Legislator Calls for Sunshine Canyon Dump Audit

In a boost to the foes of Sunshine Canyon Landfill, the chairman of a legislative panel recommended Tuesday that state auditors investigate the city of Los Angeles’ decision to expand the dump into Granada Hills.

Opponents and supporters of the dump expansion were flying to Sacramento to testify before the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which today will consider the report from its chairman and staff recommending that an audit be conducted of possible health and environmental risks posed by the dump.

Assemblyman Scott Wildman (D-Los Angeles), who chairs the legislative panel, said in a 27-page report that it appears the city did not fully consider the possible dangers when it approved expansion of the dump in December.

The report also says the audit should determine whether expanding the landfill conflicts with state goals to recycle more trash, and whether there are alternative sites that would not have an impact upon Granada Hills residents.

“The city of Los Angeles may have based its decision to reopen and expand Sunshine Canyon [on] insufficient knowledge and consideration about the potentially adverse effects on public health and safety and the environment,” the report said. “Further, it appears that the city may not have adequately considered alternatives to the dump’s expansion.

“Both the city and county of Los Angeles may also have exaggerated the need for expansion of the landfill,” the report concluded.

The report, drafted with help from the committee staff after fact-finding hearings in Granada Hills, recommends that the joint committee direct the state Bureau of Audits, at a cost of $95,000, to conduct a comprehensive audit of all of the issues raised by the expansion.

The audit committee includes legislators who supported the dump expansion, including state Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Northridge), and some who opposed the action, including state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar).

The committee, which is made up of seven Assembly members and seven state senators, has come under a heavy lobbying campaign by Browning-Ferris Industries, the operator of the landfill.

“The idea of spending almost $100,000 to review a process that the city undertook for four years is ridiculous,” said Arnie Berghoff, a lobbyist for BFI. “If Mr. Wildman had read the record and taken time to call the city decision makers, all of his questions would have been answered.”

In particular, Berghoff said a city environmental impact report looked at alternative sites, examined the impact of the expansion on city recycling programs, and concluded that the dump would not pose a significant health risk to neighboring residents.

However, the head of a homeowner group that has sued the city to challenge its approval of the expansion said the city studies were inadequate and glossed over the possibility that the expansion would not be needed if the city recycled more than 47% of its trash.

“We are very pleased that he is going ahead with the audit,” said Wayde Hunter, president of the North Valley Coalition. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the city did an inadequate job.”

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Berghoff questioned whether Wildman really wants to get answers about the landfill or whether he has called for the audit “for publicity’s sake.”

Wildman held his fact-finding hearings while he was in a heated campaign for the 21st Senate District, but he lost last month’s primary election to fellow Democrat Jack Scott, and now faces being term-limited out of office at the end of this year.

The audit was not proposed to make political hay, said Maria Armoudian, a senior consultant for the legislative committee. Both Wildman’s Assembly district and the Senate district he sought are miles away from the Granada Hills neighborhoods affected by the landfill.

Wildman said in an interview that Sunshine Canyon Landfill raises issues of statewide significance, including whether local, urban landfills are being approved in conflict with state policy to recycle more trash.

He also said residents have been confused about the many state and local agencies that have jurisdiction over landfills.

“We are looking to determine whether there needs to be legislation to clarify the roles of the different agencies to assure there isn’t that confusion in the future,” Wildman said.

City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, the council’s leading proponent of the expansion, did not return repeated calls for comment on the proposed audit, but has said in the past that she felt the city considered all health issues and alternatives.

Wildman said the audit should address eight broad questions, including whether the city adequately looked at the health impacts for the neighboring residents and students and teachers at the nearby Van Gogh Street Elementary School.

The landfill’s pollutants will exceed thresholds set by the local air quality agency, and studies elsewhere have found that there are potential significant health impacts from living near landfills, Wildman said.

The assemblyman said the city originally required that a health-risk analysis be done in 1988 but the study was shelved when the landfill operator closed a portion of the dump in the city.

Berghoff said the city later determined the study was not necessary.