Hundreds of Orange County residents gathered at a community meeting demanding answers after several cases of children in Ladera Ranch were diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in recent years.

Since 2007, around nine children living in the upscale Ladera Ranch area have been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare tumor of the tissues that usually affects children and young adults.

The small community has approximately 26,000 residents. Some residents have raised concerns over toxic pesticide use in the community as a possible cause.

Brian Dalton lost his daughter, Lily Dalton, 23, to a rare form of cancer in January. Lily spent a lot of time in Ladera Ranch growing up and her family lived just a few miles away.

Lily Dalton, 23, died from a rare form of cancer in January 2026. (Dalton Family)Lily Dalton, 23, died from a rare form of cancer in January 2026. (Dalton Family)Brian Dalton, who lost his daughter, Lily Dalton to a rare form of cancer, speaks at the Ladera Ranch community meeting on July 21, 2026. (KTLA)Brian Dalton, who lost his daughter, Lily Dalton to a rare form of cancer, speaks at the Ladera Ranch community meeting on July 21, 2026. (KTLA)Hundreds of Ladera Ranch residents gathered at a community meeting on July 21, 2026, demanding answers and an investigation into the cause of a string of child cancer diagnoses. (KTLA)Hundreds of Ladera Ranch residents gathered at a community meeting on July 21, 2026, demanding answers and an investigation into the cause of a string of child cancer diagnoses. (KTLA)Hundreds of Ladera Ranch residents gathered at a community meeting on July 21, 2026, demanding answers and an investigation into the cause of a string of child cancer diagnoses. (KTLA)Hundreds of Ladera Ranch residents gathered at a community meeting on July 21, 2026, demanding answers and an investigation into the cause of a string of child cancer diagnoses. (KTLA)

Three days after college graduation, Lily was diagnosed with one of the rarest cancers in the world – desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT), which carries the Ewing sarcoma gene fusion, linking her disease to the same genetic abnormality found in other recent Ladera Ranch cancer cases.

On Tuesday, a community meeting at Ladera Ranch Middle School was packed with concerned residents demanding answers and a thorough investigation.

“I don’t want another mother holding her child’s hand through endless treatments, praying for one more birthday, planning a funeral instead of a future,” Brian said at the meeting.

Resident Kari Berry lost her husband, Bret Berry, a few years ago. He spent many of his days on sports fields, voluntarily coaching local children’s sports.

Kari spoke at the meeting, saying that all the time her husband spent outdoors, he was unknowingly ingesting pesticides daily. 

“My kids were 10 and 14, and they weren’t able to make the memories like I did with him,” Kari said. “We moved here from Costa Mesa, where we didn’t have those poisons sprayed in our backyards and in our kids’ faces. And these guys with hazmat suits improperly spraying this and they don’t take the wind advisories into play. They still spray it.”

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to “conduct an appropriate investigation to determine if there are any environmental factors causing this cancer cluster, and to determine whether any environmental laws are implicated.”

The OC Health Care Agency had called for a review of cancer data with the California Cancer Registry, the UC Irvine cancer center and the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office agreeing to conduct an analysis, the Orange County Register reported.

Residents in Ladera Ranch have raised concerns over the use of toxic pesticides as a possible link to a cluster of rare cancer diagnoses affecting children in the community. (KTLA)Residents in Ladera Ranch have raised concerns over the use of toxic pesticides as a possible link to a cluster of rare cancer diagnoses affecting children in the community. (KTLA)

A statement from O.C. Supervisor Katrina Foley’s office said, “We do not yet know what caused these cancers, but many Ladera Ranch residents have raised concerns about herbicide use in their community. Vice Chair Foley has championed efforts to phase out harmful herbicides on County property and expand safer vegetation-management practices. OC Public Works now uses steam instead of herbicides to control weeds along residential streets in Ladera Ranch.”

In the meantime, officials said there is a temporary ban on toxic pesticides being used in the community.

Some residents reported that their pets have also developed rare cancers after living in the community for years.

“Ladera Ranch families deserve answers, transparency, and urgency from the state,” said Supervisor Foley. “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.”

“Don’t stop until we understand why this is happening,” Brian said. “Every child deserves a chance to grow up and every parent deserves a chance to watch them.”

So far, health officials said the investigation remains ongoing and no environmental cause linked to the reported cancer cases has been identified.

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