Bradley Offers 8-Point Toxic Dump Plan

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, raising once again the toxic-cleanup theme of his gubernatorial campaign, Tuesday proposed what he called a “common-sense” set of procedures to ensure that hazardous dump sites are cleaned up properly and quickly.

Bradley held a City Hall press conference to announce his plan, which he said he will propose as state legislation in January whether or not he wins the election against Republican Gov. George Deukmejian in November.

Federal Grant

Because the cleanup of hazardous waste is “one of the critical health issues in the state,” Bradley said, the city used a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant of $250,000 last year to direct the city’s Environmental Quality Board to come up with a plan to deal with toxic dump cleanup.

Bradley’s proposal was swiftly dismissed as “toxics catch-up” by an aide to Deukmejian. “The mayor’s eight-point proposal, in essence, mirrors the activities already under way,” said the governor’s spokesman, Kevin Brett.

The eight-point plan includes establishment of a state toxics action committee to determine whether the state or local agencies are in charge of cleanup for specific dump sites and creation of a statewide hot line for concerned citizens. It would also require that adequate security measures be taken at the site, that health studies of the local community begin quickly and that an on-site manager direct the cleanup.

Deputy Mayor Tom Houston said that while the suggestions made by Bradley “are things easily accomplished and in a few cases have been talked about, people who live near the sites are telling us the things the mayor is proposing are not getting done now. We want it mandated by the Legislature.”

The city’s Environmental Quality Board, whose members are appointed by the mayor, held hearings over the last year at dump sites in Southern California and in San Jose, said Rob Glushon, board president. The hearings convinced the board that the new protocol “would work better for the communities.”

A Bradley spokesman said the board’s study was initiated “long before there was any announcement about running for governor.” The mayor’s interest in coming up with a program for prompt cleanup at toxic waste sites was heightened by the city’s cleanup experience at the Capri site, Bradley spokesman John Stodder said.

Capri Pumping Services, located in Boyle Heights, was cited in 1978 for an assortment of violations involving storage and disposal of hazardous wastes. The state later called the company’s leaking wastes and rusting tanks “potentially serious sources of water pollution,” and county health officials declared the site a public health hazard after inspectors found cancer-causing chemicals in far higher concentrations than allowed by law.

Shut Down in 1980

The site was shut down in 1980, but the cleanup process, marked by disputes between state and city officials, was not finished until late 1984. The $1.3-million effort is the only major toxic waste cleanup job financed by the EPA’s Superfund that has been finished in the state.

Both Bradley and Deukmejian have taken credit for the cleanup, but a Times investigation in 1985 showed that both the state and the city caused delays because of poor communication, lack of planning, and political rivalries.