City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado Tuesday unveiled a seven-motion legislative package intended to support Boyle Heights residents who continue to be impacted by the effects of a warehouse fire that occurred nearly seven weeks ago.
The councilwoman, who represents Boyle Heights, said her so-called Fire Recovery and Environmental Justice Package was based on three commitments: providing immediate relief, accountability and building lasting community power.
“For nearly seven weeks, families have lived with smoke and ash, odor, flies and pests, disruption and uncertainty,” Jurado said during a morning news conference at City Hall. “Residents did not cause this disaster, but were forced to suffer its consequences — an environmental burden that the Eastside has carried for generations.
“We’re here today to say that residents will not shoulder the cost of this recovery, and they should never have to do it again,” Jurado added.
The motions call for immediate relief from odors and vermin; dedicated casework for affected residents and businesses; state support to accelerate cleanup; legal and permitting safeguards against a “business-as-usual” rebuild; public release of final water-quality results; and a permanent Environmental Justice and Advocacy Advisory Commission shaped by impacted communities.
More specifically, the councilwoman is seeking a Mitigation Response Fund of up to $10 million through the city’s unappropriated balance to support residents. There was no specified timeline to when that money would be disbursed, according to Jurado.
She also requested that relative departments expand pest and vector mitigation.
Jurado said she will work to prompt Gov. Gavin Newsom to deploy additional resources to bolster the current site remediation operations. The councilwoman said she hopes Newsom will visit the neighborhood.
“I know our state electeds have come down here, many of them, and would love to see more advocacy and support, and financial support to make sure that this gets cleaned up as quickly as possible,” Jurado said.
Jurado noted that discussions have been held about whether city services such as trash trucks could be used to expedite the removal of rotting food.
Lineage Logistics said Monday that approximately 80% of the food waste has been removed from the warehouse, and the company has set a goal of completing bulk food waste removal from the site next week.
Among her motions, the councilwoman seeks to establish significantly higher fines to Lineage ranging from $25,000 to $1 million for serious health and environmental violations, and to implement an interim control ordinance to prohibit permits for large cold storage warehousing and distribution uses in close proximity to neighborhoods, parks, schools, day care centers and libraries.
The motions will be heard in various council committees. Jurado said her office will publish the council file number related to each motion, and track the status of each proposal at cd14.lacity.gov/boyleheights-tracker.
Jurado was joined by Boyle Heights resident Victoria Berdin and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice representative Mark Lopez for Tuesday’s announcement.
Lopez described what he and his community are experiencing as “environmental racism.”
“It didn’t start seven weeks ago. But seven weeks ago, the rest of Los Angeles, the rest of the state of California, the nation, and beyond, got a glimpse of what environmental racism looks like in our communities,” he said.
Berdin shared Lopez’s sentiments, adding the impacts go beyond her neighborhood.
“Boyle Heights has long shouldered some of the worse industrial pollution and air quality in this state, and we’ve had enough,” Berdin said.
She criticized Lineage for filing a permit application to rebuild its warehouse. She said the company “doesn’t consider the suffering that residents across the county have dealt (with) from this.”
Lopez described Lineage rebuilding attempt as “offensive,” which is why he strongly supported a environmental justice advisory commission.
“(The) commission can kind of stand in the way. It can kind of be an impediment to this environmental racism from continuing to occur,” Lopez said. “Lineage is not a food company. They’ve tried to portray themselves as just as a cold storage company. No, Lineage is a chemical company.”
He explained that while Boyle Heights has been impacted by tons of rotting food, the community continues to experience harm from high levels of ammonia.
Berdin told City News Service that she had some reservations about the fact that a top unpaid advisor and spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass through the June 2 mayoral primary had been hired by Lineage shortly after the fire occurred.
“Right now, I trust this company much less than the them (the city),” Berdin told CNS. “The fact that this company is like attempting to rebuild and not talking to residents at all about it — that’s a big concern for me.”
She added, “My council member has been there on the ground since day one, and I think that’s created a lot of trust, for myself. I trust that office.”
Last week, Bass issued an executive order halting consideration of the company’s rebuilding plans as residents called for the facility’s permanent closure.
Bass accused Lineage of failing to provide adequate support for residents in nearby communities, including a failure to provide relocation assistance for those most impacted.
The mayor directed the departments of city planning and building and safety to investigate and analyze the Lineage site and its proposed future uses. They are expected to provide recommendations on ways in which the city can apply a review and approval process for any future land uses proposed by the owner.
Bass also requested the City Council approve an ordinance to enact a moratorium on large cold-storage facilities near residential areas, parks and schools. This would give the city an opportunity to study the issues and enact new legislation regulating such facilities.
Lineage officials issued a statement Friday disputing the comments of elected officials.
“We strongly disagree with the characterization of Lineage’s cleanup efforts and transparency,” according to the company. “We will continue cleaning up the site around the clock, providing daily reports to officials and regulators, posting frequent updates on our dedicated landing page and social media channel, and providing resources to the Boyle Heights community.”
The company previously established a website at onelineage.com/boyle-heights-fire-response to provide updates on the cleanup efforts.
A fire broke out June 17 at the warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St., sending thick smoke into the air and prompting officials to warn nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days that followed. It took more than a week to fully douse the fire.