Time is Running Out on Exide Cleanup.
This story was produced by Rubén Tapia with support from USC Center for Health Journalism's 2020 Impact Fund. His reporting looks at how delays in the cleanup of neighborhoods contaminated by emissions from the now-shuttered Exide battery recycling plant in LA is affecting the health of residents.
His other stories inlcude:
What Happened to the Children in This Lead Poisoning Hotspot?
Piden nuevo plan para descontaminar de plomo los suelos de barrios de Los Ángeles
Photo: laepf.org
As the California state agency in charge of cleaning up lead and arsenic contaminated areas in southeast Los Angeles faces complaints of slow progress from neighbors who continue living in toxic homes, state lawmakers continue seeking a compliance audit and reforms of the agency, which is in charge of protecting low-income communities from dangerous chemicals. Gov. Newsom vetoed a recent reform plan and community activists now want local control of the cleanup. They warn that people weakened by toxic environmental contaminants are now at increased risk of the coronavirus pandemic. Meantime, the company responsible for much of lead contamination in southeast Los Angeles is trying to evade responsibility of the cleanup through bankrupcy proceedings and the fedearl government is allowing it by rushing the process to walk away from the contaminated site. Key stakeholders on this matter discuss what’s at stake and the next steps.
Guests: Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, Los Angeles, CA; Hilda Solis, Member of Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA; Cesar Campos, Spokesperson, DTSC, Los Angeles, CA; Felipe Aguirre, DTSC Exide Advisory Board Member, Los Angeles, CA.
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[This story was originally published by Radio Bilingüe.]
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