Delay on Landfill Worth the Wait

Even longtime opponents of expanding the Sunshine Canyon Landfill were surprised when the Los Angeles City Council postponed making a decision until at least Oct. 26.

Just about everyone thought approval of the expansion into Granada Hills was a done deal, with only Councilman Hal Bernson, whose district includes the area, opposing it.

Landfill opponents know not to be too optimistic about the delay. After all, they previously spent years fighting to close a part of the landfill on city land, but found their 1991 victory short-lived. Two years later, the County Board of Supervisors approved opening the dump on adjacent county land.

Now Browning-Ferris Industries, which operates the landfill, wants to expand back into city land. BFI has put its considerable clout behind its proposal, spending nearly $350,000 over the last 18 months to fund City Hall lobbyists.

Nobody wants to live next door to a landfill, but we have to put them somewhere. That said, are Granada Hills residents, some of whose homes come within a half mile of the proposed expansion, being asked to shoulder too much of the city’s waste problem? Have all possible concessions been wrung out of BFI? Have all other options been explored?

Whatever the reason for the surprise delay, if it prods councilors to rethink these questions, it’s worth the wait.