Lawmakers Wallow in the Messy World of Landfill Politics

A cluster of California lawmakers waded cautiously into the messy issue of garbage dumps Friday, convening a panel that may try to boost state control over them.

But despite the opening pleasantries, there were signals that any attempt to increase regulation would be opposed by the trash industry and many cities.

“When you talk about state authority, that can sometimes get out of hand,” said Kelly Astor, a waste industry lobbyist for the California Refuse Removal Council. “You don’t want somebody from Modoc County determining where a landfill should be sited in Orange County.”

Just about any public forum on garbage draws a crowd these days, and this meeting--the first hearing of the state Senate Select Committee on Urban Landfills--was no exception. About 100 people attended the six-hour session, many from neighborhoods near landfills.

But from the moment state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) brought the meeting to order, it was unclear just how much the new committee might accomplish. Romero was the only one of the panel’s five members to show up on time--state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) later made a brief appearance--and Romero remained alone throughout most of the morning.

The effort to provide more oversight comes as three major landfills in Los Angeles County are seeking permission to expand. They are the gargantuan Puente Hills Landfill near Whittier, Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills and Bradley Landfill in Sun Valley.

The combined capacity of the three landfills is 153 million tons of trash, most of which already has been filled. The dumps are seeking to expand by a total of 96 million tons, according to state data.

At the same time, a recent report by state Auditor Elaine Howle identified a litany of problems with the agency charged with overseeing California landfills, the Integrated Waste Management Board.

The December 2000 audit found that the board lacked proper authority to protect the environment and public safety. It cannot deny permits, for example, if it believes that additional landfill space is unnecessary. It also cannot consider whether dumps unfairly affect minority communities.

“What can we do to provide the board with more teeth?” Romero asked repeatedly, pointing out that it has been eight months since the audit was released. Interim board director Mark Leary said that his agency was drawing up proposals but had not yet sought changes in state law to address problems cited in the audit.

Clearly annoyed by the delay, Alarcon said, “I just want to let you know I am completely disappointed on how long it’s taken you to act on this . . . . Your department has failed to keep up.”

But many cities, some of which already are struggling to reduce the amount of trash sent to dumps, are likely to object to stricter rules.

“Authority and responsibility is something that is best executed at the local level by the people who deal with it every day,” said Jerry Martin, a La Canada Flintridge councilman.

The landfill committee plans to meet again Sept. 19.