OT--Taking on city hall

Dear Mr. Lockwood,

Thank you very much for your recent letter regarding compliance with County guidlines pertaining to solid waste storage and removal. (Case #SW 05-107)

In accordance with your suggestions, I have carefully reviewed a number of the applicable county statutes and ordinances. Also, in order to address your concerns in the most comprehensive manner possible, I have consulted with officials in several state offices, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, and with representatives of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department Of Transportation, and the US Customs service, among others.

As you explained, the alleged violations on your property are not exactly what they might appear to a casual or uninformed observer. Specifically:

A. According to the State Department of Motor Vehicles and the US Department of Transportation, a motor vehicle is defined as "a vehicle with a motor." Since your truck does not currently qualify as such, you are quite correct in your assertion that the orginal complaint was improper. However, in its current state, the truck may qualify, according to EPA definitions, as a "solid materials retention site." This qualification typically applies to any collection of "metals, plastics, textiles, or any combination thereof, exceeding a gross mass of 100 Kg, and stored in proximity to residential or commercial buildings, public gathering areas, or industrial sites which lack the licenses appropriate for such storage." Since you've made it clear that you understand both the letter and the intent of the applicable codes and regulations, I've assured the local office of the EPA that you will be sending copies of your licences, quality control manuals for solid matter storage and disposal, and also the appropriate certifications and credentials for your firm's safety and environmental affairs officers, at your earliest convenience. For your reference, the EPA case number is 05-122C-90096. The case file will be considered unresolved, pending investigation, until your documents have been received.

You should also be aware that the local fire department will recieve a copy of all entries to the EPA file. Given the tone of your letter, however, I'm sure that your fire-fighting equipment, training of personnel, and emergency preparedness plans, are all in good order, and have been properly registered and approved in advance. As soon as the local fire officials have verified your registrations and certificates, they'll be able to perform the legally mandated on-site inspections.

Also, just to be as helpful as I can, I would respectfully suggest that you contact your accountant or tax advisor, to discuss the possibility that the repairs you're making to the truck might affect its value as an item of taxable personal property, its status as a depreciable piece of industrial equipment, or both.

The repairs to the truck, of course, fall under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Licenses and Inspections, which, if I understand their guidlines correctly, requires that repairs exceeding certain levels of cost, complexity, or duration, be performed only by a licenced automotive technician. Since the removal and replacement of an engine seems clearly to be a very major repair, I've asked an acquaintance at L&I to look up your license, and to confirm that it's current and in good standing. That way, it won't be necessary for them to open a case file or investigate a violation that I'm sure you'd never be guilty of.

The only other matter concerning the truck will be for the regional office of the EPA to verify, probably with an on-site inspection that won't take more than two or three days, that you've followed all applicable rules and guidelines for collection, storage, and/or disposal of potentially hazzardous materials produced by your disassembly of the truck, and your removal of its motor. The materials in question will include, but not be limited to: motor oil, transmission fluid, refrigerants from the air conditioning system if the truck is so equipped, anti-freeze or other ethanol-based coolant additives, nonbiodegradable plastic and rubber parts, any solvents or chemicals used for cleaning the parts of the truck or engine, cloth or paper products which may have been used in conjunction with the solvents or cleaners, and any rainwater which may have come into contact with, mixed with, or disolved, any of the above, and which was not collected in approved catch-basins designed and licensed for that purpose and operated according to EPA guidelines.

I'm sure, based on your letter to me, that you routinely take all necessary precautions. The EPA inspectors, when they arrive at your facility, will very likely be able to save you a great deal of time and effort if you simply present to them all the applicable permits, receipts for fees, and certifications from disposal contractors that you might employ.

B. Unlike your truck, the tires might actually be a problem. If you'll please refer to page 14 of this letter...

Or you could just clean up your damned yard, Mr. Lockwood. You really, REALLY don't want to piss me off right before the holidays.

Sincerely, J. M. Trejo

Reply to
Kirk Gordon
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Don't bother comparing your "stuff" to the "stuff" others have on their property.

Government won't care what others do until they figure it out by themselves or someone complains. Either way, it probably won't change their action towards you.

Only exception to this would be previous judgements that were made on similar situations.

Visit

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to see why I'm so adept at government and court proceedings these days... I stopped the log a while back because activity got too hectic. I spent 15 hours yesterday running around filing papers and interviewing people physically assaulted by my tenants.

Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

LOL Very nice. Very scary, lesson noted.

- - Rex Burkheimer Fort Worth TX

Kirk Gord> Dear Mr. Lockwood,

Reply to
Rex B

Heh. If you make nice with the officer, he might tell you who the other three are.

Sounds like it's time to see what kind of potential violations ms hendryx has in *her* closet.

Jim

Reply to
jim rozen

Emmo,

All good advice, and FWIW I have already forwarded a copy to my brother who is an attorney in order that he may edit my draft...and already I have recieved an edited copy back--perhaps this evening I may also post it if I find time.

Thanks for your level-headed response--it comes much appreciated.

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

Kirk,

I think you've found your new profession if the machining industry goes bust.

John

Reply to
John

In the good old days a rope would have worked wonders, now we have to use a backhoe ;)

Reply to
Nick Hull

I have a brother who makes sport of feuding with bureaurats, including IRS, zoning and EPA. He has a history of winning.

Reply to
Nick Hull

My brother was driving his normal work truck when suddenly he was acosted and awarded 1st place in The Ugliest Truck in America; the others withdrew at first sight, they knew they didn't have a chance.

Reply to
Nick Hull

If she turns out to be a bigger problem, an anonamous tip about a drug dealer might happen.

.... Unless she has an arab looking friend or customer that Homeland Security wants to look into ;)

Reply to
Nick Hull

Unlike your truck, the tires might actually be a problem. If you'll

Nice one!!! lmao!

Reply to
sittingduck

I disagree; a lawyer is more likely to bankrupt you and betray you. Better to read the law yourself until you know more about it than either a lawyer or a bureaucrat. It's not as hard as you may think, the bureaucrats are too lazy to actually read the law, and there are few decent honest lawyers. Lest lawyers think I am badmouthing them, there are few decent honest bankers, politicians, clergy, bureaucrats etc. Used car salesmen are usually better.

Reply to
Nick Hull

Yeah, it's a lot harder to find the revenuer's body if it's not hanging on the end of the lynching rope.

Later,

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Gary

On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:18:53 -0800, with neither quill nor qualm, "PrecisionMachinisT" quickly quoth:

Best of luck with your reinspection tour, Sam.

Won't SHE be surprised when her new christmas present turns up? I wonder what it could be...

Reply to
Larry Jaques

I wouldn't take out my own appendix, and I wouldn't represent myself in court.

Jim

Reply to
jim rozen

My 12 year old asked me to park my Gremlin around the corner when I picked him up at school. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

"PrecisionMachinisT" wrote: (clip)....the officer informed me she had filed a total of 3 complaints on that same day. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Actually, that is good for you. The more she looks like a kook, the more you look like an innocent victim. From that perspective, Emmo's advice seems right on target.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

A couple years ago my son's repayment schedule got screwed up by the student loans lender with the result that the total amount became due NOW. Of course, a collection agency got involved and since he was living at home, the phone calls came in on the "house" phone. The main annoying phone person eventually was told not to call any more due to the harassment to which she was subjected whenever she dialed in at

7:00 AM. A couple latter callers were terminated after they discussed personal information without verification of the identity of the person to whom they were speaking. Some of the fun went away once his loans were retired. Gerry :-)} London, Canada
Reply to
Gerald Miller

Thanks Kirk...

Always appreciate when you can set aside a couple minutes or so to do some writing for us...here's to hoping work is keeping you exactly as busy as you like and that everything else is well with your world.

===

Interestingly enough, I've decided to fully cooperate with authoritys...really seems a nice enough guy...just that as his public duty he needs the matter resolved, and so...us working together likely being the very best course of action--in reality this in effect makes me out as the "good guy", and the complaining party to be the "troublemaker"...

Probly gonna conduct a records search to see if the woman that is registering these complaint is in the habit of routinely causing the waste of taxpayer funds with her frivolous claims...this way the agency will at least be better able to logically deal with it should the trend continue.

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

She either owns, is the listing agent for, or plans to list a property in your immediate area. So of course she's going to get all the sloppy yards cleaned up (at no cost to her or her clients, of course, and the city will do all the legwork and take the blame) before she tries parading potential buyers to that house for the hard sell.

Do some sleuthing, and you might be able to bust her at her own game. As in, "Gee... Did you pull building permits on all the work you just did on that house?"

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

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