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Wacko from Val Verde
Commentary by Steve Lee
| Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014

steveleeI am not a writer, so please forgive me for any lack of cohesion in my rants. I moved to Val Verde 2½ years ago. I wanted to know about my community, so I attended the monthly town meetings.

There were always rosy presentations from the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. But there were a few who would complain about the constant stench at their houses. I thought they were a little off, partly because the PR person and the president of the VVCAC (the committee that acts as a liaison for all involved) would raise their hands and roll their eyes – always suggesting the constant complainers must be a little wacko.

Time passed, and I was asked to sit on the board for the community of Val Verde. My reply was, “I cannot sit on a board if we do not visit the residents of Val Verde who live in the most affected areas and get their stories.” The president of the board was fine with that. I started knocking doors in a rather unpleasant-smelling neighborhood. (I get the same smells at my house, but usually they are only for an hour or so, and then they move on.)

I heard some horror stories about the constant smells and the sickness that the residents endure. I must admit, within an hour I was sick to my stomach with a constant headache. I asked many of them why they don’t call and complain. The replies were numerous and shocking.

I heard how they called in the past, just to be belittled. They were told the smells that affected an entire community were due to a septic tank the size of a truck, not the 30 million tons of trash behind their house. The smells were sometimes blamed on a small trash can or even a flower. The amazing thing, as alleged later by the president of the VVCAC, was that it was never the landfill. It is amazing to think a landfill could be so advanced that all smells are captured, never to burden the society around it.

There were those who said they were more constant complainers, but they, too, had stopped making calls. Why? Some said the complaints fell on deaf ears. Others said immediately after their call, they would be visited by a county official who would inspect their property and write a citation. If a violation could not be identified, there were more visits until the resident grew tired of calling.

Some readers might think this farfetched, but I did get wind of a visit to come to a farmer who complained. I called a few friends and made sure we were there for the visit from Animal Control. The good news is that the two officers from Animal Control were so offended by the smells of the landfill, they called the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD). But after walking the property, no citations were written. I have since had county officials sit outside my gate; no citations as of yet.

Some of the women I spoke with said they quit calling because they did not feel comfortable with the representative from the landfill sitting outside their house, into the late hours of the night. I thought that was pretty farfetched. But now I wonder. At the last VVCAC meeting without the old president present, a strange request came from the representative of the landfill: “I would like the addresses of those who complained so the landfill can make it right.” The landfill and its representative were denied the addresses, but it made me wonder if the old president made the addresses available for them.

At my board meeting, I started bringing up the stories and some of the questions the town residents had. I was called a fear-monger and accused of offering wild accusations. Many more names followed from the sitting president of the VVCAC for months afterwards. The landfill representative later apologized for his remarks, and I think he was probably sincere.

After much research from previously quiet residents, violations were brought to my attention. Toxic soil taken from Rocketdyne, sludge from Santa Barbara, and other violations surfaced. All of these things that were brought to Chiquita were not good enough for the air quality where they came from, but they are good enough for Val Verde and the Santa Clarita Valley?

The landfill was on the defensive, so it did something clever: It bought a town council. The town of Castaic will now receive funds for their children’s soccer games and uniforms. Their lives might be shortened, but the kids will have fun. The landfill operators got a group of people to endorse them. The endorsements were all on the same day, and many of the endorsers receive funds in some way from the landfill. When asked, one endorser said, “It was purely because it is a good move for economics.” Our health in Val Verde does not mean much.

Now Val Verde residents stand alone, only because they decided they do not want to be bought. They, like me, are wackos. They want unobstructed breathing for their children. They want to be around to enjoy their grandchildren. They want to enjoy the long friendships they have fostered over the years.

I would like to be around for years to come, too. I now take medication so my asthma will not wake me up in the middle of the night. I hate to admit the fear I feel as I gasp for air, straight out of a deep sleep.

It is important to the landfill that we be portrayed as wackos. No one cares about the wackos of society. They are the ones who bullied the landfill (according to an interview with the representative of the landfill). They were not smart enough to know what they smelled. They were all just a little off.

Now I would like to tell you why I am a wacko. I have been told I am one. The landfill financially contributes to a news blog. The news blog has informed us that we smell our septic tanks; and that the law should come in and arrest those who complained about the smells. Why arrest? Well, it is obvious that the calls must be fraudulent. We were informed that only a few wackos from Val Verde are complaining.

They ignore the fact that the town came together and voted unanimously against the expansion of the landfill.

Val Verde residents have been interviewed. We have been informed that the interviews could not be aired. Why? Because the financial supporters did not like the message. Who are the supporters? Well, the landfill. Our options are few as we get mowed over.

This past week, the smell got so bad here in Val Verde that people woke up and said, “No more.”

They called the AQMD; the result is, there will be a violation cited. The smells were severe. At least seven locations all over town were verified.

The cause was the green waste the landfill takes in and uses to cover its slopes. The same green waste they told us they were no longer using. Were we lied to? Yeah, but not now; they have informed us that they plan to use green waste from here on. They will rename it; now it is mulch.

Green waste is dangerous and is attributed to two landfill workers’ deaths in Los Angeles in 2011. How much damage can it cause to a community over time? Will it affect just Val Verde, Live Oak and Hasley Hills? Or will it travel with the winds to affect all of Santa Clarita over time?

I guess my ramblings are pretty much over for now. I sit here and wonder. Were the county officials willing participants in the attempts to shut up the complainers in Val Verde? Why has Supervisor Antonovich grown so quiet? He was against the landfill expansion 19 years ago. Can he be bought? Where are those who will speak up for us?

We desperately need “wackos” from all over the Santa Clarita Valley to take a stand. Why doesn’t the landfill honor the contract it made with us 19 years ago and close down?

 

Steve Lee is a Val Verde resident.

 
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24 Comments

  1. Tommy Rini says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    What a smelly wack job,next thyme hook you’re self on fonix … Jk good read, write more

    Reply
  2. Dianne Valladares says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Bonnie Nikolai

    Reply
  3. Roni says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    wake up and be wacko!! These large corporations have been doing this to the expendable for FAR to long! Enough already we have to do the leg work. Contact an environmentalist that is also a lawyer so we get this documented before it becomes another law suit with Dead and dying residence!!

    Reply
  4. Toni says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    I want to thank Mr. Lee for his comments. The day the citation was filed, my husband and I had gone for our usual walk which took us through the East side of Val Verde. for several blocks the stench was like walking through the inside of a dumpster. We fully support the landfill honoring its original agreement by closing. No amount of buy-off money will make up for the ill effects of the landfill on our community.

    Reply
  5. Ronie Rowsey says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Pass it on. Let’s find an environmentalist and lawyer Up!

    Reply
  6. Sue Herzberg O'Grady says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    .. I’m ok being labelled a ‘Wacko’ then too. I hear you. (**Good article)

    Reply
  7. Greg Kimura says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    One night, Steve Lee and I went to a friend’s house near the corner where Lincoln turns to go toward Chiquito Canyon. It was maybe 8:30 pm or so and I recall it being a warm summer evening. As we spoke with our friend in front of his house, I started to feel sick to my stomach. I walked to the street and I still felt sick. I thought it was something I had for dinner and I was ready to say goodnight to everyone, but when I came back to my friends, Steve made a comment that he was feeling nauseous and he wanted to go home. Note that we did not eat dinner together, so it wasn’t the food. We said our goodbyes and when we got out of the neighborhood, I started feeling better. Granted, I still felt sick, but the feeling was subsiding. It took a couple hours at home, before I no longer felt sick.

    When I spoke to Steve about this, he told me he felt better when he got away from our friend’s home on Lincoln.

    What I’ve found out is that Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is a landfill gas (comes from landfills) and can make you nauseaous. In high enough concentrations, it can kill. H2S also comes from the decomposition of green waste.

    H2S is called an extremely toxic and irritating gas. Exposure can lead to nausea, headaches, dizziness, eye irritation and respiratory illness. Here’s a link to the document http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/workshops/04jun-wots/kaluschue.pdf The interesting thing is that these are the same complaints we receive from residents. So is the landfill poisoning the residents of Val Verde?

    I think that we need to test the air for H2S. There have been numerous problems with methane gas at the landfill and in one instance, the reading was 45% (more methane than double the oxygen in the air we breathe) Based on the fact that there are emission gas problems at the landfill, there’s a good chance they are also releasing H2S. What happens if we find out that the landfill has been allowing this extremely toxic gas to leak from their site to the community?

    Reply
  8. Greg Kimura says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/workshops/04jun-wots/kaluschue.pdf

    Reply
  9. Harvey Johnson says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Scv has poor air quality ratings for as long as i have been here.

    Reply
    • Susie Evans says:
      Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

      Harvey, would it be better if we allow it to get worse? Or should we try to alleviate as much as we can for our health and the health of the rest of the SCV?

      Reply
  10. Susie Evans says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    I would rather be an alive wacko, rather than a sickly or dead wacko.

    Reply
  11. Loretta Dodson says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Didn’t when I lived there, but with all the homes that were built after I moved I am not surprised.

    Reply
  12. Bonnie Nikolai says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    My daughter sat crying on her grandmothers lap last night because her asthma was bothering her. She said “why was I born with this?” How do you explain to a 7 year old that her asthma could be caused by living near the landfill? Our town is beautiful. I love living here, except for this past week when the landfill stench wafted all the way to our house. We live about a mile away. It’s unacceptable!

    Reply
  13. Susie Evans says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Loretta – I am not happy Santa Clarita incorporated. I loved smelling the onions growing where Central Park is. I voted against it. My son and I also have asthma. Mine got worse when I moved from Saugus to Val Verde as did my son’s. Bonnie, I can so relate to your daughter’s plight. My son had many a trip to doctors and hospitals for his asthma attacks when he was under the age of 10. This situation must be alleviated somehow, by some means and by those who refuse to back down. Just my thoughts.

    Reply
  14. K Pfalzgraf says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Good for you Steve Lee

    Reply
  15. julie davenport says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    I live in the North Bluffs development of Castaic and have been awakened in the middle of the night by noxious fumes from the dump blowing into my open bedroom window more times than I can count over the last several years. It is awful and I feel terrible for the people of Val Verde who have to endure this day after day, year after year. They are not crazy “wackos.” The Castaic town council should be ashamed. Since they are benefiting financially by endorsing the dump’s “safety” and subsequent expansion, why don’t they go live right next to it? Breathe deeply.

    Reply
  16. David Salinas says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Good article Steve. From what I saw at the meeting, it would seem that unless there is a lawyer speaking for the VV residents, we will be ignored. The pig “farms” (that are not farms at all, just massive meat production facilities, with a massive about of waste urine and excrement, that is literally sprayed into the surrounding areas) are doing exactly the same things to residents around them in North Carolina. These people cannot afford lawyers and are systematically ignored. This is not an opinion, it is literally the job description of these corporations.

    Reply
  17. Erica says:
    Tuesday, Dec 23, 2014 at

    Great article Steve!! Go Team Wacko!! :)

    Reply
  18. Peggy Holtz Routhieaux says:
    Wednesday, Dec 24, 2014 at

    I lived in Val verde in 1992 and never smelled anything. It has taken many years to get to this point and if not taken care of it will spread to all of Santa Clarita. Hope people get educated and involved. Great article

    Reply
  19. Peggy Holtz Routhieaux says:
    Wednesday, Dec 24, 2014 at

    I lived in Val verde in 1992 and never smelled anything. It has taken many years to get to this point and if not taken care of it will spread to all of Santa Clarita. Hope people get educated and involved. Great article

    Reply
  20. Jennifer Fischer says:
    Wednesday, Dec 24, 2014 at

    Thanks, Steve, for writing this. We must continue make our voices heard and raise awareness about the dangers of the expansion of the landfill. I am glad to hear some Castaic residents chiming in as well about the influence of the landfill.

    Reply
  21. Cynthia Kimura says:
    Wednesday, Dec 24, 2014 at

    Great observation Steve, the supporters of the landfill many times benefit from the expansion in $$$. Follow the money trail and you’ll see where the support comes from.

    I walked the streets of Val Verde meeting residents too. I heard residents complain that they wake up in the middle of the night and have to shut their windows because of the strong landfill odors. With the proposed expansion, the landfill will go about 13 stories higher. If the landfill can’t control odors now… things can only get worse, not only the Val Verde residents, but those in the surrounding areas too. Enough is enough.

    Reply
  22. Steven Lee says:
    Thursday, Dec 25, 2014 at

    I would like to thank everyone for showing interest in our little town. Please have a Merry Christmas. If you know of any avenues where we could get help fight this fight please call them. We have tried many of the suggestions above and we are moving at a snails pace.

    Reply
  23. Susie Evans says:
    Thursday, Dec 25, 2014 at

    Thank you Steve…..I spoke to someone in construction in the valley. He was shocked at how big Chiquita was….then I told him they want to expand…..his jaw dropped and a few choice words came out of his mouth about how wrong that would be if Chiquita expanded so close to homes.

    Reply

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