Toxic Dump Spurs Calls for Kizer’s Job

Residents of Casmalia in Santa Barbara County called Thursday for the firing of state Health Services Director Kenneth W. Kizer for not moving to shut down the toxic waste dump near their homes and for suggesting that their fears stemmed from “toxic superstition.”

“It is obvious that Dr. Kizer is insensitive to our situation,” the Casmalia residents said in an open letter to Gov. George Deukmejian requesting Kizer’s removal. “It is clear that his intentions are to keep the dump open and operating, despite any and all evidence of the damage it is causing to our families and those of the surrounding communities.”

The townspeople, assisted by environmental groups such as Greenpeace, contend that the dump run by Casmalia Resources is poisoning their community, contaminating the ground water and polluting the air. They say the incidence of illness, miscarriages and birth defects has jumped significantly in the town of 175 people, which is located two miles from the dump.

However, Kizer and the Department of Health Services say there is no scientific evidence proving that the dump is responsible for any increase in health problems in Casmalia. The dump--which is one of two in the state that accepts the most hazardous of toxic wastes--should remain open, state officials have decided.

In a recent interview with The Times, Kizer said: “I think what’s going on, and I don’t want to sound harsh, is a lot of toxic superstition. It’s kind of like when a black cat walks in front of you and then you have an accident. Well, the cat didn’t cause the accident. People have become superstitious about Casmalia Resources.”

Kizer’s remarks prompted four women from Casmalia and a Greenpeace activist to deliver a letter to Deukmejian’s office Thursday seeking the health director’s removal. Their request led to an impromptu meeting with two top officials of the Deukmejian Administration, Health and Welfare Secretary Clifford L. Allenby and Undersecretary Thomas E. Warriner.

Angie Irmiter, a spokeswoman for the residents, pleaded for help from the state in ending toxic exposure from the dump. “The town of Casmalia needs help,” she told the two officials. “The dump needs to be closed. This little town is dying.”

Allenby said his agency, which oversees Kizer’s Department of Health Services, would look into the Casmalia situation.

He said, however, that in order to close Casmalia the state would need clear evidence of a threat to the public health--proof that so far has not been scientifically established.

Allenby told reporters that he was moved by the appeal from the Casmalia residents and said: “You have to put yourself in their position. If you or I were living there, we’d be here doing the same kind of thing.”

However, Allenby, a member of Deukmejian’s cabinet, defended the health director, saying, “I think Dr. Kizer’s doing an excellent job.”

The situation in Casmalia is complicated by bitterness among the townspeople and a growing distrust of government. Residents have refused to release their medical records to Kizer’s department because they are involved in a lawsuit against the operator of the dump. Irmiter said the state has received plenty of medical evidence that the dump is a problem. But Kizer argues that without the medical records, the state is hampered in its examination of the dump.