Mayor Bass Issues New Emergency Executive Order Directing City Departments Not to Process Rebuilding Plans for Lineage Warehouse

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Directs Report to Investigate and Analyze the Lineage Site and Any Proposed Uses

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass today issued an Emergency Executive Order directing City departments not to process the recent plans submitted to rebuild the Lineage Warehouse in Boyle Heights until the City and the public can analyze the site and its proposed uses while weighing health, safety, and environmental impacts.

Specifically, she called for the Departments of City Planning and Building and Safety to lead a report to investigate and analyze the Lineage site and its proposed future uses, as well as provide recommendations on how the City can apply a review and approval process for any future land uses proposed by the owner, including subjecting the proposed uses to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

She also requested the City Council - led by Councilmember Jurado - adopt an ordinance that puts in place a moratorium on large cold storage facilities near residential or sensitive areas like parks and schools. This pause will give the City an opportunity to study the issues and enact new legislation that governs where and how these facilities can be built.

"Lineage's priority must be finishing this cleanup. I can't believe they would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven't cleaned up the mess," said Mayor Bass. "It's a slap in the face to the families who are living every day with the horrific smells, the growing fly infestation, and the constant uncertainty about when this hell will end. I will continue to use the full force of my Mayoral authority to protect Boyle Heights and fight for the accountability this community deserves."

"Today's executive order makes clear that Lineage should not be allowed to move forward with rebuilding while Boyle Heights is still living through the consequences of this disaster," said Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. "I've said from the beginning that I have no intention of supporting the rebuilding of this facility while this public health crisis continues. That's why next week I'll introduce an Interim Control Ordinance to temporarily pause new large cold storage facilities near residential neighborhoods while the City undertakes a thorough review of how we better protect communities like Boyle Heights. Accountability must come before reconstruction, and we cannot go back to business as usual."

This is the third Emergency Executive Order Mayor Bass has issued to mobilize resources, accelerate the clean up, and fight for transparency and accountability for Boyle Heights. She also issued a Declaration of Local Emergency, which was followed by an emergency declaration from Governor Newsom, that mobilized additional resources for the City.

In response to the lack of urgency from Lineage, Mayor Bass and local partners have expanded public health resources and brought mobile health clinics directly to the community, delivered thousands of air purifiers, provided emergency housing placements, diapers, formula, pet food, Metro cards, grocery cards, direct financial assistance, and more. She will continue mobilizing resources to support the community for as long as needed.

Read Emergency Executive Order 3 below:

EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 3

AND

PARTIALLY REVISED EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2

Boyle Heights Recovery & Environmental Justice

Issue Date: July 31, 2026

Subject: Lineage Warehouse Fire

INTRODUCTION

On June 17, 2026, a fire engulfed the Lineage warehouse in the Boyle Heights community of the City of Los Angeles. This was the second fire at the facility within the past two years. An estimated 85 million pounds of frozen food products, including meat, were stored within the facility, all within close proximity to homes, schools, daycare facilities, parks, recreation centers, houses of worship, and hospitals. This very large facility is not a typical storage facility and its close proximity to these sensitive sites is an unusual circumstance.

The impacts to the surrounding community from the rotting food waste continue to worsen. With the high heat and humidity, the stench of rotting food permeates the surrounding community and the vermin and pest infestation are unabated. In response to these and other conditions on the property, multiple government agencies have issued abatement orders and code violations, including the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Emergency Executive Order No. 2, issued on June 29, 2026, ordered the removal of all food waste within 45 days. There remains an unacceptable lack of transparency by Lineage as to its progress in removing the decomposing food waste. Lineage has also failed to provide consistent, reliable information as to its efforts to effectively mitigate the intense odor and manage the vermin and pest infestation that is severely impacting the community.

Accordingly, to ensure public safety, defend public health, and protect frontline communities, pursuant to City Charter Section 231, subsection (i), and under the provisions of the Los Angeles Administrative Code Section 8.29 that authorize me to promulgate, issue and enforce emergency rules, regulations, orders, and directives, I hereby declare the following order to be necessary for the protection of life and property and I hereby order, effective immediately that:

1. No plans to rebuild the Lineage cold storage warehouse shall be reviewed until a report led by the Departments of City Planning and Building and Safety is considered by the City. The report shall investigate and analyze the Lineage site and its proposed uses, as well as provide recommendations on how the City can apply a discretionary review and approval process for any future land uses proposed by the owner, including subjecting the proposed uses to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. Relevant city departments shall assist in preparing the report along with assistance from other agencies and the Office of the City Attorney. This section supersedes any conflicting language in Emergency Executive Order No. 2, issued on June 29, 2026.
   

2. Request the City Council to adopt an interim control ordinance to place a moratorium on large cold storage facilities within close proximity of Residential zones (R Zones) and sensitive uses.