Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has sent an open letter to the shareholders of Lineage, detailing the severe and ongoing impact of the June 17 Boyle Heights warehouse fire and criticizing the company's response to the disaster. The letter highlights the "putrid, offensive odor" from rotting food, an infestation of flies and pests, and health issues experienced by residents in Boyle Heights and East L.A.
The fire at Lineage's cold-storage facility has led to nausea, migraines, and other illnesses for families, while small businesses have lost customers. Schools are also preparing to reopen with unresolved air quality concerns. Mayor Bass emphasized that while no company chooses a catastrophic fire, "every company chooses how it responds," asserting that Lineage's actions have "fallen short."
In response to what she described as Lineage's "lack of urgency," Mayor Bass issued an Emergency Executive Order to pause plans for rebuilding the warehouse. This follows two previous orders aimed at mobilizing resources, accelerating cleanup, and ensuring transparency. The City has also expanded public health resources, providing mobile health clinics, thousands of air purifiers, emergency housing, and direct financial assistance to the affected community.
Multiple government agencies have issued notices of violation to Lineage concerning public health and safety. Mayor Bass said that requests for timely information on cleanup and remediation have often been met with "delayed communication, limited transparency, and insufficient public engagement," leaving officials and the public "in the dark."
The Mayor urged shareholders to question Lineage's financial resources, cleanup timeline, responses to enforcement actions, assistance provided to residents and businesses, and operational improvements. The City of Los Angeles remains committed to using "every lawful authority available to protect public health, recover taxpayer costs, strengthen oversight, and provide timely information."