State Can’t Take L.A. to Court Over Landfill
The city of Los Angeles will not be prosecuted for alleged illegal garbage excavation at Lopez Canyon Landfill because state laws preclude criminal prosecution of public agencies, a spokesman for the Los Angeles district attorney’s office said Friday.
David H. Guthman, head deputy district attorney of the Environmental Crimes Division, said the decision not to prosecute did not mean the city was blameless for grading a road through the trash in March without required permits. That excavation released toxic gases that caused two workers at the Lake View Terrace landfill to faint.
“If this had been any operator other than a governmental entity, there would’ve been enough to file criminal charges,” Guthman said.
However, he said the air resources section of state Health and Safety Code does not allow criminal prosecution of any public agency or employee.
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