Chiquita Canyon Landfill officials confirmed they are terminating their relocation-assistance fund in an email Wednesday obtained by The Signal.
Less than a year after the program began, Chiquita announced in an email to the Castaic Area Town Council and the community advisory committee about its decision to end the program at the end of February.
“The program began in March 2024 and will close at the end of this month. Chiquita Canyon, LLC is expecting total disbursements under the program (including those to be made in March 2025 for valid, geographically eligible applications and recertifications) to total over $25 million,” according to the email from John Perkey, vice president and legal counsel for Waste Connections, the landfill’s parent company.
The move comes just two months after L.A. County officials sued Chiquita Canyon Landfill for “more robust relocation services,” according to a recent statement from Stephanie English during last week’s Castaic Area Town Council meeting.
The discussion of the lawsuit came after Darcy Stinson, a town council member who represents Meadowood, Bravo, Encore and Castaic east of Interstate 5 and south of Lake Hughes Road, once again requested the council ask the county for a state of emergency on Feb. 19.
The vote passed by a count of 7-1, with two absent. Chris Dittes, who represents Double C Ranch, Hidden Lake, Stonegate, NorthLake and Castaic east of Interstate 5 and north of Lake Hughes Road, opposed the motion, basing his vote on what he felt was the likelihood that such a request wouldn’t help.
English said at the meeting the county was unlikely to change its stance on declaring a state of emergency unless there was a significant development.
The county has previously said it is focused on making Chiquita Canyon accountable for its crisis. English also said all the necessary agencies and supports available to residents have already been engaged.
“I was disappointed to learn — at the same time as the community — that Waste Connections is abruptly ending its community relief program,” according to a statement from L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent via email from Helen Chavez, her assistant chief deputy. “This decision comes with little notice and raises questions about the landfill’s ongoing impact on residents. I am looking to regulatory experts at AQMD and other agencies to verify Waste Connections’ claims of reduced odors, emissions and violations before any conclusions are drawn.”
A state official with the Air Quality Management District did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Oshea Orchid, a partner with Sethi Orchid Miner LLP, said in a phone interview Wednesday this was why residents were asking for a state of emergency. She represents hundreds in one of many lawsuits against the landfill. Thousands of area residents have joined in the legal effort to seek damages against the landfill, which are now being heard in federal court.
Last week, a supervising inspector with the agency said a hearing was being planned for April, when additional enforcement actions would be considered for the landfill.
The announcement by Chiquita comes years before a foreseeable conclusion to the landfill’s crisis. Officials recently reaffirmed they have yet to identify the root cause of the subsurface reaction that’s causing air and leachate concerns. Elevated temperature events at landfills can last up to a decade.
The letter from the landfill claimed it had data that supported its decision to end the relief fund, and indicated the event had lessened its emissions. Resident complaints declined from a peak of around 2,000 per month last year, according to the AQMD at the recent town council meeting.
“On-site surface emissions data show that the potential for any off-site air emissions from the landfill has steadily decreased over the past year,” according to an email Sunday from Perkey. “Off-site air quality data also shows improvement in air quality and potential odor impacts. As a result of these long-term trends in data, Chiquita has made the decision to end the Community Relief Program at the end of February 2025.”
The facility has garnered 27,000 complaints over the last two years over concerns about a subsurface reaction that’s producing an inordinate amount of environmental pollutants.
In its statement Wednesday, landfill officials reported they have given out approximately $25 million through their relief fund as of February.
Benefit checks for February, the last month of the program, are expected to be mailed out late March, according to the landfill.
