Topline:
Air quality regulators say an oil recycling facility in Compton violated pollution rules and improperly maintained some of its equipment.
The details: The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued four notices of violation to World Oil Recycling in Compton, and one notice of violation to a contractor operating leaky equipment on its property.
Keep reading ... for more on the violations and what's next.
Air quality regulators say an oil recycling facility in Compton violated pollution rules and improperly maintained some of its equipment.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued four notices of violation to World Oil Recycling in Compton, and one notice of violation to a contractor operating leaky equipment on its property.
The Compton facility “receives used oils, glycol and wastewater and re-refines these materials into engine oil and glycol products for reuse,” according to the air district. The largest oil recycler in the state, it’s located in some of the most pollution-burdened and low-income neighborhoods in California, as well, where asthma rates are higher than 95% of census tracts, according to state data.
The violations came after the air district started receiving odor complaints from residents at the start of this year. The agency received more than 70 complaints of strong odors of gas, including from the nearby Jefferson Elementary School, the agency said in a news release.
Officials then carried out more than a dozen on-site inspections, including using an infrared camera to identify gas leaks. They found hydrocarbons leaking from a wastewater storage tank, as well as a centrifuge pump. A small fire at the facility in late May also led to nuisance notices from the agency.
The company told LAist it is working to remove the leaky storage tank that may have caused the odors.
“World Oil Recycling provides an essential environmental service by recycling used oil and other materials, helping to keep them out of landfills and waterways,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement. “We are committed to meeting or exceeding the highest standards at our facility in Compton, where we have operated safely for more than 40 years and serve as a major local employer.”
If World Oil Recycling doesn’t comply, it could face fines or litigation.
The company has faced such issues in the past. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement with World Oil’s Compton and Vernon facilities for violating hazardous waste regulations. The agreement required the companies to pay a $39,092 penalty and spend $167,967 on air filtration systems in nearby schools to reduce indoor air pollution.
The facility has received dozens of violation notices from the air district over the years, as well, mostly for minor maintenance issues.
In a statement to LAist, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif said the city “is working with the appropriate regulatory agencies as they continue their investigation.”
The South Coast Air Quality Management District is tasked with regulating air pollution in the region. The public can report odors, dust, smoke or other air quality concerns by:
Topline:
Fire broke out around 2:35 p.m. at 1400 S. Los Palos St., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department
What we know: A shelter in place order has been issued for the area south of Interstate 5, east of Soto Street, north of Washington Boulevard and west of Indiana Street. According to East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, the structure is an industrial freezer facility.
A fire at a Boyle Heights commercial building sent massive plumes of black smoke up Wednesday and prompted a shelter-in-place order.
The fire broke out around 2:35 p.m. at 1400 S. Los Palos St., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Aerial footage from KTLA showed the fire involving solar panels on the roof of the storage facility.
Heavy smoke was visible around Boyle Heights and into other parts of LA, and the LAFD said people near the fire should immediately shelter in place.
“Get inside IMMEDIATELY and close all windows and doors. Turn off air conditioning/heating. Bring all people and pets to an inside room until you receive more instructions,” an LAFD alert said.
The shelter-in-place order was in effect for the area south of Interstate 5, east of Soto Street, north of Washington Boulevard and west of Indiana Street.
According to East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, the structure is an industrial freezer facility. In a series of Instagram stories, the organization urged residents to close their windows and stay inside.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates, or follow us on Instagram.
The post Massive fire breaks out at Boyle Heights commercial building, LAFD orders shelter in place appeared first on LA Local.
Topline:
California will not consider the city of Los Angeles’ request for a time extension on three mobility projects in underinvested communities that are largely funded by more than $100 million from the state.
The city’s request: In April, the city formally requested a six-year time extension on state-mandated deadlines to complete pre-construction work on the projects in Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Wilmington. The projects won grant funding in 2022 and 2023. Staffing constraints have prevented progress, city officials have said.
State’s response: The California Transportation Commission is the state body that administers the grant program. Justin Behrens, the spokesperson for the commission, said that while the state grant program offers time extensions in certain cases, “The requested time exceeded what is allowable under the guidelines” and the extensions were ultimately not recommended to be considered by the commission.
Read on … for reactions from local leaders.
California will not consider the city of Los Angeles’ request for a time extension on three mobility projects in underinvested communities that are largely funded by more than $100 million from the state.
The exclusion of the request from the California Transportation Commission's June agenda spells an uncertain fate for the projects in Boyle Heights, Skid Row and Wilmington, which involve repairing sidewalks, adding bike lanes and installing traffic-calming measures to make streets friendlier to non-vehicular modes of transportation.
In April, the city formally requested a six-year extension on state-mandated deadlines to complete pre-construction work on the projects, saying recent staffing and funding constraints in the public works and transportation departments have hampered progress.
Justin Behrens, the spokesperson for the commission, said that while the state grant program offers time extensions in certain cases, “The requested time exceeded what is allowable under the guidelines,” and extensions were ultimately not recommended to be considered by the commission.
The state funds for pre-construction work, including environmental review and design, are set to lapse at the end of June.
L.A. officials said in a March report that without the time extension, “The city will be unable to meet these deadlines and lose the opportunity to provide these critical improvements for the city.”
The Bureau of Street Services, which is the lead agency on the three projects, did not respond to requests for comment.
A statement from the office of L.A. City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said the situation is “disappointing” and that the councilmember is taking time to “fully understand” what the California Transportation Commission’s decision means for the projects in her district.
“What we can say clearly is this: We are not giving up,” the statement read. “Boyle Heights and Skid Row have waited far too long for safer, more accessible streets, and the residents who organized for these improvements deserve more than a setback and a closed door.”
Jurado advocated for additional staffing resources across the bureaus of Street Services, Street Lighting and Engineering, as well as the Department of Transportation, to deliver the projects.
For Jens Midthun, the president of the DTLA Neighborhood Council, any investment in improving the walkability of downtown L.A. is a worthy one.
“People in downtown L.A. are here because they want to be,” Midthun said about the neighborhood’s transition from a business hub to a residential destination. “People want to be part of a vibrant city center.”
L.A. City Councilmember Tim McOsker's office said in a statement that infrastructure improvements in Wilmington “remain a priority.”
“We will continue exploring funding opportunities and other available options to advance as much of the project as possible,” McOsker's office said.
Since its launch in 2013, the state’s Active Transportation Program has funded capital projects that promote walking, cycling or other non-motorized ways to get around. Behrens said the program is competitive and over-subscribed, meaning the applications for funds “far exceeds the available resources.”
Over the course of the grant program, L.A. has secured $500 million to fund 46 transportation projects across the city, according to a June report from Laura Rubio-Cornejo, the general manager of the city’s Department of Transportation.
Twenty of those projects have been constructed and staff is actively working on designing, implementing or closing out another 22.
Jurisdictions that win the funds have to adhere to strict timelines to retain the money, which is allocated based on different phases of a capital project. Failing to meet the program’s deadlines can jeopardize a city or county’s likelihood of clinching future grants.
The program’s deadlines require the city to allocate funds for construction for the three projects in question by the end of June 2027. In its request for a time extension, the city said it would need an additional six years to get to that point.
Absent a time extension, it’s unclear what the path forward is for the three projects.
The city in June submitted its application for the next round of Active Transportation Program grants, though its ambitions were tempered by “staff resource limitations and the city’s existing grant commitments.”
The projects it submitted for consideration to the state include extending the LARiverWay bike path and enhancing mobility along Huntington Drive.
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Topline:
For all of the rivalries and bad blood that sports can foster, something different is in the air ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea match on Thursday. The story behind "Coreano, hermano" and the deep affinity between the two communities.
The backstory: The camaraderie blossomed after the final matches of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After a shocking loss to Sweden, Mexico's chances of advancing to the next round hinged on South Korea beating the defending champions, Germany. Against all odds, the Asian squad pulled off the upset. The win wasn't enough for South Korea to move forward in the World Cup. But the team was hailed as champions by grateful Mexican fans. Most famously, in Mexico City, supporters marched to the South Korean Embassy, where they hoisted the consul general, Han Byoung-jin, onto their shoulders.
A bond beyond soccer: Others say the kinship over soccer is simply a reflection of the growing connections that already exist, like in Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Korean and Mexican population in the U.S. Over the past year, in L.A.'s Koreatown, where Latino and Asian Americans make up the majority of the neighborhood, many residents have come together against immigration raids. And today, South Korea is one of Mexico's top trading partners. There's also a sizable Koreatown in Mexico City.
Best friends Fernando Delgado and Josh Lee are still riding the high of seeing both their homelands — Mexico and South Korea — win their opening matches at the 2026 World Cup.
That was the easy part.
Now, their teams are going head-to-head and Delgado is hoping for a miracle, but not in the way you might think.
" A draw would be the ideal case," he says. "Because I think other than that, it's gonna be like, 'Oh man.'"
For all of the rivalries and bad blood that sports can foster, something different is in the air ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea match on Thursday.
Earlier this month, when South Korea's squad arrived at their hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico, they were welcomed by hundreds of Mexican supporters. On social media, countless videos show fun-loving South Korean tourists partying and enjoying World Cup festivities with locals in Mexico — often with the caption, "Coreano, hermano ya eres Mexicano," meaning "Korean, brother, you are Mexican now."
The chant is a callback to the 2018 World Cup, the last time the two nations squared off on the global stage. Eight years later, as El Tri and the Taegeuk Warriors face off once again, fans from both sides are rekindling that brotherly love, adding that it's a reflection of a much deeper affinity between the two communities.
"Since then, this idea of Coreano Hermano has really persisted," Lee says, and "led to this greater appreciation for both national teams and both peoples."
The camaraderie blossomed after the final matches of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After a shocking loss to Sweden, Mexico's chances of advancing to the next round hinged on South Korea beating the defending champions, Germany. Against all odds, the Asian squad pulled off the upset.
The win wasn't enough for South Korea to move forward in the World Cup. But the team was hailed as champions by grateful Mexican fans. Most famously, in Mexico City, supporters marched to the South Korean Embassy, where they hoisted the consul general, Han Byoung-jin, onto their shoulders.
Ray An, a Korean American from Fresno, Calif., was in Russia for the tournament. He recalls being showered with hugs, cheers and shots of tequila. Although he was initially disappointed by South Korea's early exit, those encounters gave him a new perspective.
"This is so much more than football. This is just so much more than winning and losing," he says. "This is what it's really about, right? Creating core memories with strangers in a foreign land."
Years later, An says the 2018 World Cup continues to be a point of connection whenever he meets someone from Mexico.
" Looking back, I mean maybe in the long run, this is actually a better thing for us to have happened," he says, referring to South Korea's failure to advance.
When diplomatic relations between South Korea and Mexico formally began in 1962, the friendship was a slow burn, according to José Luis León-Manríquez, who teaches East Asian studies at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City.
At the time, there was a strong nationalist sentiment in Mexico, León-Manríquez says, which made the country cautious of building ties with U.S. allies such as South Korea. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the two nations made headway, largely through trade and the arrival of Korean factories in Mexico. This also led to a wave of Korean migration to the country, León-Manríquez says.
" After that, links between both countries have increased a lot. Both in political, but especially in cultural and economic terms," he says.
Today, South Korea is one of Mexico's top trading partners. There's also a sizable Koreatown in Mexico City. Further north, the city of Pesquería — home to a Kia Motors manufacturing plant— is nicknamed "Pescorea" to reflect its large Korean community.
Culturally, Mexico has been swept up in the K-wave — which refers to the global craze for South Korean pop culture. In 2025, Mexico ranked fifth among countries that play the most K-pop, according to Spotify.
Korean and Mexican soccer fans have a number of theories for the warm ties.
Jean Lim Flores, a Korean American from Los Angeles, attributes it to both teams' underdog status. Despite their rich talent, neither have made it past the round of 16 in over 20 years. Most stubbornly, Mexico hasn't played in the quarterfinals since 1986. South Korea's deepest run was in 2002, when it reached the semifinals and placed fourth.
"Neither of our countries have won the World Cup," she says. "It would be exciting to see either Korea or Mexico win."
Her husband, Shon Flores, who is Mexican American, believes both teams have more heated rivals to focus on, like Japan for South Korea or Brazil and the U.S. for Mexico.
"I can see a lot of this coming together and closeness between some of the other teams, but I don't know about U.S. vs. Mexico," he says.
Others say the kinship over soccer is simply a reflection of the growing connections that already exist, like in Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Korean and Mexican population in the U.S.
Carlos González Gutiérrez and Youngwan Kim are not only consul generals of Mexico and South Korea based in L.A., but they're good friends, partly through their shared love for soccer. Months ago, the pair made a friendly bet over Thursday's match, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. If Mexico loses, González Gutiérrez will gift Kim a bottle of tequila. If the opposite happens, Kim will send over some soju. It's not (entirely) about bragging rights.
" This is a sign of friendship between our two countries," González Gutiérrez told NPR recently, adding that it's a "reflection of what already happens in this city on a daily basis."
Over the past year, in L.A.'s Koreatown, where Latino and Asian Americans make up the majority of the neighborhood, many residents have come together against immigration raids.
Paul "PK" Kim is hoping the World Cup will be a chance to unite over some much needed fun and reprieve. Kim is the marketing director at the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, which is organizing a watch party in the heart of Koreatown on Thursday.
"There's always some awkward tension because everybody's competitive," he says. " The more important thing is being together."
Best friends Lee and Delgado met at a watch party for a Los Angeles Football Club game in 2018. Now, the two help lead one of the MLS club's supporters groups, Tigers.
Lee says the group often sings a song that goes, "En las buenas y en las malas." That's how he's approaching Thursday's match — although he says he would like to see South Korea beat Mexico once on the global stage.
"In the good and the bad, we're celebrating together," he says.
Bonyub Koo and Mirella Vargas, a Korean American and Mexican American married couple in L.A., will be rooting for opposing teams come Thursday. But in a way, that makes it more fun.
" Once we found out that they were going to play against each other, we were super happy," she says, calling it "a friendly competition."
When the two started dating in 2019, soccer was among the first things they bonded over. Now married, Koo says he's more excited to watch Mexico vs. South Korea than the World Cup final. Given his love for both teams, he can't imagine a scenario where he will come away feeling disappointed.
" Whoever wins, that's my team," he says.
What does the past tell us about the possible outcome on Thursday? Well, the two squads faced off most recently last year at an international friendly in Nashville, Tenn. The final score? 2-2.
Emanuel Hahn, a Korean American photographer based in New York, says he wouldn't be mad if history repeats itself. Hahn, Lee and An are the creators behind the docuseries Korea, Away about the Korean diaspora and their fandom for South Korea's soccer team.
"If we drew with Mexico, I think it would be the ultimate sort of handshake moment," he says. "It's crazy because I don't know if I would say that about any other country."
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
For all of the rivalries and bad blood that sports can foster, something different is in the air ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea match on Thursday. How the idea of 'Coreano Hermano' - Korean brother - began.
The backstory: The camaraderie between Mexican and South Korean soccer fans blossomed after the final matches of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After a shocking loss to Sweden, Mexico's chances of advancing to the next round hinged on South Korea beating the defending champions, Germany. Against all odds, the Asian squad pulled off the upset. The win wasn't enough for South Korea to move forward in the World Cup. But the team was hailed as champions by grateful Mexican fans. Most famously, in Mexico City, supporters marched to the South Korean Embassy, where they hoisted the consul general, Han Byoung-jin, onto their shoulders.
A bond beyond soccer: Over the past year, in L.A.'s Koreatown, where Latino and Asian Americans make up the majority of the neighborhood, many residents have come together against immigration raids.
LOS ANGELES — Best friends Fernando Delgado and Josh Lee are still riding the high of seeing both their homelands — Mexico and South Korea — win their opening matches at the 2026 World Cup.
That was the easy part.
Now, their teams are going head-to-head and Delgado is hoping for a miracle, but not in the way you might think.
" A draw would be the ideal case," he says. "Because I think other than that, it's gonna be like, 'Oh man.'"
For all of the rivalries and bad blood that sports can foster, something different is in the air ahead of the Mexico vs. South Korea match on Thursday.
Earlier this month, when South Korea's squad arrived at their hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico, they were welcomed by hundreds of Mexican supporters. On social media, countless videos show fun-loving South Korean tourists partying and enjoying World Cup festivities with locals in Mexico — often with the caption, "Coreano, hermano ya eres Mexicano," meaning "Korean, brother, you are Mexican now."
The chant is a callback to the 2018 World Cup, the last time the two nations squared off on the global stage. Eight years later, as El Tri and the Taegeuk Warriors face off once again, fans from both sides are rekindling that brotherly love, adding that it's a reflection of a much deeper affinity between the two communities.
"Since then, this idea of Coreano Hermano has really persisted," Lee says, and "led to this greater appreciation for both national teams and both peoples."
The camaraderie blossomed after the final matches of the group stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. After a shocking loss to Sweden, Mexico's chances of advancing to the next round hinged on South Korea beating the defending champions, Germany. Against all odds, the Asian squad pulled off the upset.
The win wasn't enough for South Korea to move forward in the World Cup. But the team was hailed as champions by grateful Mexican fans. Most famously, in Mexico City, supporters marched to the South Korean Embassy, where they hoisted the consul general, Han Byoung-jin, onto their shoulders.
Ray An, a Korean American from Fresno, Calif., was in Russia for the tournament. He recalls being showered with hugs, cheers and shots of tequila. Although he was initially disappointed by South Korea's early exit, those encounters gave him a new perspective.
"This is so much more than football. This is just so much more than winning and losing," he says. "This is what it's really about, right? Creating core memories with strangers in a foreign land."
Years later, An says the 2018 World Cup continues to be a point of connection whenever he meets someone from Mexico.
" Looking back, I mean maybe in the long run, this is actually a better thing for us to have happened," he says, referring to South Korea's failure to advance.
When diplomatic relations between South Korea and Mexico formally began in 1962, the friendship was a slow burn, according to José Luis León-Manríquez, who teaches East Asian studies at the Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico City.
At the time, there was a strong nationalist sentiment in Mexico, León-Manríquez says, which made the country cautious of building ties with U.S. allies such as South Korea. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the two nations made headway, largely through trade and the arrival of Korean factories in Mexico. This also led to a wave of Korean migration to the country, León-Manríquez says.
" After that, links between both countries have increased a lot. Both in political, but especially in cultural and economic terms," he says.
Today, South Korea is one of Mexico's top trading partners. There's also a sizable Koreatown in Mexico City. Further north, the city of Pesquería — home to a Kia Motors manufacturing plant— is nicknamed "Pescorea" to reflect its large Korean community.
Culturally, Mexico has been swept up in the K-wave — which refers to the global craze for South Korean pop culture. In 2025, Mexico ranked fifth among countries that play the most K-pop, according to Spotify.
Korean and Mexican soccer fans have a number of theories for the warm ties.
Jean Lim Flores, a Korean American from Los Angeles, attributes it to both teams' underdog status. Despite their rich talent, neither have made it past the round of 16 in over 20 years. Most stubbornly, Mexico hasn't played in the quarterfinals since 1986. South Korea's deepest run was in 2002, when it reached the semifinals and placed fourth.
"Neither of our countries have won the World Cup," she says. "It would be exciting to see either Korea or Mexico win."
Her husband, Shon Flores, who is Mexican American, believes both teams have more heated rivals to focus on, like Japan for South Korea or Brazil and the U.S. for Mexico.
"I can see a lot of this coming together and closeness between some of the other teams, but I don't know about U.S. vs. Mexico," he says.
Others say the kinship over soccer is simply a reflection of the growing connections that already exist, like in Los Angeles, which is home to the largest Korean and Mexican population in the U.S.
Carlos González Gutiérrez and Youngwan Kim are not only consul generals of Mexico and South Korea based in L.A., but they're good friends, partly through their shared love for soccer. Months ago, the pair made a friendly bet over Thursday's match, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. If Mexico loses, González Gutiérrez will gift Kim a bottle of tequila. If the opposite happens, Kim will send over some soju. It's not (entirely) about bragging rights.
" This is a sign of friendship between our two countries," González Gutiérrez told NPR recently, adding that it's a "reflection of what already happens in this city on a daily basis."
Over the past year, in L.A.'s Koreatown, where Latino and Asian Americans make up the majority of the neighborhood, many residents have come together against immigration raids.
Paul "PK" Kim is hoping the World Cup will be a chance to unite over some much needed fun and reprieve. Kim is the marketing director at the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, which is organizing a watch party in the heart of Koreatown on Thursday.
"There's always some awkward tension because everybody's competitive," he says. " The more important thing is being together."
Best friends Lee and Delgado met at a watch party for a Los Angeles Football Club game in 2018. Now, the two help lead one of the MLS club's supporters groups, Tigers.
Lee says the group often sings a song that goes, "En las buenas y en las malas." That's how he's approaching Thursday's match — although he says he would like to see South Korea beat Mexico once on the global stage.
"In the good and the bad, we're celebrating together," he says.
Bonyub Koo and Mirella Vargas, a Korean American and Mexican American married couple in L.A., will be rooting for opposing teams come Thursday. But in a way, that makes it more fun.
" Once we found out that they were going to play against each other, we were super happy," she says, calling it "a friendly competition."
When the two started dating in 2019, soccer was among the first things they bonded over. Now married, Koo says he's more excited to watch Mexico vs. South Korea than the World Cup final. Given his love for both teams, he can't imagine a scenario where he will come away feeling disappointed.
" Whoever wins, that's my team," he says.
What does the past tell us about the possible outcome on Thursday? Well, the two squads faced off most recently last year at an international friendly in Nashville, Tenn. The final score? 2-2.
Emanuel Hahn, a Korean American photographer based in New York, says he wouldn't be mad if history repeats itself. Hahn, Lee and An are the creators behind the docuseries Korea, Away about the Korean diaspora and their fandom for South Korea's soccer team.
"If we drew with Mexico, I think it would be the ultimate sort of handshake moment," he says. "It's crazy because I don't know if I would say that about any other country."
Copyright 2026 NPR
