Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced Wednesday that legislation seeking to crack down on illegal dumping was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Public Safety.
Senate Bill 409, which was authored by Wilk in an effort to reduce the unlawful debris often left in the local area and High Desert, seeks to increase penalties and require property owners to obtain state and local permits prior to allowing dumping on their property.
The bill also holds truckers responsible for transporting waste for the purpose of unlawful dumping, and expands the agencies authorized to declare a property a nuisance with unlawfully dumped waste, according to a news release.
“Bad actors are treating our high desert communities as dumps, selling our communities’ health, safety and environment for a quick buck,” Wilk previously said. “SB 409 is an all-hands-on-deck approach to stopping unlawful dumping that damages our roadways, creates a public nuisance and results in environmental pollution.”
The legislation now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it will be assessed for its fiscal costs to the state and localities.
