Regulators cite Lineage over putrid odor of rotting meat spreading in Boyle Heights

Air regulators have slapped Lineage Logistics with multiple violations related to the putrid odor at its Boyle Heights facility after receiving more than 720 complaints from residents since Sunday.

So far this week, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued five notices of violations to the company as it works to remove 85 million pounds of rotting food from the burned remains of its cold storage warehouse.

Lineage began cleanup of the site on July 6 and its Chief Operating Officer Jeff Rivera said at a town hall meeting last week that the company was moving as quickly as possible with a goal of beating the 45-day timeline set by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to complete the process.

It remains unclear when all the meat will be removed, but the company is taking steps to mitigate the odor by wrapping most of the building in a temporary material and using misting systems.

According to residents, those efforts have failed to stop the nauseating smell emanating from the rotting food and feasting vermin from wafting around the neighborhood, making it difficult for children to play outside and those living nearby to breathe at times.

AQMD initially received 57 complaints describing rotten, sour, and garbage-type odors in the area on Sunday. Inspectors confirmed the odors were coming from the warehouse and issued Lineage an initial notice for violation of public nuisance rules.

Since then the complaints, and violations, have continued to stack up, just as a summer heat wave settled over the region. AQMD received 54 complaints Monday, 151 complaints Tuesday, 264 complaints Wednesday and more than 200 as of 8 p.m. Thursday, according to a district spokesperson. A representative for Lineage did not respond to a request for comment on the violations.

South Coast AQMD Rule 402 and California Health & Safety Code Section 41700 prohibit emissions that cause injury, nuisance or annoyance to a significant number of people or the public. Violations of these rules can result in civil penalties ranging from $1,000 to $75,000 per day.

“Civil penalties are assessed depending on the circumstances, such as how bad the violation was, whether the business owner knew the law was being violated, and whether anyone was injured,” a district spokesperson said in a statement.

The AQMD’s legal department will work to reach a settlement agreement with a financial penalty and corrective actions related to the violations. If a settlement cannot be reached, the district can file a civil lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court.

Any civil penalties collected are legally required to go to the AQMD’s operating and enforcement budgets.

Residents, however, could see settlement payments from lawsuits related to damages suffered during the eight-day fire and its aftermath.

As of Tuesday, three class-action lawsuits had been proposed related to the warehouse fire — two in L.A. County Superior Court and one in the Central District of California, according to reporting from legal news site the Daily Journal.

Last week, scores of angry residents voiced their grievances at Stevenson Middle School, where Lineage Logistics and public officials held a town hall meeting to share details on the cleanup plan.

Antonia Montes, 57, said she left the meeting feeling like officials did not have a handle on the crisis. She works at Eastman Avenue Elementary School, which is less than a mile from the warehouse, and worries the odor will not be resolved by the time students return to school in August.

“It’s horrendous,” she said of the smell. “You can’t even breathe.”

Members of the public can report odors, dust, smoke, or other air quality issues by calling (800)-288-7664, filing a report at www.aqmd.gov/complaints or using South Coast AQMD mobile app.

Times staff writers Tony Briscoe and Seamus Bozeman contributed to this report.