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Our Neighbors in “Black Palm Springs” Are in Danger—And So Are We!

  • Writer: Citizens Coalition Admin
    Citizens Coalition Admin
  • Apr 11
  • 5 min read

A Crisis You Can’t Ignore


Since May 2022, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill—located near Val Verde, a community with deep roots as a safe haven for African Americans—has been suffering from a massive underground fire. What started as a reaction hidden from view has grown from 30 to 90 acres, releasing dangerous chemicals and toxins that threaten the health of nearly 20,000 local households. This blatant perversion symbolizes how underprivileged communities of color are being neglected in the face of industrial inaptitude. Even worse? The air monitoring systems aren’t set up to measure and can't even detect the unidentified toxic gases. The involved agencies miserably fail to capture the full threat due to their narrow scope of measurements, so apathetic officials simply claim the air is “as safe as anywhere else in LA County.”


An underground fire at the Los Angeles County landfill near the Chiquita Canyon has been quietly burning since 2022, releasing toxic gases into nearby Val Verde neighborhoods. California State Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo discuss teshe health concerns, the state’s response, and California’s broader approach to public health.

An Unjust Burden on Communities of Color


Val Verde wasn’t chosen by accident. This community, once known as “Black Palm Springs” for its rich history as a refuge for African Americans during segregation. The community was founded in the 1920s as a place where Black Americans could finally vacation away from segregation’s harsh rules. “Black Palm Springs” is now suffering a grave injustice. Many decades after the residents had settled down and built homes, the landfill was brought in and turned into a dangerous “pressure cooker”—right in their backyard. Today, residents report constant headaches, nosebleeds, rashes, and breathing problems. And while this fire keeps growing, environmental agencies seem clueless about what exactly is burning underground: batteries, chemicals, and other dangerous items that have no safe end in sight.




What Are Our Leaders Doing About It?


For our shared future, we need action at every level.


Mayor Karen Bass & Los Angeles City Officials:

Even though Mayor Bass has talked about environmental problems in Los Angeles, the actions needed to protect underprivileged and colored communities like ours are still missing. There’s no call for a State of Emergency, no real plan to help families escape an increasingly dangerous environment.


Compton’s Local Leadership:

We live in a complex society. We do not live on an isolated island. Our own leaders must be involved in all civil rights matters across the greater region too. Our lives matter, and we need to demand that our City Council, led by our Compton Mayor, step forward and let our voices heard loud and clear:


  • City of Compton Mayor and City Council:


County, State, and Federal Decision-Makers:



Sacramento Office: (916) 651-4035

Torrance/Inglewood Office: (310) 412-6120




A Fierce Call from Citizens’ Coalition for Change


The Citizens’ Coalition for Change puts it plainly:

"We refuse to let the health and dignity of underprivileged communities of color be traded for profit and neglect! The trash is for the greater Los Angeles City and County, and so is the right of underprivileged communities of color to breathe clean air and live in safety. We demand immediate and decisive action. Declare this a federal environmental crisis and hold those responsible accountable!"


What Must Happen Now


  • Declare a State of Emergency: Our local, county, and state leaders must recognize the horror unfolding in Val Verde and act now.

  • Immediate Support and Relocation: Families living above this dangerous pressure cooker need help right away—safe housing, proper medical care, and real relocation assistance.

  • Proper Air Quality Testing: Testing must cover every harmful chemical burning underground—everything from batteries to industrial chemicals that the current sensors miss.

  • A Real Plan to Stop the Fire: We need a long-term, community-focused strategy that will not only contain the fire but also make sure our people are not at risk for decades to come.

  • Full Accountability: The landfill operators, along with the agencies supposed to protect us, must be held responsible for decades of neglect.



We Must Stand Up and Demand Change—Our Voice Matters


Our health, safety, and rights as people of color and members of underserved communities are on the line. We cannot let this crisis continue unnoticed. Make sure you call your elected officials using the contact information above. Demand that our crisis be recognized at the highest levels of government. Let them know that we will not stand for this environmental injustice any longer.


Let our elected officials know that the underprivileged communities of color will no longer be sidelined.
The fight for clean air, safe neighborhoods, and civil rights continues with renewed vigor.


Draft Call-to-Action Email/Letter


Subject: Urgent Demand: Declare a Federal Environmental Crisis Over the Val Verde Landfill Disaster


Dear [Name/Title],


I am writing as a concerned resident of Compton and as someone who stands in solidarity with our neighbors in Val Verde. Since May 2022, the Chiquita Canyon Landfill’s underground fire has been burning out of control, threatening the health and safety of nearly 20,000 people in our area. This disaster is a vivid example of environmental injustice targeting communities of color—where residents are forced to live with toxic exposures from a pressure cooker of chemicals that agencies can’t even properly monitor and control.


Our community, like the historic Black community in Val Verde, deserves better. We have built our lives with dignity, yet we are subjected to risks that our city leaders, county officials, and state representatives have not adequately addressed. I urge you to immediately do everything possible:


  • For the 3+ years ongoing situation to be declared a STATE OF EMMERGENCY.

  • Provide urgent relocation and medical support plan and timeline for affected families.

  • Implement independent, comprehensive air quality testing for all hazardous emissions.

  • Develop and publicize a long-term plan to contain this dangerous fire.

  • Hold landfill operators and responsible agencies fully accountable.


We ask you to prioritize our civil rights, and safety and dignified future of ALL underprivileged communities of color. We also urge you to work closely with the White House and the federal agencies to elevate this issue to the urgency it demands.


Our voices and lives depend on decisive action—this is a fight for our civil rights and the rights or our colored brothers and sisters to a healthy, safe environment. Please respond with a clear outline of the steps you intend to take in response to this disaster.


Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response and to seeing real action taken to protect our communities.


Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[Your Email]

[Your Phone Number]



Now is the time to unite as one. Compton residents, residents of all neighborhoods of color and our neighbors in Val Verde must raise our voices together. Our safety, our dignity, and our future cannot be compromised by environmental injustice. The trash is from the entire Los Angeles region—and it is our right to demand that the colored communities do not carry all the environmental burden for the rest of the society. We demand immediate action and change.

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