SANTA CLARITA : City OKs Campaigns Against Landfill

The city of Santa Clarita authorized billboard and public relations campaigns against the proposed 190-million-ton-capacity landfill in Elsmere Canyon, which the county and city of Los Angeles want to operate jointly in Angeles National Forest.

The City Council voted 5 to 0 Tuesday to direct staff to design artwork and construct billboards in opposition to the project, which the Torrance-based BKK Corp. has proposed for a site near Santa Clarita, east of California 14 at the end of San Fernando Road. The council voted 4 to 1 to explore hiring a public relations firm, at a fee not to exceed $100,000, to help rally public opinion against the proposal.

“What bothers me,” Mayor Jan Heidt said, “is that people in the community haven’t taken ownership of this problem like they should.”

Several community and environmental groups, as well as Rep.-elect Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita), also have opposed the proposed dump. County officials contend that the project is needed to ease what they say is a critical landfill shortage. An environmental review of the proposal is being conducted by the U.S. Forest Service and is expected to be made public during the spring.