In the event of a proclaimed local emergency, the County is potentially able to exercise limited emergency powers (as may be necessary to provide for the protection of life and property) and may also request State and federal resources, including mutual aid, as warranted. In a situation where both the conditions warranting the proclamation of a local emergency exist and the legal authorities and/or resources that may be needed to address such conditions are not available through other means, it may be particularly imperative to initiate an action to proclaim a local emergency. Currently, the County, along with multiple other jurisdictional agencies, both State and federal, are relying on existing regulatory and permitting authorities to ensure that the operator of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill takes appropriate steps to address problematic conditions occurring at the landfill. In conjunction with the other involved governmental agencies, however, the County will continue to closely monitor the conditions associated with the landfill and, should it be necessary and appropriate, the County will remain prepared to consider all appropriate actions, including the potential proclamation of a local emergency.

In August 2023, the County established the County Task Force, comprised of the Office of Emergency Management, LA County Planning, Public Health, and Public Works. The purpose of the task force is to coordinate with the various regulatory agencies, such as South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), to support, streamline, and facilitate actions to address the odors. This task force meets regularly and has facilitated various measures such as obtaining an independent consultant to review and evaluate the potential health impacts from the odors, expediting structural permit reviews for the flare, and providing the public with contacts, resources, and information.  County agencies also regularly attend meetings with the Chiquita Canyon communities to provide updates and respond to questions from residents. To learn more about the status of the County’s efforts, please view the list of County response actions.

LA County Planning’s issuance of a NOV puts the Landfill Operator on notice that it is operating the Landfill in violation of the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and requires it to correct the outstanding violations by implementing remedial measures to quell the nuisance odors. Thus far, Chiquita has implemented a number of mitigation measures and is working on resolving the ongoing issues at the Landfill.  LA County Planning will require additional remedial measures, as necessary.

In June 2020, the court struck down the Community Benefit Fund fee and remanded it back to the Board of Supervisors for reconsideration. On October 11, 2022, the County and Landfill Operator entered into a settlement agreement (“Settlement”).  The Settlement provides, among other things, that if, and when, the Regional Planning Commission approves the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) modification application in accordance with the terms of the Settlement, the Landfill Operator will recommence paying the Community Benefit Fund fee in the amount that is 10% higher than the fee that was struck down by the court.  

On September 12, 2023, Supervisor Kathryn Barger moved to authorize $2.5 million from the Chiquita Canyon Community Benefit Fund for two grant relief programs to address the needs of residents affected by the Landfill. Please visit LACDA’s website for more information on the relief programs.  

Conditional Use Permit No 2004-00042, approved on July 25, 2017, granted the continued operation and expansion of the Landfill. This included a lateral expansion of the waste footprint to 400 acres and a maximum permitted elevation of 1,430 feet. A complete summary of daily, monthly, and annual maximum capacity received at the facility can be found under Condition 23 of the CUP.