Council Panel Backs Saugus Asbestos-Cleanup Funds

A Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday recommended that the full council authorize spending $130,000 to clean up hazardous asbestos that has been exposed because of extensive vandalism at the city’s closed Saugus Rehabilitation Center.

In a report to the Finance and Revenue Committee, City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie said copper piping has been ripped from the walls of buildings, scattering asbestos insulation.

“Natural wind currents can create atmospheric conditions hazardous to breathe in the area,” Comrie said. “Since unauthorized persons often trespass onto this property, the city faces a serious liability exposure.”

Small Area

Bill Mercer, an assistant to Comrie, said the health hazard is confined to a small, unoccupied area at the 520-acre site. He said there have been no reports of illnesses from visitors to the property.

The old drunk farm, which has been boarded up for more than a decade, has become an issue in Mayor Tom Bradley’s expected campaign against Gov. George Deukmejian this year.

Bradley stirred up strenuous opposition among Saugus residents Oct. 31 when he proposed selling the site to the state for a prison. Deukmejian, however, has called the site unacceptable because it is too close to homes.

Talks Continuing

In the meantime, talks are continuing between the city, which owns the property, and the county, which controls the zoning, over a proposal to lease or sell the property for commercial and residential development.

Phillip Delao, a consultant to the county Community Development Commission, said he expects to present a plan for use of the Saugus property to the City Council and the county Board of Supervisors in a few months.

The city plans to demolish the dilapidated structures on the property but cannot do so until the site is cleared of asbestos, Comrie said. The $130,000 will be used to hire a contractor who specializes in cleaning up asbestos.