Parks wants complete disclosure from Boeing
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

Linda Parks, supervisor of Ventura County's 2nd District, is taking off her gloves in the fight against Boeing. Along with state Sen. Sheila Kuehl of the 23rd District, Parks is urging California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to demand full disclosure by Boeing of all information regarding the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

"(Boeing) just has a completely different perspective than most on the issue," Parks said. "The way they see the issue is that there isn't a problem, and I think that there is a very big problem."

In a letter, Parks complains to Lockyer of Boeing's uncooperative nature and failure to release information about the field laboratory. Parks cites specific examples in the letter, such as the decades-long delay in notifying the public about a nuclear meltdown that occurred in 1959 and the eleventhhour discovery of hazardous materials that were discarded in open-air burn pits.

"This information is all coming out in bits and pieces. We need full disclosure now," Parks said.

Parks has been following the field lab situation since it was first brought to her attention, she said. One of her first actions when she was elected to county office was to hire a staff member dedicated to studying the issue.

Parks also pushed for county legislation that barred any county developments from taking place within two miles of the old Rocketdyne site.

The mandate was established after the city of Simi Valley had granted development rights for the Runkle Ranch area, which is within two miles of the controversial site. But because city

projects don't fall under the mandate, the legislation, even if passed earlier, wouldn't have applied to that development. County officials did remove plans for a golf course on the property after they prevented developers from using groundwater on the site.

Parks believes the next step in resolving this issue is to convince Lockyer to exercise his power and demand full disclosure of all information by Boeing.

"My feeling is that it's time for the state attorney general to step in and get full disclosure on all documents.

"The regulatory agencies are frustrated, the public is frustrated and Boeing's actions impede the health and safety of all the area's residents," Parks said.

Supervisor Judy Mikels' office could not be reached for comment.