Beneath the surface of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in the communities of Castaic, Val Verde and Santa Clarita, an underground fire has been burning for three years. Last month we learned it nearly tripled in size, from 30 to 90 acres of burning trash, threatening to spread into other areas of the landfill. It’s now projected to burn for multiple decades — and the fallout is terrifying.
The health effects residents report are immediate and devastating: headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, dizziness, heart palpitations, vomiting, inability to breathe, and even tremors. Some are so sick they’ve become disabled and are unable to work. One resident experienced a nosebleed so severe it required an ambulance to the emergency room. It lasted three hours and she couldn’t see because she was bleeding from her eyes.
Others have been diagnosed with cancer. Women have had multiple miscarriages. Healthy family pets are dying — including giant tortoises that normally live to 100.
This is a public health emergency, plain and simple. And yet, almost no one knows about it, and agencies charged with protecting public health are negligent in their response. They are focused on mitigating the fire and ensuring it doesn’t spread, which is needed. But they are ignoring the fact that just feet away from this fire are people’s homes, where families are impacted day-in and day-out by the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in the air. We don’t just need mitigation efforts — we need an urgent and coordinated public health response.
And despite multi-year efforts by the community to sound the alarm, they are getting ignored and dismissed.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health says that their response will be to simply continue their multi-year “monitoring.” And the response from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has fallen dangerously short, including taking credit for state-level actions to excuse taking no further actions.
So yes, the Board of Supervisors has filed a lawsuit against the landfill operator. Yes, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has done basic health surveys. Yes, they review air monitoring and receive reports of residents’ symptoms. But lawsuits take years. Surveys don’t protect public health without solutions. Monitoring without action is meaningless. And for people living this nightmare every day, the bare minimum is not enough.
What’s needed now is urgent action. The Board of Supervisors has the ability to declare a state of emergency with a simple vote at their weekly meeting — just as was done for the Aliso Canyon gas leak in 2016. That declaration unlocked resources, tax relief, and streamlined support. Chiquita’s landfill fire has 20,000% more air complaints than the Aliso disaster and has been poisoning the community’s air for years, not months.
So why not now? Why not for Val Verde, Castaic and Santa Clarita?
These communities need real support from a state of emergency and agency action, including a robust public health response, relocation assistance, relief funds and home hardening support, tax relief, mortgage forbearance, education accommodations, and more.
This is not a list of luxuries. It’s the bare minimum for survival.
I spent just one night at one of the impacted homes. I stayed inside with the doors closed, only opening them for about an hour. Within 30 minutes of being there I had a headache, felt unsteady, and my skin, eyes and throat were burning. By morning, I had a bloody nose — something I haven’t had in years.
Now imagine children breathing this air every day. Imagine not being able to open your windows for years, walk your dog, or let your kids play outside. Imagine living in fear of the air in your own home. Imagine rushing to the ER because your son has turned blue and can’t breathe, or your heart is racing, or you can’t see because your bloody nose is bleeding from your eyes. Imagine your bedroom air being so toxic, you leave your home at 3 a.m. to sleep in your car in the Walmart parking lot.
This is not hypothetical. It is happening now. Every single day in our community. And it’s why I’m so angry and joining our impacted communities to speak up and hold those with the power to act accountable. Unless we raise our voices, it will continue unchecked.
I’ve joined with neighbors who have been fighting to bring awareness to this crisis and push for state and local action that brings real relief. My colleagues in the Legislature have joined for tours and letters calling for action by the Board of Supervisors. But it’s clear that only widespread public pressure will lead to the action needed.
So I’m asking you to stand with these families. Call your L.A. County supervisor and email them with your concerns. Submit public comment and show up to their meetings. Reach out to the chair of the board, Kathryn Barger, who also represents this community as a supervisor, and demand she call for a state of emergency and public health protection. Call Gov. Gavin Newsom and ask him to protect public health and for him to declare an emergency in the absence of supervisors’ action.
We need your help to ensure they are compelled to take immediate action to protect the public health and safety of this community.
Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, represents the 40th Assembly District, which includes most of the Santa Clarita Valley in addition to the northwest San Fernando Valley. “Democratic Voices” appears Tuesdays and rotates among local Democrats.
