CHURCH JOINS SCHOOL IN FIGHT AGAINST DUMP LEADERS ADVOCATE ACTIVISM.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

SUN VALLEY - From the pulpit, the Rev. Jim Fee weaves together the ancient teachings of the gospel and a modern-day story about air pollution and social justice, giving his parishioners inspiration to fight the landfill in their neighborhood.

A few miles away, in a classroom at Fernangeles Elementary School in Sun Valley, students write letters urging politicians to reject the proposed expansion of the Bradley Landfill down the street. Parents of the students are being trained by school administrators in how to voice their concerns.

While a handful of community activists have railed against the landfill for years, they are now joined by a Catholic church and a public school in an effort to bring authority and a moral imperative to the campaign to close the dump towering over the neighborhood.

``It takes (the debate) out of being 'just some political thing,' or 'Where are we going to put our trash?' and brings it into a more human dimension,'' said Fee, pastor at Mary Immaculate Church in Pacoima.

The priests and educators now spearheading the fight to close the landfill say activism is simply another facet of their missions.

``It's an integral part of presenting the gospel and living the gospel,'' Fee said. ``It's in the words of Jesus, it's in his deeds. We can't be Christian believers if we don't practice social justice.''

Fernangeles Principal Karen Jay said the classroom may be her first priority, but education doesn't stop at the school door.

``My job is to empower my community to learn,'' she said.

Sun Valley is a largely Latino, lower-income corner of the northeast San Fernando Valley, home to dozens of auto junkyards, gravel pits and some 35 active and closed landfills.

Frustrated Sun Valley residents often argue the entire community deserves a cleanup. But many consider Bradley Landfill land the first and largest step toward beautifying one of the most industrialized areas in the Valley.

Waste Management Inc., which operates Bradley, has asked the city for permission to raise its height 43 feet and increase its capacity by 10 percent.

The expansion would allow Bradley to accept trash until 2007 and keep workers employed until the company could develop its long-term plan, a transfer station on site to sort recyclables before shipping the remaining garbage to far-off landfills.

Waste Management District Manager Doug Corcoran said he'd prefer to see community leaders working with the landfill operators instead of fighting against them.

``Any issue that's happening in Sun Valley, we share it with the people who are at Fernangeles and the people who attend the churches,'' Corcoran said. ``We want to continue to operate. We feel we provide a service that is absolutely necessary.''

The company's environmental impact report for the expansion is due in early 2004. But opponents are already rallying Sun Valley residents to voice their objections to the dump.

Nearly 300 people - most opposing the landfill - packed the parish hall last month at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in Sun Valley, trying to convince local politicians to commit to fighting the dump expansion.

It was the first large public effort by the churches and school - joining with Los Angeles Metro Strategy-Industrial Areas Foundation and other partners - to organize the community against Bradley Landfill.

``People the day after the meeting were so happy,'' Jay said. ``Parents want to know more and they say, 'Finally, someone is talking for us.'''

Fernangeles is an elementary school that is designed for 400 students, but which actually has 1,250 kids. The Academic Performance Index, the score based on student testing, is 611 out of 1,000 and all of its students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

When Jay started talking to parents about how she could improve their children's education, she kept hearing the same concerns: Kids suffered asthma, nose bleeds and illnesses.

To improve their education, Jay realized she would have to help improve the children's quality of life, improve their day-to-day living and improve the environment around the school. ``The air we breathe doesn't stop at the sidewalk or the fence,'' Jay said. ``My job is to improve instructional programs and I don't want to make any bones about what I do during the day.''

But when the afternoon bell rings, she and her teachers turn their attention to other issues affecting students' lives.

Experts say civic responsibility, political organization and social issues are crucial, though often forgotten, elements of education.

``Historically one of the roles of public schools is citizenship,'' said Bill De La Torre, a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at California State University, Northridge. ``School is a natural place for that, too, but normally we don't see the kinds of things we're seeing at that school.''

Los Angeles Unified board member Julie Korenstein said she has no qualms with students and teachers organizing to fight the landfill.

Van Gogh Elementary did the same thing when the City Council voted to expand Sunshine Canyon Landfill into Granada Hills and the school district joined the lawsuit challenging the decision.

``We want to give children the hope that we have some control over our lives. That's all part of education,'' she said. ``If there is something that is harmful and disruptive of the community, then all segments are going to get involved.''

The Rev. Richard Zanotti has been at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church for about a year - enough time to understand the impact that landfills and trucks have on the health of the community. When he heard that L.A.-Metro was organizing residents to speak up about their quality of life, he decided it was time for his parish to be heard as well.

``I think that our people have a lot to say. I say that to them in church as much as I can,'' Zanotti said. ``Make your voice heard. We've got a lot of people here. We aren't being taken seriously yet.''

Many of his parishioners are recent or undocumented immigrants, and many are quiet, don't want to complain, don't want to draw attention, Zanotti said. Yet privately they say they're frustrated with the dust, the smell and the rumbling trucks from the landfill.

But it's hard to many to ignore the call to action from their priest - their spiritual leader.

``There are still people in hierarchy that you look up to, someone you respect, someone you don't believe will lead you astray and you really listen to that person,'' said Cecelia Barragan, a parishioner at Mary Immaculate. ``It's opening our eyes.''

Roman Catholic officials said they are directed by the pope and church leadership to champion social justice and environmental issues, though some pastors have embraced the call more than others.

For Fee at Mary Immaculate, the Catholic community is obligated to question the Bradley Landfill expansion.

``It's part of caring for the environment and caring for quality of life,'' he said. ``It has to do with love, respect and care for our brothers and sisters.''

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com