Residents say Lineage should clean up the health, environmental, and economic damage left by the June warehouse fire before receiving permission to rebuild.
Community members in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles are organizing to stop Lineage Logistics from rebuilding the warehouse damaged in the massive fire that began on June 17, arguing the company should first address the health, environmental and economic impacts left behind.
Residents with The Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización have launched a petition urging city officials to reject Lineage’s permit application. The campaign gathered hundreds of signatures shortly after it went live.
Organizers say the effort aims not only to block the rebuilding permit but also to hold the company accountable for the damage they say the fire caused to Boyle Heights and surrounding neighborhoods.
“The Eastside Padres Contra la Privatización demands accountability for the Lineage fire in Boyle Heights,” the petition states. “Residents, workers and businesses throughout Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles continue to experience serious health, economic and environmental impacts.”
The group argues that despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declaration of a state of emergency, residents and business owners have received limited assistance.
The controversy intensified after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized Lineage’s decision to seek a rebuilding permit before cleanup efforts have been completed.
“I can’t believe they would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven’t cleaned up the mess they’ve created,” Bass said in a statement.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado also condemned the application.
“Given the conditions residents are still enduring and the company’s failure to make this community whole, rebuilding is not even a conversation I am prepared to have,” Jurado said.
What Lineage is requesting
The permit application, which has not yet been approved by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), seeks permission to repair and restore the portions of the cold-storage warehouse damaged by the fire.
According to the application, the work would restore the building to its pre-fire condition with no changes to the building’s footprint, square footage, height, occupancy or use.
Lineage said the permit is intended only to repair fire damage.
“The application is for a permit to repair the damage from the fire, which was not caused by the cold-storage operations at the facility,” the company said in a statement. “This is normal course in the repair process.”
The company also noted that cold-storage warehouses are considered critical infrastructure because they help distribute food to grocery stores throughout the Los Angeles area.
The permit application was first reported by L.A. Material.
What happens next?
Submitting a permit application does not mean it will automatically be approved.
LADBS must review the plans to determine whether they comply with applicable building, fire, electrical and safety codes. Depending on the scope of the work, other agencies—including the Los Angeles Fire Department, City Planning or Public Works—may also need to review the project before a permit can be issued.
Because Lineage says it is seeking an “in-kind” repair that would restore the warehouse without expanding or changing its use, the application could be treated as a ministerial permit. Under California law, those permits generally must be approved if the plans meet all code requirements.
However, the review could become more complicated if city officials determine additional environmental reviews, hazardous-material requirements or other regulatory issues must be addressed before construction begins.
How long could approval take?
The timeline remains unclear.
Simple repair permits can sometimes be approved within several weeks, but reviews for large commercial and industrial facilities often take two to six months, particularly when multiple city departments are involved or plan revisions are required.
The review could take even longer if regulators request additional information or determine that unresolved environmental, public health or enforcement issues related to the June fire must be addressed before rebuilding can proceed.
Meanwhile, Lineage continues to face scrutiny over the aftermath of the fire. In recent weeks, the company has received citations from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the South Coast Air Quality Management District as residents continue reporting persistent odors and other concerns.
For residents leading the petition drive, the issue extends beyond repairing a building.
They argue that before any rebuilding begins, the company should first restore the community that has been living with the consequences of the eight-day warehouse fire.
