Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley is pressing the state to move faster on investigating a cluster of rare childhood cancer cases in Ladera Ranch.
Foley, vice chair of the Board of Supervisors, sent a formal letter Friday, July 17, to California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Erica Pan demanding an expedited review of six reported Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among children in the unincorporated community of roughly 26,000 residents. Her letter came the same week a federal prosecutor called for an EPA investigation and the community's maintenance corporation paused herbicide use.
"Ladera Ranch families deserve answers, transparency, and urgency from the state," Foley said in a press release announcing the letter. "We do not yet know what caused these cancers, but that uncertainty demands a comprehensive review of every credible factor, including possible environmental exposures, along with direct communication and the public release of the findings."
Ewing sarcoma is a rare bone and soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. Only about 200 to 250 cases are diagnosed nationwide each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
A review already underway
The push comes as multiple agencies converge on the issue. In 2024, the OC Health Care Agency asked the California Cancer Registry to evaluate cancer concerns in Ladera Ranch. The Registry found no discernible pattern at that time.
But families kept raising alarms. Among them was Megan Matteson, whose 17-year-old son Brody was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in August 2024. He later developed acute myeloid leukemia as a complication of treatment and died March 22, according to the New York Post. After his death, Matteson posted in a community Facebook group asking whether other families had experienced cancer diagnoses and received 62 responses from roughly 2,000 group members.
Following renewed concerns, the Health Care Agency asked the California Cancer Registry, UCI Cancer Center, and the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner's Office to revisit the data. That updated assessment remains underway. The OC Health Care Agency said findings will be shared with the County Health Officer "in upcoming weeks."
Residents have reported as many as a dozen cases, though official sources have confirmed six. The CDPH had not publicly responded to Foley's letter as of Saturday, July 19.
Federal probe and herbicide pause
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli sent a letter Thursday, July 16, to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin calling for a federal environmental investigation. Essayli wrote that his office had "been made aware of recent reports of multiple pediatric Ewing sarcoma cases within the Ladera Ranch community" and that residents were raising concerns about whether environmental factors warranted evaluation, according to the LA Times.
Some residents, including attorney Jackie French, have focused on herbicide use in the community's common areas. French told the New York Post that records show 17 different pesticides and herbicides were applied throughout Ladera Ranch during June alone, with applications occurring almost daily.
On Friday, July 17, the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation announced a temporary 60-day pause on routine use of certain landscape maintenance products for weed management in its common areas. LARMAC also established an Ad Hoc Landscape Pest Management Advisory Committee of homeowners and board members to review the program.
Foley's press release noted that OC Public Works already uses steam instead of herbicides to control weeds along residential streets in Ladera Ranch, a change she championed. No direct causal link between pesticide exposure and the reported cancers has been established by public health authorities.
What's next
No public hearing or formal comment deadline has been announced for the state review. The OC Health Care Agency has not provided a specific deadline for its findings. Residents can contact Foley's office through Communications Director Latisha Townsend at 714-559-8364.
