Public Safety
California enacts Boyle Heights-inspired cold-storage safety laws
Two new laws require contingency funds and allow stronger local penalties after a warehouse fire created months of health and cleanup problems.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws on September 27 that respond to the prolonged aftermath of the June cold-storage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, according to the governor’s office. Senate Bill 716 expands local enforcement options, while Assembly Bill 817 requires certain large cold-storage facilities to maintain contingency funds for community needs after an emergency.
What it means locally
The June 17 fire at the nearly 500,000-square-foot Lineage facility burned for eight days and was followed by extensive cleanup and public-health concerns. Under SB 716, qualifying violations at large nonresidential structures can draw substantially higher fines, including penalties of as much as $50,000 per violation when a violation results in a declared emergency or disaster. The strongest emergency-related provisions initially apply in Los Angeles County before expanding to qualifying areas statewide in July 2028. AB 817 first applies its contingency-fund requirement within the Boyle Heights Community Plan area and likewise becomes statewide in July 2028. The accompanying photograph shows industrial silos elsewhere in Boyle Heights in 2023 and is not an image of the Lineage facility, fire or bill signing.
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