Supervisors Study Ban on L.A. Trucks at Calabasas Dump

Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday requested a study to determine the effects of a plan to close the Calabasas landfill to trash hauled by Los Angeles city trucks.

Supervisors also agreed to consider preventing communities that have not dumped garbage at the Calabasas landfill in the past from doing so in the future, said Judy Hammond, an aide to Supervisor Pete Schabarum. The county dump historically has been a disposal site for areas west of the San Diego Freeway and south of the Simi Valley Freeway.

The two actions were taken after a closed-door session to discuss litigation that could arise if the board adopted Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s proposal to close the landfill to trash generated within the city.

Antonovich’s proposal was made Oct. 2 after the city killed a plan by Browning-Ferris Industries to expand the company’s Sunshine Canyon Landfill above Granada Hills, and the company cut back dumping limits there from 3,000 tons a day to 700 tons a day.

Antonovich’s aides said the supervisor was concerned that the Calabasas landfill could fill more rapidly as Valley-area haulers looked for alternative dumps.

Dave Vannatta, an Antonovich aide, said Tuesday that Antonovich wants to be sure there is enough space in the landfill to accommodate trash from unincorporated county areas and smaller cities in the years ahead.

About 75% of the 3,000 tons of trash dumped in the Calabasas landfill each day is from the city. One-third of the city trash is carried in trucks owned by the city Bureau of Sanitation, and the rest is brought by private haulers.

Antonovich had initially proposed closing the landfill to all city trash. But the supervisors instead opted to study a modified plan that would prevent only city-owned trucks from dumping there.

The study--an environmental assessment--could preclude the need for a more detailed environmental impact report reviewing the effects the reductions would have throughout the region.

Robert Alpern, assistant director of the city’s Bureau of Sanitation, said it was unfortunate that the supervisors took action without giving city officials an opportunity to defend their decision not to permit the Sunshine Canyon expansion.

Alpern said the proposal was dropped after a “rigorous planning evaluation” concluded that it was not in the community’s best interest to allow Browning-Ferris to exceed the height limits set forth in its conditional use permit.

“Seems like the city didn’t get its day in court,” Alpern said.

Vannatta, however, said he believed that city sanitation officials were aware that the county was considering the measure and could have attended the meeting.

Alpern said that if the county does bar city-owned trucks from Calabasas, the city will be forced to find alternative sites, which he said would probably be more expensive.

He also said that despite the board’s action, city and county officials will continue to work together to try to solve the region’s long-range problem of garbage disposal.