Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo & L.A. Legislative Caucus Demand Stronger Public Health Action on Chiquita Canyon Landfill Crisis

Schiavo Delivers Letter to Board of Supervisor Urging Immediate Action

LOS ANGELES, CA – Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo led a formal letter with the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation (LACD) today, delivering it to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors urging immediate and robust public health action to address the growing crisis at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. After state legislators learned last month that the landfill fire had tripled in size from 30 to 90 acres of burning trash, and is now expected to burn for multiple decades. LA County is the Lead Enforcement Agency over the landfill, so the letter calls on the Board and LA County Department of Public Health to take decisive steps to protect the health and safety of residents in Val Verde, Castaic, and Santa Clarita impacted by the underground fire burning at the landfill.

Assemblywoman Schiavo will join community members impacted by the landfill fire for a press conference today at 11:00 am at 500 W. Temple Street in Los Angeles, before going into the Board of Supervisors meeting to provide public comment where she will deliver the letter in person and request urgent action.

The fire burning at the landfill is resulting in exposure to hazardous chemicals like methane, hydrogen sulfide, and cancer-causing toxins like acrolein and benzene. Residents have reported headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, dizziness, heart palpitations, vomiting, breathing difficulties, and even tremors. Others have been diagnosed with and died from cancer.

“Residents are suffering every single day from severe health impacts due to toxic exposure, and they have been for years,” said Assemblywoman Schiavo. “With the fire now tripling in size to 90 acres and expected to burn for multiple decades, this is no longer a slow-moving crisis. It’s an emergency, and the response for neighbors being made sick must reflect that. Our communities deserve the same level of urgency, action, and care that was provided in past disasters like Aliso Canyon or the other Los Angeles Fires.”

The letter, signed by 22 members of the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation, compares the severity of the current crisis to the 2015 Aliso Canyon gas storage facility leak, also in Assembly District 40, and outlines a detailed roadmap for the Department of Public Health to follow, including the implementation of a comprehensive CASPER door to door health study, increased public information, community engagement, and an order requiring relocation support for the most impacted residents and home hardening for other neighbors.

Lawmakers also requested that the Board declare a local State of Emergency, citing the urgent need for additional resources and protection. If such a declaration is not made, the letter calls for alternative relief options, including mortgage forbearance and property tax transfer and reassessments for affected homeowners.

Among the actions requested in the letter:

• Immediate health notices to hospitals, clinics, and providers in North LA County
• A dedicated website and public awareness campaign about the chemicals released and their health impacts
• A town hall for residents, parents, and educators to hear directly from public health officials
• A door to door CASPER (Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response) study to evaluate the scope of medical impacts
• An order for relocation assistance and home hardening funded by the landfill operator
• Annual health studies to track long-term effects on the community

The letter highlights the alarming comparison between Chiquita Canyon Landfill crisis and the Aliso Canyon gas leak, noting that the County’s response then—including relocation orders—was based on far fewer health complaints and lower toxic gas readings than currently being reported at Chiquita Canyon. Since April 2023, over 28,000 odor and symptom complaints have been submitted to the South Coast Air Quality Management District—more than 20,000% higher than the number filed during the early days of Aliso Canyon.

“Our communities deserve a response based on the symptoms they are experiencing, which are serious, urgent, and for some, could be life-long and life threatening,” Assemblywoman Schiavo added. “We are demanding the County act with the urgency and humanity this crisis demands and our community is treated no differently than others in LA County with similar impacts on health. After three years of a burning landfill, at a certain point this lack of response to protect public health becomes negligent.”

The letter is attached to be viewed in its entirety and can be viewed here.