BFI TOLD LANDFILL THREATS ILLEGAL.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer City officials refused on Wednesday to bow to demands by the operator of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill to negotiate a new 10-year contract renewal or face steep fee hikes, saying the current contract prevents the company from doing either. A letter from Enrique Zaldivar, assistant director of the Bureau of Sanitation, to Browning Ferris Industries says an agreement signed in 2001 clearly spells out the fee schedule and disposal deadlines and that the operator of the Granada Hills dump has no grounds for changing them now. ``The city expects BFI BFI - brute force and ignorance to abide by To stand to; to adhere; to maintain. See also: Abide the terms of this agreement,'' Zaldivar wrote in a one-page letter faxed to BFI District Manager Greg Loughnane. BFI issued an ultimatum to the city May 19, giving officials until June 15 to formally advise whether they will renew the disposal contract that expires in June 2006 - the deadline Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California has set for ending city dumping at Sunshine Canyon. The BFI letter also warned that the company would raise disposal rates as much as 50 percent, beginning in July, and could stop accepting city trash earlier than June 2006. Zaldivar did not return phone calls. But his letter states that the contract would allow BFI to increase the current disposal rate by 66 cents a ton for direct-haul waste and 37 cents a ton for transfer-haul waste, effective July 1. The city now pays about $23 per ton dumped in Sunshine Canyon. In a phone interview, Loughnane said the city and company have different interpretations of the contract, but he declined to be specific or to say what the company's next move might be. ``Our door is open right now for the city to sit at the table and work with us on this,'' Loughnane said. Landfill opponents who were infuriated in·fu·ri·ate tr.v. in·fu·ri·at·ed, in·fu·ri·at·ing, in·fu·ri·ates To make furious; enrage. adj. Archaic Furious. by BFI's letter said they were pleased with the city's response and were trying to rally neighborhood councils Neighborhood councils are governmental or non-governmental bodies composed of local people who handle neighborhood problems. They can be found in many cities throughout the world. to fight the landfill. Eight councils in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. have signed on, opposing the continued use of the landfill. ``People can't stand the idea of the extortion, the threatening letter. Even if they don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. about the landfill it angers them that we do business with a company like that,'' said Kim Thompson, a Granada Hills activist and longtime foe of the dump. A spokeswoman for Councilman Greig Smith Greig Smith is a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 12th District, which includes Granada Hills, Northridge and other parts of the Western San Fernando Valley. Smith is also a reserve officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. , whose district includes the dump, said he was in agreement with the letter. ``It's a sneaky and underhanded attempt by BFI to blackmail the city into a long sweetheart deal Sweetheart Deal A merger or company sale where one company involved in the deal gives the other very attractive terms and conditions. Notes: In other words, a sweetheart deal is a transaction that a firm simply cannot pass-up. This is usually considered to be unethical. ,'' said Nikole Bernson in Smith's office. A spokeswoman for Hahn had echoed the comments in Zaldivar's letter. After BFI sent its letter, Hahn fired back one of his own, stating: ``There should be no doubt that the city will pursue every means to ensure that you adhere to the terms of the agreement,'' Hahn wrote in a letter to BFI. BFI officials countered that their letter was not a demand, but an offer of a low-cost, 10-year trash plan. The company also wishes to reserve its right to recoup costs or find new customers should the city take its trash elsewhere. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): map Map: Sunshine Canyon Landfill Daily News |
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