South Coast AQMD Issues Violations to Lineage Over Warehouse Odors

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) issued multiple notices of violation to Lineage LLC after receiving over 900 resident complaints in a single week regarding putrid odors. The smells stem from approximately 85 million pounds of food rotting in a cold-storage warehouse in Boyle Heights following an eight-day fire that began on June 17. Regulators have demanded that the company implement more than two dozen additional odor control measures by Tuesday, July 21.

While Lineage reports using bleach, deodorizers, and air scrubbers to remove over 1,500 tons of food waste, South Coast AQMD states the company has not yet incorporated several key requested actions. Concurrent with air quality enforcement, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety ordered the removal of all waste by mid-August, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services issued a notice to abate fly breeding violations.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass set an aggressive 45-day cleanup schedule, which Lineage Chief Operations Officer Jeff Rivera claims the company will beat. However, Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and Supervisor Hilda Solis argue that current measures are interim and inadequate for residents who cannot open windows or let children play outside. Lineage suspects the fire began during solar panel testing by a subcontractor for Altus Power, Inc.