Deukmejian Assails Parochialism in L.A.

Gov. George Deukmejian Thursday sharply criticized opposition in Los Angeles to the local placement of state prisons and waste-to-energy projects that he termed part of a destructive phenomenon in state politics he called NIMBY, defined as a parochial “not in my back yard” attitude.

Speaking to a luncheon of San Fernando Valley business people, the governor also declared that adding “another layer of stringent environmental controls on top of the effective regulations that we already have” could result in many businesses leaving California, throwing state residents out of jobs.

This appeared to be an allusion to the “Big Green” environmental initiative sponsored for the November ballot by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp and Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica).

Several hundred people paid $40 each to attend the luncheon at the Sheraton Universal to hear what had been billed as a major statement by Deukmejian. Some expressed disappointment afterward that the governor had enunciated only familiar conservative themes.

NIMBY attitudes, said Deukmejian, are “with increasing frequency hampering problem-solving, policy-making and the completion of public works projects.

“Even though Los Angeles County now exports all of its 36,000 convicted felons to our state prisons, there is not one single state prison in this county,” Deukmejian said. In the eight years since the Legislature mandated that one be constructed, the process of doing so has been mired in studies, environmental impact reports and now, lawsuits, he complained.

“Meanwhile, the costs to the taxpayers for these delays mount and our prison overcrowding gets worse,” he said. “I believe it is totally irresponsible for anyone to continue to throw up roadblocks in the way of a policy that has already been fully debated for years and decided.”

Similarly, the governor said he is unsympathetic with Los Angeles opposition to waste-to-energy projects. “Of the nine waste-to-energy projects that were under consideration in Los Angeles County,” he said, “seven have now been abandoned due to local opposition.”

Selfishness is also seen, the governor said, in opposition to oil drilling and Malathion spraying to destroy the Medfly.

“Even though our state uses twice as much gas as we produce, many Californians don’t even want to consider aiding the production of additional energy supplies by supporting environmentally sound offshore oil development projects,” Deukmejian declared.

He complained: “Most Californians want to enjoy a wide variety of wholesome food, fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices. But many Californians refused to support the necessary steps we had to take to protect that food supply from the Medfly infestation.”