EDITORIAL PROTECT THE COMMUNITY COUNTY SUPERVISORS MUST RESIST BFI'S URGE TO MERGE.WHAT do Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San , the conservative Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County supervisor, and Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. , the liberal mayor of L.A., have in common with environmental groups, labor unions and various neighborhood activists?All oppose the merger of the two dumps that currently operate in Sunshine Canyon, just outside Granada Hills. When Antonovich and his fellow supervisors consider the merger question today, they ought to think long and hard about the breadth and diversity of the public's opposition to this urban garbage dump. Currently, Browning-Ferris Industries Browning-Ferris Industries, or "BFI", is a licensed trademark of Allied Waste Industries, a North America waste collection company. Many local units of Allied Waste are still known as BFI in the markets they serve. operates two dumps at Sunshine Canyon, one in city territory, one in county. But the company is seeking county approval to merge the two facilities into one megadump connected by a land bridge. Much to the delight and surprise of neighbors who have to live with the dump's odors, fumes fumes odorous gases and other volatile materials; inhalation of irritating fumes causes coughing and, if sufficiently severe, irreversible pulmonary edema. , traffic and environmental hazards, the county Planning Commission Noun 1. planning commission - a commission delegated to propose plans for future activities and developments commission, committee - a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours" - Milton Berle rejected the application in November. But BFI BFI - brute force and ignorance appealed, so now the ultimate decision is in the hands of the supervisors. In keeping with its traditional tone-deafness to community concerns, BFI officials can't seem to fathom why the megadump idea would be unpalatable to those who have to live in its shadow. ``It's quite honestly puzzling why there's any opposition to this,'' says BFI District Manager Greg Loughnane. ``We've made significant concessions to get this passed,'' he adds, citing the $60 million the company is investing in waste-to-energy and recycling projects. All of which is fine and good, but BFI should be able to understand that neighbors don't want the dump in their backyards and are fed up with the politicians breaking promise after promise and selling them out. What the public wants is a clear drop-dead date for closing the dump -- not ways to make it bigger and more profitable for the company. Neighbors worry about their health and the environment and the lackadaisical lack·a·dai·si·cal adj. Lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid: "There'll be no time to correct lackadaisical driving techniques after trouble develops" William J. Hampton. enforcement of public-health regulations. Above all else, they're highly skeptical of a political class that continues to promise them improvements, then finds new ways to dump on them yet again. They have good reason to fear that by giving BFI still more of what it wants, their elected leaders will end up shortchanging them yet again. The anger is widespread, and the concern very real. Let's hope the supervisors recognize that today and decide to stand with the people for a change. |
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