Residents Upset by Lockheed Settlement

Residents upset over being left out of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s $60-million confidential settlement with about 1,300 Burbank neighbors told the City Council on Tuesday night that they too deserve compensation.

An overflow crowd of more than 150 people--represented by about 20 public speakers--filled the council chambers. The speakers voiced a wide range of complaints surrounding ongoing concerns over Lockheed’s handling of toxic waste.

Lockheed, while maintaining that its former plant posed no health risk to the community, last week confirmed it had reached a confidential settlement with some residents.

Tuesday night, residents told the council of relatives and friends who have cancer. They told of breathing problems and other health concerns that they believe may have been caused by the aerospace giant. They also talked of seeking their own legal action against Lockheed and possibly the city of Burbank.

“I have never seen an action so deplorable,” said Rae Gustafson, 63. “It is a disgrace to Lockheed and the city of Burbank.”

Leo Baldino, 40, drew applause from the crowd when he said he planned to seek further legal action against Lockheed and encouraged others to join him.

“I think about it every day,” Baldino said. “Am I going to wake up and have lung cancer?”

Several residents also complained that the process of notifying residents of the requirements to be included in the settlement was flawed because announcements apparently were placed in only one local newspaper. Also, the announcements were printed only in English, some residents said.

Jill Thomas, 31, said she could not understand how her older brother and sister had been accepted into the group that settled secretly while she was rejected.

“It just didn’t make any sense to me,” Thomas said. “None of this makes sense.”

Juli C. Scott, chief assistant city attorney, said little information was available regarding the settlement involving the 103-acre Lockheed site.

Scott said the city would have no legal standing to pursue action on behalf of residents. The city, like many of its residents, had no prior knowledge of the settlement, she said. Nevertheless, the council agreed to try to help residents in whatever way it could.

“It’s the morally right thing to do,” Councilman Ted McConkey said.