Dozens of Boyle Heights residents insist on their fight to make the closure of the Lineage company warehouse definitive, although its future will depend on whether the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and municipal authorities approve the reconstruction permit after the fire on June 17.
"Let them go! Let them go!" "Lineage out! Lineage out!", the angry residents repeated this Monday; entire families, young people, seniors and children, who suggested that the approximately 500,000 square foot land be converted into a public park.
Annoyed at being ignored in the face of the public health crisis that they have been experiencing for two months, they also launched darts against Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for Los Angeles County, with messages such as: “Barbara Ferrer: our health also matters” or “Barbara Ferrer, when are you going to take care of our health, especially children and the elderly?”
“We failed,” was Ferrer's admission of guilt on July 9 due to the slow response of health authorities, three weeks after the massive fire.
They complain that the smell is getting worse
“Excuse the smell, but I didn't cause it, so I'm sorry for the situation,” said María Jáuregui, a member of Eastside Parents Against Pollution, a grassroots community organization that defends public education, ironically.
The recently retired teacher from the East Philadelphia school, located less than a mile from Lineage, said that sanitation conditions around the warehouse have worsened.
"I live three houses away from where my 93-year-old father lives, and I can assure you that the smell is getting worse. We continue to deal with a constant stench, the use of deodorizing sprays 24 hours a day and hundreds of diesel trucks that increase the pollution that already affects our community," he added.
With the quality of life disrupted for thousands of residents in Boyle Heights, families gathered again to publicly voice their continued concerns about the proliferation of rats and flies, lingering health effects, and financial hardships, including higher electricity bills.
“Lineage has become a source of ongoing environmental damage and a threat to the well-being of residents of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights,” Jáuregui said. "Since the beginning of this environmental disaster, there has been a lack of transparency. The community still does not know if we were exposed to ammonia or what the full toxic impact of what was released was."
Protesters called for an independent and transparent environmental investigation, as well as the delivery of the full report from Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime E. Moore, as they recalled that black smoke from the fire spread through the community for eight days without an evacuation being ordered.
“We deserve transparency and responsibilities to be assumed,” stressed teacher Jáuregui.
The Lineage company has submitted an application for permits to rebuild, which the entire community opposes. In fact, they try to preserve as much of the building as possible.
“If that means residents have to endure the stench and ongoing effects for longer, that is unacceptable,” the activist said, while others demanded a thorough cleanup of all the rotting flesh and toxic compounds, as well as the implementation of immediate mitigation measures on the ground.
Mayor Karen Bass's emergency executive order temporarily suspends Lineage's rebuilding application, though it is just a pause.
Action through civil and legal channels
“At every turn, Lineage has failed in its responsibility to this community,” said Mayor Bass. "I have asked the city's attorneys to pursue civil legal action and explore all legal options to recover costs and impose penalties, as well as to place a lien on the property if they do not pay. I will continue to do everything in my power to protect Boyle Heights and demand the answers and accountability this community deserves."
The deadline to remove all food waste was August 14. Lineage and its contractors reported that they began removing food scraps from the property before June 29. The company had not questioned this date; In fact, it had repeatedly communicated that it would finish removing all food waste by the week of August 15.
However, on August 13, Lineage “clarified” that the 45-day deadline for cleanup began on July 7, the day the Los Angeles Fire Department ended its 24-hour surveillance at the site, after which constant outbreaks of fire made access unsafe.
“That date is contained in the reports we have submitted to the city and is the start date recognized by the South Coast AQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District), the company said in a statement, reporting that 93% of bulk food waste had been removed from the site.
Lineage planned to complete the removal of all decomposing materials by August 20, while disinfection and detailed cleaning would be planned for the 27th, complying with AQMD orders.
And mitigation in homes?
Although cleanup is nearing completion on Lineage's land, no homes in Boyle Heights have been inspected by the company.
“No one has come to carry out cleaning and mitigation work in any house,” complained Jasmín García, a member of Parents Against Privatization, who pointed out that “definitely” there is no guarantee from Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado (Los Angeles District 14) or Mayor Bass to ensure that the operating permit will be denied to Lineage.
“This week we had a meeting with Ysabel Jurado; she got upset because she said we had been too aggressive,” said Eloisa Galindo, an East Los Angeles activist. “She got up from her chair and walked away; she left us with her office staff, but she never committed to saying 100% that she will oppose Lineage being granted the permit.”
The fire and its aftermath also prompted state lawmakers this week to announce a bill to increase penalties and impose additional requirements on cold storage facilities.
Legislation seeks to prevent disasters
Assemblyman Mark González seeks to require contingency funding for new cold storage facilities in the city and county of Los Angeles, while Senator María Elena Durazo proposes increasing fines for public health violations at such facilities through AB 817.
“This legislation seeks to heal a wound, one that will take time to repair,” said Assemblyman González. "Because this wasn't just an attack on our health; it was an affront to the trust placed in us. We can't predict when or if another disaster will strike, but we can make sure we plan and prepare financially to support our community."
AB 817 will ensure that Lineage cannot rebuild its facilities without accountability to the local community. Specifically, this bill would prevent the city and county from granting new construction permits for cold storage facilities like Lineage's unless they maintain a contingency fund accessible in the event of an emergency.
This fund will ensure the availability of substantial resources for food and housing assistance, air quality monitoring, environmental cleanup, and remediation of any hazardous materials.
It will ensure that any compensation residents receive for this incident is tax exempt. That money does not constitute income; It is compensation for the suffering suffered.
