Final Vote Delayed on Dump Expansion

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to postpone a final vote on expansion of Sunshine Canyon Landfill until Nov. 17, when fewer members will be absent, and Councilman Hal Bernson announced he would seek tougher restrictions on all city-owned diesel vehicles, including trash trucks.

Last month, the council voted 9 to 5 to approve the expansion, but a final vote to approve the zoning ordinance requires eight votes, and three supporters were absent Tuesday.

The council also set Nov. 17 to take up proposals by Councilman Mike Feuer to require a conversion of diesel trash trucks in Los Angeles to cleaner fuels.

Bernson said he will introduce a motion to go further, requiring all diesel vehicles operated by the city to eventually be converted to clean fuels.

In addition to representing Granada Hills, where the landfill expansion is proposed, Bernson is a board member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which last week released a report identifying diesel exhaust as a public health threat.

Bernson said the motion he plans to introduce this week “may give us an opportunity to deal with an overall view, not just for the landfill.”