Boyle Heights Fire Response and Environmental Justice Package Tracker

EXPANID SANITATION SERVICES

• Instructs LA Sanitation (LASAN) to prioritize sanitation requests for sidewalks and alleyways in Boyle Heights, with extra urgency for areas near schools. Priority requests include:

  • Bulky item pickup
  • Street sweeping
  • Powerwashing
  • Dead animal removal

PRIORITIZE TENANT RIGHTS

• Instructs the Housing Department (LAHD) to:

  • Prioritize investigations of tenant complaints related to housing code violations for residential properties in Boyle Heights.
  • Provide recommendations of how to increase fines for violations while an Emergency Declaration is active.

• Requests the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) to prioritize inspections and expedited responses for Boyle Heights tenants.

RELIEF NOW: DEDICATED RECOVERY FUNDING

• Explore the creation of a Mitigation Response Fund of up to $10 million for odor and pest control, site remediation, direct casework, and financial assistance for affected residents and small businesses.
• Direct LA Sanitation and the Community Investment Department to develop budgets and work plans for deploying the funds.
• Explore assistance with LADWP bills for households in the affected area.

FASTER CLEANUP: BRING IN STATE RESOURCES

• Call on Governor Gavin Newsom to deploy additional resources to accelerate cleanup, remediation, and recovery.
• Support immediate federal, State, and County funding and assistance for the affected community.

NO ROUTINE REBUILD: PROTECT BOYLE HEIGHTS

• Direct City Planning to prepare an Interim Control Ordinance temporarily barring applicable permits for large cold-storage and distribution facilities near Boyle Heights homes, schools, parks, day care centers, and libraries.
• Pause rebuild and reconstruction permits at the fire site until LAFD completes its investigation and confirms that all evidence-preservation needs have been satisfied.
• Require recommendations for meaningful discretionary and environmental review of any future use proposed for the property..

REAL ACCOUNTABILITY: STRONGER PENALTIES FOR CORPORATE NEGLIGENCE

• Direct LADBS to recommend substantially stronger financial penalties—ranging from $25,000 to $1 million—for serious violations that impose widespread harm on communities. Consequences must be meaningful enough that they cannot be dismissed as the cost of doing business.

LEGAL OPTIONS: FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE AND THE MONEY

• Direct the City Attorney to assess potential civil claims against Lineage and any other responsible parties, including claims involving public nuisance, negligence, and fire and safety violations.
• Pursue reimbursement for the City’s emergency response, remediation, public-health interventions, resident assistance, and other recovery costs.
• Identify available emergency funding and the steps necessary to activate it.

PUBLIC ANSWERS: RELEASE THE WATER-QUALITY RESULTS

• Publicly release LA Sanitation’s final findings on impacts to storm drains, water channels, and the Los Angeles River.
• Disclose the status of the requested Cleanup and Abatement Order, including the remediation plan, timeline, responsible agencies, and progress toward protecting public health and water quality.

COMMUNITY POWER: CREATE A PERMANENT ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE VOICE

• Develop a resident-centered Environmental Justice and Advocacy Advisory Commission in partnership with the Civil, Human Rights and Equity Department.
• Give residents from impacted communities a direct role in advising the Mayor and City Council on environmental justice policy.

• Instruct the Department of Transportation to report on implementing a system for cancelling citations given to people impacted by the warehouse fire; 
• Direct a report on vehicle towing operations practiced throughout the fire response, including outreach efforts taken to contact and communicate with each owner
• Explore starting a post-storage impound hearing for each affected vehicle owner without first requiring the owner to request a hearing
• Request the Chief of Police to issue a notice or directive to all sworn department personnel advising offices of the proper statutory for relocating or impounding vehicles during emergencies

• Strengthening MyLA311 through multilingual outreach, public education, and enhanced emergency communication tools to raise awareness of City services and communicate timeline information during declared emergencies. 
• Direct a report on the feasibility of implementing an automatic emergency response notification system through MyLA311

• Suspend CARE+ operations in areas impacted by environmental emergencies by aligning public health guidance, emergency response activities, and City operations through established procedures
• Implement a posting protocol for any environmental emergencies.
• Ensure that LASAN is part of the activation for any environmental emergency response.

• Request a report on the cause of the fire at Lineage, the status of ongoing investigations, and information on the facility's compliance history related to hazardous materials storage, refrigeration systems and fire and life safety requirements. 
• Request a report on the current oversight and inspection protocols for large cold storage facilities utilizing ammonia refrigeration systems and recommendations for strengthening protocols. 

• Transfer $6,000 from the Central LA Recycling and Transfer Station (CLARTS) Community Amenities Trust Fund No. 47S, Dept. 14 to the City Clerk Fund No. 59B, Dept. 14 for purchasing air filters and face masks in response to Boyle Heights warehouse fire. 
• Transfer $1,000 to each of the six Neighborhood Councils
  • Boyle Heights NC
  • Eagle Rock NC
  • Elysian Valley NC
  • Historic Highland Park NC
  • LA32 NC
  • Lincoln Heights NC