Residents of Castaic and Val Verde are alleging that the L.A. County Board of Supervisors has a double standard when it comes to proclaiming a state of emergency in the wake of the issues surrounding the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.  Community members from neighborhoods affected by the landfill spoke out at last week’s meeting of the supervisors to “decry the ‘inaction and lack of concern’ of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors around the public health emergency in the community,” according to a news release issued Monday on behalf of residents who are suing the county and the landfill.  The landfill has been dealing with a subsurface reaction that is producing potentially toxic and cancerous chemicals. Federal, state and local agencies have been studying the issue, with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board recently denying a request for the landfill to expand operations into another cell while the issue persists.  In the release, Oshea Orchid, a Val Verde resident and an attorney representing residents who have filed claims against both the county and the landfill, said the county could provide “immediate relief” by issuing a state of emergency.  She said emergencies were declared “in hours and days” after the Franklin Fire in Malibu earlier this month and the Aliso Canyon gas leak in Porter Ranch in 2015.  In a prepared statement sent to The Signal Monday, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said experts have been consulted on the matter, and while an emergency hasn’t been declared yet, it could happen in the future if it becomes necessary.  “I have extensively and thoroughly explored the topic of an emergency proclamation with subject matter experts both at the county and state level,” Barger said in the statement. “At my direction, the county has and continues to evaluate the need to declare a state of emergency, so it’s not off the table. Our Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management has been very involved since the crisis began and its director is working in close coordination with the state of California’s Office of Emergency Services and subject matter experts on this issue.”  A community relief fund has been created by the landfill, owned by Texas-based Waste Connections, that reached $1 million earlier this year, though some residents have questioned what exactly those funds are being used for.  “Val Verde and the surrounding area is a diverse community with residents that don’t have the financial resources to fight the multi-billion-dollar company Waste Connections and a county board that seems to prioritize the wealthier, majority white communities (Porter Ranch/Malibu) where a state of emergency have been called in hours and days,” Orchid said in the release. “It will not be a very merry Christmas for many in Val Verde where a number of community members are suffering from cancer, breathing disorders, and children cannot attend school because of the toxic emissions.”  Prior to last week’s meeting, Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley and chairs the Board of Supervisors, announced that the county has filed a lawsuit against Chiquita and Waste Connections in order to address “ongoing environmental and public health hazards caused by the landfill’s operations,” as well as to seek relief for “impacted communities under siege.”  The lawsuit alleges that neither party has done enough to control a persistent and harmful underground smoldering reaction within the landfill, which has been emitting noxious odors, hazardous gases, and toxic leachate into nearby communities and the environment for nearly two years.  “It’s my understanding that proclaiming a state of emergency presently brings no value added to the community,” Barger said in her statement. “I’m keeping my focus on what will bring relief to my constituents who are undoubtedly suffering — and that entails holding the landfill’s owner and operator responsible. This is why our county recently filed a lawsuit against them. This lawsuit is a powerful tool that demands the landfill owners bring immediate relief to impacted residents. They must step up efforts to take care of those that have been harmed by their facility.”  In a phone interview on Monday, Orchid said the county filing suit against the county is a “good sign that things are moving in the right direction,” but that there are still people being affected who need immediate help.  She mentioned people selling their homes to move out of the area, rather than being provided the opportunity for temporary housing, as was done in Porter Ranch when the Aliso Canyon gas leak was an issue.  Orchid had previously filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination, she said, but the judge threw the case out due to the county having the right to enforce its own rules when it comes to permits that have been issued.  Students at schools in areas near the landfill are also beginning to speak out about the unhealthy environment they say they have to endure to get their education.  Kailee Elkins, a student at Live Oak Elementary, said in the release that she can “feel the air is bad” whenever she has to go outside for physical education.  “I get headaches and itchy skin, and a lot of people in my neighborhood have cancer,” Elkins said in the release. “We need our schools to be moved somewhere safe.”   Orchid added that it doesn’t make sense for elected officials who have visited the area to determine that a state of emergency is needed, and the county continues to deny such a proclamation.  Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, who spent a night at one of the homes that is in the middle of an alleged “cancer cluster,” recently introduced two bills in the Assembly aimed at helping impacted residents.  The first bill would make any compensation received by residents from Chiquita Canyon Landfill exempt from state taxes and excluded from counting against those who qualify for state assistance such as CalFresh, ensuring that affected individuals receive the full benefit of the funds intended to address their hardships and relieving any state financial burdens, according to a news release from Schiavo’s office.    The second bill seeks funding, through the state budget, to assist residents with short- or long-term relocation expenses, offering financial support to those who have no other option than to escape their community due to ongoing and severe health and environmental impacts and illnesses the Val Verde and Castaic communities are experiencing, the release said.   On the federal level, Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, has also introduced legislation, the Chiquita Canyon Tax Relief Act, aimed at protecting residents of Val Verde, Castaic, and Valencia from being taxed on the financial assistance and compensation they receive due to the ongoing landfill crisis. This bill would ensure that current and future payments will not be considered taxable income, providing much-needed relief to families impacted by this disaster, according to a release from Garcia’s office.  The post Castaic, Val Verde residents allege ‘double standard’ with county’s response to Chiquita  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.