“Residents still need resources. Residents still need information, and residents still deserve answers,” Jurado said. “And let me be clear, this is only the beginning.”
Los Angeles Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado Tuesday announced that she will introduce a package of motions intended to answer questions, provide immediate relief and hold parties accountable for the cold- storage fire in Boyle Heights.
Jurado said her 14th District constituents have spent the last week carrying a burden they did not create as they have dealt with smoke, odors, ash, disrupted routines and serious health concerns. Through it all, they have been resilient and checking in on one another, she added.
“That resilience deserves to be recognized, but resilience is not the same thing as responsibility,” Jurado said.
The motions, which were expected to be introduced later Tuesday or Wednesday, will call for the following:
*Public release of air quality and environmental testing results in English and Spanish
*A full public report on what materials were present at the facility, what burned or may still be burning, and what potential health and environmental risks remain
*Answers about the cause of the fire, the facility’s compliance history, inspections that occurred, and whether oversight systems were strong enough for a facility of this size and nature
*Immediate steps, including transit support, to reduce the amount of time residents are forced to spend outside during the emergency
Jurado said her motions were informed by constituents, who asked similar questions.
“Residents still need resources. Residents still need information, and residents still deserve answers,” Jurado said. “And let me be clear, this is only the beginning.”
She noted that Boyle Heights has carried environmental burdens for generations.
“I mentioned last week when we talked about parks that the Eastside has been the trash can of the city of Los Angeles for too long, and that’s why park advocacy was so important,” Jurado said.
“It has also been bearing, just like other Black and brown communities, the environmental burden, and when a major industrial fire happens here, the response cannot be slow, vague, or incomplete. It needs to have the same urgency, transparency and protection as any other community in Los Angeles.”
The Lineage Logistics warehouse at 1400 S. Los Palos St. erupted in fire Wednesday. Fire crews initially believed they had contained the blaze, but pockets of fire have continued to burn inside the structure.
As the fire has continued burning, air quality concerns have persisted for large swaths of Los Angeles, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and South Coast Air Quality Management District have not detected anything beyond normal combustible material typical after a fire, authorities said.
A special Particle Pollution Advisory issued by the AQMD was extended until at least 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The councilwoman also addressed Lineage’s public statement that the company believes the fire started on the roof while subcontractors were servicing the solar array.
“That may be their statement, but it cannot be the final word,” Jurado said in a statement Monday. “Residents deserve an independent investigation into who was working there, what work was being done, who was responsible for that equipment, and whether any safety or oversight failures contributed to this disaster.”
