OFFICIALS LAY GROUNDWORK FOR HEARING ON LANDFILL PLAN.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Preparing for a fierce debate over a massive expansion proposed at Bradley Landfill, Los Angeles officials have mailed out more than 31,000 letters notifying residents of the April 24 public hearing on the plan.

Residents living within three miles of the Sun Valley dump are being asked to submit their concerns about a 43-foot increase in the elevation of the dump and any issues other they want addressed in an environmental impact study.

The hearing originally was scheduled for December, and the city sent out notices to residents living within 500 feet of the dump. Neighbors and City Council members complained about the lack of public notification, prompting officials to reschedule the hearing, expand the notification area and send out letters in English and Spanish.

``We want to make sure people are as well-informed as possible,'' said Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, whose district includes the landfill.

Waste Management Inc., which operates Bradley, is paying more than $30,000 for the mass mailings, District Manager Doug Corcoran said.

``It's all part of being open, open, open and discussing this thing,'' Corcoran said.

Waste Management is seeking to increase Bradley's height by 43 feet and increase its capacity by 4.7 million cubic yards or more than 10 percent.

Without the expansion, the dump will reach capacity this year. The expansion would allow the landfill to continue operating a few more years while Waste Management builds a transfer station to handle garbage once the dump is closed.

The project is just beginning environmental review, but Mayor James Hahn and several City Council members have already said they oppose the project.

The public hearing will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 24 at Sun Valley Middle School, 7330 Bakman Ave. Comments also can be mailed to Project Coordinator Jimmy Liao in the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, 200 N. Spring St., Suite 763, Los Angeles 90012.