Article 2. Disposal Facilities of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 3. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 8. >> Article 2.

The board of supervisors may acquire, construct, reconstruct, alter, enlarge, maintain, and operate dump sites, incinerators, and other disposal plants for the disposal of combustible or noncombustible garbage or rubbish, or both.

The board may permit the use of any dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant, by lease or otherwise, by municipalities or other governmental agencies.

The board may acquire by gift, devise, condemnation proceedings, or otherwise such real and personal property and rights of way as it deems necessary and proper to the exercise of the powers set forth in this article, and may pay for and hold such property.

The board may make and enforce all necessary and proper regulations for the use of disposal facilities not in conflict with the Constitution and the laws of the State. The board may collect compensation from private or public parties for the right to dump or for the use of any dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant, or for the disposal of garbage or rubbish brought to any dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant. It may restrict the use of the facilities to the inhabitants of the county.

This article does not limit the right of any city or county to buy, lease, or otherwise acquire and operate a dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant in another county for the disposal of garbage or rubbish.

The board of supervisors may acquire, construct, reconstruct, alter, enlarge, lay, renew, replace, maintain, and operate within or without the county sewers, drains, septic tanks, sewerage collection and treatment works and other sanitary disposal systems; and storm water drains and storm water collection and disposal systems, provided, however, that the full costs thereof shall be borne by the properties benefited except to the extent that such costs may be borne by eligible county federal revenue sharing funds. The board may make and enforce all necessary and proper regulations for the use of sewerage collection, treatment and disposal facilities not in conflict with the Constitution and the laws of the state. The board may collect compensation from private or public parties for the connection to and use of sewerage collection, treatment and disposal facilities. It may restrict the use of the facilities to the inhabitants of the county.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
  (1) There are ongoing discharges to the Los Osos Discharge Prohibition Zone established in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Central Coast Basin.
  (2) The agency responsible for eliminating these discharges is the Los Osos Community Services District, which is a relatively new agency, formed in 1998.
  (3) The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has imposed substantial fines on the Los Osos Community Services District for failing to make adequate progress toward eliminating these discharges.
  (4) The Los Osos Community Services District has a relatively small staff that has no experience of successfully designing and constructing facilities of the size and type needed to eliminate these discharges.
  (5) The County of San Luis Obispo has a larger staff that has experience in successfully designing large public works projects.
  (6) There is an urgent need to protect the public health and safety by eliminating these discharges and the most feasible alternative is best accomplished by a temporary realignment of certain wastewater collection and treatment powers between the Los Osos Community Services District and the County of San Luis Obispo.
  (7) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this section and amending Section 61105 to authorize the County of San Luis Obispo to design, construct, and operate a wastewater collection and treatment project that will eliminate these discharges, particularly in the prohibition zone, to avoid a wasteful duplication of effort and funds, and to temporarily prohibit the Los Osos Community Services District from exercising those powers.
  (b) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
  (1) "Board" means the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo.
  (2) "County" means the County of San Luis Obispo.
  (3) "District" means the Los Osos Community Services District, formed pursuant to the Community Services District Law (Division 3 (commencing with Section 61000) of Title 6) located in San Luis Obispo County.
  (4) "Prohibition zone" means that territory within the Baywood Park-Los Osos area of the county that is subject to the wastewater discharge prohibition imposed by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board pursuant to Resolution 83-13.
  (c) The county may undertake any efforts necessary to construct and operate a community wastewater collection and treatment system to meet the wastewater collection and treatment needs within the district. These efforts may include programs and projects for recharging aquifers, preventing saltwater intrusion, and managing groundwater resources to the extent that they are related to the construction and operation of the community wastewater collection and treatment system. These efforts shall include any services that the county deems necessary, including, but not limited to, any planning, design, engineering, financial analysis, pursuit of grants to mitigate affordability issues, administrative support, project management, and environmental review and compliance services. The county shall not exercise any powers authorized by this section outside the district.
  (d) Nothing in this section shall affect the district's power to do any of the following:
  (1) Operate wastewater collection and treatment facilities within the district that the district was operating on January 1, 2006.
  (2) Provide facilities and services, other than wastewater collection and treatment.
  (e) To finance the construction and operation of a wastewater collection and treatment system, the county may levy benefit assessments consistent with the requirements of Article XIII D of the California Constitution, pursuant to any of the following:
  (1) The Improvement Act of 1911 (Division 7 (commencing with Section 5000) of the Streets and Highways Code).
  (2) The Improvement Bond Act of 1915 (Division 10 (commencing with Section 8500) of the Streets and Highways Code).
  (3) The Municipal Improvement Act of 1913 (Division 12 (commencing with Section 10000) of the Streets and Highways Code).
  (f) The county may charge standby charges for sewer services, consistent with the requirements of Article XIII D of the California Constitution, pursuant to the Uniform Standby Charge Procedures Act (Chapter 12.4 (commencing with Section 54984) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5).
  (g) The county may develop a program to offset assessments, standby charges, or user fees and charges that are authorized pursuant to subdivisions (e), (f), and (h) for very low or low-income households with funding sources, including, but not limited to, grants, principal forgiveness, and noncounty funds from low-interest loans approved for the project by the State Water Resources Control Board or the United States Department of Agriculture. The county shall not include in an assessment or charge an amount to cover the costs to the county in carrying out this subdivision.
  (h) The county may impose and collect user fees and charges and any other sources of revenue permitted by law sufficient to cover the reasonable costs of any wastewater collection or treatment services provided pursuant to this section.
  (i) Promptly upon the adoption of a resolution by the board requesting this action, the board of directors of the district shall convey to the county any requested retained rights-of-way, licenses, funds, and permits previously acquired by the district in connection with construction projects for which the district awarded contracts in 2005. The county shall use those fee interests, rights-of-way, licenses, and funds for the purpose of furthering the construction and operation of a wastewater collection and treatment system pursuant to this section.
  (j) After the approval of a benefit assessment, the board shall complete a due diligence review before deciding to proceed with the construction and operation of a wastewater collection and treatment system. The board shall consider any relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the prompt availability of reasonable and sufficient financing, the status of enforcement actions, the successful development of reasonable project technology and location options, the availability of any necessary permits and other approvals, and the absence of other significant impediments. At the completion of this due diligence review, the board shall adopt a resolution declaring its intention to proceed or not proceed with the construction and operation of the wastewater collection and treatment system.
  (k) Collection of assessments may not commence until the adoption of the resolution to proceed pursuant to subdivision (i).
  (l) The county shall have no power or responsibility to construct and operate a wastewater collection and treatment system pursuant to this section and the district shall resume that power and responsibility when any of the following occurs:
  (1) If the board adopts a resolution not to hold a benefit assessment election pursuant to subdivision (e).
  (2) If there is a majority protest to a benefit assessment proposed by the county, on the date of the resolution adopted by the board determining that the majority protest exists.
  (3) If there is not a majority protest, but the board adopts a resolution, pursuant to subdivision (i), which declares that the county will no longer exercise its powers pursuant to this section, on the date specified in the board's resolution.
  (4) If the county constructs and operates a wastewater collection and treatment system pursuant to this section, not less than three years after the operation of the system commences, the board and the board of directors of the district shall mutually apply to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for a modification of the waste discharge permit, requesting permission to transfer responsibility to operate the wastewater collection and treatment system from the county to the district. Consistent with that modification, the board shall adopt a resolution that specifies the date on which the county will no longer exercise its powers pursuant to this section.
  (m) When the power and responsibility to construct and operate a wastewater collection and treatment system transfers from the county to the district pursuant to subdivision (k), the county shall do all of the following:
  (1) Promptly convey to the district any remaining retained fee interests in any real property, rights-of-way, licenses, other interests in real property, funds, and other personal property that the county previously acquired pursuant to subdivision (h).
  (2) Promptly convey to the district the wastewater collection and treatment system that the county constructed pursuant to this section.
  (3) Continue to collect any necessary assessments and use them to repay any indebtedness incurred by the county to finance the construction of the wastewater collection and treatment system pursuant to this section.
  (4) The county shall cease collecting any benefit assessments after repayment of any indebtedness incurred by the county to finance the construction of the wastewater collection and treatment system.
  (n) Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing upon the county any liability for any district decisions or actions, or failures to act, or imposing upon the county any liability for any decisions or actions, or failures to act, by any district officers, employees, or agents. In addition, nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing upon the county any liability for any prior or subsequent district liabilities, whether liquidated or contingent, or any prior or subsequent liabilities of district officers, employees, or agents, whether liquidated or contingent.

The board of supervisors may fix and collect a fee from each camper or party of two or more campers for the privilege of using for camping purposes, any land owned by the State, the county, or any land owned by any city or the United States, to the extent that it has jurisdiction over that land for the purpose of levying such a fee. City-owned land located in the county within which the city is situated and regularly established city-owned camps having sanitary facilities are not subject to the provisions of this section. Money so collected shall be used solely for sanitary measures in the area and to acquire, construct, reconstruct, alter, enlarge, repair, operate and maintain sanitary facilities therein for campers. The board of supervisors may enter into a cooperative agreement with the United States or any agency thereof for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section.

(a) The board of supervisors of each county may collect or contract for the collection, or both, of garbage, waste, refuse, rubbish, offal, trimmings, or other refuse matter under such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the board of supervisors by resolution or ordinance. For such purposes the board of supervisors may either levy a yearly tax on property within the unincorporated area of the county or impose a reasonable charge against the real property benefited for the services provided. The tax or charge shall not be applicable to property within existing garbage disposal districts.
  (b) If the county provides compulsory collection service, a resolution or ordinance adopted pursuant to this section shall provide for reduced charges, rebates, or exemptions for properties that do not require regular collection service. The resolution or ordinance shall exempt undeveloped property from compulsory service.

If services are provided, or arranged for, by a county pursuant to Section 25827, or pursuant to Section 40059 of the Public Resources Code, and the service is compulsory or provided at the request of the property owner, the cost of service that remains unpaid for a period of 60 or more days after the close of the period for which it was billed may be collected by the county as provided in this section.
  (a) At least once a year, the board of supervisors shall cause to be prepared a report of delinquent charges. Upon receipt of the report, the board shall fix a time, date, and place for hearing the report and any protests or objections to the report.
  (b) The board shall cause notice of the hearing to be mailed to the owners of property listed on the report not less than 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.
  (c) At the hearing, the board shall hear any objections or protests of property owners liable to be assessed for delinquent charges. The board may make revisions or corrections to the report as it deems just, after which, by resolution, the report shall be confirmed.
  (d) The delinquent charges set forth in the report as confirmed shall constitute special assessments against the respective parcels of land and are a lien on the property for the amount of the delinquent charges. A certified copy of the confirmed report shall be filed with the county auditor, on or before August 10, for the amounts of the respective assessments against the respective parcels of land as they appear on the current assessment roll. The lien created attaches upon recordation in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is situated of a certified copy of the resolution of confirmation. The assessment may be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ordinary county ad valorem taxes are collected and shall be subject to the same penalties and the same procedure and sale in case of delinquency as provided for those taxes. All laws applicable to the levy, collection, and enforcement of county ad valorem taxes shall be applicable to the assessment, except that if any real property to which the lien would attach has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value, or if a lien of a bona fide encumbrancer for value has been created and attaches thereon, prior to the date on which the first installment of the taxes would become delinquent, then the lien that would otherwise be imposed by this section shall not attach to the real property and the delinquent charges, as confirmed, relating to the property shall be transferred to the unsecured roll for collection.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors may acquire, construct, reconstruct, alter, enlarge, lay, renew, replace, maintain, and operate dump sites, incinerators, garbage disposal systems, sewers, drains, septic tanks, sewerage collection, outfall and treatment works and other sanitary disposal systems, and storm water drains and storm water collection, outfall and disposal systems for the disposal of combustible or noncombustible garbage or rubbish, for the treatment and disposal of sewage or storm waters, or any of them. The board may make and enforce all necessary and proper regulations for the use of disposal facilities not in conflict with the Constitution and the laws of the state. The board may collect compensation from private or public parties for the right to dump or for the use of any dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant, or system or for the disposal of garbage, rubbish, sewerage or storm waters brought to any dump site, incinerator, or other disposal plant. It may restrict the use of the facilities to the inhabitants of the county. This article does not limit the right of the county to buy, lease, or otherwise acquire and operate a dump site, incinerator or other disposal plant or system in another county for the disposal of garbage, rubbish, sewerage or storm waters.

(a) On or before the first day of July of each calendar year, the board of supervisors of any county may, by resolution or ordinance, establish a schedule of fees to be imposed on land within the unincorporated area of the county and incorporated areas of the county where cities do not provide their own waste disposal sites, revenue from the fees to be used for the acquisition, operation, and maintenance of county waste disposal sites and for financing waste collection, processing, reclamation, and disposal services, where those services are provided. In establishing the schedule of fees, the board of supervisors shall classify the land based upon the various uses to which the land is put, the volume of waste occurring from the different land uses and any other factors that the board determines would reasonably relate the waste disposal fee to the land upon which it would be imposed. Fees imposed within the incorporated and unincorporated areas shall be uniform. Prior to imposing fees within an incorporated area, the board of supervisors shall obtain the consent of the legislative body of the city to impose the fees.
  (b) The board shall set a reasonable fee for each category established and divide the land according to categories and ownership; provided, however, that the board shall establish categories of land for which:
  (1) No services are provided and no fee required.
  (2) Services are provided and no fee required.
  (c) The board shall determine eligibility for inclusion in these categories, upon application, on a case-by-case basis. The board shall impose the appropriate fee upon each division of land and provide for the billing and collection of the fees. The fees may be established, billed, and collected on a monthly or yearly basis, and may be billed and collected by the county tax collector as part of the regular county tax billing system.

Any fees authorized pursuant to Section 25830, or pursuant to Section 40059 of the Public Resources Code, that remain unpaid for a period of 60 or more days after the date upon which they were billed may be collected thereafter by the county as provided in this section.
  (a) At least once a year, the board of supervisors shall cause to be prepared a report of delinquent fees. The board shall fix a time, date, and place for hearing the report and any objections or protests to the report.
  (b) The board shall cause notice of the hearing to be mailed to the landowners listed on the report not less than 10 days prior to the date of the hearing.
  (c) At the hearing, the board shall hear any objections or protests of landowners liable to be assessed for delinquent fees. The board may make revisions or corrections to the report as it deems just, after which, by resolution, the report shall be confirmed.
  (d) The delinquent fees set forth in the report as confirmed, or the list prepared pursuant to subdivision (e), shall constitute special assessments against the respective parcels of land and are a lien on the property for the amount of the delinquent fees. A certified copy of the confirmed report, or the list prepared pursuant to subdivision (e), shall be filed with the county auditor for the amounts of the respective assessments against the respective parcels of land as they appear on the current assessment roll. The lien created attaches upon recordation, in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is situated, of a certified copy of the resolution of confirmation or the list prepared pursuant to subdivision (e). The assessment may be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ordinary county ad valorem property taxes are collected and shall be subject to the same penalties and the same procedure and sale in case of delinquency as provided for those taxes. All laws applicable to the levy, collection, and enforcement of county ad valorem property taxes shall be applicable to the assessment, except that if any real property to which the lien would attach has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value, or if a lien of a bona fide encumbrancer for value has been created and attaches thereon, prior to the date on which the first installment of the taxes would become delinquent, then the lien that would otherwise be imposed by this section shall not attach to the real property and the delinquent fees, as confirmed, relating to the property shall be transferred to the unsecured roll for collection.
  (e) The requirements of subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) may be waived only if the county has adopted an alternative administrative procedure that allows property owners to appeal the solid waste fee and property owners are notified of their right to appeal. A list of delinquent fees shall be prepared showing the assessments of each respective parcel and shall be filed with the auditor.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, solid waste handling service provided by, or arranged for provision by, a county under Section 25827 or 25830, or under Section 40059 of the Public Resources Code, is not a public utility within the meaning of Section 10001 of the Public Utilities Code.