VOTES LINED UP FOR LANDFILL; COUNCIL MAJORITY APPEARS READY TO OK HOTLY PROTESTED REZONING.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

Unswayed by environmental and health concerns raised by Granada Hills residents, the Los Angeles City Council appears determined today to reverse its longstanding opposition to urban dumps by approving Sunshine Canyon Landfill expansion.

Council President John Ferraro and Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski remain split from the rest of the San Fernando Valley's representatives, joining a majority of non-Valley council members who support granting a zone change that would allow Browning Ferris Industries to reopen the dump within the city limits eight years after it was closed.

If the council majority approves, BFI would be allowed to expand the dump into the city, almost doubling it with an additional 194 acres, and eventually bring it within one-fourth mile of homes. The plan would double BFI's capacity to about 12,000 tons of trash a day at the combined county-city site.

Council members Joel Wachs and Laura Chick, both from the Valley, have each submitted a motion asking the council to delay its decision on the landfill a fourth time so that alternatives can be explored. Wachs wants the council to call for formal proposals for dumps outside the city, but he said the majority appears reluctant.

``I'm afraid the ball is in the hands of the public to exert pressure,'' he said. ``I just hope enough people call for the council to rethink this.''

Councilman Hal Bernson, whose district includes the dump, said he, too, is preparing a couple of last-minute motions, urging a delay pending a health study and an independent comparison of costs with other landfill options.

North Valley Coalition President Wayde Hunter, whose organization has led the fight against the landfill, said groups and individuals representing nearly half the city have lobbied the council without effect on the issue.

``Their phones are ringing off the hook. They're getting e-mails from homeowner associations. People are getting people who know them to call,'' Hunter said. ``We'll be there. We'll exhaust our legal remedies, and then we'll sue.''

Hollywood Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg said she remains uncertain, but a change in her vote alone would not affect the outcome. The council previously gave tentative approval to the expansion by a 9-5 vote. Only eight votes are needed for passage and 10 would make the decision veto-proof, although Mayor Richard Riordan has said he supports reopening the dump.

Goldberg said she still hasn't received answers on where transfer stations would be built if the city tried another disposal option, such as hauling waste by rail to a distant site.

``All the questions raise more questions,'' Goldberg said. ``I can't do this unless I know all the pieces. This is just too long-range for me just to hold my breath and hope for the best.''

Venice Councilwoman Ruth Galanter was among those who said environmental and financial issues have been answered to their satisfaction.

``So far the environmental arguments against the alternatives are more compelling than the environmental arguments against the landfill, with appropriate controls,'' Galanter said.

She said the health and safety concerns at Van Gogh Elementary School underscore the difficulty in finding desirable locations for schools. They may be built near landfills or traffic pollution, she said.

``That's how you end up with locations that have problems,'' said Galanter, saying schools in her district suffer from pollution generated by jetliners flying into Los Angeles International.

Council members generally reported little jockeying behind the scenes, and there apparently were no efforts to draft a last-minute compromise.

BFI's spokesman Arnie Berghoff said the company wouldn't make predictions before the votes are cast. BFI officials say the expansion is safe and far cheaper for the city than hauling trash to remote dumps.

Galanter said there simpmaly is not the political will on the council to consider a citywide trash collection fee to pay for more expensive disposal options. Residents pay only a fraction of the cost through a monthly fee of $6 from most households and $4 for small apartments.

Council members already have put some strings on the deal, including a franchise fee estimated at $5 million to $6 million per year, with about half to go into the Sunshine Canyon Community Amenities Trust Fund for use within five miles of the landfill.

The remainder of the franchise fee initially is to go into the Integrated Solid Waste Management Trust Fund to develop technology and infrastructure for cleaner-burning fuel trucks. The council has adopted policies intended to phase out diesel truck traffic to the landfill.

The council today is to consider a 10-year limit on BFI's operations, but it is unclear how much legal force that condition would have. BFI officials said they already are subject to regular reviews.

Opponents of the dump said they will again turn out in force at council chambers on a day with very heavy agenda. They will be allowed to give testimony if Bernson or another representative so requests, said Ferraro's spokesperson Gayle Johnson.

Hunter, however, questioned whether council members will respond to claims that all the options have not been explored in good faith. He said he anticipates indifference from the council majority.

``This is just one more nail in the city of Los Angeles' coffin,'' Hunter said. ``They don't play fair. It's all political.''