Trash Talk

LA vs. Palmdale: Battle over Trash

I know this is a little late, but the Antelope Valley Press has a good primer on Palmdale's efforts to block Los Angeles from making the Antelope Valley its personal dump:

In an April 18 letter to L.A. sanitation officials, Toone said an environmental analysis will be required if the L.A. Council is considering approving a contract to have Waste Management Inc. haul trash to the company's landfill in Palmdale.

L.A.'s contract for having trash hauled to the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills expires June 30.

Toone said that, because of preliminary steps by L.A. to shift its trash from Granada Hills to the Antelope Valley and Riverside County, Palmdale City Hall "is concerned for the citizens of Palmdale and the Antelope Valley community and the potential negative impacts of the … proposal."

Because of that concern, Palmdale "will respond aggressively with the necessary actions and level of resources to protect the Antelope Valley community from the negative impacts of the proposal in order to ensure the long-term health and quality-of-life … in our community," Toone said.

The city of L.A.'s Web site showed no action items on its agendas for today or Wednesday's City Council meetings for either extending its contract to deliver trash to the Sunshine Canyon landfill, operated by Browning Ferris Industries, or for initiating an environmental analysis to shift its trash to Palmdale.

L.A. Mayor James Hahn has promised to terminate the city's contract with Browning Ferris and send all of its trash - approximately 4,700 tons a day - to jurisdictions outside its borders by 2006.

A call to Hahn's office requesting comment on Toone's position was redirected to the office of L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.

A spokesman at Delgadillo's office said a response would be forthcoming, but it didn't materialize before the Valley Press' Monday deadline.

County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, whose 5th District includes the Antelope Valley, has taken a stand against Hahn's trash-trucking plan.

During a visit to Lancaster on Monday, Antonovich said he was "encouraged by (Palmdale's) action and I am hopeful that this will help our efforts" to keep more trash trucks from using the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Readers Respond: Can't Believe Hahn

Just thought I'd share this letter published in today's Daily News:

Couldn't believe it

Re "Palmdale's demand for EIR may halt trash plan" (May 6):

I just couldn't believe that Mayor James Hahn would pledge to end the city's contract with the Sunshine Canyon landfill in Granada Hills. The reason he gave was to "help" the environment and then is planning to send the trash out of the city limits, like Palmdale where the Antelope Valley landfill is located.

I could not believe that the mayor would actually jeopardize Palmdale's environment just so he can look good - because he kept his word to the public that votes for him. That is why I am glad that Palmdale is not going to go down without a fight and that they are going to "respond aggressively ... to protect the Antelope Valley community."

Cristina Torres
Sylmar

It's good to hear people in Los Angeles talking sense!

Mayor Ledford Urges Advocacy at County Level

It looks like we've stirred up quite a controversey! Every time the papers talk about trash, they mention the growing opposition to importing garbage from Los Angeles. Take Monday's Antelope Valley Press, for example:

During the discussions, council members made it a point to address concerns raised by the public over the possibility of Waste Management accepting large amounts of trash from other cities at the Palmdale landfill.

Last year, company officials expressed interest in hauling 4,700 tons of trash a day to landfills outside the city of Los Angeles after Mayor James Hahn pledged to close all landfills in his city by 2006.

Now - under a permit issued by Los Angeles County, not the city - the Palmdale landfill is limited to accepting 1,400 tons of trash per day, regardless of the source, said Steve Williams, Palmdale's assistant city manager of community development.

When Waste Management closes the current landfill area, called Phase One, in about two years and opens a new landfill area, called Phase Two, it will be limited to 1,800 tons a day by the county and the state, Williams said.

At present, Waste Management delivers about 1,100 tons of trash a day to the landfill, including about 500 tons a day from Palmdale, he said.

Residents who are concerned about the amount of additional waste being allowed into Palmdale's landfill should contact county officials, not municipal ones, Mayor Jim Ledford said.

Well actually, Supervisor Antonovich is already on our side--as are the five members of the Board of Supervisors. The people who need to hear our message now are the LA City Council--and it would be nice if Palmdale could speak up on behalf of its citizens!

Smith Engages in Newspaper Debate over Trash

Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith attacks Supervisor Antonovich in the Letters to the Editor of the Daily News:

Re "Antonovich responds" (Your Opinions, April 13):

The city of Los Angeles diverts 62 percent of its waste from landfills, incorporating source separation, recycling, resource recovery, composting, mulching and beneficial reuse. The city is looking at conversion technologies to maximize recovery efforts and further divert resources from landfills while creating renewable, clean energy - all within our own borders.

The county unincorporated areas have achieved a dismal 31 percent diversion - far below the 50 percent state mandate. The county's plan for the future? To rail-haul a minuscule 8,000 of their 37,000 trash tons per day to a remote desert landfill on already clogged rail lines.

The county purchased Mesquite Canyon, in Imperial County, specifically to export its own trash. County officials have said that they will also consider truck transfer to Mesquite. Supervisor (Michael D.) Antonovich and L.A. County would rather stick their heads in the sand at the expense of all its residents than consider the alternatives to landfilling.

Greig Smith
Los Angeles city councilman

Let me make this simple for the Councilman. Do whatever you please with your garbage, bt DO NOT SEND IT to the Antelope Valley!!!

Antonovich responds to Daily News Criticism

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich responds to criticism from the Daily News over his efforts to stop Los Angeles from dumping its trash in the Antelope Valley:

Re "Talking trash" (Editorial, April 7):

For over two decades, I have worked with community leaders, members of the North Valley Coalition, state and local agencies to protect the residents of Granada Hills by consistently opposing the city of Los Angeles' efforts to open, reopen or expand the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. However, at the county level, I have been outvoted by the board majority.

Still, the city of Los Angeles is shirking its responsibilities. The city generates 30 percent of the waste stream for the entire county, yet only 2 percent of the trash disposed countywide goes into a landfill within the city of Los Angeles. County unincorporated areas generate just 10 percent, yet nearly 80 percent of all trash disposed goes into a landfill within county unincorporated areas.

The city of Los Angeles must work to develop long-term strategies to provide for the disposal needs of its residents. This does not mean transferring the burden from one community to another.

I will continue to fight any efforts by the city of Los Angeles to haul trash in its diesel-belching polluting trucks on an over-congested Highway 14.

Michael D. Antonovich
Los Angeles County supervisor

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Soaring Gas Prices pinch Cities' Budgets

The Daily News has a story yesterday [via California Energy Blog] about how gas prices are hurting local government budgets, too:

"The prices for unleaded, diesel and natural gas have soared the last three months, well beyond what finance directors expected last summer when they were compiling the budgets for fiscal 2004-05.

"It's a problem for everybody," said Megan Taylor, spokeswoman for the League of California Cities.

"Local governments are hit by this just as are other consumers of gas. You can't stop picking up the garbage. You can't stop sending the police cars out. What it can mean is that the services that you and I
depend upon are cut back in certain areas."

In Los Angeles, which is desperate to hire more police officers, the high price for fuel is costing the city the equivalent of 75 cops' salaries. Its main fuel budget is expected to go from $12.6 million to
$18.7 million by the end of the fiscal year on June 30. In addition, the Los Angeles Police Department has already surpassed its $4.7 million fuel budget for police cruisers and other vehicles by $100,000
- with three months still to go in the fiscal year.

So why exactly would Los Angeles want to start a plan which requires them to drive and extra 100 miles round trip to dump their garbage?!?

Daily News Criticizes County Study

In response to Tuesday's vote by the County Board of Supervisors, the Daily News has an editorial demanding action, not more studies:

It's campaign season for L.A. Mayor James Hahn, which means he's once again talking about no longer dumping waste in residential neighborhoods. That has Antonovich worried that the Antelope Valley might become the city's new dumping grounds. Quibbling over the minuscule amount of trash the city currently sends in that direction is is the supes' way of firing a warning shot -- don't even think about sending any more.

But warning shots and territorial squabbling are no substitute for leadership. Politicians at the city, county and regional levels must start crafting real policies on landfills, recycling, and trash-to-energy programs.

L.A. must find ways to meet its trash-removal needs without turning our neighborhoods into dumps.

Of course, how you read the editorial depends on the definition of "our"...but if there were a way for the County to take an action that would block Los Angeles from sending its trash to the Antelope Valley, I'd be all for it!

Who's Mayor Hahn talking about?!?

I am outraged by what I saw on the news yesterday! What exactly does Mayor Hahn have in mind with his whole trucking trash to communities "who want it"?? Who the heck what's it? Could he mean Palmdale and Lancaster?? They don't want it! They don't want the added traffic on the already crowded 14 freeway or the air pollution! They don't want to be the dumping grounds of Los Angeles!

The residents of the Antelope Valley have made a huge effort to expose the true beauty of the desert and instill a sense of pride in homeownership there. Does the good mayor really think that after all this work that these people WANT tons upon tons of garbage being dumped into their backyards?? Would you?

You cant have it both ways, but candidates think you can.

All five mayor candidates have said that they support the no trash in LA policy, but just yesterday Antonio Villaraigose and Richard Alarcon said there were against beuling a transfer station. Hello???? Are they listening to what they are saying?

In Pacoima on Tuesday night, about 700 Northeast Valley residents heard Villaraigosa and Alarcon commit themselves to fighting the proposed expansion and trash transfer station at Bradley Landfill in Sun Valley. Seriously, what are these two thinking...its defenitly not logic!

"Hahn, Parks and Hertzberg did not attend, but Hahn has previously pledged to oppose the expansion.

Waste Management Inc. wants to raise Bradley Landfill's height by 43 feet and expand its capacity by 10 percent in order to keep taking trash through April 2007. The company also wants to build a transfer station capable of handling 7,000 tons of trash daily."

So...this all means that they'll have their cake and eat it too!

Trucking Trash to Palmdale to cost Taxpayers $20 Million

The LA daily news had a story Thursday about the new bid from Waste Management to truck LA’s trash to Palmdale and Lancaster, and in the story they said that it will cost the city an EXTRA $20 million dollars to move the trash out of town! Can you believe that! Here is some of the story:

“Mayor James Hahn has pledged to stop sending city trash to Sunshine Canyon Landfill in 2006, an effort to appease North Valley residents who live downhill from the giant dump.”

“However, the potential cost increase is Hahn's biggest hurdle. Some City Council members have said that taking trash to far-off landfills would drain money that could be used to hire more police officers or fix streets.”

Jim Hahn’s biggest hurdle shouldn’t just be the cost—he has yet to hear from the people his plan will affect the most…you and me and the people of the Antelope Valley. Why not email him at MayorHahn@mayor.lacity.org and give Mayor Hahn a piece of your mind.