San Fernando Valley : Councilman Assails Vote on Landfill

Angered by the Planning Commission’s vote to extend the operating permit of a landfill in his district, Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon accused the panel Friday of “environmental racism.”

Alarcon also accused minority members of the commission of betraying the working-class residents who have lived near the Lopez Canyon landfill near Lake View Terrace for almost 20 years.

Alarcon’s charge came one day after the Planning Commission voted unanimously to extend by one year the operating permit of the 400-acre city-run landfill. The dump’s current permit expires in February.

Alarcon has long criticized the landfill, which is in his district, saying it creates dust, noise and odor for neighbors. He promised to appeal the commission’s decision to the full council within the next two months. But it must first be reviewed by the council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, which is headed by Valley Councilman Hal Bernson.

Bernson said Friday that he also wants to close the landfill when the permit expires. But he rejected the charge of racism, noting that he fought for years to close a portion of the Sunshine Canyon landfill near Granada Hills, a predominantly middle-class, Anglo community in the Valley.