Overview
- Community members say at least six children and young adults connected to Ladera Ranch have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a very rare bone and soft‑tissue cancer.
- Hundreds of residents attended a town hall on Tuesday to press officials for answers and to voice concerns about repeated use of landscaping pesticides and herbicides.
- U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli sent a formal request for an EPA investigation and local leaders have asked the California Cancer Registry, UCI Cancer Center, and the county agricultural commissioner to re‑examine the data.
- The Ladera Ranch homeowners association announced a 60‑day pause on routine use of certain pesticides and herbicides as a precaution while reviews are pending.
- State health officials and cancer researchers caution that Ewing sarcoma is so rare that small case counts are hard to interpret, that a 2024 CCR review found no clear pattern, and that genetic and ancestry factors are better‑established risks than environmental causes.