Council Postpones Vote on Landfill Expansion

LOS ANGELES —  In a surprise move, the City Council postponed its vote Tuesday on a controversial expansion of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill into Granada Hills, giving opponents more time to gather support.

Even die-hard opponents of expanding the landfill, which owner Browning-Ferris Industries wants to enlarge from 216 acres to 710 acres, had expected the project to be approved overwhelmingly by the council.

A planning committee had already rejected major modifications proposed by opponents, and the council’s only clear dissident on the issue was Hal Bernson, whose district includes Granada Hills.

But the decision on the delay came after an hour of emotional testimony from residents, several of whom raised the specter of the Belmont Learning Complex--a hugely expensive high school construction project near downtown that was recently halted because of potential health risks. A few council members spoke out in favor of studying the dump expansion further, as well as putting additional restrictions on the expansion.

The vote is now set for Oct. 26.