Council Members Grapple With Mountain of Concrete

The problem is obvious: a 600,000-ton mountain of concrete next to a row of homes on Alameda Street in Huntington Park. But what to do about it is not.

The City Council is working “to find a solution which makes the people who live near [the concrete pile] comfortable,” said City Atty. Steve Skolnik.

He also said city officials are taking an active role in trying to get governmental entities to acknowledge some responsibility for the situation.

At issue is how to deal with the unsightly pile of broken concrete stacked in a recycling facility yard. Much of it was part of the Santa Monica Freeway before the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Councilwoman Rosario Marin said “it appears that in the hastiness of rebuilding [the freeway], Caltrans, FEMA and other government agencies did not exercise due diligence. Instead, they conveniently just dumped the debris in our neighborhood.”

Skolnik briefed council members Monday on the latest developments. The meeting follows more than a year of community protests against the concrete pile, referred to by many residents as “la montana,” which means “the mountain” in Spanish. People who live near the recycling facility contend that the dump causes bloody noses, eye irritation and headaches.

The pile of broken concrete is operated by Aggregate Recycling Systems Inc., which resells the material.

At a previous meeting, council members voted to rescind an agreement it adopted in February that gave Sam Chew, owner of Aggregate Recycling Systems Inc., a year to remove the pile.

In April, Communities for a Better Environment, a San Francisco-based group fighting for the rights of affected residents, filed a lawsuit that accused the council of violating the Brown Act by discussing the agreement outside the purview of public scrutiny.

On May 1, Chew, who was denied an extension of his operating permit, filed a lawsuit alleging that the City Council unlawfully adopted its agreement. Chew refused to comment on the issue.

After the decision to nullify the agreement, both Chew and the environmental group indicated that they would not pursue the suits.

Residents who live near the dump say they are anxious to see the debris removed.

“I have suffered headaches and sore throats because of la montana,” said 26-year-old resident Dalia Zedano. “I don’t know how it’s going to be done. I just want the mountain out of here.”