I am not a reporter. I write an opinion column. That is why it is called “commentary.” I was told that if I became a reporter, I’d get a cut in pay.

I didn’t know about the Chiquita Canyon Landfill expansion proposal until three days ago. I’m not sure many people outside of Val Verde knew about it, either. I was intrigued by a number of facets of the whole process.

When I was resident of Castaic and attended Castaic Union Elementary School, my mother was elected to the school board. That was about 1958. I thought that was pretty cool. She always said she got elected because the people of Val Verde voted for her. If those folks could recognize how great my mom was, they still have a special place in my heart.

So I’m reading about the proposed expansion of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill and decide to write about what I thought was wrong and right. I think I might have awakened some folks in Val Verde, and a few other places in the SCV, too.

Some readers, like Stephanie Bentley Smith, commented on the health concerns of the community. Arturo Campos had the same concerns.

Ramon Hamilton sent me the following:

“Darryl, Thanks for this op-ed. I am a Val Verde resident, and I am on the Val Verde Civic Association and can answer some of your questions.

“The VVCA made an agreement with the landfill back in 1997. None of our current board were on the VVCA board at that time. The negotiations led to the approximately $350,000 that Val Verde receives yearly. When this 1997 agreement was made, all parties, the VVCA, county, and landfill, agreed to set up a Community Benefits Funding Committee (CBFC). The CBFC would receive the mitigation fee and use it at its discretion for the benefit of Val Verde.

“The VVCA never receives a penny from the landfill. It goes straight to the CBFC. Additionally, the CBFC voting members are local residents who are elected by the community. They make the decisions as to how to use the funds. The county has zero input.

“The CBFC uses the money for quite a few things. I cannot list them all, but here is a general idea: a free and daily after-school program for all Val Verde children; sports programs that include soccer, softball, baseball, etc.; senior programming; college scholarships; food donations to the residents; and a lot more.

“The CBFC has been great. The crime rate and gang activity in Val Verde back in the ’90s was drastically higher than it is today. In fact, today Val Verde is one of the safest places to live in the Castaic and SCV area. This is due largely in part to the CBFC providing programs for kids and teens that help keep them from finding their own ways of occupying their time.

“Now, as to how the community feels about the expansion, good question. The vast majority DO NOT WANT IT TO EXPAND, including myself. Most residents are also very upset because the original 1997 agreement made it seem as if the landfill would not ask for another expansion after the 1997 one. So we feel a little deceived. The VVCA is currently dealing with the landfill in regards to this expansion, but absolutely nothing has been mitigated. I hope this helps.”

Did that ever help me understand. I’m so happy you wrote. You see, it proves a number of things – but most of all, that people in Val Verde still care.

I found out the entrance to the landfill shall be moved, and the view from Highway 126 will be eliminated. I was also told there has been a loss of some gas monitoring equipment, and it has yet to be replaced. (Not sure about that.)

I think I’ve only barely scratched the surface of this issue. I hope folks know they can get out and voice concerns on July 31 at 6 p.m. at the Castaic Sports Complex Gym.

It might not help, but it might stop the expansion if enough people turn out.

Now, I wouldn’t want a dump in my backyard. I know, the proper name is “landfill,” but lets be honest and just call it what it is: a dump.

I look at the stats for the place and see that seldom does it operate at daily or weekly capacity. Do we need an expansion? Is something else going on? Is Sunshine Canyon Landfill just south of the SCV almost full?

Really, folks. Approximately 80 percent of the stuff dumped in Chiquita isn’t from the SCV. It is trucked in from all over the state.

I think it is good that the folks who have to put up with the smell and traffic get some off-setting money to help the community of Val Verde. For so many years, they got nothing. All of us in the rest of the SCV have to help them in this. It is our dump, too. So lets show up in Castaic next week at that meeting.

And speaking of meetings, the Val Verde Community Association meets the second Thursday of every month at the Val Verde Clubhouse. The meetings start at 7 p.m.

I’m not done with this subject. This is important to us all.

Before I close, there are a couple of little corrections for me, and for the comments I got, too.

First, an Iowa-class battleship displaces 58,000 tons fully loaded. Even crushed and getting rid of all of the empty space, that is still a lot of tons and would take up a lot of room in a landfill. So let’s set four times that amount in Chiquita Canyon every month if it is operating at maximum capacity of the proposed expansion?

Second, how many tons does a trash truck hold? Can someone find out for me? I’m running into a dead end here.

While becoming a “reporter” would lower my pay, I wish to remind all y’all that taking anything, even one red cent, from my current pay would mean I’d have to pay SCVNews to let me write this stuff. Consider that it is at least four hours of every day for me to write my “Now and Then in the SCV” commentary. I love doing it. I love my home valley. I was told I could get a raise – twice what I’m making now. Can’t wait to see that check.

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com and his commentaries are archived at DManzer.com. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].