The Brief

Living among Southern California’s industrial facilities can have adverse effects on residents’ health and quality of life.

Rendering plants produce odors that are among the most offensive. These facilities receive dead animals, as well as kitchen grease and wastewater, and turn those materials into ingredients for pet food, cosmetics, and other products. Odors from the plants sometimes seep into neighboring communities and can cause health problems.

Four rendering companies are clustered together a few miles southeast of downtown L.A., in and very near the city of Vernon, along with a handful of slaughterhouses, meat processors, and many other industrial facilities. Public health experts interviewed by LAist say the density of these facilities, coupled with the hazardous chemicals rendering plants can emit, pose serious health risks to nearby residents.

But SoCal residents don’t have to face these issues alone. If you encounter a foul odor in your neighborhood, you can reach out to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).

This agency is tasked with monitoring air quality in the area. In 2021, it received nearly 400 complaints about rendering plants in the region — and many more in the years before that, according to Wayne Nastri, the regulatory agency’s executive director. The number of complaints dropped significantly this year, but the issue still persists.

An LAist review of AQMD records found that these odor complaints have been lodged from homes and businesses in surrounding neighborhoods, as well as from local schools. One person who reported air problems said they’ve been waking up to the stench of “burning animal carcass” for the past 32 years.

Where else have odor issues emerged? 

Since 2000, most air quality complaints to AQMD have involved odors. Agency officials say the spike in 2021 was in response to problems at Dominguez Channel and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.

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Back in 2021, South Bay residents endured the smell of rotten egg for several days. The stench was later attributed to a large warehouse fire that caused chemicals in beauty products to seep into the Dominguez Channel. Those chemicals killed off vegetation along the channel, releasing high levels of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that can be harmful to human health. Residents reported headaches, fatigue, and respiratory problems.

That same year, the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey discharged 17 million gallons of raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean. Community members experienced nausea, headaches, and eye irritation. To ward off the smell, they shut their windows and avoided going outdoors. Some of them wore masks inside their homes.

What is the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and what does it do?

AQMD — sometimes also referenced as SCAQMD — is a regulatory agency that manages air quality in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The agency’s employees work to control emissions from stationary sources of air pollution, including power plants, refineries and gas stations. AQMD issues permits and inspects these businesses to evaluate their compliance with local air quality rules, which are aligned with federal and state standards.

Emissions from mobile sources, like cars, trains, and airplanes, are monitored by other agencies.

If you live in northern L.A. County, there’s one exception to keep in mind: The Antelope Valley — which includes cities like Lancaster and Palmdale — is outside AQMD’s jurisdiction. That area is monitored by the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District.

Why is air quality important?

Jill Johnston, associate professor of population and public health sciences at USC, underscores that strong odors don’t just diminish local residents’ quality of life, they can also impact their health.

Emissions from rendering plants can contain hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, she said. These chemicals can exacerbate asthma symptoms and elevate blood pressure, Johnston added, and long-term exposure can adversely affect respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

On its website, AQMD warns that air pollution can “cause or worsen many health problems, including asthma attacks, respiratory disease, heart disease, certain types of cancers, and premature death.”

How can I report a foul odor?

For residents who live within AQMD’s boundaries, there are three ways to file an odor report:

• Call 1-800-CUT-SMOG (1-800-288-7664) 
• Visit AQMD’s online complaint system
• Download and use AQMD’s phone app

All options are available 24 hours a day. During business hours (7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday), your call will be answered by an attendant. Outside of business hours, you’ll be asked to leave a voice message.

The app is especially useful because it enables you to track the status of your complaint. You can also attach any images related to the issue.

How to report an odor complaint via the AQMD's app. Click for more information.

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How to complete the complaint form via the app. Click for more info.

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In addition to odor complaints, these options can be used to report excessive dust or smoke in your neighborhood.

If you live in the Antelope Valley, you can file a complaint by completing a form on this website or by calling 661-723-8070. You can also email the agency at complaints@avaqmd.ca.gov.

What information should I have at hand?

If you encounter a strong odor, think of specific ways to describe it (like “rotten eggs,” “burned plastic,” etc.) and try to identify its source, said Victor Yip, who oversees compliance and enforcement at AQMD.

Air quality agencies will ask you for the following information:

• The time the air quality incident occurred and whether it’s continuing at the time of your report
• The type of air quality complaint (dust, odor, smoke, etc.)
• Whether you have experienced this type problem in the past
• The wind direction, if known
• The name and address of the alleged source and the type of facility, if known
• Your contact information

When it comes to recurring odor issues, it’s useful to tell the agency the full scope of the problem, for example, "This happens every night at this time," Yip said. These details help inspectors “track [the odor] and get more information to be able to launch our investigation.”

Yip urges residents to file complaints when an odor issue is happening, instead of waiting for it to pass, which can make it difficult to confirm and investigate.

He also noted that AQMD takes anonymous complaints. However, if you choose not to provide your contact information, the inspector won’t be able to contact you to learn more about the issue or provide any follow-up information.

What happens if the smell is occurring outside of business hours?

When the agency receives complaints after hours, they’re routed to a standby supervisor who reviews them to determine if it’s necessary to take immediate action. Unless the air quality incident appears to pose a serious threat to the health or safety of the public, the supervisor usually dispatches an inspector to follow-up the next business day, Yip said.

If AQMD receives three or more complaints from different households about the same issue, an inspector will be dispatched after hours.

How are air quality complaints resolved?

Some complaints can be resolved over the phone without additional follow-up. For example, after getting a call back from an inspector, a community member might say the odor they encountered is no longer present.

Other odor complaints require more work. If the source of a stench is unknown, an inspector will investigate potential sources based on the description in the complaint.

In these cases, the inspector assigned to your complaint might call for additional information. Yip said investigations are sometimes delayed when community members don’t answer follow-up calls.

“We understand everyone's busy,” he added, “but it would be just very, very helpful to our inspectors if you can pick up the phone.”

Following that chat, the inspector will locate and attempt to verify the source. Then, the inspector will survey the facility to determine the cause of the air quality problem.

When there are serious violations, penalties for the offending business can go up to $10,000 per day.

You may have developed a taste for Oaxacan food in L.A., with its tlayudas and vast array of moles.

But within that is another culinary tradition, specific to the Oaxacan highlands of Southern Mexico: Zapotec. It’s one of the oldest indigenous civilizations in Mesoamerica, with a distinct language and foodways that predate Spanish colonization. But as with many other Indigenous cultures, it’s often overlooked, erased under "Latino" or "Mexican."

Yet away from the spotlight, the culture is very much alive.

"The Zapotec culture is thriving here. There are so many things happening in indigenous communities throughout L.A., in backyards, in kitchens, in communities most Angelenos never see," said Odilia Romero, who leads CIELO, an indigenous-focused nonprofit.

A spread of dried chiles, heirloom corn and cacao beans reflects the Sierra Norte Zapotec ingredients at the heart of Lugya'h's communal dinner.

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Which is why that tradition is being celebrated on March 4, when Lugya'h (pronounced LOOG-yah) will host its first communal dinner from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Oaxacan restaurant, located inside Maydan Market in West Adams, is a joint project from Romero and James Beard-nominated chef Alfonso "Poncho" Martínez. What began as a beloved backyard pop-up now has a permanent home in the market, where Martínez works alongside chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio.

Martínez, who grew up plowing fields and planting corn in Sierra Norte, is one of a handful of indigenous Zapotec chefs working in L.A.

Lugya'h — which translates in Zapotec to "the face and hearth of the plaza" — normally offers a menu of tlayudas and moronga. But the communal dinner marks a deliberate departure, reflecting the broader breadth of Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking, including aged tasajó, (cured beef) wild cebollina (similar to chives) and heirloom maíz.

It’s meant to start a conversation about Zapotec identity and visibility, drawing attention to the fact that indigenous people throughout California help sustain its food industry, from the fields to the kitchen, but are consistently swept into the larger Latino identity.

Chef de cuisine Evelyn Gregorio is part of the Lugya'h team at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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"From planting to serving your food, they are indigenous people — but they're never talked about that way," Romero said.

A 2024 report by USC's Equity Research Institute and CIELO found that one in five indigenous migrant workers in L.A. County work in restaurants — more than double the rate of Latinx immigrants broadly. Yet they remain largely invisible, often counted only as "Latino" in data and policy. Over two-thirds of those accessing CIELO's services identified as Zapotec, one of the county's largest and least visible indigenous communities.

Tasajo, moronga and a tlayuda from Lugya'h's regular menu at Maydan Market in West Adams.

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It's a tension Martínez knows firsthand — a local museum once sought out his recipe for an event, only to pass on having him there to tell the story behind it.

"They wanted the Oaxacan food, but they didn't want the Oaxacan people," he said.

The menu

The four-course, family-style dinner ($119/person) opens with tartare de tasajó — flank steak aged and salted in-house and served rare — an original creation you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the world.

It's followed by an anchovy tostada on Lugya'h's homemade heirloom non-GMO maiz, inspired by topotillo and charales, small preserved fish traditional to Oaxacan markets, served with avocado and guaje purée — a quiet nod to coastal Zapotec foodways that rarely make it onto L.A. menus. A farmers market salad rooted in California citrus and tomatoes and grilled skirt steak with in-house pressed heirloom corn tortillas and a variety of Oaxacan-rooted salsas round out the savory courses. Chef Evelyn closes the meal with a guava mousse — reminiscent of the pink guava water found in Oaxacan markets, sweetened with molasses.

Hands assemble a tlayuda at Lugya'h, layering mole, fresh greens and dried chiles — ingredients rooted in Sierra Norte Zapotec cooking.

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Going forward, Martínez and Romero intend to host two communal dinners per month, with the menu changing monthly. For Martínez, the dinners are an act of resistance through persistence.

"We're gonna continue pushing so that it could be something strong," he said.

American businesses and shoppers paid the vast majority of the billions of dollars collected for the emergency tariffs that the Supreme Court recently ruled illegal. Companies are now pushing to get their money back. But can shoppers expect their own refund?

Probably not, according to Robert Shapiro, an international trade lawyer and partner at the law firm Thompson Coburn.

"And if you do, it'll be pennies on the dollar," Shapiro said.

The roughly $180 billion collected under the struck-down tariffs, according to an estimate by Goldman Sachs, was typically paid for directly by businesses, and indirectly by consumers through higher prices. Because those companies often paid the actual customs bill, any refund from the federal government would go to them.

Shoppers will have to wait for companies to get their refunds before any potential reimbursements might trickle down to them. And that could take a while. President Donald Trump suggested the question of whether the government has to refund those tariffs could be tied up in lawsuits.

"I guess it has to get litigated over for the next two years," Trump said during a press conference after the Supreme Court's decision.

Shapiro said when and if those businesses get a refund, some will pass along savings to consumers, but others will not. "They'll just take it as a gain," he said.

Several Democratic political leaders have pushed for a more direct resolution: Simply have the government send checks to Americans. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter and invoice to Trump demanding that he refund every Illinois family $1,700. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also called on Trump to send out checks.

But there's a logistical issue: The tariff revenue isn't held in its own special account. When collected, it goes into the country's general fund. The U.S. Treasury could send out checks, but companies would still have a claim on their refunds. In that scenario, tariff refunds could be counted twice between customers and companies, drastically increasing the cost to the federal government.

There's another possibility, if companies are slow to pass their refunds along: Shoppers could launch class action lawsuits aimed at forcing companies to offer refunds for tariff surcharges.

Still, that poses a similar accounting challenge. For many products, the tariffed costs often weren't shared by one company and one customer, but across a supply chain. Think of products made of many materials — like a bike or a coffee maker — with parts made by different suppliers, which all contributed to tariff fees. Even a product as simple as a store-shelf-ready stuffed animal shipped from China can pass through multiple hands, from the importer to the wholesaler to the retailer, and finally on to the shopper.

How would the shopper prove what portion of the tariffs they paid and how much they deserved to get back?

"Tracing that through — it may be literally impossible," said Michael Ettlinger, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

But managing refunds could be easier for companies that put their tariff fees right on the receipt.

Erin Vandenberg is a frequent shopper with the athletic wear company Fabletics; she pays $70 a month for a membership and gets back credits to spend on outfits, like vests and fleece-lined leggings. Last year, she noticed a tariff surcharge on items, like $3.95 on top of a $69.95 berry-colored sports bra.

"They're making it very obvious what's happening," Vandenberg said. But she also found it discouraging. She recalls thinking, "Oh, well gosh! Maybe I don't want to buy this."

For her most recent order, before discounts and her credits, the value of the clothes totaled up to about $520, including $30 from tariff costs.

Since she had already paid for the membership credits, she went ahead with the order anyway.

Fabletics is far from the only company to shift some tariff costs to customers. The company was just the rare business to spell it out.

In a statement emailed to NPR, Fabletics said: "We implemented a clearly labeled tariff surcharge at checkout to be transparent with consumers and ensure we can continue providing the highest-quality products at the most competitive prices. The surcharge only partially covers our cost increases but we felt it was important to not pass the full burden of cost on to our consumers. While the Supreme Court ruling is an important development, tariffs remain in place and there are still many outstanding questions regarding implementation and potential refunds that we are closely monitoring."

Vandenberg has no idea how much she paid in tariff fees to other businesses. Now that those tariffs are gone and companies are pursuing refunds, Vandenberg would love to get her money back from them. And she would be willing to join a lawsuit to get it.

"At this point, I feel like those are sometimes the only way you can hold businesses, or companies, or the government accountable," Vanderberg said.
Copyright 2026 NPR

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Feb. 23, 2026.

Self Help Graphics & Art has long been a creative home for Chicano artists and families in East Los Angeles. Now, a new documentary is inviting the community to help tell its story.

Chicano Gráfica, a documentary about Self Help Graphics & Art, explores how a small group of East Los Angeles artists altered the art world by embracing and celebrating their identity as Chicanos.

To chronicle this history, filmmakers Gloria Westcott and Grace Amemiya are asking community members to share memorabilia from the 1970s and 1990s. This can include VHS tapes, photography, invitations, visual art, postcards, greeting cards, T-shirts, CDs and records, according to an open community call from Self Help Graphics.

A gathering for the memorabilia collection will be held March 7 at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. All shared items will be returned.

The film, according to its website, “showcases the legacy of Self Help from its roots in the East Los Angeles barrio to its role as an international force that exported the Chicano art aesthetic and iconography in printmaking.”

A key player of the Chicano movement of the 1970s, Self Help Graphics & Art was founded in the East LA garage of Sister Karen Boccalero, a Franciscan nun and printmaker. It started with a small group of young Latino artists who used their medium to spread social justice messages.

From the onset, these artists involved members of the community in the process of making art and organizing programs, such as a 1972 Day of the Dead event considered to be the first public commemoration in the United States of a tradition rooted in Mexico’s indigenous origins.

This is the latest community call for personal memorabilia. Previous callouts have been held at the East Los Angeles County Library and Avenue 50 Studio, according to the Chicano Gráfica website.

The violence that erupted in Mexico after the death of a powerful drug lord has left many questioning whether the country will be able to co-host the World Cup in just over three months.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino thinks it can.

"Of course, we are monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, but I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and in the authorities, and we are convinced that everything will go as smoothly as possible," Infantino said late Tuesday in a press conference in Colombia.

"Mexico is a great country, like in every country in the world, things happen; we don't live on the moon or another planet," Infantino added. "That's why we have governments, police, and authorities who will ensure order and security."

The Mexican army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho," who led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, on Sunday, sparking several days of violence. Cartel members burned cars and blocked roads in nearly a dozen Mexican states and authorities report that at least 70 people have died.

Four high-level soccer matches from the local leagues were postponed last Sunday, including one in the central city of Queretaro, where Mexico defeated Iceland 4-0 late Wednesday in a friendly match.

Before the match, a minute of silence was held in the Corregidora stadium in honor of the soldiers who died during the operation to capture Oseguera.

Thirteen World Cup matches are scheduled to be held in Mexico, including the opening game in Mexico City on June 11 between the co-host and South Africa. Guadalajara, the central hub for the Jalisco cartel, is scheduled to host four.

Colombia is set to play one game in Mexico City and one in Guadalajara.

"Our first two matches are in Mexico, but we know they will overcome this and move forward," said Ramón Jesurún, the president of the Colombian Soccer Federation. "I have absolute and total confidence in my geopolitical thinking that this is an issue Mexico will overcome, and overcome very quickly."

Other nations have expressed more concern. The Portuguese soccer federation said Tuesday that it was closely monitoring developments ahead of a planned friendly against Mexico in March. Jamaica is set to play New Caledonia in Guadalajara on March 26 in an intercontinental playoff semifinal, with the winner advancing to face Congo for a World Cup spot.

"The games are at the end of March, so we still have another month to see what happens; but it is making me very nervous, to be honest," said Michael Ricketts, the president of the Jamaican Soccer Federation. "We will be listening out for CONCACAF and FIFA to give us instructions (on) whether they are playing the games or whether they are immediately looking for other options."

Another Mexican city, Monterrey, will host a playoff where Bolivia plays Suriname and the winner faces Iraq for a spot in the tournament.

On Monday, Sheinbaum said there is "every guarantee" that the World Cup matches in Guadalajara will be played as planned and added that there was "no risk."

"We are in regular contact with the presidency and the authorities in Mexico and we are monitoring the situation," Infantino said. "The World Cup is going to be an incredible celebration".
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