2 Senators Dispute Governor on Waste Cleanup

Two Democratic legislators Wednesday claimed that Republican Gov. George Deukmejian was exaggerating the state’s accomplishments in cleaning up toxic waste sites, saying the Administration was playing a numbers game and, in fact, de-emphasizing some of the worst sites.

Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles) and Sen. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove), members of a Senate budget subcommittee examining state toxic waste programs, sent Deukmejian a letter questioning whether money for toxic cleanup projects is being spent “wisely and well.”

The letter, released publicly, followed by a day Deukmejian’s claim that his Administration has cleaned up 100 toxic waste sites, contrasted with 13 under ex-Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Deukmejian acknowledged at a news conference that the Administration is focusing its activities on relatively small problem areas in order to spread state dollars around most efficiently but described his policy as “very vigorous.”

At a Capitol news conference, Greene accused the Administration of “lying” about cleaning up some sites, claiming that the cleanup was actually being performed by counties and other government agencies.

Greene said the Administration’s policy appeared to be unorganized and said he thought Deukmejian may be misinformed about what the state Department of Health Services is actually doing.

Garamendi, who has announced plans to run for governor next year, said the Administration listed “numerous, but relatively unimportant, sites around California.”

He said some of the worst toxic waste sites in California, such as the Stringfellow Acid Pits in Riverside County and at an Aerojet General Corp. facility near Sacramento, were being given relatively low priority by the Administration.

A statement released after the news conference by Joel S. Moskowitz, deputy director of the Department of Health Services in charge of the toxic substance control division, challenged the legislators’ statements that waste sites being cleaned up were relatively unimportant.

“Every one of the sites cleaned up during our tenure posed a real or potential threat to public health and safety,” Moskowitz said.