Residents and advocates urge stronger action on Exide, Santa Susana and landfill impacts

During public comment, residents and community groups urged the legislature and DTSC to accelerate cleanup work at legacy contamination sites, accept independent science, and expand community access to oversight processes.

Melissa Bumstead, representing Parents Against the Santa Susana Field Lab, described clusters of rare cancers in her community and said her group is suing DTSC over a cleanup deal they say leaves most contamination in place. "Our children will continue to pay the price for DTSC's failures," she told the committee and asked for a hybrid hearing option so more residents could participate.

Speakers from environmental-justice organizations including Communities for a Better Environment and the California Environmental Justice Coalition recited long-standing concerns about delays in permit decisions, limited inclusion of community data, and inadequate enforcement. Several witnesses asked the legislature to expand the Board of Environmental Safety’s authority, to require DTSC to accept independent peer‑reviewed studies, and to hold more frequent community hearings.

Industry and county representatives also testified. Waste Management’s Kettleman Hills representative said the company has seen improvements and called for ongoing dialogue to ensure fiscal sustainability of DTSC programs; county officials described high costs and complexity in managing household hazardous waste collection and urged test-method updates to avoid overcategorization.

Committee chairs thanked participants and suggested further briefings to address the specific concerns raised by communities, industry and environmental groups.