Official Updates

Two statewide policy invitations, new connections with Ewing sarcoma families, and updates on local research and testing.

The independent environmental research underway in Ladera also received an important boost this week. Researchers at Cal State Fullerton received a Rapid Response Grant through the College of Health and Human Development to support their ongoing work in Ladera Ranch. The funding will provide additional resources for testing, equipment and field work and will give the team greater flexibility to expand the investigation as new questions emerge. The research is already proceedi

The LARMAC Board election is underway, with two seats open this year. On October 1, a resident monitoring the election participation number noticed that turnout increased from approximately 5.9% to 11.5% in a single afternoon. We do not know who cast those additional ballots, and the increase itself does not indicate anything improper. But the size of the jump was notable because apartment ownership associated with Ladera’s original developer continues to represent a concentr

Last week, we mentioned that Spectrum News was preparing a story about families in Adams, New York, who have been trying to understand multiple Ewing sarcoma diagnoses in their community. That story is now out. Spectrum reports at least six Ewing sarcoma cases in the southern Jefferson County area and follows families pressing state and local officials for more answers. The story also points to Ladera Ranch as another community dealing with a similarly unusual number of Ewing

Ladera Health Watch is now working with residents and advocates concerned about the proposed increase in operations at Prima Deshecha Landfill. Orange County is considering increasing the landfill’s permitted daily tonnage from 4,000 to 8,000 tons per day, with up to 10,000 tons on certain emergency days. The County’s environmental review is still underway, and its website currently says it is reevaluating the proposed Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report. Review Ora

Two statewide policy invitations, new connections with Ewing sarcoma families, and updates on local research and testing.

Research, testing & safer landscaping

This was an important week for Ladera Health Watch and for the residents who have been asking for answers. In just a few months, this work has moved from residents raising concerns to actual testing, approved LARMAC landscape-management resolutions, and new research opportunities with major institutions. Here is where things stand. CSUF BEGAN PRELIMINARY TESTING IN LADERA On Sunday, Cal State Fullerton researchers began preliminary environmental testing in Ladera Ranch. This

A little over two months ago, residents showed up at a LARMAC Board meeting asking for a reduction in pesticide use and more transparency about what was being applied in our community. At that point, the only concrete next step we were able to get was the creation of a resident advisory committee. None of us knew whether that committee would lead to meaningful change, or how quickly anything could move. Last night, the LARMAC Board approved five landscape-management resolut

The Los Angeles Times published an in-depth investigation into Ladera Ranch’s rare pediatric cancer cases and the community’s search for answers. The story examined the reported Ewing sarcoma cases, environmental questions involving pesticides, abandoned wells and the nearby landfill, and Ladera Health Watch’s work with researchers, elected officials and public agencies to pursue testing, research and greater transparency. Read the LA Times Investigation here.

Several significant developments are underway involving cancer surveillance, environmental-health research and pesticide policy in Ladera Ranch. California Department of Public Health Creates Ladera Ranch Cancer Concern Page The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has created a dedicated public page addressing cancer concerns in Ladera Ranch. CDPH confirms that the California Cancer Registry is conducting a focused assessment of cancer incidence in the Ladera Ranch

Ladera Ranch's reported cancer cases and the community's efforts to obtain a thorough environmental-health review have received sustained local and national news coverage. The reporting below documents the progression of the issue, from families first raising concerns about multiple rare cancer diagnoses, to calls for state and federal review, public meetings, pesticide-policy changes and the broader impact of Ladera's advocacy across Orange County. Selected News Coverage Ora

BIG UPDATE: Researchers at Cal State Fullerton have agreed to begin preliminary water and soil testing in Ladera Ranch, potentially as early as this week. Here are the five biggest updates from the week: 1. CSUF RESEARCHERS WILL BEGIN ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING We met with a Cal State Fullerton research team Thursday to begin developing a water and soil testing plan for Ladera, with the possibility of adding air monitoring as the work develops. We hope to begin testing this we

Here are the six biggest things happening right now: 1. Cancer Registry results are now expected this fall. We had hoped to have the California Cancer Registry analysis sooner, but CDPH has indicated the results are now expected sometime this fall. Those results will help determine whether government agencies move forward with additional investigation and environmental testing. In the meantime, we are working on a plan for carefully designed independent environmental testin

Dear Ladera Health Watch Supporters, This past week, much of our work focused on obtaining clearer information from public-health agencies, coordinating the many government offices now involved, and developing the substance of a long-term organic land-management policy for Ladera Ranch. ON CANCER RESEARCH New details from the California Department of Public Health. We already knew that the California Cancer Registry was analyzing cancer incidence in Ladera Ranch. This week,

Thank you to everyone who has supported Ladera Health Watch since we first began looking into the health and environmental concerns affecting our community several months ago. As this effort continues to grow, we want to make sure residents receive accurate, direct updates from Ladera Health Watch about our ongoing work with government agencies, elected officials, researchers, and community partners. That’s why we have begun sending weekly email updates. To join the email lis

A very important update: Capistrano Unified School District has implemented a 60-day pause on the routine use of landscape maintenance products and spray applications used for weed management while the district evaluates alternative products and maintenance practices. This applies to all schools in the district. We want to give special thanks to CUSD Trustee Lisa Zollinger for listening to the concerns of Ladera Ranch families and helping move this precautionary step forward.

I want to give everyone a broader update on what Ladera Health Watch has been working on since the beginning, because there are a lot of moving pieces and it can be hard to follow everything through Facebook comments. Since May, our focus has been very simple: to try to figure out if something unusual is happening in Ladera, and if so, why? We have been looking at every reasonable environmental factor we can think of. That includes but is not limited to pesticides, water, soi