Sunshine Canyon Expansion Approval

“City Council OKs Dump’s Expansion,” Dec. 9.

December 8, 1999, is a day that will live in infamy. On that day, David lost to Goliath. Big Business defeated the little guy. Money concerns overrode the people’s welfare. And Browning-Ferris Industries got a spectacular return on its nearly half-million-dollar lobbying investment.

No wonder people are disillusioned with their governments. No wonder voting numbers are at an all-time low. No wonder people perceive legislative bodies as the tool of special interests. The decision to reopen Sunshine Canyon Landfill only reinforces those perceptions.

Why the haste? BFI still has plenty of unused space, and other options are going to have to be explored sooner or later anyway. The City Council has chosen expediency over deliberation, much to the delight of BFI.

ROBERT CHASE

Granada Hills

*

In the chain of life, Homo sapiens has sunk to a new low. In the Valley, the quality of life of humans close to Sunshine Canyon is considered less important than the convenience of dumping our garbage. Just over the Ventura County line, human housing and business needs are being preempted by four red-legged frogs and, yes, even by a weed that has been written off the books for more than 50 years.

If this is the skewed thinking of our elected representatives, we humans are in deep trouble. We need to fight back before we too become extinct.

PAULINE TALLENT

Winnetka

*

Re: “Dump Expansion Bolsters Case for Secession,” Dec. 10.

The Los Angeles City Council and the mayor once again provided more evidence why Valley secession is needed. Whether it be hazardous waste sites, out-of-control redevelopment projects or a demoralized school district, Valley residents are being controlled by the powers that be who do their deeds on the other side of the hill.

It has become increasingly clear to Valley residents who were sitting on the fence about secession that change is needed. We need a City Council and mayor that listen to their constituents and not the politically connected corporations, developers and bureaucrats.

JIM LEAHY

Panorama City

*

Please note that after every unpopular decision our City Council makes, there is a flurry of hysterical diatribe from disgruntled Valley residents shouting,”Let’s secede, let’s secede.” Remember the feasibility of the secession study by the responsible agency has not yet been completed. It has not even commenced! Is the legally required “revenue neutrality” condition even possible?

Who’s behind this loud and insistent “voice of the people”? I suspect that it’s only a handful of advocates, namely self-serving presidents-for-life of homeowners associations and similar self-serving individuals.

Abraham Lincoln, where are you? We need you again.

LOUIS ROBINS

Van Nuys