Assembly Member Santiago Holds Press Conference with U.S. Senator Padilla and Local Leaders to Expedite the Exide Cleanup

(Los Angeles, CA) – Today, Assembly Member Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) held a press conference and met with community leaders and families impacted by lead contamination caused by the nearby former Exide Technologies Inc. facility. During the press conference, Assembly Member Santiago joined U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) and local leaders to call on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate the impacted neighborhoods as a Superfund site. The “Superfund site designation” will help provide critical resources and expertise to ensure Southeast L.A. County communities can count on a thorough clean-up that prioritizes the health and safety of residents.

View Press Conference Footage Here:

“As a Father of two young children, we cannot let our soil be contaminated by lead where our children play. Lead poisoning can lead to developmental delays, and miscarriages,” said Assembly Member Santiago. “This is why I have been working nonstop with community leaders and passing legislation to increase funding, increase oversight and increase the speed of Exide’s clean-up. As part of that, I am so happy to work with Senator Padilla’s team to make Exide a superfund site so we can expedite the clean-up and eliminate Exide’s disastrous effect on our community once and for all.”

“For decades, Exide dumped lead and hazardous contaminants into these communities without consequence, and it’s clear to me that this community of neighbors, friends, and families have been neglected by just about everyone involved,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “There’s been misstep after misstep and it’s time to finally put an end to that and provide justice. I’m calling on the EPA to formally designate these impacted neighborhoods as a federal Superfund site to provide critical federal resources and expertise to make sure Southeast Los Angeles can count on a thorough clean up that prioritizes the health and safety of everyone who lives here.”

“What Exide Technologies has done to our community is tragic and unacceptable. Politically connected polluters can’t be free to walk away, while working class families pick up the pieces. Senator Padilla and I have called for the EPA to designate this environmental catastrophe as a superfund site and we cannot wait around while our community and people suffer the consequences,” said Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach).

“During the Trump era, the administration let Exide walk away from all criminal liability and responsibility to clean up their facility and surrounding areas, leaving California taxpayers on the hook for the largest environmental clean-up in state history,” said Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-Long Beach). “While a superfund designation brings resources and federal funding to the remediation process, it too often goes over budget and over the projected timeline.  I’m demanding a fast and effective solution that will make homeowners and families in this area whole again.”

The former Exide Technologies was responsible for dumping lead and other hazardous contaminants into the air, soil, and water surrounding their Vernon battery recycling plant. This contamination has impacted mostly working-class, Latino communities who continue to suffer from cancer, asthma, learning disabilities, dangerous levels of lead in their blood, and more. Under the Trump administration, the EPA and Department of Justice supported a bankruptcy plan for Exide that let them walk away from all criminal liability and responsibility to clean up the facility and surrounding areas, leaving California taxpayers on the hook for the largest environmental clean-up in state history.

Assembly Member Santiago has also worked to fight the effects of the Exide pollution for the last eight years in office. Currently, Assembly Member Santiago is leading the effort to pass AB 861 this year which would increase oversight of the Exide cleanup. Just last May, Assembly Member Santiago helped secure $67.3 million in additional funding in the budget to clean up parkways polluted by Exide’s lead. Assembly Member Santiago also previously secured $322.4 million to expedite the cleanup in the 2021 state budget, and requested an audit of and increased oversight of DTSC (the state agency tasked with the cleanup). With Assembly Member Santiago working with Sen. Padilla and other federal leaders to designate the impacted area as a “Superfund” site, this would further increase funding and oversight to help expedite the clean-up.

Assembly Member Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization. He also sits on the Assembly Committees on Public Safety, Health, HigherEducation and Utilities and Energy. He represents the 54th District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello, and Vernon.

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