The Brief

One of the world’s most high-tech indoor vertical farms is right here in Southern California, in Compton.

I headed there to find out more about what role indoor farming may play in the future of food. As increasingly extreme weather driven by human-caused pollution in the atmosphere makes it harder — if not impossible — to farm outside in formerly high-producing regions, could farming indoors be part of the solution?

I admit I’m pretty skeptical of this high-tech farming. How practical is it? What are the tradeoffs? And how much does this farm really benefit Compton?

Those were the questions I wanted to answer as I pulled into the parking lot of a clean white warehouse in north central Compton. The formerly empty warehouse is across from a neighborhood and next to a larger industrial building and yard full of big-rig trucks.

Inside, is the flagship commercial-scale farm developed by San Francisco-based startup Plenty. It officially opened last May and is the West Coast’s largest indoor vertical farm.

When I walk in I’m greeted by cool air conditioning and Erin Santy, the company’s media liaison. She walks me upstairs to the mezzanine. From there, I can see huge robot arms moving tall, thin towers of greens.

“When you say farming, this is not what I think of, but how cool that it can be?” Santy said. “Fifty years from now, what will people think of?”

The indoor vertical farm in Compton is highly automated.

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Courtesy Plenty

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Why farm indoors? 

Within 100,000 square feet, the farm can grow some four million pounds of spinach, kale, spring mix and arugula every year. That amount adds up to about 16 million of those packages of greens we see at the grocery store. And it's produced within a much smaller area than what's need to grow the same amount outside.

They sell at Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Gelson’s and most Walmarts in Southern California. They just launched a partnership with 7/11 to sell salads there too.

“We want to be able to deliver a locally grown fresh product and part of that is how do we get it closer to the people who are eating it?” Santy said. “Some of that is about growing in a more urban and dense area like Compton.”

An aerial view of the indoor farm in Compton.

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Courtesy Plenty

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She said the prices are on par with organic for now, since it’s so expensive to build these farms and they’re not common. But she said the prices don’t fluctuate like conventionally grown greens because they’re not affected by weather volatility or supply chain disruptions.

One of the biggest perks of indoor farming is that it can use as much as 98% less water than conventional farming, said researcher Shamim Ahamed, who studies advanced farming techniques at UC Davis. But he said the biggest drawback is that it also uses a lot of electricity. That’s because they need to use artificial light to grow the plants as well as keep specific temperatures inside.

“That's basically the prime reason for having a high carbon footprint,” Ahamed told LAist.

He said because the power grid is getting cleaner overall, that footprint will continue to go down. And there are lots of ways these indoor farms can use energy really efficiently or generate their own cleaner energy on site, Ahamed said.

Erin Santy, media liaison for the startup Plenty.

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Erin Stone

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LAist

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Santy said Plenty used solar to generate their energy on their far smaller pilot farm in Northern California, but she said they didn't go that route for their Compton site because they don't have the space for the number of panels they'd need. She said the amount of electricity generated by putting panels on their rooftop would be essentially negligible and didn't pencil out. She added the current mix they're paying for from the power grid is currently about 40% renewable sources.

And, Ahamed pointed out, conventional agriculture also has a huge carbon footprint. Mostly due to land use changes, livestock and soil depletion, large-scale farming accounts for about a quarter of human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions and about 10% of the U.S.’ total greenhouse gas emissions.

Plenty's indoor vertical farm in Compton is in a formerly empty warehouse.

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Courtesy Plenty

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But there are limits, at least right now, to what food can be farmed indoors in this way. Ahamed said indoor vertical farming works for certain crops, such as leafy greens, strawberries and tomatoes — crops that are also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, he said.

While Ahamed said indoor farming can’t completely replace farming outdoors, he said it does play a role in the future of our food.

How the farm works

Before going inside Plenty’s Compton farm, we have to get dressed in full protective gear and sanitize everything.

The greens never get touched by human hands: The environment is kept so clean they don’t need pesticides. That means they also don’t need to be washed before being eaten, so the greens don’t get that “triple wash” like many we buy at the grocery store.

Machines place seeds in a soil tray at Plenty's indoor farm in Compton.

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Courtesy Plenty

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That, plus the fact they’re grown so much closer to the stores where they end up, means Plenty’s greens have a longer shelf life, staying fresh for as many as 21 days, Santy said.

Once we’re fully suited up, we head inside.

Seed trays getting irrigated with a precise amount of water in the seeding room.

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Courtesy Plenty

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First stop is the seeding room. Seed trays run along a conveyor belt, where machines place a precise number of seeds into the soil, then squirt just enough water and nutrients on top.

Then we head into a brightly lit room full of colorful lights called the propagation room. I can’t take pictures — the specific combination of artificial light in here is proprietary because it’s the company’s secret sauce for helping the plants grow faster. They’re ready to harvest in around 30 days, instead of the 60 to 90 it would take outside in the field, Santy said.

After a couple weeks in this room, the baby plants are routed on a conveyor belt to a series of robots that pull them from the trays and place them into growing towers that are several stories high.

“Imagine how delicate the fingers of that robot have to be to lift it without ripping the plant or tearing the roots,” Santy said.

Robot "fingers" pluck plants from trays and place them in a growing tower, where they'll eventually be ready to harvest.

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Courtesy Plenty

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Then, the towers full of plants are transferred by a much larger robot arm to another conveyor system that moves them into the final growing room.

“When you're able to stand in front of a 30 foot wall of lettuce, that’s when it gets really cool,” said Yatae Lewis, the farm’s site operations manager. “I tell people I work at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.”

The light in here is super powerful and also proprietary. This is where the plants stay for a couple weeks until they’re ready for harvest. Stories of lush purple and green spring mix and kale and spinach tower above me.

And it’s humid. All the water the plants in this room respirate, or essentially sweat out, is recycled. That helps the farm use about 90% less water than conventional growing, Santy said.

The final growing room. The light is proprietary, which is why LAist couldn't take its own photos. That artificial light helps the plants grow about twice as fast as they would in the field.

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Courtesy of Plenty

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Courtesy Plenty

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Leafy greens grow inside a high-tech indoor vertical farm based in Compton and developed by San Francisco-based startup Plenty.

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Courtesy Plenty

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What the farm means for Compton

Farming is actually nothing new to Compton. In the early 1900s, Compton was an agricultural hub. Compton Creek, a major tributary to the L.A. River, made for a reliable water source and rich soil. Southern California sunshine made for ideal growing conditions.

Compton’s Mayor Emma Sharif said the Plenty indoor farm is a way to bring that legacy back in a new way.

“This isn't just a nod to our past. It's a bold step into the future of farming,” she told LAist.

A robot "arm" that moves the towers of greens onto a conveyer belt that takes them to the final growing room, where they'll be ready to harvest after a couple weeks.

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Courtesy Plenty

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And Sharif said a big reason she supported the company coming to Compton was that it brings needed jobs. Part of the city’s agreement with Plenty is that at least a third of the farm’s 70 employees have to be from Compton. As of now about 31% are, said Yatae Lewis, the farm’s site operations manager.

Lewis grew up in Long Beach and has lived in Compton for 20 years.

Yatae Lewis is the site operations manager at Plenty's indoor farm in Compton.

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Erin Stone

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LAist

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“Compton is known for so many things,” Lewis said. “Indoor farming is absolutely not one of them. So being a part of changing the narrative of Compton was something that I absolutely jumped at.”

He’s worked here for three years, and watched the farm go from empty warehouse to indoor growing powerhouse. He said that while the number of jobs may not be high, the quality is.

“We want jobs, and not only jobs, we want good jobs,” Lewis said. “And not only good jobs, we have jobs that we can brag about. If we can do that for 30% of the workforce, that's amazing.”

Yatae Lewis holds leafy greens in a photo from 2022, before Plenty officially launched its flagship commercial indoor farm in Compton.

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Courtesy Plenty

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Lewis said the jobs for Compton locals range from field techs to growers to managers. The majority of roles in the farm have no educational requirements and they offer competitive pay as well as benefits, Santy said. Lewis said one of their Compton employees was able to afford her dream of traveling to South Korea for a K-pop concert recently.

“If we have an individual that now has a passport and can see the world and bring that back to Compton because they work at Plenty, that's what we're rooting for,” Lewis said.

Lewis, who also serves as Plenty’s community liaison, said the company has partnered with the Compton Run Club to co-host events and fundraisers, and they have partnerships with seven local middle schools to highlight STEM education.

“I have a 13-year-old, and he's into robots, he's into engineering, he's into computer coding,” Lewis said. “When I bring him to a bring-your-kid-to-work day and he sees the robots and he talks to the engineers, his mind is blown. It's very humbling and encouraging that my son's dream job can be five minutes away in the city that he lives in.”

Picture a gigantic, greasy, fried tiramisu. Layers of cream, espresso and lady fingers are deep fried in a thick, sweet batter before being sprinkled with cocoa powder.

This unique treat can only be found right now at the Orange County Fair.

The fair runs through Aug. 16 and in addition to pig races, carnival rides and outdoor music, the big draw is the food — carefully curated creations that test the limits of what’s typical — and this year is no different. I was there on opening day, and here’s what I tried:

What’s new at the fair this year, and where you can find it:

• 

  One of my favorite new items was the Croffle from Mom's Bakeshoppe. This treat was sweet and refreshing with the cold ice cream.

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  Joshua Letona

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• The Chocolate Chip Croffle from Mom's Bakeshoppe is a must if you like sweet treats. It’s a cross between a buttery croissant and crispy waffle. Then it’s adorned with vanilla ice cream, chocolate chips, whipped cream and a caramel drizzle. This creation made its way to the States from South Korea, where it’s a beloved street food. 
  

• A French onion bun is an OC Fair exclusive from Ten Pound Buns, which bills itself as the king of cheese breads. The French onion bun combines gooey melted cheese and caramelized onions on a crispy piece of bread. Everything at their stand is made to order, and the portion sizes are very shareable! 

  

  I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but had never taken it to this level before. Highly recommend.

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  Joshua Letona

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• The Peanut Butter and Jelly Bacon Cheeseburger from the Philly Cheesesteak stand did not disappoint. Don’t be alarmed by this strange sweet and savory combo; the flavors balance each other out perfectly. The burger comes with crispy bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles on top of a beef patty smothered in jelly and peanut butter.  
  

• What else is on the menu?

  As a born-and-raised Nebraskan, this was my first time at the OC Fair, so I also had to Also at the fair to try some classics. So, I headed to the OG at the OC Fair, Chicken Charlie’s.

They've been at the OC Fair for 30 years now, and are known for classics like the deep-fried Oreos and new eye-popping inventions. Some of their new concoctions this year include: A fried mangonada — which features fresh mango battered, deep fried and topped with chamoy, lime and Tajin. There's also a Shawarma fry cone, Parmesan garlic fry cone and the fried tiramisu I mentioned.

The treats I tried ranged between $10 and $15 dollars each, but there are some deals to be had. Chicken Charlie’s is offering a $30 anniversary meal deal that includes an entrée, fries, fried Oreos and a drink.

“I love being at the fair,” Charlie Boghosian, creator and owner of Chicken Charlie’s told me. “I love creating new things, because I think frying is an art.”

Profound words from the person who created items like fried Kool-Aid, bacon-wrapped pickles and a Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich.

More new fair creations and where you can find them at the fair this year:

• Street Corn Baked Potato (Corn Star & Baked Potato Club)
• Chili Mac 'n' Cheese Baked Potato (Corn Star & Baked Potato Club)
• Street Corn Fries (Corn Star & Baked Potato Club)
• Tot-Zilla (Corn Star & Baked Potato Club)
• Vegetarian Broc-Star Potato with broccoli (Corn Star & Baked Potato Club)
• Dutch Fries with black truffle mayo (Biggy's)
• Dubai Deep-Fried Oreo (Fried Affair)
• Porkapalooza Pizza (Enzo's Pizza)
• Korean Corn Dogs and Cheese Sticks rolled in Takis or buldak ramen (Mustard's)
• Chupacabra Tasti Chips (Tasti Chips)
• Candied drinks dirty beverages (Sugar Puff Candy)
• Gluten-free Cheese Curds (Tasti Burger)
• Loaded Tater Kegs (Tasti Burger)
• Pizza Bacon Bombs and Bacon-Wrapped Churro (Bacon Nation)
• Lord of the Rings Dog (Pink's)
• Freeze-dried candy beverages and Candy Blast gummies (Sugar Puff Candy)
• Gooey Maple Butter Popcorn Cone (Planet Popcorn)

A bald eagle believed to be Jackie has been rescued in Big Bear after a brief fight with two other eagles, according to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the environmental nonprofit that runs a YouTube livestream of Jackie and Shadow’s famous nest.

The rescued eagle was seen on the ground near Dana Point Park, a popular look-out spot in the area for fans hoping to see the feathered family.

The eagle was taken in by the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue and transferred to a specialized rehabilitation facility for further care, according to county officials.

The eagle’s sex and identity have not been confirmed, but Friends of Big Bear Valley said “it is apparent that the rescued eagle is likely Jackie.” The last time Jackie was seen in the nest was July 12, according to organization records.

“She is in the best place she can be and getting the care she needs,” the nonprofit said to the 1.2 million followers of its Facebook page.

L.A. County and nonprofit officials are urging people not to contact the rescue or facility so it doesn’t interfere with the help they’re providing the eagle and other animals.

What happened?

According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, cell phone video showed the rescued eagle fighting off the two other birds by using its talons, but it still couldn’t fly further away. The eagle was found near the park last Friday, but it was seen there Thursday too.

The eagle was picked up by wildlife rescuers, and the nonprofit said it has been in direct contact with them and the rehabilitation facility.

The first organization didn’t see any obvious injuries on the rescued eagle, but the bird was lethargic and yet still somewhat active, according to a Friends of Big Bear Valley post in its Facebook group, which has more than 485,000 members.

“The eagle is safe and receiving specialized care,” the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation said on social media Sunday. “We will share confirmed information as it becomes available.”

How are the rest of the feathered family doing?

While Jackie has been away, Shadow is caring for their fledglings Sandy and Luna, which took their first flights nearly a month ago.

Sandy and Luna have been in and out of the nest in recent days, and Shadow delivered 11 fish this weekend while they continue to learn to hunt, according to organization records.

“Send your light and loving energy to all of them,” Jenny Voisard, media manager, said Saturday in the Facebook group. “It doesn’t do anyone any good to panic and remember to step away from the livestream as needed. Nature is naturing.”

As the Trump administration delays regulations on “forever chemicals” that pollute reservoirs, rivers and aquifers nationwide, California officials say they are unsure what the consequences will be for an estimated 1.5 million Californians served by utilities with contaminated sources of drinking water.

With uncertainty over when regulations on some of the most common of these cancer-causing pollutants, called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, will take effect in California, lawmakers are floating alternative plans to remove them from the state’s tap water.

Among several forever chemical-related bills in Congress is one that would tax PFAS manufacturers to help utilities pay for expensive treatment technologies. State legislation that could have led to the ban of pesticides containing PFAS has been watered down by lawmakers, but environmental advocates still see the bill as an important first step.

“The corporations that contaminated our water rarely face accountability. My bill changes that by making them cover the cost of cleaning it up,” U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez, an author of the federal bill, said in an email to Capital & Main. Pico Rivera and Downey are two cities in Sánchez’s Los Angeles-area district that are grappling with PFAS-contaminated water sources.

There are nearly 15,000 different PFAS chemicals, used in an array of everyday items like clothing, food packaging and cookware, as well as in fire-fighting foams, pesticides and many industrial processes. Regulators have found them around hundreds of landfills, airports, military bases and industrial sites across the state. Because they’re highly soluble, once they leach into the water table they’re extremely difficult to remove — and they can take thousands of years to break down. The chemicals can enter the body through contaminated water and accumulate over time.

Nearly everyone in the U.S. has these chemicals in their blood, and exposure to some of the most studied PFAS chemicals has been linked to cancer, liver disease, immune system disruption and other chronic health problems.

These chemicals are nearly ubiquitous in tap water. According to the consumer advocacy organization Environmental Working Group, 165 million Americans drink PFAS-laced tap water.

Under a plan established under the Biden administration, federal drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOA and PFOS), two of the most common forever chemicals, were set to be enforced in 2029. But under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has moved to delay those protections by offering water systems an opt-out until 2031. The EPA is also rescinding regulatory drinking water limits for four other forever chemicals.

Daniel Newton, assistant deputy director of the California Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water, said state regulators are unsure whether impacted water systems in California would be eligible for the two-year delay — and, if they are, whether California would “allow that extension or not,” Newton said.

Of California’s 2,363 public water systems that have been tested since 2024, 466 had levels of either PFOA or PFOS above the federal regulatory limit, according to the water board. California requires water systems to notify the public if PFAS levels reach a certain threshold. Some systems have already begun treating or blending the water with clean sources to make it safer to drink.

Without federal drinking water limits for other PFAS substances, California has started the years-long process of adopting its own rules for one commonly used such chemical called PFHxS, which has been detected since 2024 in nearly 400 systems above the state notification level. Newton said the long-term goal in California is for these chemicals to be regulated “as a class” rather than through “individual” chemicals.

But environmental health advocates want California regulators to move faster.

“We’ve been monitoring these chemicals since 2019. That means that by 2029, we’ll have spent 10 years preparing,” said Andria Ventura, legislative and policy director with the nonprofit Clean Water Action. As such, she added, “California regulators should be more protective than the federal government by not delaying implementation.”

Some systems, especially smaller cash-strapped utilities, recommend a more cautious approach.

“It could potentially be advantageous to anybody dealing with this to wait,” said Carlos Quintero, general manager of the San Diego County-based Sweetwater Authority, pointing to high treatment costs and the evolution of new better treatment technologies.

Roughly 65% of Sweetwater Authority’s 200,000 customers live in areas designated by state agencies as suffering a combination of economic, health, and environmental burdens.. The utility is exploring different PFAS treatment technologies, the cheapest coming in at roughly $50 million. Quintero estimates ongoing operational and maintenance costs for the system alone could result in water rate increases of around 6%.

Rather than keep treating contaminated water, some lawmakers and advocacy groups want to remove the problem at the source.

In California, AB 1603 would for the first time require that pesticides be categorized as containing PFAS chemicals by the state, and their use to be reported to authorities. According to the Environmental Working Group, 37% of California grown nonorganic fruits and vegetables have PFAS-laced pesticide residues on them, while regulators found PFAS pesticides in roughly half of all surface water and sediment samples taken.

Under pressure from agricultural interests, lawmakers earlier this year stripped language from the legislation that would have eventually banned PFAS-based pesticides in California. But Susan Little, Environmental Working Group’s California legislative director, hopes this bill “sets the stage” for an outright ban in the future.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have banned the sale of PFAS-laden cookware and other products, arguing it would restrict the availability of affordable cookware.

Many impacted states, municipalities and water systems have sought financial relief through lawsuits against chemical manufacturers like 3M and DuPont. Just this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued major PFAS chemical manufacturers alleging they had deceived the public about human exposure risks and threats to the environment. But for the most part, the public continues to bear the brunt of cleanup costs through rate increases and taxpayer-funded programs.

Even so, these pots of money “are not anywhere near what the actual cost of compliance is going to be,” said Ian Lyle, director of federal relations for the Association of California Water Agencies. The Orange County Water District alone estimates a cost to the county of $1.8 billion over 30 years to treat PFAS.

With the idea of alleviating the burden on water systems and the taxpayer, Rep. Sánchez’s federal bill would establish a 45% tax on the manufacturing of PFAS to provide a tax credit of up to 25% for public and private water agencies.

“I expect it will be enough to cover the direct pay credit that will fund water cleanup efforts for both public and private water municipalities,” Sánchez said.

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