Car Dealer Fined $290K Over Hazardous Waste: DA

SAN JOSE, CA — A Bay Area car dealer with over a dozen locations across NorCal will pay nearly $300,000 in penalties to settle allegations it unlawfully disposed of hazardous waste and failed to adequately protect customer information.

Del Grande Dealer Group, or DGDG, owns more than 16 businesses in the region, including Capitol Volkswagen, Capitol Chevrolet and Stevens Creek Mazda.

According to prosecutors, the fine stems from a civil complaint pursued by district attorneys in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano and Monterey counties after investigators found violations at DGDG dealerships in each jurisdiction.

The Santa Clara County DA's office said unannounced inspections in 2021 found hazardous waste, including brake cleaner and other car fluids, disposed of in trash containers, along with pages of customer records. Additional investigations at DGDG locations in Alameda, Solano, Contra Costa and Monterey counties discovered similar violations, prosecutors said.

The company was ordered to pay $215,000 in civil penalties, plus $50,000 to cover the cost of the investigation and $25,000 to support training for regulators. As a condition of the settlement, DGDG agreed to designate an employee to manage its hazardous waste protocol. Prosecutors acknowledged the dealership's full cooperation with the investigation and said it had already taken "significant steps" to improve compliance and address consumer protection concerns.