REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
January 27, 2026
FROM
TERRY W. THOMPSON, Director, Real Estate Services Department
NOEL CASTILLO, Director, Department of Public Works- Solid Waste Management Division
SUBJECT
Title
Lease Application for a New Contract with the Bureau of Land Management for Apple Valley Landfill
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve a no-fee Lease Application with the Bureau of Land Management for the Apple Valley Landfill.
(Presenter: Terry W. Thompson, Director, 387-5000)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Ensure Development of a Well-Planned, Balanced, and Sustainable County.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). There is no cost associated with the approval of a no-fee Lease Application form and no revenue earned upon the execution of the Lease application.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This item will approve a Lease Application (Application) for a new contract (current contract No. 22-507), which expires December 31, 2026, with the United States of America (U.S.), acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), for the use of 15 acres of federal land located in Apple Valley, as an off-site borrow area to provide soil cover materials for the inactive Apple Valley Landfill (Landfill).
The Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) owns and manages the Landfill, which comprises approximately 120 acres of County-owned property located northeast of Highway 18 in an unincorporated area east of the Town of Apple Valley. SWMD operated the Landfill from 1964 until it ceased operations and was assigned inactive status on June 30, 1997.
On February 23, 1981 (Item No. 23), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the submission of an Application for Land for Recreation or Public Purpose to the BLM to lease 40 acres of federal land located adjacent to the Landfill. The Application was subsequently approved, and a 25-year Recreation of Public Purposes Lease (CACA-009487) was executed on December 7, 1983 (Initial Lease), to allow the County to use 40 acres of federal land as an off-site borrow area.
The Initial Lease expired in 2008. However, due to a change in federal policy in 1995, BLM would not renew the Initial Lease and required that the County purchase a 15-acre portion of the original 40 acres leased, which is the area disturbed by activities associated with the operation of the Landfill. The County remained in holdover under the Initial Lease while terms of the acquisition were negotiated. On June 2, 2015 (Item No. 72), the Board approved Recreation or Public Purposes Lease Agreement No. 15-279 (CACA-009487) (Replacement Lease) with the US for a term of eight years, retroactive as of December 8, 2008 through December 7, 2016, for 15 acres to allow for additional time to complete the acquisition.
On June 14, 2022 (Item No. 70), the Board approved Recreation or Public Purposes Lease Agreement No. 22-507 (Replacement Lease) for a new 10-year lease from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2026.
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Summary of Lease Terms |
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Landlord: |
Bureau of Land Management |
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Location: |
Apple Valley Landfill (Assessor’s Parcel Number 0436-111-11-0000) |
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Size: |
15 acres |
Once BLM approves the Lease Application, the Solid Waste Management Division lease will be in the queue to be drafted by BLM and reviewed by San Bernardino County Counsel before being prepared for a board approval.
PROCUREMENT
The Application to Lease is exempt from the provisions of County Policy 12-02 - Leasing Privately Owned Real Property for County Use, because the real property is owned by a government agency.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (John Tubbs II and Aaron Gest, Deputies County Counsel, 387-5455) on December 18, 2025; Solid Waste Management (Marc Rodabaugh, Deputy Director, 386-9017) on December 19, 2025; Purchasing (Ariel Gill, Supervising Buyer, 387-2070) on December 18, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Kathleen Gonzalez, 387-5412, and Eduardo Mora, 387-4376, Administrative Analysts) on January 9, 2026.
(CM: 840-266-0977)