Open forum draws sanitation complaint and a disruptive public‑commenter admonished

During open forum at the Jan. 13 Livermore City Council meeting, a property owner complained about commercial garbage‑collection charges and a repeat public commenter was admonished and restrained after making allegations that the mayor and staff said were false.

Michael Blau, who identified himself as a property owner and part owner of Vasco Plaza on Vasco Road, told the council he believed the city’s contracted hauler, Livermore Sanitation, was ‘‘gouging’’ businesses. Blau said his shopping center paid about $60,000 a year for garbage removal 10 years ago and now pays about $120,000, and he contrasted that with a reported 30–32% cumulative inflation rate over the same period. He said a new ‘‘waterline’’ policy for container overfill would produce additional fines, and he asked the city to seek cancellation of the waterline project or to engage the company about the policy.

‘‘If I’ve got 20 containers and 17 of them are half full or three quarters full and three of them are over the waterline...do I get any credit for the 17 that are under? They just almost laughed at me and said no, but we’ll charge you for the other three,’’ Blau said.

Council members asked staff to follow up and to contact Blau for more details so staff could determine whether a miscommunication or a larger issue exists.

Earlier in the meeting David McGuigan addressed the council and made repeated accusations against individuals at the dais. Mayor Marchand and the city attorney repeatedly admonished McGuigan that he must not make false accusations from the podium. The mayor suspended his microphone, reduced his remaining time to 90 seconds, and later called a short recess. When McGuigan continued, the mayor told him he would be asked to leave if he persisted; McGuigan’s public‑comment time ended and the council resumed business.

No formal council action was taken on the sanitation complaint at the meeting; staff was asked to follow up with the speaker.