Lineage Logistics will miss Friday’s city-imposed deadline to fully remove food waste from its fire-damaged warehouse in Boyle Heights, according to a report published Thursday.
A Lineage Logistics executive confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the cleanup of rotting food would not be completed by Friday and insisted that the company still had a week to meet its deadline.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pledged to “use every resource at my disposal to demand compliance and hold Lineage accountable for every day that Boyle Heights residents are forced to breathe putrid air and deal with the flies and rats, because of the company’s negligence,” she wrote on social media late Thursday afternoon.
Under an executive directive issued in July, Bass gave Lineage a deadline to clear out food waste, which is expected to expire at 5 p.m. Friday.
City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado said in a statement she was “deeply disappointed and angry” about Lineage Logistics’ apparent failure to complete the cleanup by the deadline.
” For nearly two months, families in Boyle Heights have lived with unbearable odors, flies and pests, truck traffic, uncertainty, and disruption to their homes, businesses, and daily lives. They were told there was a deadline, and they had every right to expect that deadline to mean something,” said Jurado, whose 14th District includes Boyle Heights..
A representative for Lineage did not immediately respond to a request for comment. As of Wednesday, the company reported it had removed about 93% of the bulk food waste.
Jurado said she hopes the company will meet its deadline and if food waste is out by the weekend or early next week, she will be relieved for the community. But she urged Bass to enforce penalties against the company it if it misses its deadline.
“I welcome every additional resource and every dollar of assistance that reaches Boyle Heights families, workers, and small businesses. But charitable assistance cannot substitute for accountability. The companies responsible for creating and responding to this disaster must bear responsibility for making this community whole,” Jurado said in a statement.
Jurado noted that she was concerned the company might fail to meet additional deadlines set forth by Bass. Within 90 days of the executive order, the company must have full structural and construction debris removed, and within 120 days the company must obtain final environmental clearance.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis also criticized the pace of the cleanup Thursday, saying residents and businesses in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles have endured nearly two months of odors, environmental concerns and other disruptions.
“I am disheartened and disappointed that Lineage’s cleanup remains incomplete, despite actions that the County of Los Angeles has taken at my direction to accelerate the process,” Solis said.
“Lineage must continue to implement a rapid and comprehensive cleanup that ensures no waste is left behind, while also making sure surrounding communities are made whole, clear of the flies and vermin that have impacted residents as a result of this nearly two-month cleanup,” Solis added.
Cleanup began July 7 at the cold storage facility at 1400 S. Los Palos St., where a June 17 fire burned for eight days and left large quantities of spoiled food inside.
Lineage Logistics said earlier this week it expected to complete the removal of the bulk food waste by the end of the week.
“We continue to make meaningful progress against this massive cleanup effort every single day, and we will keep working until the job is done,” Jeff Rivera, Lineage Logistics’ chief operating officer, said in a statement released Tuesday.
The company has pledged to spend between $80 million and $100 million on cleanup efforts.
The cleanup has generated thousands of odor complaints from surrounding neighborhoods and concerns about flies, rats and other pests.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it received more than 4,200 odor complaints related to the warehouse between July 12 and Aug. 5 and issued 25 notices of violations to Lineage.
A South Coast AQMD hearing board last week unanimously approved a modified abatement order requiring the company to implement additional odor-control measures during the cleanup.
Lineage said it has distributed hundreds of fly traps to residents, while Orkin pest control service is installing 576 traps in public spaces in the surrounding neighborhood.
The company also said Tuesday it had contacted 87% of residents closest to the warehouse and would continue attempts to reach the remaining households.
The fire sent thick smoke into the air and prompted officials to advise nearby residents to remain indoors. The city, county and state issued local emergency declarations in the days following the blaze.
The fire and its aftermath also prompted state lawmakers this week to announce proposed legislation aimed at increasing penalties and imposing additional requirements on cold storage facilities.
Assemblyman Mark González, D-Los Angeles, is seeking to require contingency funds for new cold storage facilities in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, while Sen. MarÃa Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, is proposing increased fines for public health violations at such facilities.