution:
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-82 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE AMENDED AND RESTATED JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT WITH THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL AGENCY (LARA); and Authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement subject to approval by the City Attorney.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Adopting Resolution No. 2023-82 (Attachment No. 1) will allow the City to continue its membership with the Los Angeles Regional Agency (LARA), a coalition of cities that work together to achieve compliance with solid waste regulations. The City has been an active of member of LARA since 2003. To reflect recent changes in legislation related to solid waste management, and specifically, new organic waste reduction laws, California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) requires the City’s existing Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with LARA be updated and amended (Attachment No. 2).
FISCAL IMPACT:
The City pays approximately $46,884.90 annually to LARA in membership fees, based on 24 cents per ton of landfill disposal charges. The amended JPA may result in a minor increase in these annual dues as the reporting of SB 1383-related data will require more labor by LARA staff. There will be sufficient funding in the Refuse Administration Fund (145-2505) to fund future fees. Additionally, leaving LARA would result in a substantial increase in costs to the City, as the City would be solely responsible for the many reporting requirements performed by LARA.
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
On October 21, 2002, the City Council approved a Joint Powers Agreement to join the newly formed Los Angeles Regional Agency.
DISCUSSION:
LARA was formed with 14 Charter Cities, including the City of Pomona in 2004, that signed the original JPA. LARA was approved by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, now known as CalRecycle, to promote environmental responsibility through the state-mandated reduce, reuse, and recycle philosophy of State Assembly Bill 939 (AB 939).
As required by CalRecycle to comply with the requirements of Senate Bill 1383, the mandatory organic waste reduction law, the amended JPA would authorize LARA to report on behalf of its member agencies information related to compliance with organics recycling including AB 939, AB 341, and AB 1826. The amendment also reflects recent changes to the waste diversion calculation methodology used by CalRecycle and several minor clean-ups to the original JPA language, which is now over twenty years old.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the execution of the amended and reinstated JPA. Should Council decide not to approve the amended agreement, the City would be electing to leave LARA and assume primary responsibility for the various solid waste reporting requirements resulting in substantial cost increases.
Prepared by:
Elisa Mitchell,
Management Analyst
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment No. 1 – Resolution No. 2023-82
Attachment No. 2 – Exhibit A: Amended and Restated JPA with LARA Adopt LARA JPA Amendment