Judge Seeks Solution for 2,000-Ton Rubble Pile

A judge Tuesday chastised Huntington Park officials and the owner of a rubble pile for failing to agree on a cleanup plan for the site, which was declared a public nuisance more than two years ago.

Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge Kenneth Lee Chotiner took the unusual step Tuesday of trying to mediate a plan to clear away the 2,000-ton mountain of rubble that Huntington Park neighbors blame for asthma-like health problems.

But after spending several hours trying to reach a consensus, a clearly frustrated Chotiner delayed further negotiations until Friday.

The judge criticized Sam Chew, the owner of the rubble pile, and his attorney, Levi Uku, saying it appeared they were “dragging their feet” on the negotiations. Chotiner also accused prosecutors of being too “nit-picky” on the plan.

The heap--which is about 45 feet tall--is made up of concrete chunks from the Santa Monica Freeway damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Chew collected the rubble and planned to crush it and sell the gravel as road base. Chew’s lawyer said the rubble is worth up to $3 million.

In November 1997, Chew plead no contest to nine counts of creating a public nuisance and was sentenced in May 1998 to clean up the property, pay fines and restitution and serve 100 days of community service, according to prosecutors.

Chew has yet to pay the restitution or fines or perform community service. Uku said Chew will serve his sentence after the cleanup plan is completed. Chew’s attorney also said that complicated negotiations among prosecutors, environmentalists and air quality experts have delayed agreement on the plan.