2007

Conditional Use Permit for County side

• In response to a very active campaign by the NVC and other organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Planning and Conservation League, the Environmental Law Foundation, and the International Brotherhood of Teamster, including our own Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council among others, the County Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved a new CUP but ONLY after applying the most stringent conditions (from both the County and the new City CUP).  Along with additional mitigations, they agreed to apply a closure date like any other landfill in the County.  Although we fought hard to have a 2015 date the Board submarined us with a 2030 date.

RENEW LA Ad Hoc Committee

• The RENEW LA Ad Hoc Committee continues to meet the 3^rd Tuesday of every month, City Hall, Room 1050 at 3:30 p.m.   This Committee continues to do good work, requiring Sanitation to report on its progress in meeting the goals (among them diversion of 3100 tons per day over a 4-year period), and to advance the program including its 13 incorporated ordinances as originally presented by Councilman Smith (all of which the NVC endorsed).

ZERO WASTE (SWIRP)

• The Bureau of Sanitation introduced its Zero Waste (Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan) and the NVC was among the first to join.  This plan came about as a result of the Council voting in 2006 to divert 600 tons per day from Sunshine and the balance of 3100 tons per day to be diverted over the next four years and the responsibility for this diversion would rest with the Bureau of Sanitation (see 13 incorporated ordinances in RENEW LA Plan).
   

• Kudos to BOS as they appear to have embraced recycling and appear to be moving away from landfilling.

BFI Is At It Again – 3 HELIPADS

• Not content to trash our neighborhood with blowing debris, dust, pollutants et cetera they have decided to take it upon themselves to build 3 helicopter landing pads for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) without permits and most certainly against the NVC wishes which were expressed to them in no uncertain terms a number of years ago.  If it were not for the fact that they were cited by a City inspector, the NVC, the GHNNC nor the Sunshine Canyon Landfill CAC-Cityside would not have known of the pads existence.  Yet, another violation of neighborhood trust, and of the City CUP requirements which would require notification and an appropriate filing with the City and the State when their use changes.  Of course there were more rules broken and we are working on this but I will reserve this information until we have made them accountable.
   
• I know what you are going to say because we all appreciate the LAFD and the work they do, however, the plan is to fly many helicopters onto the landfill anytime during brushfires anywhere around the SF Valley and its environs, and load up with water from BFI’s tank on the berm.  Anybody who has lived here for any time at all knows the sound of a fully loaded helicopter trying to gain altitude in the mouth of the Newhall-Saugus Pass.   An incessant WOOOP, WOOOP, WOOOP.  Worse than Vietnam.   The sound is amplified by the mountains and directed right at our neighborhood.  Of course the risk of collision (the landing patterns for Van Nuys, Burbank & Whiteman intersect right in the area) is being totally ignored by the LAFD in their eagerness to secure another landing area beyond the one they already have on the Lopez Canyon Landfill (also without permits).
   
• The politicians and the LAFD will try to lay a guilt trip on you that somehow we are ungrateful, that we must once again offer up our community for the benefit of the rest of Los Angeles.  I say to you that we have had enough.  There are too many LULUs (Locally Unacceptable Land Uses) in our area already.  We have given enough to the rest of Los Angeles.  LOS ANGELES…..Don’t worry about the Valley seceding.  Worry about the Granada Hills area….   All of your WATER (Los Angeles Aqueduct, Sacramento River Pipeline, Tillman Treatment Plant, Los Angeles Water Treatment Plant, Los Angeles Reservoir), all of your ELECTRICITY (Pacific Intertie and its attendant transmission lines), all of your GAS (Cal Sempra Gas Storage),  all of your Los Angeles Police Department TRAINING FACILITIES (pistol ranges, bomb squad disposal, and driver training track), and of course all your TRASH (Sunshine Canyon Landfill-only active landfill in the City). 
   

• Did I forget to mention, the I-5 Golden State Freeway, 14 Antelope Valley Freeway, 210 Foothill Freeway, 405 San Diego Freeway and 118 Simi Valley Freeways and their interchanges?  And of course the heliport that was foisted on us by the DWP in the Lower Van Norman Dam area when they were asked to leave the Van Nuys facility by you guessed who  - our very own Los Angeles Fire Department.
   
• I believe we have given enough for LA…..

BFI  Applies to the State for SWFP

• BFI applies to the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for a new Solid Waste Facilities Permit (SWFP) for a Combined City/County landfill bypassing the two Lead Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) of the City and the County.  Both the City and the County objected as the representatives of the California Integrated Waste Management Board they are suppose to process and certify such requests.  The NVC also raised a hue and cry at the City’s Technical Advisory Committee on Sunshine Canyon (TAC) as BFI failed to notify both City and County CACs of their filing, and that there was a 5 year ban on combined operations.   At that meeting the City indicated to BFI that they would file a lawsuit if BFI did not withdraw their application.  One week later the application was withdrawn.