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LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visitOrganizers seeking the ouster of two conservative members of the Orange Unified school board announced last week they had collected more than enough signatures to put the recall to a vote in the next several months.
Smaaladen, a parent of two graduates and one current Orange Unified student, said she was “elated” by the number of signatures collected and “looks forward to more knowledgeable public voting on the issues in future elections.” She said the signature-gathering was done mainly by volunteers attending festivals, stationing outside schools and going door to door.
In the small city of Vernon alone, or very nearby, there are six slaughterhouses, four companies licensed for rendering, and at least 40 meat processors,about adverse effects — including putrid odors that burn people’s eyes and throats and led students to want to go home from school.that underscores competing interests of industry, health and quality of life in a densely populated region where more than one in five people live at or below the poverty line.
At the time, community members and elected officials celebrated the closure as a win. But what many don’t know is that the company has partially reopened and is waging an intense legal battle against AQMD. After AQMD shut it down, Baker filed a lawsuit against the AQMD in L.A. County Superior Court. Baker claims the company was not in violation of the odor mitigation rule and that it was treated unfairly.
In Baker’s unloading zone for animal remains, broken concrete or asphalt was present in March and April 2022, according to AQMD’s attorneys — a problem that officials at the agency say can cause water to pool and smells to fester.In the year since AQMD ordered Baker to shut down, residents say the odors are less intense and less frequent — and AQMD complaint records associated with the company show a dramatic drop in reported smell problems.
“It's going to take AQMD's time and funds away from what they should be doing, which is enforcement,” Alcantar said of the litigation, explaining that the community has been under duress for years due to foul odors. “[W]e are here, simply wanting to breathe clean air.”This well-researched, investigative journalism is only possible — and free for all — because of support from readers like you. Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long.
If Baker succeeds in court, interviews with community members suggest it could further erode the relationship between the city of Vernon and local residents across Southeast L.A., many of whom are grappling with odors on top of other environmental issues.Many people who live in or near Vernon have no idea that they live close to four rendering plants that process everything from fat, to livestock, to the remains of cats and dogs.
Baker attributed some of the inspector’s findings to human error. Jason Andreoli, who was identified at the hearing as Baker’s general manager, said the company put up signs reminding staff to keep the doors closed. “And we also put a policy in place that if they are left open, there’s gonna be disciplinary action,” he said.
During closing statements, AQMD attorney Daphne Hsu said she understood the magnitude of shutting down the company. “We don’t ask a facility to stop operating lightly,” she said, noting Baker could have proposed a timeline to come into compliance. Instead, she said, the company chose to dispute the agency’s findings.The hearing board voted 4 to 1 to shut down Baker. That’s when the court battle began.
His work boots, he explained, were so soaked through with the smell of rendering that he couldn’t use them at non-rendering facilities. In one of Baker’s rendering plants at its Vernon campus, he said “rotting odor emanates from all sides.” Nastri confirmed to LAist that Baker has committed the most violations out of any of the rendering plants in its jurisdiction.
Sometimes the stench comes and goes. But sometimes it persists for hours, or even several days. When it’s especially pungent, it can be stomach-churning. Community members also report getting headaches, as well as an itchy, burning sensation in their eyes and throats.In interviews with LAist, affected residents often used phrases like “dead animal” or “rotting carcass” to describe these odors. Still, most of them have no idea where the stench comes from.
Cristina Garcia, former State Assemblymember who represented parts of southeast L.A., photographed at Huntington Park High School where she once taught.“[Baker feels] that they could win and they could squeeze the agency on behalf of their bottom line, instead of on behalf of the public,” she said. Aside from being unpleasant, the odors can be embarrassing, she said. Sometimes, the stench rolls in when she has company. Visitors will scrunch their faces in disgust and ask: ‘What isOver the years, Monares and her husband have lodged multiple complaints to AQMD. In some cases, the agency has sent inspectors out to her home. They’ve come, smelled what she’s smelling, asked questions, and taken notes. Then, the air quality got better.
Mitloehner said rendering plants are especially significant when livestock farms experience mass die-offs, often due to the spread of disease or extreme heat. “You’re not allowed to compost [animals], you're not allowed to burn them. There's no other way of dealing with that,” he said. Ortega grew up smelling rendering odors. On her way to school, she’d instinctively cover her mouth and nose when her bus drove past Vernon. Today, her role at work puts her in contact with hundreds of students in Southeast L.A. Year after year, she told LAist, they identify dead animal smells as an ongoing issue in their neighborhoods.
She said they point to “the need for more stringent enforcement of the standards, to ensure that these violations don't persist.” Pointing to the role rendering plays in reducing waste, Sazakli nevertheless maintained that rendering is “an environmentally friendly industry” that should be sustained. “Not only did they pay their wages, they paid their health and welfare [and] their pension contributions,” he said at the time.
“I would love to see it reopen,” she added, “but I don't want it to reopen if they're not going to be closely monitored and closely regulated.” LAist requested an interview with Larios multiple times over a four-week period but received no response. Kimmey, who relayed the emailed statement, said the mayor was unavailable.
Farmer John's Vernon facility, which closed earlier this year, is covered in murals depicting pastoral scenes with happy pigs.Our tour guides told us that Southeast L.A. residents often attribute this dead animal odor to the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, which is renowned for its hauntingly picturesque pig murals. On the tour, the guides pointed out that Vernon is also home to facilities that recycle animal remains from slaughterhouses, grocery stores, restaurants, and shelters.
The first batch of public records data was illuminating. In recent years, AQMD has received hundreds of complaints about rendering plant odors. As I read through them, I noticed that some were from local schools, while others were from local businesses. One complainant said “IT SMELLS LIKE ROTTING DEAD BODIES EVERY SINGLE DAY.” Another person said that the “ODOR IS SO BAD THAT EVERYONE HAS LEFT THE OFFICE, AGAIN.
I spoke with environmental justice activists and local officials who’d lodged complaints on behalf of their constituents. And through this reporting, I realized that two of the rendering plants are within walking distance from Exide. Exide’s proximity to the rendering plants matters to those with ties to the area. Over the course of my reporting, I spoke at length with community members throughout Southeast L.A., as well as Boyle Heights and unincorporated East Los Angeles. We chatted on the phone, on social media, and in person, often at parks or in front of their homes.
Four rendering companies are clustered together a few miles southeast of downtown L.A., in and very near the city of Vernon, along with a handful of slaughterhouses, meat processors, and many other industrial facilities. Public health experts interviewed by LAist say the density of these facilities, coupled with the hazardous chemicals rendering plants can emit, pose serious health risks to nearby residents.
An LAist review of AQMD records found that these odor complaints have been lodged from homes and businesses in surrounding neighborhoods, as well as from local schools. One person who reported air problems said they’ve been waking up to the stench of “burning animal carcass” for the past 32 years.Since 2000, most air quality complaints to AQMD have involved odors. Agency officials say the spike in 2021 was in response to problems at Dominguez Channel and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.
The app is especially useful because it enables you to track the status of your complaint. You can also attach any images related to the issue.a strong odor, think of specific ways to describe it and try to identify its source, said Victor Yip, who oversees compliance and enforcement at AQMD.
If AQMD receives three or more complaints from different households about the same issue, an inspector will be dispatched after hours.can be resolved over the phone without additional follow-up. For example, after getting a call back from an inspector, a community member might say the odor they encountered is no longer present.
Following that chat, the inspector will locate and attempt to verify the source. Then, the inspector will survey the facility to determine the cause of the air quality problem.This story is part of a series that was reported over the course of many months and required extensive interviews in the community and a dozen public records requests. Julia Barajas is the lead reporter and Mary Plummer is the main story editor.helped make this project possible.
The neighborhood’s Black history dates to the late 1800s, as the Great Migration drove Black families west and north seeking safety and opportunity.
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