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the potential danger of Royster's of interest with the case when he asked him to hang onto about down?" ward.
<br /> ROYSTER swelling tire mountain was hard to found out about it in May. The 30,000 tires temporarily as a favor. Royster would let his Tracy lot The Integrated Waste Manage-
<br /> ignore, Planning Commissioner district attorney attended at least "The fiend skipped the state," expand until county authorities ment Board announced Thursday
<br /> Continued from Al Sandra Carter remembers. two of Royster's late-summer Nesin said. "But Royster realized periodically forced him to deal that it will consider revoking the
<br /> The fire that incinerated the "That place has always been a birthday parties in the past few he could make money off tires:' with it, records show. The stall use permit of the West Coast's
<br /> 8 million tires he had amassed major concern with us in terms years and received a $5,500 cam- Royster bought the Tracy prop- tactics carried him until 1994, largest tire-disposal pile, in
<br /> and the mobile home in which he of a fire hazard," Carter said. "We paign contribution from Royster erty,which already was being used when new state environmental Westley,
<br /> had been living only made things were just crossing our fingers and in 1986, records show for tire storage, in the early 1980s, laws governing tire-disposal yards McConnell, Royster's daughter,
<br /> hoping everything went well. County officials maintain that records show. About a year later, went into effect
<br /> worse, said Brett Nesin, Royster's said such an initiative demon-
<br /> The inability of authorities to Royster was able to operate officials in Shasta County began Royster was equally obstinate ,
<br /> attorney. strates the states illogical bias
<br /> rein Royster in has also caused beneath the radar for so long not cracking down on him for code with the state, however. He filed
<br /> "My dad's whole life went up in some to examine the gregarious because he had any help from violations at his fire yard. About suit against the new environmen- against the tire-disposal industry,
<br /> flames that day," said McConnell, businessman's social and political within the system, but rather 60,000 tires had accumulated, pro- tal laws in 1994, challenging their a bias her father spent the last
<br /> one of Royster's seven children. connections to local elected off- because he knew how to manipu- viding a breeding ground for rats constitutionality and claiming he years of his life standing up to.;
<br /> "He always felt like he was doing cials, ties that have won Royster late it so expertly. Indeed, Royster and mosquitoes, and the county was grandfathered past them. He "Everything my dad did, he did
<br /> good for the community by pro- favors in the past, records show seemed to have been a bureaucra- eventually took him to court to lost. by the letter of the law," Mc-
<br /> viding a place for people to take In May, San Joaquin County cy's worst nightmare, a man with get him to ship out, said Russ Appeals filed in 1996 and 1997 Connell said through tears.
<br /> their old tires. My father was a Sheriff Baxter Dunn weighed in the will to fight the system and the Mull, director of resource manage- fared no better. "The state was just coming
<br /> good, honest man, and people on Royster's behalf during a fero- experience-born savvy to do it. ment for the Shasta County Royster's case was eventually after him for no reason, with no
<br /> Should thank God there are pec- cious divorce from his wife, Born in Harrison, Ark, in 1931, Environmental Health Department sent to the Attorney General's better solutions for where to put
<br /> pie like him:' Victoria In a letter to the judge, Royster lived a life that etched In the tire-disposal business, Office.The agency filed a civil suit these tires than he had. My dad
<br /> But just as a black fog still Dunn said that during an eight him with the smarts and stub- companies hold the cards once against him July 17, asking the was the only one who had toe
<br /> lingers above the smoldering year social and professional rela- boniness that would be his trade- they get big enough, Mull said. court to order Royster to cease his intelligence and the courage.to
<br /> remains of Royster's life's work of tionship with the couple (Chuck marks in the tire business. He Royster had a relatively small tire-disposal operation. The fire fight the state's stupidity, and die
<br /> the past two decades, so do other Royster served as a ceremonial served as a Navy mechanic in the number of tires on his Shasta started about three weeks after- had every right to do it'
<br /> troubling questions. A spokesman sheriff's deputy), he never wit- Korean War, then evolved from a County lot, and a prospective
<br /> for the California Environmental nessed anything that would sup- front-line union organizer to pres- buyer was willing to pay for the
<br /> Protection Agency said state agen- port Victoria Royster's claims of ident of a Teamsters local in the cleanup; in Tracy, however, Royster
<br /> des would likely continue to pur- spousal abuse. The judge eventu- Bay Area He built up a trucking could simply have walked away
<br /> sue Royster's estate for the costs ally removed the mutual restrain- empire in Fremont that he traded from his lot if the county had
<br /> of cleaning up the tire lot, which ing orders that had been a condi- to an industrial developer for a cracked down, leaving the taxpay-
<br /> had been operating without prop- tion of the divorce. healthy fortune in the early 1980s. ers to foot the cleanup bill.
<br /> er environmental permits since Chuck Royster's friendship with He learned to fly. It was an advantage of which
<br /> 1994, records show. San Joaquin County District Attor- But if Royster's life taught him Royster was all too aware, officials
<br /> "Right now, we want to extend ney John Phillips also won him a anything, family members said, it say.
<br /> our condolences to his family short legal reprieve in the begin- was to recognize opportunity, "We felt like he was holding us
<br /> members," said Jim Spagnoli, an ning of the year, records show which is exactly what he saw when hostage," Carter said. "What can
<br /> official with the state EPA. "But at The California Integrated Waste he was operating a Shasta County you do with tires? Where are you
<br /> some point down the road, we're Management Board, which had junkyard in 1983 and a friend going to take them if we shut him
<br /> going to need to make allowances been locked in a legal struggle
<br /> for remuneration." with Royster since 1994, passed its
<br /> The county Planning Depart- case along to the District Attor-
<br /> ment tried to regulate Royster's tire ney's Office in January, hoping the
<br /> lot in the late 1980s, records show, local agency would have a better
<br /> when the number of tires on the shot at prosecuting. Phillips, how-
<br /> property started to grow Even then, ever, said his office had a conflict
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