Panel OKs Bill Giving State Power Over Elsmere Dump

A state Senate committee approved a bill Wednesday that supporters say would force the Los Angeles city and county governments to comply with a new state law if they build the proposed Elsmere Canyon Landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Opponents called the bill unnecessary.

Under current law, Los Angeles County must develop by Jan. 1, 1992, a waste management plan detailing how it will meet the goals of a new law that both reduces the amount of trash allowed into dumps and increases recycling. In the meantime, the county is prohibited from approving new landfills unless the state determines they are needed to ensure public health.

Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita) said his bill specifies that the county and city of Los Angeles--pushing together to establish the Elsmere Landfill--must obtain state approval that cites a public health need before establishing the Elsmere dump. Davis’ bill was approved Wednesday by the Senate Local Government Committee on a 5-2 vote.

Santa Clarita Councilman Carl Boyer said the committee action “serves notice” on the county to conduct a review of the dump proposal “that will stand up to the closest scrutiny.”

But the bill, which goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee, faces an uncertain future.

Opponents argued that the bill is unnecessary and sets a bad precedent by singling out a specific local landfill site in state legislation.

Stephen R. Maguin, representing the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, maintained the bill “in no way changes” the way the Elsmere Canyon Landfill permit would be handled. He was supported by Norman Boyer, lobbyist for the city of Los Angeles, which also opposes Davis’ bill.

Davis, however, said backers of the Elsmere dump plan have ignored concerns of the city of Santa Clarita about potential environmental threats posed by the dump, and said his legislation is a way to get their attention.

The county, Davis maintained, has displayed a cavalier attitude in dealing with Santa Clarita on the dump issue. If county officials could, he said, “they would put a dump in the middle of the Rose Bowl.”

At issue is an agreement between the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the city of Los Angeles to jointly confront the region’s growing garbage problem. The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday formally concurred in the agreement, under which the city and county would create a huge dump in Elsmere Canyon, 2 1/2 miles from the city of Santa Clarita, to receive rubbish for the next 50 years.

The proposal has angered the Santa Clarita City Council, which has voted to oppose the dump. Critics contend the landfill would pollute Santa Clarita air and underground water supplies and that truck traffic would cause road congestion.

Initially, Davis, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley, sought legislation to give cities broad authority to veto dumps planned near their boundaries. But Davis scaled back his proposal, tailoring it to affect only the Elsmere Canyon Landfill proposal.

Charles Fennessey, an aide to Davis, acknowledged that “it’s going to be tremendously difficult” to win final legislative passage of the Elsmere Canyon bill. But he said Davis’ proposal could be inserted into another bill making its way through the Legislature to clarify the way landfills are established throughout the state.

“We’re not trying to cut a special deal for Elsmere,” Fennessey said.