Stockton — At a special meeting July 18, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize a temporary voucher program allowing San Joaquin County residents affected by interruptions in residential waste collection by Republic Services to dispose of household waste at designated county facilities at no charge, and directed staff to pursue placement of debris dumpsters in rural unincorporated communities.

The board adopted the proposal after Public Works staff described a program that would let affected residents bring municipal solid waste to county transfer stations free of charge and after county counsel outlined two legal paths: implement the voucher program immediately using the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund and return later for ratification, or implement under a memorandum of understanding if Republic Services agrees in writing to reimburse the county and have the agreement ratified at a later board meeting.

Public health and service coverage were central to discussion. Supervisor Guardia, who requested the special meeting, described mounting neighborhood impacts: “businesses aren't able to do, conduct business because they have garbage piling up. Their recyclables are piling up in the back of their businesses,” and said animals were tearing open bags in some neighborhoods. Sena Thompson, who identified herself as Municipal Manager for Public Services in Stockton, told the board she did not have details of the negotiations but said, “we do plan to resume service immediately as soon as, you know, we are able to come to an agreement.”

Public Works Deputy Director David Tolliver briefed the board that Republic Services was operating at about 15–20% of normal capacity because of an ongoing labor dispute tied to landfill employees and that the county had prepared a voucher program as a short-term mitigation. Tolliver said county council identified two options: start the voucher program now funded by the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund and adopt a resolution today, or start under an MOU if Republic agrees to reimburse the county and present the MOU for ratification at the Aug. 12 meeting.

County staff and Republic representatives described operational details for residents: county transfer stations designated to accept affected waste at no charge are Lovelace and North County (Lodi), both operating 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; Republic described an additional site at its organics facility (identified in the meeting as the Ford organic site) that is staffed and open Saturday 7 a.m.–1 p.m. and Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Residents will be asked to present a voucher with name and address showing they are county residents; staff will post printable vouchers on the county website and have vouchers available at the facilities.

Staff estimated available funding in the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund at roughly $50 million and gave a rough usage example: if about 200 residents used vouchers at an estimated $30 per service, that would be about $6,000 per day and $30,000 over five days. County counsel told the board the fund could cover short-term program costs but staff would continue to press Republic for reimbursement.

Supervisors pressed for coverage of rural unincorporated communities in Area C — Lockeford, Clements, Murieta and Linden were mentioned — and asked staff to arrange debris boxes or locked dumpsters in those communities where practical. Public Works recommended negotiating deployment and operational parameters with Republic rather than attempting unilateral deployment without coordination; Republic indicated willingness to discuss the placement of debris boxes and dumpsters at specified locations.

The board voted on a motion to adopt county counsel’s recommendation as amended to (1) make the no-cost disposal available to San Joaquin County residents affected by the service interruption, (2) pursue reimbursement from Republic Services while deploying the voucher program immediately if needed, and (3) work with Republic Services and local staff to place debris boxes/dumpsters at agreed locations in affected unincorporated areas. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 5-0 (Supervisor Guardia, Supervisor Dhaliwal, Supervisor Ding, Supervisor Rickman and Chair Canepa recorded in favor).

The action directs Public Works to begin implementing the voucher program immediately and to report back to the board; if Republic signs a reimbursement agreement, staff will present the MOU for ratification at a future meeting (staff indicated Aug. 12 as the target for any ratification). The board did not declare a public-health emergency at the meeting; staff noted the county public health officer would make determinations about any formal public-health declaration.

The board’s action seeks to provide an immediate, county-run short-term disposal option for residents while preserving the county’s ability to seek reimbursement from the hauler and to coordinate targeted dumpster placement where route density and travel distance make landfill access impractical.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Adopt county counsel’s recommendation as amended to implement a temporary voucher program for residents affected by the Republic Services disruption, pursue reimbursement, and work with Republic on debris boxes/dumpsters in unincorporated communities. Mover: Supervisor Guardia; second: not specified in the transcript. Outcome: approved. Vote: 5–0 (Guardia — yes; Dhaliwal — yes; Ding — yes; Rickman — yes; Chair Canepa — yes).