Wave Staff and Wire Reports
EAST LOS ANGELES — County public health teams completed a two-day canvass of more than 700 homes near the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire last week.
County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the area for the warehouse is located said the neighborhood canvas was conducted to document residents’ concerns, answer questions, connect families with available resources and gather the information needed to inform public health decisions, including whether additional protective measures are warranted.
“Conversations indicated that most residents in the hardest-hit areas want to remain in their homes while the situation is addressed as quickly as possible,” Solis said. “Residents emphasized the need for odor elimination, site cleanup and assurance that it is safe to remain in their community. For those who requested temporary relocation assistance, connections were provided to free emergency housing resources through Airbnb.org and 211 LA.
“Residents also requested additional air purifiers, which were made available during each visit by offering up to three units per household, as well as portable air conditioning units and assistance with increased electricity costs,” Solis added.
“Lineage Logistics indicated that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would assist Boyle Heights residents with electricity costs, but no comparable assistance was secured for East Los Angeles,” Solis continued. “In response, I connected directly with Southern California Edison to ensure residents in the Union Pacific neighborhood of East Los Angeles have access to assistance with their electric bills.
“Every concern raised by residents was documented and will be shared with the Department of Public Health and our partner agencies to help guide the ongoing response and ensure community needs remain at the center of our efforts.”
Since the fire, Solis’ office has partnered with community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers and Los Angeles County departments to support affected residents. Together, they have distributed more than 11,500 air purifiers, food boxes, crates of water and boxes of N95 masks, while providing health screenings and connecting residents and small businesses with available resources.
Those efforts have taken place at the Community Resiliency Center at the East Los Angeles Civic Center and county parks throughout East Los Angeles.
Solis’ staff remains on the ground and will continue outreach at Salazar Park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday, providing essential supplies, including air purifiers, masks, water and food kits, while supplies last. Residents requesting an air purifier should bring a valid form of identification. Some items may be heavy, and residents are encouraged to bring a cart or other assistance for transporting supplies.
Efforts to remove the food and other debris from the fire-damaged warehouse are continuing. The most recent figures from Lineage indicate that 356 tons of food waste have been removed from the building, with 835 tons of overall waste taken away. Lineage officials said they hope to complete debris removal from the site within 45 days, meeting a deadline imposed by Mayor Karen Bass.
The spoiled foodstuffs are being hauled to the Simi Valley Landfill in Ventura County, the El Sobrante landfill in Corona in Riverside County and Hazmat TSDF Inc., a hazardous waste materials facility in the San Bernardino County city of Rialto.
The Simi Valley facility is owned and operated by Waste Management Inc.
