The Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights was officially knocked down over a month ago on June 24, but the fallout continues.In the days after the fire was extinguished, Boyle Heights residents had to deal with terrible air quality and the distinctive smell of rotting food. Tons of meat that were once chilling in the warehouse have been sitting out as L.A. is hit with heat wave after heat wave. The warehouse’s cleanup process began in early July with Mayor Karen Bass ordering Lineage to complete waste removal within 45 days — putting the deadline at Aug. 14.According to a recent survey conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health that interviewed people living near the burned-down facility, a majority reported that “frequent, strong and persistent odors” plagued their everyday lives.Residents also worried about what kinds of harms might be lingering in the stinky air. In the poll, 85% of respondents were concerned about air quality near the warehouse, 74% were concerned about health symptoms and 31% were worried about getting medical care.Additionally, the ongoing situation with the Lineage location has led to an increase in the presence of pests in the sky and on the ground. Flies and rats, both of which carry a long list of diseases, have overrun the surrounding area. In the public health survey, 76% of participants reported an increase in the number of flies; 35% noticed an increase in the number of rodents.Lineage has provided several hundred fly traps and L.A.’s Sanitation Department set up 250 rat traps to help residents deal with the issue. I’m sure that’ll fix the problem.Last week, the public health department fined Lineage for what it called “unsanitary and nuisance” conditions at its fire-damaged warehouse. The fines came a week after the South Coast Air Quality Management District penalized the company for the continuing odors emanating from the warehouse. Lineage took more lumps this week after L.A. residents found out that a representative for Lineage had filed a permit with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety to rebuild the 491,000-square-foot warehouse to its “original, pre-fire condition.”Bass was quick to label the application “a slap in the face” to the families of Boyle Heights.Agreed. “I can’t believe they [Lineage] would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven’t cleaned up the mess they’ve created,” she said in a statement Tuesday.According to Lineage, the permit application “will not impact or distract us from the important work of cleanup,” which remains the company’s top priority. The application has yet to be approved. Last month, it was reported that a top informal advisor to Bass is working as a crisis communications consultant for Lineage. Yusef Robb, who runs the firm tk/Communications, accompanied Bass at news conferences throughout her recent reelection campaign and delivered comments on her behalf on issues such as the city’s response to the Palisades fire last year. He told The Times he served as an unpaid advisor and spokesperson for Bass through the June 2 mayoral primary. A representative for the mayor said Robb hadn’t communicated with Bass or her office “on behalf of Lineage.”L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado — whose district includes Boyle Heights — echoed the mayor’s sentiment about Lineage’s absurd application. “Given the conditions residents are still enduring and the company’s failure to make this community whole, rebuilding is not even a conversation I am prepared to have,” Jurado said.Well, at least the politicians are saying the right things, but how much is that actively helping the situation? It just feels like the people who have the power to enact change are pointing out how somebody should do something about what’s going on.Um, guys, that’s you!Nice words aren’t going to get rid of the vermin present in people’s houses. Good intentions won’t help Boyle Heights businesses regain customers who are put off by the invasion of pests. A thoughtful press release can’t deodorize and detoxify the air that’s choking out the neighborhood.Elmer Roldan, the executive director of Communities in Schools of Los Angeles, recently spoke to The Times about his frustration with how things have been dealt with in Boyle Heights and perfectly encapsulated the problem with the role local leadership has played.“Low-income communities of color should not be forced to suffer longer than needed simply because of their class status,” he said. “Our elected and business leaders are responsible for caring for our communities, and we are counting on them to move faster.” (Jackie Rivera / For The Times; Martina Ibáñez-Baldor / Los Angeles Times) Long live Latina power (Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press) Last week, the internationally renowned Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., was put under the microscope at a congressional hearing in which Republican members of the House Oversight Committee examined the institution’s “ideological capture.”Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett called it “the Republicans’ white pride rally disguised as a congressional hearing.”During the hearing, Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill questioned the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Anthea M. Hartig, about one particular phrase that was found on several items sold at the museum.“What is ‘Latina power’?” Gill asked Hartig repeatedly.“‘Latina power’ would be the forces derived from being a Latina,” she responded, later adding, “I believe that the merchandise our store sells tries to reflect the richness of the community.”Gill was clearly trying to equivocate the idea of Latina power with the racist motto “white power” to point out that the Smithsonian’s inclusion of Latina power on merchandise was offensive.His manuever didn’t work.The internet understandably had a visceral reaction to that exchange, with many Latinas clowning Gill and using the moment to highlight what the phrase “Latina power” meant to them.California Democratic Rep. Norma Torres even used the moment to post a fan cam edit of the times she’s stood up for her constituents. “You asked what ‘Latina power’ looks like. It looks like standing up to an administration that governs through fear,” Torres wrote in a social media post. “It looks like defending our democracy when others try to tear it down. It looks like fighting every day for our communities, no matter who tries to silence us. We’re not going anywhere.”But maybe the best way to understand what “Latina power” means is straight from the creators of the merchandise in question.“It was born out of fear, hope, anger, and the deep desire to see representation,” the retailer ShopJZD told Mitu. “Seven years into building our brand, here was a federal institution putting a hat that says Latina Power on a shelf next to the rest of American history. That’s a beautiful thing for a brand that started in our small apartment, screen printing out of my childhood bedroom in Brownsville.” Stories we read this week that we think you should readUnless otherwise noted, stories below were published by the Los Angeles Times.Politics and immigrationArts and entertainmentSouthern California
