Sunshine Canyon Landfills

A proposal for expansion of the Sunshine Canyon landfill onto city property in Granada Hills chugged its way through another hurdle Tuesday. A City Council planning panel voted 2 to 1 to accept the proposal, meaning the entire council is set to vote on it Sept. 14.

Dennis Montano stood on a corner in Granada Hills one recent brisk morning, lifted his nose to the sky and sniffed. "Right now, I don't smell anything," Montano said. That was good news for the embattled Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The disposal site operates roughly a mile away in Sylmar but has roiled the Granada Hills North neighborhood with a potpourri of foul smells. In the face of numerous complaints and dozens of public nuisance violations, the company has organized an "odor patrol team" in an effort to improve community relations and comply with state regulations.

A divided Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Wednesday to a zone change allowing the Sunshine Canyon Landfill to expand into Granada Hills, despite angry testimony from neighbors who fear health risks. More than 100 people attended the hearing to oppose the zone change sought by Browning Ferris Industries. After the council's 8-7 vote, opponents said they will file a lawsuit to overturn the action and threatened to mount recall campaigns. "It wasn't unexpected.

In a move that by business standards may sound peculiar, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Friday to pay more money to send less trash to the long-controversial Sunshine Canyon Landfill above Granada Hills. Though the bulk of the city's trash still will be buried at Sunshine, about 600 tons of trash each day are expected to be trucked to other landfills in other cities. While agreements have yet to be reached, the trash is likely to go to Avenal, about 200 miles north of L.A.

The proposal to expand Sunshine Canyon Landfill onto city property in Granada Hills chugged its way past another hurdle Tuesday. The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee gave its approval to send the proposal to the full council, but also agreed to consider changes that take into account the concerns of a vocal group of residents. The committee voted 2 to 1 to accept the proposal, meaning the entire council will now have a chance to vote on it Sept. 14.

On Oct. 26, I attended the Los Angeles City Council public debate on whether to allow BFI Industries to expand Sunshine Canyon Landfill. This will potentially be the largest landfill in the country, 1,500 feet away from the city's largest body of drinking water. There was no mention at the council debate of the Santa Susana thrust fault that exists under this landfill. An earthquake could damage the underground lining of the landfill, and toxic debris could contaminate the entire Los Angeles drinking water supply.

Save Open Space, an organization of L.A. and Ventura County environmental and homeowner groups, opposes the Sunshine Canyon Landfill expansion. Open Space zoning, mainly in Ventura County, and Significant Ecological Areas, in Los Angeles County, are required by state law to be part of general plans necessary for the "health and welfare" of the residents of California. Los Angeles is approaching the point where it will be all paved over with very little "open space" preserved. Sunshine Canyon has significant resources and is identified as a significant area to be preserved.

Foes of the Sunshine Canyon landfill won a reprieve Friday when a Los Angeles city panel invalidated a decision that homeowners had feared would help Browning-Ferris Industries, the landfill owner, to expand its dumping operations. Mary Edwards, secretary of the North Valley Coalition, a group organized to fight the Sunshine Canyon landfill above Granada Hills, called the action by the city's Board of Referred Powers a "hopeful sign." Browning-Ferris attorney Linda Bozung had no comment.

Citing traffic congestion and other concerns, the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission voted Monday to deny a permit for Sunshine Canyon Landfill to combine its county and city operations. The landfill, operated by Browning-Ferris Industries, currently has separate permits from the city and county.

Sunshine Canyon Landfill's operators, as well as its opponents, have filed petitions challenging a regional water board's decision to allow the dump to expand into Granada Hills, officials said Friday. The filings could extend a decadelong battle among residents, politicians and landfill owner Browning-Ferris Industries over a plan to develop a 450-acre landfill within the Los Angeles city limits in the north San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has authorized the city to hire an inspector who will oversee compliance with environmental and safety regulations at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, officials said Thursday. "The mayor is committed to providing funds to fill that position to ensure the requirements are met on a daily basis, and to keep the landfill as safe as possible," said Riordan spokesman Peter Hidalgo.

In an effort to reduce air pollution from diesel exhaust, the City Council voted Friday to require all city trash trucks hauling refuse to Sunshine Canyon Landfill to use low-sulfur fuels. The action follows complaints about diesel emissions by area residents who oppose the expansion of the Sunshine Canyon landfill into Granada Hills. "We have to get rid of diesel-powered vehicles because they are so heavily carcinogenic," said City Councilman Mike Feuer, who presented the motion.

The stupidity of several Los Angeles politicians is beyond comprehension. First the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors votes to trample citizens' rights by banning legal, orderly gun shows at the county fairgrounds. Later they inform us that since they had not reviewed the issue thoroughly, it will cost $2 million-plus in taxpayer money to reimburse the fairgrounds for lost revenue. Now, without a thorough review of the dump's impact on the local community and the L.A. water supply, the L.A. City Council has approved the opening of the Sunshine Canyon dump that is about a half-mile from a Granada Hills elementary school and the primary source for L.A.'s water supply.

San Fernando Valley secessionists seized on Sunshine Canyon as a battle cry Thursday, saying the Los Angeles City Council's decision to expand the dump will further their cause. Many north Valley residents who were against secession or ambivalent about it have suddenly become ardent supporters since the City Council voted 8-7 Wednesday to approve expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, said Wayde Hunter, president of the North Valley Coalition.

A divided Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Wednesday to a zone change allowing the Sunshine Canyon Landfill to expand into Granada Hills, despite angry testimony from neighbors who fear health risks. More than 100 people attended the hearing to oppose the zone change sought by Browning Ferris Industries. After the council's 8-7 vote, opponents said they will file a lawsuit to overturn the action and threatened to mount recall campaigns. "It wasn't unexpected.

A divided Los Angeles City Council voted final approval Wednesday to a zone change allowing Sunshine Canyon Landfill to expand into Granada Hills, despite angry and emotional testimony from neighbors who fear their health will be at risk. More than 100 people packed the council chambers to oppose the zone change sought by Browning Ferris Industries.