CLOUD OVER SUNSHINE HAHN DISCARDS BFI'S LANDFILL-EXPANSION PERMIT.

Byline: Beth Barrett and Rick Orlov Staff Writers

Mayor James Hahn temporarily blocked approval of a key permit for Sunshine Canyon Landfill and vowed Wednesday to try to prevent the controversial dump's expansion into Granada Hills.

City officials, scouring the laws at Hahn's direction, ruled the application permit by Browning Ferris Industries of California was incomplete and rejected it Tuesday, the Mayor's Office announced.

The giant waste disposal company responded by withdrawing its application, citing technical design reasons unrelated to the city's action. A spokesman called the permit omissions ``minor'' and of a technical nature that could be fixed quickly.

``It's sort of like a stay of execution, but I hope it's better than that,'' said North Valley Coalition spokeswoman Mary Edwards, a leading opponent of the dump's expansion. ``To have something really good is exciting. It's wonderful.''

The city's action was the first obstacle placed in the way of the expansion of Sunshine to a 451-acre, 90-million-ton dump since the City Council narrowly approved it in December 1999, outraging the community that for years has cited it as a reason for Valley secession to wrest land-use and other local decisions away from downtown City Hall.

Hahn, who promised the community that he would work to close Sunshine during his mayoral campaign, told the Daily News the scrutiny given the application leading to its denial by the city's Environmental Affairs Department was the outcome of ``the city listening to the people in the neighborhoods.''

``The people around Sunshine made their voices known, and they've been heard by me,'' Hahn said, saying he's toured the site and seen trash blowing out of the dump and over the hills.

Hahn reiterated his campaign pledge to ``eventually close down all landfills in the city,'' saying it is time to evaluate alternatives to how the city handles its trash.

``There has to be other methods, or places to dispose of it, that are better choices than close to a school and homes, and water reservoirs,'' the mayor added.

Hahn said he ordered a rigorous review of every aspect of BFI's application to make sure it was not ``rubber-stamped.''

North Valley Coalition members - who have battled for years to keep the dump now operating in Los Angeles County from expanding and moving closer - said they were thrilled with the action, and cautiously optimistic it signals a real change in the city's position.

Edwards said the announcement was ``one of the few good things historically that's happened to us,'' recalling how for years residents unsuccessfully tried to fight City Hall over the dump, on occasion arriving with signs reading ``The Valley Needs to Secede.''

Councilman Hal Bernson, who represents the neighborhoods around the dump, said the action - even if it is ``just a technicality'' - provides a ``window'' to revisit the entire landfill matter, and perhaps force a re- evaluation of environmental impacts by a new council and mayor.

``This is our opportunity to stop Sunshine Canyon in the city, and we're going to give it our full shot,'' Bernson said, adding he'll introduce a motion Tuesday seeking proposals for alternative dump sites or disposal methods.

``I'm going to bring in a proposal for a full study on the landfill and alternatives to reopening. I think we need to look at a trash-to-energy plan or long-haul options. Everything will be on the table.''

BFI spokesman Arnie Berghoff dismissed the incomplete-application problem, saying it would require ``about an hour'' of work to correct.

``It's about as minor and technical as you can get,'' Berghoff said. He said there is no date yet for the application's resubmittal.

Mike Mohajer, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works assistant deputy director, said BFI didn't submit a required document, ``Finding of Conformance,'' to a state-mandated task force, which is required as one of the conditions for being able to receive any waste for disposal at Sunshine.

Mohajer and city officials said BFI instead submitted documents in 1991 addressing the county portion of the landfill, but not the proposed city expansion.

``It was totally irrelevant,'' Mohajer said.

Secession leader Richard Close, chairman of Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, seized on the delay, contending that if Valley cityhood is approved in November its mayor and City Council would have a greater say in the dump's future.

``It ties in beautifully with Valley cityhood,'' Close said. ``The decision on the dump will be made by the new Valley city council, rather than the City Council of the current city of L.A. I believe the City Council of L.A. will just move ahead to reapprove the dump, and that's why Valley cityhood becomes very important.

``The Valley City Council would never approve such a large dump so close to schools and homes. It's only because people in San Pedro and West Los Angeles voted on this issue that the Granada Hills dump was approved a couple of years ago.''

Hahn said he didn't view Sunshine through the ``lens of secession'' but rather as a crucial citywide and neighborhood issue.

The mayor, who opposes secession, suggested that a separate Valley city might be less able to battle Sunshine because the city of Los Angeles would retain contracts with BFI and would have fewer incentives to fight a dump beyond its borders.

``If there was a new Valley city, there'd be no interest (by L.A.) in having the landfill closed,'' Hahn said.

Kim Thompson, vice president of the North Valley Coalition, credited the newly formed Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council for putting pressure on Hahn and other officials through an aggressive e-mail and telephone campaign.

Thompson said while secession might mean Granada Hills would be ``home free because no one from the Valley would keep (the dump) here,'' the community for now has to work within current political realities, with the existing city leadership.

``I have to pin my hopes on them,'' Thompson said.

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Sunshine Canyon Landfill