News release
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, held a news conference in Granada Hills on Wednesday urging Congress to reject federal budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Others participating in the news conferences included Granada Hills North Neighborhood Councilmember Malik Naibi and Jennifer Elkins, president of the Val Verde Civic Association.
The speakers warned that cuts to the agency would leave Southern California families more exposed to worsening toxic pollution and environmental health threats, according to a news release from Whitesides’ office.
The event was designed to put a spotlight on the acute public health concerns in communities near Sunshine Canyon and Chiquita Canyon landfills as examples of the need for strong federal funding and action.
“My constituents living near the Sunshine Canyon and Chiquita Canyon landfills know firsthand what will happen if the EPA is unable to keep families safe from toxins and hold bad actors accountable,” Whitesides said in the release. “Southern California is already on the frontline of a developing climate crisis, and we need to take decisive action at every level of government to address the challenges facing our region. I’ll keep pushing for an EPA that holds polluters accountable and safeguards our health, because the families I represent shouldn’t settle for anything less.”
Elkins condemned new efforts to let polluters bypass basic health protections.
“We need the EPA’s support at this critical time,” Elkins said in the release. “At Chiquita Canyon, we’re already dealing with nearly 200 toxic chemicals, including cancer-causing benzene that has been belching into our air. Weakening EPA protections will only make it easier for violators to escape accountability while our communities pay the price. It is a direct threat to public health and our communities will not stand idly by while this crisis unfolds.”
Naibi cited the dangers of toxic materials being mishandled at local landfills.
“Highly toxic ash from the Eaton and Palisades fires has been dumped in Sunshine Canyon landfill, which was never designed to contain hazardous materials of this kind,” Naibi said in the release. “This is an immediate call for action. Climate-fueled fires, drought and flooding threaten to disturb and spread these toxins into our neighborhoods, putting families at even greater risk if federal safeguards are stripped away.”
