The Boyle Heights fire is latest pollution crisis to affect L.A.’s Eastside
Your morning catch-up: Boyle Heights fire and pollution crises, LAUSD upheaval and more big stories.
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A fire in a massive cold storage facility in Boyle Heights that started on Wednesday hasn’t stopped yet.
Firefighters have encountered a grab bag of obstacles that has made battling the blaze harder than most, including ammonia leaks, steel walls lined with gas-emitting foam and solar panels. It’s one more of the worst-case scenarios Fate seems to hand Los Angeles in almost everything these last couple of years.
Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass have declared a state of emergency, freeing up resources to fight the fire and help residents deal with the aftermath. Already, community groups and the offices of Assemblymember Mark González and City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado have organized free mask and air purifier giveaways even as air quality officials have twice declared shelter-in-place orders only to quickly rescind them, insisting that residents don’t have too much to worry about right now.
Speak for yourself.
I drove up the 5 Freeway on Saturday morning and the smoke emerging from the Lineage Logistics building slowed down traffic considerably, with visibility for the stretch similar to a foggy day and drivers snapping photos of the disaster to our west. A noticeable scent permeated my car even though my windows were rolled up and my air conditioning was set to recirculation.
The smoke drifted northeast toward East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley when I passed by. Plumes have been spotted as far east as San Bernardino County and as far west as Simi Valley as winds have shifted. On social media, friends posted photos of what should’ve been a beautiful weekend sullied by the latest reminder of where they live.
Decades of pollution in L.A.’s Eastside
For decades, Eastside residents have had to deal with pollution like few other areas of L.A. The construction of the 5, 10, 101, 710 and 60 freeways in the 1950s carved up communities and forever worsened air quality in the region. The subsequent proliferation of warehouses and factories in the adjoining cities of Vernon and City of Commerce made unpleasant smells and diesel fumes a constant of the region’s regular bouquet. In the 1980s, the famed Mothers of East Los Angeles successfully fought against the construction of an above-ground oil pipeline that would’ve crossed Boyle Heights and a proposed hazardous waste incinerator.
“Their most lasting legacy,” wrote author Ann Carlson in her recently released book, “Smog and Sunshine: The Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air,” “is that concerns about environmental justice now permeate virtually every policy discussion and decision involving measures to cut air pollution in Southern California.”
And yet the Eastside continues to have to fight for the basic right of being able to live in clean neighborhoods.
The state has spent more than $700 million remediating lead-contaminated soil caused by a battery recycling plant in Vernon that shut down in 2015. A month ago, a construction crew ruptured an oil line, spilling about 2,500 gallons of oil onto Avenida Cesar E. Chavez that went down storm drains and into the Los Angeles River.
“Communities like East L.A., like Boyle Heights, immigrant Latino communities — hardworking, everyday working-class people — bear the brunt of air pollution, of environmental hazards, of all these things that for some reason keep happening in the same neighborhoods,” Eastside Assemblymember Jessica M. Caloza said at a Saturday news conference updating residents about the Lineage Logistics inferno.
We don’t even know how bad the aftermath will be. The structure is the size of 10 football fields and can store up to 85 million pounds of food.
“Imagine the food inside your refrigerator with no power, no refrigerant, starting to rot, and then opening up your refrigerator door, that’s about where we are now,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jamie Moore said at the news conference. “So, once we get this fire put out, the challenge that we have before us is the removal of all that product.”
Wonderful.
Today’s top stories
More on the Boyle Heights fire
- Firefighters cite progress as Boyle Heights fire burns for fifth day.
- Sunday was another day of smoky air, nasty smells and many questions in parts of L.A.
- Here’s how to deal with the smoke and health effects of the fire.
LAUSD upheaval
- Los Angeles schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho resigned Sunday night.
- His departure follows an FBI raid on his home and office tied to district contracts. Carvalho insists he committed no wrongdoing.
- LAUSD, led by acting Supt. Andres Chait, is facing labor deals that will strain future finances.
SoCal heat wave
- Temperatures are expected to jump significantly across Southern California from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
- The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for those days.
Elections
- The man who brought California the top-two open primary now thinks it needs a drastic overhaul. In fact, he says the “top-two” part should be trashed.
- In L.A., as in other U.S. cities, democratic socialists are poised to expand power at City Hall.
- Meanwhile, AI giants are funding ad wars in races across the country.
Laguna Beach’s $1.34-billion real estate scandal
- The former owner of the historic Hotel Laguna won a $1.34-billion arbitration award against investor Mahender Makhijani, who was arrested June 10 by federal authorities, allegedly for bank fraud.
- Federal prosecutors accuse Makhijani of engineering a $100-million bank fraud, alleging that he used use shell companies, bogus collateral and threats of violence against those who crossed him.
What else is going on
- Alan Greenspan, the longtime head of the Federal Reserve, died this morning at 100.
- Newsom’s stance on controversial data centers is about to be tested. Again.
- ‘People just forgot about Olvera Street.’ Historic L.A. restaurants are on brink of closure.
- Puppets, performers and politics filled the streets at LACMA’s first-ever Art Parade.
Commentary and opinions
- The federal inquiry of Newsom creates lots of smoke. Columnist Mark Z. Barabak wonders: Is there any fire?
- Sports columnist Mirjam Swanson argues that Iran is right: FIFA and U.S. government must be better World Cup hosts.
This morning’s must read
L.A.’s new D Line extension stations are light, welcoming spaces that celebrate infrastructure, but their street-level presentation leaves much to be desired.
Other must reads
- Bob Dylan is absolutely cooking on the road right now.
- Rams quarterback Ty Simpson is embracing an unusual bedtime routine to spur his development.
- Why an ancient battle feels closer than ever in one war-weary Lebanese town.
For your downtime
Going out
- Tour: Forget celebrity homes. This Hollywood bus tour haunts the city instead.
- Movies: Join the crowd: ‘Toy Story 5’ went to infinity and beyond at the box office over the weekend.
Staying in
- 🥗 Here’s a recipe for mango and passion fruit sorbet.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Question of the day: What’s your favorite lesser known hike?
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... the photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Arian Drehsler of the LACMA Art Parade in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, Fast Break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
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