Privatization of Public Property

On September 11, 2023, Veronica spoke to the City Council about the disadvantages and consequences of privatizing public property. The following is the message transmitted by Veronica. She also turned in a set of small business owners' trash bills showing the difference between before and after the city privatization. 

Privatization

According to the Dictionary, privatization is transferring a business, industry, or service from public to private ownership and control. In other words, it gives the private sector what belongs to the people, including the freedom of choice.

Consequences

In 2022, when Russia entered in war with Ukraine, Europe suffered a terrible natural gas crisis because Russia was the largest gas supplier to many European countries. Euro-news reported that the prices went from €27 to €321 per megawatt-hour. It was all because European countries were not self-sufficient.

In February 2021, a similar situation happened in Texas because the state had privatized its public gas service, and due to a winter storm, the gas companies could not supply the demand or provide efficient service, causing the residents of Texas to be without natural gas for weeks. Their gas bill increased from the hundreds to the thousands. The gas companies made 11 billion in 9 days with the gas crisis. Texans will be paying additional monthly charges for years.

Privatizing Pomona's trash service has already affected all commercial and business owners of this city, having doubled, tripled, or quadrupled their trash service costs.

Even when the legislation asked for trash recycling or special processing, The council did not have to transfer the public property. The decision made is exclusively the responsibility of this board.

Leaving the private sector in charge of the public services is like the fox guarding the hen house.

Pomona business owner Opinion

Denisse, Pomona small business, commented: "My trash bill went from $88.91 with Valley Vista, but because of the city members who decided to give Athens a 10-year contract, my bill is now $377 a month."