The South Coast Air Quality Management District said it’s received over 40 complaints. Camilla Rambaldi reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
State and city leaders were at the Boyle Heights warehouse Tuesday for an oversight as air quality officials issued a violation against the Lineage Logistics cold storage facility
Neighbors continued to complain about the unbearable stench coming from rotting food inside the cold food warehouse as well flies and pest problems
Stream Los Angeles News for free, 24/7, wherever you are
WATCH HERE
Senator Alex Padilla and Los Angeles Fire Chief Jaime Moore visited the affected neighborhood, experiencing for themselves the horrendous smell and other concerns around the spoiling food
“We want this product to be removed as quickly as possible – but as long as it does take – we want to make sure there’s protections,” the senator said. “We need federal EPA to stay active here, to be a partner here and leverage all their retoring everything.”
LAFD Chief Moore assured that Lineage is taking steps to clean out the mess while a private company is putting a tarp around the building to lessen the smell
Boyle HeightsJul 13
More ree fire
Boyle HeightsJul 13
Heat worsening stench as crews clean up rotting food in Boyle Heights
About 365 tons of food waste was removed to date from the building
Having to live with the stench, many neighbors may have filed a complaint with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD). The air quality monitoring agency issued a violation to Lineage for the odors after receiving more than 40 complaints about garbage-like smell from the area
“There was an uptick of odor complaints starting this weekend, with over 40 public complaints received each day on July 12 and July 13 alleging rotten, sour, garbage-type odors in the area,” a representative from the South Coast AQMD said in a statement. “South Coast AQMD inspectors responded to the complaints, confirmed the odors with community members, and traced the odors to the cleanup operations at Lineage
The South Coast AQMD told NBC Los Angeles with the citation means the agency can start working with the warehouse to start further action, including possible settlement discussion
“Violations of South Coast AQMD Rule 402 and California Health & Safety Code Section 41700 can result in civil penalties ranging from $1,000 to $75,000 per day,” the representative said
When it comes to civil penalties, the South Coast AQMD each case individually
The South Coast AQMD said it will continue to respond to all air quality complaints. Residents can report air quality issuescomplaints or the mobile app
