Landfill fight a costly proposition | Pala Band opposes Gregory Canyon site; [2,6,7 Edition]

Elizabeth Fitzsimons. The San Diego Union - Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Oct 8, 2004. pg. B.3

Companies:	Gregory Canyon Ltd
Author(s):	Elizabeth Fitzsimons
Column Name:	ELECTION 2004
Section:	LOCAL
Publication title:	The San Diego Union - Tribune. San Diego, Calif.: Oct 8, 2004.  pg. B.3
Source type:	Newspaper
ProQuest document ID:	710222191
Text Word Count	765
Document URL:	http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?RQT=309&VInst=PROD&VName=PQD& VType=PQD&sid=3&index=9&SrchMode=1&Fmt=3&did=000000710222191 &clientId=9477

Abstract (Document Summary)

The deep-pocketed investors who have spent $20 million over the past decade to develop the controversial Gregory Canyon Landfill in Pala have met their match: the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the major financial backers behind Proposition B on the Nov. 2 ballot. The money the tribe has reported spending is four times what the landfill developers spent in 1994 on mailers favoring Proposition C, which changed county zoning to allow a landfill in Gregory Canyon. The turnaround is a dramatic reflection of the political power the tribe has gained through its prosperous casino, which opened in 2001. Gregory Canyon Ltd., an investment partnership, is intent on not wasting the millions it has spent developing the landfill. The landfill developers say it would be a quarter-mile from the edge of the aquifer and that its state-of-the-art liner would make it the safest in the state. They also say the Pala Band is motivated by concerns about its casino, which is on the other side of Gregory Mountain from the landfill site.

Full Text (765   words)

Copyright SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY Oct 8, 2004 Editions vary The fight over a proposed landfill in a little-known North County canyon is a battle of titans that will rank as the most expensive ballot measure in county history. The deep-pocketed investors who have spent $20 million over the past decade to develop the controversial Gregory Canyon Landfill in Pala have met their match: the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the major financial backers behind Proposition B on the Nov. 2 ballot. The two sides have spent a total of $2.8 million so far, according to the most recent campaign financial statements, and more spending is certain. Both sides say they will spend whatever it takes. "It's in a league all its own. That's an unprecedented amount of money in a local initiative," said political consultant Jennifer Tierney. Documents filed this week with the county Registrar of Voters show the campaign for Proposition B, which would overturn a 1994 measure allowing a landfill in Gregory Canyon, spent just over $2 million through Sept. 30 to persuade county voters that it is the wrong place for a dump. "This is not about money spent. It's about education," said Dennis Lhota, spokesman for San Diegans for Clean Drinking Water, the pro-B campaign. "Our side is prepared to spend as much money as necessary to educate the people . . . so they can make an informed decision." The pro-landfill side, Citizens for Environmental Solutions, has spent about $800,000 and says it plans to spend much more. "We're on track to spend about 2 1/2 million. We haven't spent it all yet, but that's what we've been planning on spending," said Richard Chase, project manager for Gregory Canyon Ltd., the group of investors developing the landfill. Jack Orr, campaign consultant for the Pala tribe, said there was no limit to what his campaign would spend. He said he doubted that the anti-B campaign, funded primarily by Gregory Canyon Ltd., had spent only $800,000. "They're either lying or incompetent," Orr said. "Right now when I'm looking at the television buy, I'm being outspent on NBC and ABC." In the spring, supporters and proponents of Proposition A, the unsuccessful Rural Lands Initiative, together spent a total of about $2.2 million. The $2.9 million spent on the successful Proposition C, the ballpark measure, is believed to be the county's most expensive ballot measure to date. But spending on Proposition B has probably already exceeded that amount, since the reporting period covered by the campaign statements ended eight days ago. If Gregory Canyon Ltd. spends what Chase says it will, Proposition B will break the record by close to $2 million. The money the tribe has reported spending is four times what the landfill developers spent in 1994 on mailers favoring Proposition C, which changed county zoning to allow a landfill in Gregory Canyon. The turnaround is a dramatic reflection of the political power the tribe has gained through its prosperous casino, which opened in 2001. Gregory Canyon Ltd., an investment partnership, is intent on not wasting the millions it has spent developing the landfill. "I think it's fair to say the gaming tribes are changing the ground rules in local politics," said Tierney, who ran the campaign for District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and is managing Mayor Dick Murphy's re-election bid. "They're upping the ante in terms of what you need to spend to win an effort like this." Both sides say they knew the campaign would set a county record. The landfill would occupy 320 acres of a 1,770-acre parcel, owned by Gregory Canyon Ltd., about three miles east of the Interstate 15 intersection with state Route 76, not far from the Pala Casino. The fight, which goes back 15 years to when the county first identified Gregory Canyon as a possible landfill site, has also resulted in numerous lawsuits and court challenges. Recently, a lawyer for the anti-B campaign asked six local stations to pull pro-B radio and television ads, saying they contained false and misleading statements. No ads have been pulled. Lhota called the charge "hogwash." Supporters of Proposition B say the landfill would threaten the nearby San Luis Rey River and a major drinking water aquifer underneath it. The landfill developers say it would be a quarter-mile from the edge of the aquifer and that its state-of-the-art liner would make it the safest in the state. They also say the Pala Band is motivated by concerns about its casino, which is on the other side of Gregory Mountain from the landfill site. Elizabeth Fitzsimons: (760) 737-7578; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com [Illustration] 1 MAP; Caption: Proposed landfill (Eds. 2,7); Credit: UNION-TRIBUNE Credit: STAFF WRITER