After 720 complaints, Los Angeles hits Lineage with 5 violations over Boyle Heights stench

For people living near a fire-damaged food warehouse in Boyle Heights, Calif., the cleanup has become an everyday health and quality-of-life problem. Residents told the Los Angeles Times that the odor from rotting meat is so strong they keep windows shut, keep children from playing outside, and at times struggle to breathe.

With neighborhood complaints still piling up — with over 720 so far — air regulators have repeatedly cited Lineage Logistics.

What's happening?

Crews are trying to haul away 85 million pounds of decomposing food from Lineage Logistics' damaged Boyle Heights cold storage facility, a cleanup that has already led the South Coast AQMD to issue six citations after more than 900 odor complaints, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Cleanup started July 6, and at a town hall the week of July 6, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Rivera said the company was moving as fast as it could and expected to finish before the 45-day deadline set by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.

People who live nearby say the measures now being used to control the odor — including covering most of the structure and running misters — still are not working.

 Jaime Ramirez, who lives near the facility, described the smell this way: "Have you ever smelled a dead animal in the street? It's like that."

The citations were issued under public nuisance rules that prohibit emissions causing injury or widespread annoyance. Those violations can carry penalties of $1,000 to $75,000 for each day.

Why does it matter?

During the heat, some neighbors say they have had to keep their homes closed up because the stench drifts inside from the outdoor air and, in some cases, through their air conditioning systems.

Sabino Soto, 70, who lives next to the warehouse, told the Los Angeles Times, "It stinks in the house in the morning."

 He also said the odor made him so nauseated that he missed work as a school crossing guard.

Neighbors say pests have become another problem as well. Ramirez said that residents have reported rats going in and out of the warehouse after dark, and Soto said fly traps in his yard quickly filled with hundreds of insects.

Residents say porches have emptied, the streets are quieter, and there is growing concern that the odor crisis may still be unresolved when students return to school in August.

What's being done?

The AQMD stepped up pressure on July 17 by sending Lineage a formal demand letter. The Los Angeles Times reported that it required more than two dozen additional odor-control steps, including neutralizers on waste trucks, daily cleaning of loading surfaces, a crusting treatment over waste, and sealing decomposing food before removal.

Regulators have ordered the company to submit an implementation plan by Tuesday, July 21. If a settlement cannot be reached, the AQMD could bring the matter to L.A. County Superior Court.

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said the number of complaints and violations shows the current response is falling short: "More than 700 resident complaints and multiple regulatory violations make one thing unmistakably clear: the current odor-control measures are not adequately protecting Boyle Heights."

Residents can submit odor, smoke, or dust complaints to South Coast AQMD by calling (800) 288-7664, filing a report at www.aqmd.gov/complaints, or using the agency's mobile app.

California State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo said, "This is a community telling us they have had enough."

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.