Residents in the Castaic and Val Verde area are scheduled to gather Friday near the Chiquita Canyon Landfill to raise awareness about the health hazards they face due to noxious odors emanating from the facility.
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Residents, environmental justice advocates and Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo are expected to take a community tour near the landfill. They will also highlight a state law, AB 28, which was recently approved by the Assembly Resources Committee, that is intended to prevent such a crisis from happening to other families and children.
The tour is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Del Valle Regional Training Center, located on 28101 Chiquito Canyon Road in Castaic. Attendees will stop at a hilltop that overlooks the landfill site, followed by a tour of homes and a visit to an air quality monitoring station.
Since 2022, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill has generated thousands of odor complaints and has been targeted by lawsuits. An underground chemical reaction in a closed section of the landfill's northwest corner has produced gases and leachate, which residents say has impacted their communities, homes and quality of life.
Residents have reported daily exposure to foul odors, experiencing symptoms such as migraine headaches, nausea, bloody noses, respiratory issues and even cardiac complications. The county alleges that local families have been forced to stay indoors, run their air conditioning and heat at all times of the day, and have been unable to enjoy outdoor activities or even use their yards -- further impacting mental health and wellbeing, especially of children.
The county has also been assessing resident claims that the landfill has led to a cluster of cancer cases in the area.
While county officials have taken steps to help their constituents, residents say it isn't enough and have urged the county to declare a local emergency.
"To date, the county has not proclaimed a local emergency primarily because doing so would not open access to additional funding resources, nor would it increase the intensive federal, state and local jurisdictional oversight that is already well underway," Helen Chavez Garcia, communications director for Barger's office, said in a statement.
"At this point, all possible regulatory and legal steps to resolve the situation are being implemented as quickly as possible," she added. "The odors are caused by higher temperatures deep below the site that have also caused the production of gases and leachate that must be carefully handled. An intensive methodological and technology-driven approach is a proper means of responding to and resolving this situation."
The county is working closely with local, state and federal agencies -- such as the Environmental Protection Agency, CalEPA, CalRecycle, Southern California Air Quality Management District and the Regional Water Quality Control Board -- to resolve the environmental hazard.
The county filed a lawsuit against Chiquita Canyon Landfill, LLC, and Waste Connections on Dec. 16, 2024. The county further seeks civil penalties against Waste Connections for causing the protracted environmental incident and public nuisance in neighboring communities.
On Thursday, Barger's office announced the county filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in its ongoing lawsuit against the private operators.
The injunction seeks court intervention to mandate urgent relief measures, including relocation assistance and home-hardening for the most affected residents. According to county officials, this marks a significant legal step toward holding the landfill accountable for persistent and harmful odors that have impacted residents for at least three years.
"Filing this injunction is another critical step in my unrelenting work to advocate for residents who have endured far too long the noxious odors and disruptions caused by Chiquita Canyon Landfill," L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said in a statement.
Barger, who represents the fifth county district, which encompasses Val Verde and Castaic, as well as the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley, added that she will continue fighting to ensure "accountability and relief."
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