Two California lawmakers are seeking environmental justice and accountability after the Boyle Heights warehouse fire.
On Wednesday, Assembly Member Mark Gonzalez and State Senator Maria Elena Durazo are proposing a law they say will hold companies like Lineage accountable for the environmental disasters they cause.
“AB817 will require companies in situations like this to have resources available to respond to an environmental disaster before they are allowed to move forward with certain building permits,” Gonzalez said.
Durazo said they want tougher penalties against companies responsible for environmental disasters.
“These fines are too small,” she said. “Too small to matter to a billion-dollar corporation right now. There's a cap on city and county fines. That's not a deterrent for a company this size. The bill I'm introducing raises the ceiling to $1,000 per day for a first violation, $2,000 for a second, $5,000 for each violation after that.”
The fire at the company's warehouse in June sent toxic fumes into the Boyle Heights community, sickening residents. When the fire was out, the millions of tons of food stored there began to rot, creating a stench. Rats and flies soon followed.
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