LEA Evaluations

Preparing for an Evaluation

Program History

The following information summarizes the statutory basis of the Integrated Waste Management Board's local enforcement agency (LEA) evaluation program.

Public Resource Code (PRC) Section 43214 requires the IWMB to develop performance standards for evaluating local enforcement agencies and to review each enforcement agency and its implementation of the permit, inspection, and enforcement program. The evaluation shall be conducted every three years (or more frequently as determined by the IWMB) following the initial certification of an enforcement agency by the IWMB. LEA performance standards have been developed by the IWMB and are codified in Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations (14CCR), Division 7, Chapter 5, Article 2.2.

The Public Resources Code allows local governing bodies to designate a local agency to carry out solid waste permitting, inspection, and enforcement duties in their jurisdictions. Statute further requires that all designated local agencies be approved and certified by the IWMB pursuant to its adopted certification regulations. Furthermore, statute requires the IWMB to conduct local agency reviews and performance evaluations. Evaluation staff is required to determine whether or not any of the six statutory findings in PRC Section 43214 (d) can be made regarding the LEA's performance.

Data Gathering

The LEA evaluation period begins at the conclusion of the last evaluation cycle (final evaluation report date), and concludes with the initiation date for the current evaluation (the date of the letter notifying the LEA of its evaluation). Any ongoing issues which began before the conclusion of the last evaluation cycle, and remain unresolved, will also be considered in the current evaluation. The period will be clearly identified in written correspondence notifying the LEA of its forthcoming evaluation.

Evaluation staff will: 

• Utilize the IWMB's Solid Waste Information System (SWIS) Database to obtain appropriate information for the jurisdiction related to the six statutory findings in PRC Section 43214 (d).

• Review the data, noting obvious compliance issues relevant to the findings required to be made by statute (as described in the standardized final evaluations report).

• Review and assess data noting compliance issues to the appropriate IWMB program staff.  This process may include further investigation and LEA input.

• Prior to the final report, develop a draft LEA evaluation. The purpose of the draft evaluation is to insure the accuracy of facts within the report. For a full description of interim steps in this process, please refer to the LEA evaluation flowchart (MS Word, 194 KB or Adobe PDF, 82 KB).

Last updated: November 01, 2007