KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Los Angeles County regional planners approved a permit application for hours Wednesday, before granting a conditional approval for Chiquita Canyon Landfill.
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The county called for the adoption of the mitigating and monitoring program, and OK’ed the permit extension granted by the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission authorizes the facility in Val Verde to operate for the next 30 years.
“They may be the best landfill operator in Los Angeles,” said Commissioner David W. Louie, “but I also see a much larger issue, as to whether or not there should be a landfill there, but that goes beyond the scope of what my role as a Los Angeles Regional Planning commissioner is.”
Planning Commission members called for a five-year review by the commission of the landfill’s meeting of the operating permit’s conditions, during an hourslong discussion in downtown Los Angeles.
“We’re very happy the commission approved the EIR they had very positive comments about the operators and Waste Connections,” said John Musella, spokesman for Chiquita Canyon Landfill. “It was nice to hear from the commission after they’d spent an extraordinary amount of time review the process.”
Wednesday’s hearing was the second of two to address the permit applications for Chiquita Canyon landfill, which had been operating under a “clean hands permit.”
The Citizens Advisory Committee, an appointed community body, is expected to play a more active role in the review of the landfill’s compliance going forward. Closure language and the CAC’s role were part of the lengthy discussion.
“We’re happy to work to continue the cooperation with the (Citizens Advisory Committee) in the new form that that might take,” Musella added.
The deadline for an appeal is May 7.
The proposal, as presented and discussed by county planners, was listed as the following:
“The applicant, Chiquita Canyon Landfill, is requesting a Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) to authorize the continued operation and expansion of an existing Class III Landfill and an Oak Tree Permit for the removal of four oak trees within the A-2-2 (Heavy Agricultural, Two-Acre Minimum Required Lot Area) and A-2-5 (Heavy Agricultural, Five-Acre Minimum Required Lot Area) Zone. A CUP is required in the A-2 Zone for land reclamation projects, pursuant to Section 22.24.150 of the Los Angeles County Code. The project scope includes expansion of the existing waste footprint from 257 acres to 400 acres, increased maximum elevation from 1,430 feet to 1,573 feet, and increased daily disposal limits from 6,000 tons per day of waste to 12,000 tons per day, new entrance and support facilities, household hazardous waste facility, mixed organics/composting, set-aside for a potential future conversion technology facility, and additional project elements. The property is located in the Newhall Zoned District and Castaic Community Standards District.”
Shame on them. It is really sad that $$ trump quality of life, health issues, children who have to hold their nose when walking to school, and everything else parents and community members had to say about the dump.
Not having a digital device in the area to monitor odors on a daily basis is ridiculous. But, of course, that favors the dump.
Why spend 10 years and $400+ M to build a railway system to haul trash from Puente Hills to a desert landfill (Mesquite) and not use it. Perhaps taxpayers can get their contribution back. Apparently it takes another $300,000 / year to keep it ready for use. Or, maybe the PAC representative who testified at the meeting today can get the companies he represents to contribute to returning $$ to taxpayers.
That first sentence doesn’t make sense.
The CAC is Community Advisory Committee — the Val Verde Community Advisory Committee.
This article quotes the proposal at the end but it fails to mention that the allowable tonnage was not determined today.
Some, if not all of the commissioners, were disturbed by the testimony of the many who spoke about the air quality and ill health effects due to this landfill. Commissioner Moon asked a pro-expansion (for the purpose of business) witness, “Do you live there?!” He also asked Mike Dean (Waste Connections/Chiquita) to address enacting 24 hour air monitoring. It is my understanding that Commissioner Moon abstained from the final vote.
Commissioners Smith and Louie also conceded that closure/re-permitting should be addressed at least ten years before a permit expires. Seems the county realizes people are already adversely affected but they have not prepared adequately for an alternative.
May 7th is a Sunday. Are you sure that the deadline for an appeal is a Sunday? I was told May 3rd.
This is like getting bad news from the doctor: SCV has a terminal illness in Chiquita Canyon, and now it’s advancing. Garbage dunes will rise, property values will sink. Chicquita executives get rich, and Val Verde gets cancer.
How long has the dump been there?
How many people were living there prior to the dump’s origin? lastly, What happened to the sorting facility that we were promised by the council and WM for WM to be given the 20 year trash contract over lower bids by Burrtec? I’m asking these questions because i dont know the answer not to cause anyone emotional distress.
“They may be the best landfill operator in Los Angeles,” said Commissioner David W. Louie, “but I also see a much larger issue, as to whether or not there should be a landfill there, but that goes beyond the scope of what my role as a Los Angeles Regional Planning commissioner is.”
This statement is blatantly the problem. The bigger issues is what makes this expansion a bitter pill to swallow. So he “gets” that there are problems with the expansion but it’s not his problem (scope of my role). BS. The problems with the expansion is the whole point of denying the expansion. Chiquita has had years of extending their original contracts. It’s time to shut it down, not expand. Shame on Louie.
C’mon folks, you might as well get over it. The fix is IN, and LA County Mayor Mike Antonovich (ret’d), got his way. Or rather I should say that the people he actually represented got THEIR way.
If Val Verde was home to $2million – $10 million homes, do you really think that this would have happened? If the Castaic Town Clowncil had actually been looking out for the best interests of everyone in their “vicinity” (aka Val Verde) that this would have happened?
To be honest, I can only say “maybe”. I don’t know how desperately the County needs Chiquita given it has failed to come up with many other sites for landfills – going back to Elsmere Canyon in the 1980’s*. The Trash Train to Mesquite has been beset by many issues, regardless of whether or not it’s a good idea. I also wonder if the Caustic (sic) Clowncil could have changed a thing by turning down all that cash from Chiquita and arguing against it. Newhall Land and Five Points needs to have everything lined up just right to keep their development plans going forward. And LACO really needs the revenue from all those ho-moaners-to-be that will stretch west to the county line.
Keep your eyes on the future, your noses to the grindstone, and just hope that somewhere, somehow, elected officials will someday start paying attention to who actually votes for them rather than who funds their campaigns. And retirements.
*if only Jill Klajic was still around to set fire to their undergarments. Sometimes, you need a wackjob to stir the mix enough for a little rightness to take effect. As for those other folks who were there at the time and fought LACO and BKK over Elsemere, well apparently they lost the taste for fighting that kind of fight. Right Marsha?