Bernson Turns Down Firm’s Landfill Offer : Sunshine Canyon: The councilman calls the Browning-Ferris proposal, which would rescind a dumping ban, a “public relations move.”

Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson on Tuesday shelved an offer by Browning-Ferris Industries to give the city exclusive dumping rights at a portion of Sunshine Canyon landfill if the city would lift its July 1 ban on dumping in that area.

Bernson, a foe of Sunshine Canyon, called the company’s offer a “public relations move.” He decided that the offer will not be considered by the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which he chairs. None of his colleagues on the panel objected.

Asked about his decision, Bernson said he was “not prepared to reopen the question of extending the life of Sunshine after the council unanimously voted to close it a year ago.”

The proposal surfaced just before a July 1 deadline for closure of Browning-Ferris’ dumping operation on the south mesa of the landfill. On June 27, Browning-Ferris wrote council members to say the south mesa could accommodate 400,000 tons of garbage, and the company was offering the city the exclusive right to dump at that site on “mutually satisfactory” terms.

The terms were not spelled out, but H. Randall Stoke, attorney and lobbyist for Browning-Ferris, which owns the landfill, said Tuesday that the company would expect to be paid market rate tipping fees by the city.

In its letter, Browning-Ferris reminded lawmakers of the region’s landfill crisis. “There is currently a critical need for landfill capacity in the Los Angeles region. In order to meet this need it may be necessary to utilize all available landfill space,” including unused space at the south mesa, the company wrote.

To accept the offer would have put Bernson at odds with his own record and at odds with his constituents in Granada Hills who have fought for years to close the landfill. Residents complain that the dump generates dust, litter and noise.

Meanwhile, Browning-Ferris today will seek a zoning variance from the city’s Board of Referred Powers--also chaired by Bernson--to allow it to dump nearly 5 million cubic yards of garbage in Sunshine Canyon at a site north of the newly closed south mesa.

Bernson said he may try to postpone consideration of the variance if the city does not hear from state water quality experts about the effect of the company’s plans.

The lawmaker said it was important to proceed cautiously because there is no appeal to the full City Council of a decision made by the Board of Referred Powers.

Nearby homeowners are trying to block the variance. They say it will permit improvements that will lay the groundwork for Browning-Ferris’ even larger plan to expand the dump onto acreage in unincorporated areas north of the city--a charge the firm denies. That expansion plan is to be considered by the county Regional Planning Commission.