Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo warned San Fernando Valley auto dismantling yards, concrete, marble and gravel operations to abide by environmental regulations designed to protect the air quality, soil and groundwater or face penalties under the law.
To support the warning, a Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office task force, comprised of representatives from City, County and State agencies, will begin re-inspecting 13 auto dismantling facilities and other businesses in Sun Valley to determine if the businesses complied with environmental orders issued less than one month ago.
Businesses that failed to comply may face possible criminal prosecution and/or civil cleanup and abatement orders. “The time has come to end the illegal dumping and improper storage of dangerous chemicals and flammable materials at businesses so close to Hansen Dam Recreation Area, Bradley Landfill, more than dozen school and neighborhoods,” City Attorney Delgadillo said at a news conference near the auto dismantling facilities.
“As we re-inspect these businesses, we hope to find 100 percent compliance,” Delgadillo said. “If the businesses failed to comply with the orders, we will do everything under the law to get them to mitigate the environmental impacts in order to protect the nearby communities.”
The “Sun Valley Initiative” gained the support of City Council President Alex Padilla and Councilmember Ruth Galanter -- both of whom represent the Northeast San Fernando Valley, community members, and the Santa Monica Baykeeper, a non-profit environmental group that has been fighting to clean up California auto dismantlers since 1995.
Last month the 24-inspector task force began investigating the more than 100 auto-dismantlers, sand and gravel, mining and concrete manufacturing, and waste management facilities in Sun Valley to address environmental concerns. The “Sun Valley Initiative” represents a proactive response to community concerns in a neighborhood plagued by issues of environmental justice.
“The City of Los Angeles is committed to ensuring environmental justice in communities like the Northeast San Fernando Valley,” Padilla said. “To maintain the quality of life and overall health of our neighborhoods, we need to hold businesses accountable and demand that they comply with City, County, and State waste disposal regulations.”
“The car-scrapping business creates all kinds of environmental hazards in addition to aesthetic ones,” Galanter said. “The City Attorney's Task Force will help us clean up our communities.”
The task force includes inspectors and representatives from the Regional Water Board; Los Angeles City Fire Department; Los Angeles County Fire Department Health Hazmat Division; South Coast Air Quality Management District; California Environmental Protection Agency; Los Angeles City Department of Public Works’ Watershed Protection Division, Street Use Division and Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation; State Department of Toxic Substances Control; Los Angeles City Department of Building and Safety; and California Highway Patrol.
The task force members inspected numerous auto-dismantling businesses for public health and environmental violations. The inspectors conducted a series of multi-media inspections to determine compliance rates and identify environmental violations of air, water and toxics.
Of the facilities inspected in January, none were in compliance with state and local environmental regulations. Problems identified by inspectors included: possible soil and groundwater contamination; illicit discharge of hazardous material/waste; on-site and off-site trash and debris; leaking of hazardous material, including battery acid; on-site storage of tanks containing hazardous material/waste with no EPA number, secondary containment, or labeling; and lack of proper permits and basic paperwork.
Notices of violations and notices to comply were issued following the inspections. The City Attorney’s Office will continue enforcement actions and prosecute any serious violations uncovered by the task force and previous violations that are not brought into compliance.