SANTA CLARITA : Council Will Decide Fate of Dump Battle

The Santa Clarita City Council will decide tonight whether to continue the city’s long battle against a massive landfill in Elsmere Canyon, or to ask for concessions to make the dump easier to accept.

Under proposed terms of the deal between the city and county of Los Angeles, the public landfill would be located two miles northeast of the junction of the Antelope Valley and Golden State freeways.

The federal government would give up Elsmere Canyon in exchange for private holdings inside Angeles National Forest that would become parkland.

Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) is considering drafting legislation that would facilitate the land swap with the U. S. Forest Service to allow for construction of the 190-million-ton landfill

The legislation would also prevent three scenic canyons in the Santa Monica Mountains, once listed as future dumps, from becoming landfills.

Berman met with city officials April 15 to determine whether they wanted any special mitigation measures in the legislation to address concerns the city has about the dump.

But Berman said Monday that he has not decided whether to draft the legislation. Berman authored a similar bill several years ago but it failed in Congress.

Mayor Jill Klajic, one of the city officials who met with Berman, said she will urge the council to oppose any legislation that would allow a landfill.