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'You can't even breathe': Regulators cite Lineage over putrid odor of rotting meat spreading in Boyle Heights. * Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times * Jul 17, 2026 Updated 5 hrs ago LOS ANGELES - 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. "Have you ever smelled a dead animal in the street? It's like that," said Jaime Ramirez, who lives near the facility. 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. But residents say 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. On Friday morning, the streets of the neighborhoods near the warehouse were nearly empty as residents sought refuge indoors. Doors were closed windows shut, and chairs on shaded porches were empty as the smell of rotting food filled the street, mixed with the scent of misters that have been placed along the warehouse. Frustration has continued to grow among residents. A wall, facing the damaged warehouse on Union Pacific Avenue, had been vandalized with a spray painted message to workers across the street: "If it were your kids you wuda finished right?!" He and other neighbors see and hear rats going in and out of the warehouse at night. As temperatures climbed this week, he said, the stench of the food got worse at times. "There's times when the odor is OK, but then there's a time when the odor comes back real strong," Ramirez said. Despite the heat, many residents have resorted to shutting their doors and windows to keep the stench out. Air conditioning units that pull air from the outside have been useless during the heat wave, they said, because they pull the stench indoors. "It ain't no joke," said Sabino Soto, 70, who lives in the block next to the Lineage warehouse. "It stinks in the house in the morning." The stench was particularly strong on his street a day earlier, he said, and he grew nauseated that morning, forcing him to call in sick to his job as a school cross guard. He was able to pick up an air purifier from the city, he said, but now he's worried that his electric bill will shoot up because he's had to keep it on all day. "Someone is going to have to pay, and it's going to be me," he said. At the same time, flies have also started to become a problem, infesting the area in massive amounts. Two traps that he installed in his backyard on Tuesday were already halfway filled with hundreds of dead flies by Friday, and Soto said more continue to linger in the area. 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. California State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Democrat, called the violations issued by the South Coast AQMD an "important step toward accountability." "Residents have been living with these odors for weeks," Durazo said in a statement. "This is a community telling us they have had enough." 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 the South Coast AQMD mobile app. (Times staff writers Tony Briscoe and Seamus Bozeman contributed to this report.) (0 Ratings)

L.A. County supervisors demand Lineage Logistics recovery plan after warehouse fire " ColoradoBoulevard.net. * *news & headlines L.A. County supervisors demand Lineage Logistics recovery plan after warehouse fire * news desk * july 9, 2026 * 0 comments. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion directing the County to send a five-signature letter to Lineage Logistics demanding a written response within 48 hours outlining the company's plans to support ongoing recovery efforts following the June 17 warehouse fire in Boyle Heights. Introduced by Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, the motion seeks commitments from Lineage Logistics for continued financial and logistical support for residents, workers, businesses, and County-led recovery efforts serving Boyle Heights, unincorporated East Los Angeles, and western Commerce. The Board's request calls for detailed information from the company regarding debris removal, environmental monitoring, hazardous materials disposal, odor control, and other remediation activities related to the aftermath of the fire. During the Board meeting, County departments provided updates on cleanup operations, environmental monitoring, public health guidance, and assistance efforts for workers and businesses affected by the blaze. Solis pressed officials for information about debris removal timelines, public health protections, air and water quality monitoring, support for displaced workers and small businesses, reimbursement for County response costs, and long-term recovery planning. "The emergency did not end when the flames were extinguished," Solis said. "Residents are still living with the impacts of this fire and deserve clear answers about the cleanup, the protections in place to safeguard public health, and the support available to help them recover. The County has mobilized significant resources to respond, but we cannot carry this effort alone. Lineage must provide the transparency, financial support, and partnership needed to move this recovery forward and restore the community's confidence that this cleanup is being carried out safely and responsibly." Since the fire, Los Angeles County has worked with community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers, and County departments to assist affected residents through the Los Angeles County Community Resiliency Center and neighborhood resource sites. More than 9,000 air purifiers, food boxes, water crates, and N95 masks have been distributed to residents, along with health screenings and connections to County services. The County has also deployed 64 Disaster Service Workers to support recovery operations. The Board-approved motion asks Lineage Logistics to help sustain the Community Resiliency Center and other County-supported response sites by providing food, water, N95 masks, air purifiers, and other essential resources. The motion also requests that the company provide support for temporary and long-term housing assistance, fund community health services and community-based organizations, establish a multilingual hotline and claims center, and participate in community meetings with residents. In addition, the County is seeking a comprehensive cleanup plan from Lineage that includes specific debris removal milestones, hazardous materials disposal procedures, air and water quality monitoring, environmental oversight measures, and truck hauling operations designed to reduce impacts on nearby neighborhoods. County officials said recovery efforts will continue as residents and businesses navigate the long-term effects of the fire. Residents seeking assistance can call 2-1-1 or visit recovery.lacounty.gov for information about available resources and services.

Lineage, a cold storage logistics company, and Rexford Industrial Realty, a Southern California-focused industrial REIT, offer contrasting investment approaches in industrial real estate. Lineage operates over 500 temperature-controlled facilities globally, generating approximately $5.4 billion in revenue for FY 2025, though it posted a net loss of nearly $98 million. The company's debt-to-equity ratio stands at roughly 1.0x, whilst free cash flow reached close to $196 million. Rexford Industrial Realty owns over 400 properties concentrated in Southern California's infill markets. For FY 2025, revenue reached approximately $1 billion, up 7.1% year-over-year, with net income of roughly $212 million and a net margin of 21.1%. Lineage offers global scale but operational complexity, whilst Rexford provides regional focus with stronger profitability metrics.