L.A. to Appeal Ruling on Dump Expansion

The city of Los Angeles will appeal a ruling by a Superior Court judge that would give operators of the Sunshine Canyon landfill the go-ahead to begin a planned expansion of the dump north of Granada Hills.

The appeal is the latest volley in a legal battle that has pitted a coalition of neighboring homeowners and the city of Los Angeles against the landfill operator and the county of Los Angeles, which approved the project.

Last week, after rejecting the latest legal challenges by opponents of the dump expansion, Judge Robert H. O’Brien ruled that on Monday he would lift a court order that has halted the project.

The Los Angeles City Council met behind closed doors Friday to discuss whether to continue its legal fight against the expansion. Deputy City Atty. Keith Pritzker said tnhe council decided to request a recommendation from the city attorney on whether to proceed.

Pritzker said the council will get that recommendation Tuesday. In the meantime, he said, he would file an appeal of O’Brien’s ruling to keep the expansion from moving forward.

He said if the council decides Tuesday not to pursue the case, he will retract the appeal.

The homeowners group, called the North Valley Coalition, has already filed a new lawsuit against the expansion and says it will appeal the judge’s ruling.