3 CANYONS STRUCK FROM LANDFILL LIST.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

After decades spent struggling to protect three Santa Monica Mountain canyons from becoming trash dump sites, county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky announced Monday that the canyons were dropped from the county's potential landfill list.

Surrounded by elated residents, state and local officials, Yaroslavsky declared at a news conference that county Public Works officials have dropped Mission, Rustic and Sullivan canyons, located in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area, from the county's Integrated Waste Management Plan's list of possible landfill locations.

``This is something I never thought would happen,'' said Jerry Daniel, a resident of the canyon area and the county's appointee to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy advisory committee. ``We worked tirelessly for many years to realize this dream - it's terrific.''

With a sweeping view of the San Fernando Valley behind him, Yaroslavsky stood atop an overlook above Mission canyon just south of Mulholland Drive and praised residents for their time spent protesting the dump sites.

``This is a victory for all of the people . . . without the grass-roots backing the political climate - the political ground - would not have been fertile for this kind of a monumental decision,'' said Yaroslavsky, whose 3rd District encompasses much of the Valley, the county's west end and Los Angeles' Westside.

Yaroslavsky also criticized Washington legislators who have tried to change laws to favor the conversion of parklands into dump sites.

``There's always a congressman somewhere who doesn't represent this kind of area, who doesn't have the same values that we have, who is willing to compromise and sell off national parklands, expose areas as beautiful as this to becoming garbage dumps,'' said Yaroslavsky.

Last month Yaroslavsky urged county officials to remove the three canyons from the potential landfill sites list by citing federal laws that prohibit the operation of new landfills within boundaries of the National Park system.

Yaroslavsky's request came after intense public debate was triggered by the Public Works' disclosure in March that the three canyons had been identified as potential dump sites.

Last week, the Public Works board's decision to drop the canyons as potential sites marked a milestone for those who had been embroiled for more than 20 years in a struggle to protect them.

Among the champions of the cause, officials said, are Yaroslavsky, City Councilman Marvin Braude and outgoing U.S. Rep. Anthony Beilenson, D-Woodland Hills.

``This is really a citizens' success story and success story for Marvin Braude . . .,'' said state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, chairman of the Senate's environmental committee. ``You just don't want to get in Zev's way, let's put it that way. And I'm so glad that the county finally gave it up.''

Newly elected Democrat Brad Sherman, who will be representing Beilenson's district come January, said he looks forward to challenging any legislator who wants to change the current federal law protecting parklands.

``And if there is someone (in Washington) that thinks that the law ought to be changed, perhaps we can bring them out here and show them that these canyons should remain and be restored and not become garbage dumps,'' said Sherman.

The county originally purchased Mission Canyon in 1958 and used portions of it as a landfill for five years until 1965 when landfill operations were suspended and relocated.

With concerns about maintaining its landfill capacity, the county purchased Rustic and Sullivan Canyons in the late 1960s as potential landfill sites.

Since the early 1970s, after the city of Los Angeles denied the county's request to reopen the Mission Canyon landfill site, the three canyons had remained on the county's list of possible dump sites.

Now, though the canyons are protected from becoming landfills under the county's jurisdiction, there is still a potential that the county could sell the canyons to someone who might develop them into dump sites.

To avoid this, Yaroslavsky and Joseph Edmiston - executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy - will seek to transfer the lands to the park system. The move would forever protect them from becoming dump sites.

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Photo

PHOTO County supervisor Zev Yarosalvsky, center, points to Mission Canyon.

Gene Blevins/Daily news