Dump Foes Buried by Mountain of Lobbying

The operator of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill has spent more than $450,000 to lobby City Hall for permission to expand, making it one of the most expensive campaigns ever on a San Fernando Valley issue, according to documents released Monday by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission.

Meanwhile opponents, who are planning bake sales and garage sales to raise money, announced they have found lawyers who have agreed to file suit to try to halt the expansion by Browning-Ferris Industries in Granada Hills.

The latest developments occurred on the eve of a City Council meeting at which final approval of the dump expansion is on the agenda, although both sides predicted Monday that the matter would be delayed.

At least eight votes are needed to give the dump final approval or kill the measure. Two who were part of the 9-5 majority giving preliminary approval to the dump last month were Councilwomen Ruth Galanter and Rita Walters, who are out of the country on city business.

“Any delay would give us more time to make our case,” said Councilman Joel Wachs, an opponent of the expansion.

In new disclosure filings released Monday for the three months ending Sept. 30, three lobbyists reported receiving $112,000 from BFI to lobby city officials for the zoning approval. No one reported receiving money from dump opponents.

Added to previous disclosure statements, the total amount spent during the last two years now exceeds $450,000, one of the largest amounts spent on a land-use issue in the Valley. With lobbyist Arnie Berghoff continuing to get $15,000 a month as the process drags on, the total tab is likely to top half a million dollars before the issue is settled.

“It speaks for itself,” Wachs said. “Money talks. I don’t think there is any question that it has an impact.”

Councilman Hal Bernson, another opponent, is also concerned about the massive lobbying effort he is up against, said Ali Sar, a spokesman for the councilman.

“We knew all along they were spending a ton of money,” Sar said. “They [BFI lobbyists] take up the entire first and second row in the council chambers.”

Berghoff said only part of the money paid by BFI so far is for traditional lobbying, with the rest going to land-use attorneys, including Chris Funk, to provide expertise during hearings with city planners.

“Because he talked to city officials, the city ethics ordinance considers it lobbying, but it’s really not lobbying per se,” said Berghoff, who does lobby City Council members.

The lobbyist said the amount spent so far is typical for such a complicated land-use issue involving strong feelings in the community.

“This is not a 7-Eleven on the corner. This is a very complex issue,” Berghoff said.

For the last quarter, BFI paid $45,400 to Arnie Berghoff and Associates; $27,532 to the law firm of Paul, Hasting, Janofsky & Walker; and $39,482 to the law firm of Weston, Benshoof, Rochefort, Rubalcava & MacCuish. Mary Edwards of the North Valley Coalition said opponents are outmatched by BFI.

“There is no way we could keep up with that,” Edwards said.

The opponents have asked two attorneys who live in the area to draw up and file the lawsuit on a pro bono basis until enough money can be raised to hire an attorney specializing in environmental law for landfills.

“We have an arrangement to draw up the complaint and get it filed,” Edwards said, adding that the attorneys involved do not want to be publicly identified yet.

The lawsuit will charge that the city acted improperly in adopting overriding considerations that indicate the public benefit of the project outweighs negative environmental impacts that cannot be fully mitigated.

Also today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider a motion by Supervisor Mike Antonovich, a dump opponent, to study alternatives to Sunshine Canyon.

The motion asks for a report on the possibility of purchasing the Eagle Mountain Landfill or Mesquite Landfill. Sunshine opponents have pointed to both dumps as potential alternatives.

Buying Eagle Mountain or Mesquite would minimize the need for expansion of Sunshine Canyon, said Antonovich spokesman Dave Vannatta.