Ferraro Refuses to Delay Final Vote on Landfill Expansion

City Council President John Ferraro on Tuesday ordered an updated analysis of the costs of dumping the city’s trash, but refused to delay a final vote on expansion of a Granada Hills landfill.

After a sharp exchange of words with Councilman Joel Wachs, a landfill opponent, Ferraro rejected demands by Wachs and others for a longer delay. The council had favored the landfill on a 9-5 vote on Oct. 26; final action is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Unless the council reverses itself, Browning-Ferris Industries will be allowed to accept 55 million tons of trash in the next 26 years.

Wachs had sought to indefinitely delay expansion of Sunshine Canyon pending another survey of alternative landfill operators. Wachs’ motion could not be considered because, Ferraro ruled, the council president had already delayed the final vote until next Tuesday.

“It doesn’t preclude discussion,” Wachs objected. “You are wrong John, and you know it.”

Afterward, an infuriated Wachs charged that Ferraro had acted improperly and was putting the interest of the landfill’s lobbyists over the health concerns of people living near the facility.

“It’s the most outrageous thing I have ever seen,” Wachs said. “I am so . . . mad. It’s just arrogance of power. It’s the classic case of big money talking. It’s just doing the bidding of the lobbyists.”

Key backers of the Sunshine Canyon expansion, including Ferraro and City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, said they are willing to consider any new information on whether cheaper alternatives exist for dumping Los Angeles’ trash, but they want to move ahead with the zone change as a separate land-use issue.

Ron Deaton, the council’s chief legislative analyst, said later in the day that the report ordered from him by Ferraro is expected to show that the least expensive alternative to using Sunshine Canyon, trucking the trash out to Lancaster, would cost the city about $8.4 million more annually.

That information was discussed last week when the council first voted to approve the expansion.