With the City Council dropping a 4-4 bomb on the contract Extension for the company that has run the Recycling Center at a Mira Mesa landfill, it seems the center may be at legitimate risk of closing
With an absent David Alvarez, the 9th member of the SD City Council could not solidify the vote one way or the other. As much as people hate watching political partisan disputes destroy established businesses, this one actually has enough momentum on both sides to keep it up in the air. The expected 5-4 vote (in opposition to continuing the contract) wasn’t realized with the Democrat Alvarez absent from the vote; but what is clear, is that this is decidedly partisan down the line. Republicans on the City Council are in favor of the contract extension, and the Democrats have voted to oppose it.
There may be an undecided Alvarez on the other end of this discussion, however, because, this one isn’t as easy a decision for partisan politics to decide. The company that runs the recycling center is not a company that traditionally is affected by the wage regulation (San Diego’s Living Wage that applies to City Contractors).
It’s more complicated than a simple partisan political dispute and the Living Wage regulation and Council member’s interpretation of it anyway
Chinese regulations have changed, which literally changes the landscape of how the City would ordinarily make money on their “mixed-material” recycling portfolio. What had once been a foregone conclusion about revenues received from recycled goods is up in the air, and all but demolished. Paired with Stormwater regulation changes in California, and the fact that whoever has the contract for the recycling center must agree to about $500,000 worth of upgrades to the infrastructure on site at the recycling center. That makes it an interesting proposition from both sides. Suddenly it’s not JUST about a “living” wage anymore.
If the company that runs it now (Allan Company out of Los Angeles) balks or walks on any of the contact points, regardless of any China-induced changes in the recycled goods market, it would make it legitimately difficult for the City Council to find a contract provider to operate the facility with the extra expenses to get up to California State code and still meet living wage requirements.
The San Diego City Council seems to be playing a dangerous game with the current contract provider, and it may come back to bite the City. It really is a set of twists and turns; sensibilities and legal concerns that all parties are tasked with navigating. Whatever shakes out, this is about more than just a Wage dispute or party politics.
