Council members accuse critics of Runkle rousing
Group of residents not letting up demands for a new EIR
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Strong feelings surfaced again Monday night when a group of citizens and members of the Simi Valley City Council went back and forth in an attempt to set the record straight about progress in the proposed Runkle Canyon development.

Despite recent limited test results saying the area- which sits adjacent to the former Santa Susana Field Laboratory- poses no immediate threat to the public, some residents continue to assert the site is unfit for development due to high levels of radioactive and toxic heavy metal contamination, and they are demanding a new Environmental Impact Report be completed.

Frank Serafine, a Simi resident belonging to a group calling themselves the "Radiation Rangers," asked council members during Monday night's public comment when the issue would be placed on the official agenda.

"They say Simi Valley is the safest community in the United States," Serafine said. "You may be saving us from crime, but you're not saving us from poison- and you know that there's poison up there at Rocketdyne."

The proposed development, which calls for the construction of 461 upscale homes on a 1,500-acre site abutting the former field lab, has been a major source of controversy ever since the City Council first approved it in 2004.

Grading at the site was halted by home builder KB Home in October 2006 not long after an independent study by the Santa Susana Field Laboratory Panel released a report stating that toxins and radiation released from the Rocketdyne facility could be linked to hundreds of cancer cases in the surrounding area.

Since then, both the Radiation Rangers and the city of Simi Valley have conducted tests on Runkle Canyon land, eventually prompting the developer- Runkle Canyon LLC- to conduct a new series of tests based on recommendations made by the California Department of Health Services. Those tests have yet to be completed.

Both the city's and the citizens' tests revealed elevated levels of arsenic and other toxic metals in Runkle Canyon soil but not at levels high enough to pose a threat to the public, according to Tetra Tech Inc., an independent firm hired by the city to analyze results.

Still, residents like Terry Matheney, also involved with the Radiation Rangers, are unsatisfied with the progress and want the city to require a new EIR detailing the exact condition of the site. "Every time we turn around, there's another reason why you won't have a new EIR," Matheney said. "I can't hear what you're saying because your actions speak too loud."

During council comments, Mayor Paul Miller reassured residents that the site was still undergoing testing.

"We will agendize Runkle Canyon when the test results are complete," Miller said. "We are not going to be premature and schedule for something that we do not have all the information for."

Regarding another issue, Serafine also told the City Council that his group had been researching campaign contributions previously made to the council members.

Serafine asserted at the meeting that 70 percent of campaign contributions made to some council members came from Boeing, KB Home and other businesses tied to the Runkle Ranch development.

Councilmember Barbra Williamson said she had nothing to hide and gave complete copies of her official campaign statements to Serafine for review. Other council members also chimed in, some expressing visible resentment for having their credibility challenged.

"It's an easy softball to hit when someone disagrees with you," said Councilmember Steve Sojka. "That's the first thing they do- they say we're tied to developers. It's just not true what he's saying."

Councilmember Glen Becerra said multiple times that he could "care less if that project ever gets built" and that he too had nothing to hide concerning his campaign contributions. "In fact this council took steps to limit campaign contributions," Becerra said. "We did that on our own because it was the right thing to do. It was always about building credibility with the public."

Simi Valley municipal code caps contributions from a given party at $1,000 during each election.

According to campaign statements provided to the Acorn, all members of the City Council, except for Michelle Foster, have received contributions from individuals or developers associated with Runkle Canyon.

"The false accusations that continue to be thrown at this council only go to show the credibility of those throwing the accusations," Foster said. "We will continue to work on behalf of this community like we always have. We will use good, sound science to determine what's best for the health of this community like we always have."

On Wednesday, Serafine told the Acorn that his original assertion of 70 percent was wrong.

"That was a mistake," he said. "I didn't have all the papers in to figure out exactly what it was. Maybe off the cuff I threw a number out that I wasn't quite sure of. I should've checked the facts before I said it."

Serafine said the Rangers' main goal is simply to protect fellow citizens of Simi Valley by getting a new, "transparent" EIR. He would also personally like to see the creek in Runkle Canyon fenced off to keep animals or "any life of any sort" from drinking the water.

"We could live happily forever after that," Serafine said.