After a recent press conference, Sofia Quinonez, a resident and a member of the East L.A. Boyle Heights Coalition (left) speaks to Mark Lopez,…
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Latino advocates and activists in Los Angeles blame California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) for failing to remove lethal lead pollution in predominantly Latinx communities near the previous Exide Technologies, Inc. battery recycling factory in southeast Los Angeles, leaving locals angered and fearful. Efforts to clean the factory began in July 2017 after the DTSC announced its plan to remove lead pollutants from the area surrounding the abandoned plant located at Bandini Boulevard, Vernon. Almost six years later, many homes in the southeast LA community continue to have high levels of lead, which exceed the state health standards.
The cleanup is the largest environmental clean-up in state history. California has already allocated more than $750 million in taxpayer funding for cleanup and remediation efforts, soil testing, and community outreach. But the state and the federal government need to do more.
