Dozens of residents gathered at Balboa Boulevard and Rinaldi Street in Granada Hills on Monday, Feb. 24 to protest the dumping of fire debris at Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Sylmar. The following day, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted unanimously to increase allowable daily dumping limits at Sunshine Canyon, giving them the green light to accept waste from the phase two cleanup of the Eaton and Palisades fire zones.
The objections from those who live near the landfill fell on deaf ears.
Sunshine Canyon – which actually began accepting fire debris the day before the supervisors’ vote, according to Gabe Thompson, program manager for the landfill’s local enforcement agency – will temporarily increase its daily tonnage allowance from 12,000 tons to 15,000 tons to make way for the fire debris.
Lancaster Landfill’s dumping limit will also increase, from 3,000 tons to 7,000. Both increases will be for 120 days. The board’s vote will also allow Calabasas Landfill to accept waste from outside its normal geographic area for six months, with possible extensions.
Supervisors Maintain Harmful Waste Is Separated
During the Feb. 25 BOS meeting, county and federal officials said that any hazardous refuse being removed from the fire zones by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – including paints, pesticides, lithium batteries and materials containing asbestos – would not be dumped at any of the local municipal landfills.
A representative of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the removal and disposal of the fire debris, said contractors are watering down and wrapping up waste being hauled away from the fire sites, to prevent dust from escaping during transport. Barbara Ferrer, director of the LA County Department of Public Health, said the state has determined “the landfills can handle fire debris.”
But several local residents told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol they aren’t convinced.
“I am absolutely furious that the Board of Supervisors, after hearing over an hour of public comments raising deep concerns, decided to unanimously vote in favor of allowing the increased tonnage,” said a member of Protect North San Fernando Valley, a community group advocating against the dumping of fire debris at Sunshine Canyon, who asked to remain anonymous.
They are especially displeased that their representative Supervisor Lindsay Horvath voted against them.
“It’s clear the only thing they care about is their political careers and not the health and wellbeing of all their constituents. Lindsey Horvath feigned concern, but completely looked the other way and voted in favor of this, and it’s disgusting,” he continued, referencing Horvath’s public statement last week describing the situation as a “bureaucratic disaster” causing widespread concern. “The ramifications of this decision will affect nearly all of Los Angeles, given Sunshine Canyon is located half a mile away from the California aqueduct that feeds water to the city.”
Kurt Cabrera-Miller, president of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, which voted unanimously last month against Sunshine Canyon being a dumping site for waste from the Eaton and Palisades fires, also expressed concern about the LA Aqueduct Cascades potentially being exposed to airborne contaminants and about other possible health hazards from the fire debris.
“We disagree with the [BOS] vote. We still maintain a deep concern for the health and wellbeing of our stakeholders and neighboring communities,” said Cabrera-Miller, noting the local landfill already has a problematic history. He said Sylmar residents have been involved in numerous lawsuits against Sunshine Canyon citing the release of toxic gases and several other issues.
“We can only hope that Sunshine Canyon will stand up and be good stewards by correcting the current issues that are wrongfully affecting so many. … This situation doesn’t need a tragic look back five, 10, or 20 years from now,” he said. “Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims of the Los Angeles Wildfires, and now also with the victims of the Los Angeles landfills.”
In addition to the demonstration held this week in Granada Hills with residents who live in the northeast valley, other community members who reside near other landfills designated to accept wildfire debris have also been increasingly vocal in recent weeks, with one protest held near the Calabasas Landfill.
A school community of parents, students and staff also held a protest outside Van Gogh Charter School in Granada Hills on Feb. 18, holding signs that read, “Our kids deserve better” and “Sunshine Canyon cannot handle current waste. No more!”
Sunshine Canyon Has Poor Track Record
Wayde Hunter, a resident of Granada Hills and president of the North Valley Coalition of Concerned Citizens Inc., said Sunshine Canyon’s past and current issues, its proximity to homes and schools and the potentially hazardous fire debris are a dangerous combination for the surrounding communities.
“Sunshine Canyon has a terrible history,” said Hunter, noting that the Sylmar landfill – which he said is the largest landfill in LA County – has “the worst record for odor violations, and it was two-and-a-half times worse than the other 15 landfills combined.”
Both Hunter and the anonymous member of Protect North SFV said numerous issues involving Sunshine Canyon are regularly being reported to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Since 2015, there have been 17,146 complaints for fugitive odors and dust and 378 notices of violation (NOVs), including 2,187 complaints and 65 NOVs in 2024 alone.
“Now we have to take them at their word that they can handle wildfire ash and debris, the same stuff that is loaded on trucks with people in hazmat suits, but unloaded by ordinary people with no protection,” said the anonymous group member.
On a normal day with average winds, dust and odors from Sunshine Canyon’s regular trash disposal already drifts into Granada Hills and other nearby communities on a daily basis, said Hunter. Granada Hills is just three miles from the Sylmar landfill.
“It’s constantly raining down on the community,” he said.
Concern Fire Debris Will Increase Exposure
Hunter said he fears that temporarily increasing the daily tonnage limit to 15,000 tons, and expanding the hours of operation – by one hour on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays – will further expose community members to potentially harmful contaminants from the fire debris.
“That would [result in] 384,000 tons of fire-related debris coming into Sunshine Canyon, which is [already] a public nuisance,” he said. “If this landfill was located in downtown LA, if it was opposite City Hall, if it was opposite the Board of Supervisors, this damned landfill would have been shut down years ago. But because it’s out here, it’s out of sight, out of mind.”
Earlier this month, the LA City Council approved a motion introduced by Councilmember John Lee, who represents District 12 – which includes Granada Hills – requesting that the city attorney temporarily block fire debris from being dumped at Sunshine Canyon. Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who represents District 7 – which includes Sylmar – seconded Lee’s motion, but it’s unclear what impact the City Council can have given the recent BOS vote.
Members of Protect North SFV were left “feeling pretty deflated” after the supervisors voted, admitted the anonymous group member.
“I’m not sure what the next steps are,” he said, but added they will explore possible legal action. For the time being, he hopes Sunshine Canyon “is actually adhering” to all safety protocols.
Editor Diana Martinez contributed to this article.