SUNSHINE PAUSE LETS CITY LOOK FOR OPTIONS LANDFILL CONTRACT ON 6-MONTH HOLD.Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer After narrowly approving a six-month delay on extending the controversial Sunshine Canyon Landfill contract, the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. agreed Tuesday to use the time to develop a broad program to
reduce the city's reliance on landfills.
In an emotionally charged session, the council voted 8-4, the minimum vote needed for passage, in favor of the six-month extension for deciding whether to extend the city's $24 million-a-year contract with Browning Ferris Industries, which operates Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills. 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. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. and Hollywood Councilman Eric Garcetti Eric Garcetti (born 1971) is the son of former Los Angeles county district attorney Gil Garcetti, and was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2001. He was reelected in 2005. , who were absent last week, supplied the one-vote margin of victory. The council then agreed to begin work to expand recycling programs to apartments and businesses, study alternatives to landfills and review whether to shorten the proposed five-year Sunshine Canyon contract to three years. ``I'm not happy that we're doing this, but we are still better off today than we were a week ago,'' said 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. , who had cobbled cob·ble 1 n. 1. A cobblestone. 2. Geology A rock fragment between 64 and 256 millimeters in diameter, especially one that has been naturally rounded. 3. cobbles See cob coal. tr. together a coalition of council members that managed to block approval of the contract extension when it was favored 7-4 last week. ``We have more controls now than before, and we are looking at having even more limitations in the future. And we are looking at alternatives.'' Smith said a new ad hoc committee ad hoc committee A committee formed with the purpose of addressing a specific issue or issues, which theoretically is disbanded once its raison d'etre is finished , being formed to look at trash issues, will hold its first meeting in September. The committee will be tasked with reviewing a series of reports on the status of developing expanded city recycling programs, as well as laying out a timetable for developing a trash-to-energy program similar to some of those in Europe. City officials previously had considered the idea but abandoned it when residents in South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. protested and raised questions over potential environmental hazards. Mayor 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. issued a statement in support of the council action Tuesday, saying he wanted to work with the council to find an alternative to using urban landfills. Villaraigosa, who had campaigned for mayor on a promise not to use Sunshine Canyon, switched his position last week because he said the city needed more time to find alternatives. ``We all share the same goal of getting 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. out of the urban landfill business and out of Sunshine Canyon,'' said Villaraigosa, who asked BFI BFI - brute force and ignorance to extend the contract deadline. ``Making that shared goal a reality and finding truly viable alternatives to Sunshine Canyon is the challenge.'' BFI District Manager Greg Loughnane said he could not comment on any possible changes in the proposed contract, but said the company has been flexible in its dealings with the city. ``We have been cooperative and will continue to be,'' Loughnane said, adding that the landfill would continue to operate even if Los Angeles dumped its trash elsewhere. Despite temporary resolution of the issue, there were some heated moments in the lengthy council meeting. Councilman Ed Reyes Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. complained that residents in some portions of the city, such as his Eastside district, suffer more urban problems than people in affluent areas. ``For too long, we have treated this city as two distinct cities,'' Reyes said. ``It's in your face - where the poverty is, where the overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. is, where the freeways go. You don't see these problems in Beverly Hills or the west San Fernando Valley. ``It is in my areas where these troubles flare up into riots and civil disturbances.'' But Smith said it isn't only Reyes' district that suffers. ``You're right about two cities, and we shouldn't have your city dumping on my part of the city,'' said Smith, whose district includes part of the landfill. ``For too long, the San Fernando Valley has been the dumping ground of the city.'' Reaction to the council's postponement of the landfill issue drew little surprise from community groups. ``As soon as we heard about the possibility of a six-month delay, we figured it was just to get two new council members elected to support the contract to use Sunshine Canyon,'' said Wayde Hunter of the North Valley Coalition, which has been fighting the landfill for decades. ``I suppose we are encouraged by all the new factors involved, but we'll wait and see what develops over the next six months.'' Rick Orlov, (213) 978-0390 rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com HOW THEY VOTED The Los Angeles City Council voted 8-4 on Tuesday, with Councilman Dennis Zine absent, to delay for six months a final vote on whether to extend a contract to continue dumping at Sunshine Canyon Landfill: YES: Tony Cardenas Eric Garcetti Wendy Greuel Tom LaBonge Bernard Parks Ed Reyes Bill Rosendahl Jack Weiss NO: Janice Hahn Alex Padilla Jan Perry Greig Smith CAPTION(S): box Box: HOW THEY VOTED (see text) |
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