U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce) introduced his first bill in the 119th Congress on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to provide tax relief for residents in his district impacted by the Chiquita Canyon landfill.

Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which has been repeatedly cited and warned for polluting the air, water and land in nearby neighborhoods, provides financial relief for residents affected by the toxic pollutants. The Chiquita Canyon Tax Relief Act would ensure that residents in Val Verde, Castaic and the Santa Clarita Valley are not unfairly taxed on the much-needed assistance they receive.

“I’m proud that my very first bill in Congress will provide assistance to the residents in my district who have been affected by the Chiquita Canyon landfill,” said Whitesides. “These hardworking families should not have to pay taxes on the help they are receiving to recover from the damage caused by this environmental disaster. I will keep doing everything I can to lower costs for our community, including eliminating unnecessary financial burdens.”

“The Val Verde Civic Association has had multiple meetings and roundtables with community members where they have shared various ways in which the Chiquita Canyon Landfill ‘relief program’ is flawed and prohibitive,” said the Val Verde Civic Association in a statement. “Many of our community members depend on income based programs and the relief funds being taxed defeats the purpose of these funds. The funds as taxable income means they lose access to services and programs they need to survive and thrive. Including retirement funds, access to food, and health care like medicare and mediCal which is especially important now that so many community members are ill from exposure to the landfill toxins. There is no question that our community is suffering without adequate or basic support and this bill will be a major step in the right direction. We fully support waiving any tax on relief funds for our community and believe relief funding should never be taxed.”

“As a fourth generation resident of Val Verde, I’m concerned about the impacts of the relief funds being taxed. The Chiquita Canyon Landfill gas exposure has caused serious health consequences to generations of my family including my late husband, my parents, children, and grandchildren,” said Yasmina Valdivia, a local resident and Val Verde Civic Association board member. “My children have had to leave the area for the safety of my grandchildren. My elderly parents who are not able to move, are on medicare and social security and a taxable income increase would put them in a higher tax bracket. This will remove them from support programs they rely on for their life saving medications which have drastically increased their health issues from being exposed to the Chiquita Canyon Landfill gasses. Many of our community members are also experiencing health issues and due to the taxes, are not able to access the relief they need. No one in our community should lose eligibility for any income-based programs by accepting relief funds because of an environmental disaster. The fact these funds are taxed adds insult to injury for me, my family, and my neighbors.”

The Chiquita Canyon Tax Relief Act exempts:

Current and future payments from the Chiquita Canyon Community Relief Program.

Any future assistance from federal, state, or county governments related to the crisis.

Future legal settlement payments to residents tied to ongoing litigation against Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

The bill would also ensure that current and future payments will not be considered taxable income.

The Chiquita Canyon Landfill, in existence since 1972 in Castaic, ceased accepting waste as of Jan. 1, after the filing of several lawsuits by area residents claiming serious health problems resulting from odors and gasses released from the underground elevated temperature landfill reaction.

Whitesides was elected in November to represent the Santa Clarita Valley and the California 27th Congressional District in Washington D.C.