Granada Hills Landfill Opponents Suffer Setbacks

Foes of a dump in Granada Hills suffered two setbacks Friday as Mayor Richard Riordan said he supports expanding Sunshine Canyon Landfill and another top official concluded any alternative would be too costly.

The City Council voted 9 to 5 last month to permit Browning-Ferris Industries to reopen its landfill in Granada Hills, but a final vote is still necessary before the zoning ordinance goes to Riordan.

The mayor did not wait for the final vote, telling a crowd of business leaders during his annual State of the Valley speech that an expanded landfill, with measures to lessen the negative impact on neighbors, is essential to helping the city meet its trash-disposal needs for the next 26 years.

Riordan said he knew he was taking a stand that would be “unpopular with certain people.”

“As mayor of the second biggest city in the United States, many of my decisions have citywide ramifications,” said Riordan, speaking at the annual business forecast meeting of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. “Many of these decisions, that I believe are for the good of the whole city, will not please a number of people.

“But you can’t run the city correctly if you want to please 100% of the people.”

Riordan said he and his staff members “have to take an overall view of the needs of the city.”

Riordan said he understands nearby residents who oppose the expansion.

“It is tough, I feel for them,” Riordan said.

Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton said the cost of transporting Valley trash to Lancaster would be more than $21 a ton, contrasted with the $18.26 fee at Sunshine, where no additional transportation costs would be incurred.

At the very least, it would cost the city about $8.4 million annually to send trash to Lancaster, Deaton said.

The analyst said the transportation cost to get trash to a Rialto landfill would also be about $21, even before the city paid the dump fee.

Yet another option pushed by opponents, a dump near Palm Desert, would cost at least $24 a ton, about 50 cents more per month for each Los Angeles household.

Deaton said there are too many uncertainties and questions on the cost for him to recommend that the city abandon expansion of Sunshine Canyon.

Riordan’s position was not unexpected--he had signed a General Plan amendment in February for the landfill expansion--but announcing it before a final council vote surprised opponents of the landfill.

“I’m surprised and rather regretful that the announcement was made in advance of the council vote,” said Councilwoman Laura Chick, who was in the audience for the mayor’s speech.

Chick said Riordan’s announcement could “close the door” on hopes of getting those who voted for the landfill to change their positions for the final vote.

“I’m really deeply disappointed that he made the decision without getting all the facts about suitable alternatives,” said Councilman Joel Wachs, an opponent.

Ali Sar, a spokesman for long-time dump foe Councilman Hal Bernson, said the mayor’s decision “shows a lack of understanding of our concerns, especially involving the health issues in the north San Fernando Valley.”

Final action was delayed to allow one final study of alternatives. Deaton, who conducted the study, told The Times that transporting trash outside Los Angeles adds so much to the cost that any alternative would be unwise.