The Brief

What could have been a catastrophic toxic disaster was narrowly avoided in Garden Grove thanks to the quick work of first responders, cool weather and some luck.

But the chemical tank mishap at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove facility is another reminder that many potentially dangerous facilities are right next door to neighborhoods in Southern California. If you needed further reminders, the Sandy Fire in Ventura County was recently burning near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, where decades-old nuclear and toxic waste still worry residents. And an oil pipeline in East L.A. also ruptured recently, sending crude into nearby streets and the L.A. River. The Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, the site of a massive leak near Porter Ranch a decade ago, still houses vast quantities of methane.

For Deborah Morris-Quintero, who lives less than a mile from GKN’s Garden Grove facility and had to evacuate, there are still many open questions.

“ Any city that's got anything that could potentially impact the citizens and the environment, the cities really need to make these plants accountable,” she said outside a community meeting Tuesday in Garden Grove. “They need to take steps to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen again. They need to be proactive.”

If you want to be proactive on this topic, you can attend meetings, contact regulators and take note of potentially hazardous sites near you. Here’s a quick guide on how to watchdog your local industrial facility.

Who regulates the facility? 

A hodgepodge of local, state and federal regulators are tasked with overseeing companies like GKN Aerospace. Most of these agencies are understaffed and rely on self-reporting by the companies themselves, or complaints from nearby residents. (See some previous reporting from LAist on this issue here and here.)

When logging a concern, first identify what the issue you’re worried about is. Is it air pollution? A bad smell? Water contamination? Hazardous waste?

Different agencies oversee different types of pollution, so multiple complaints may be required. And, without risking your safety, try to document the issue you’re observing with a photo or video.

• At a local level, the South Coast Air Quality Management District regulates air pollution across the region, but they have just one inspector for every 200 industrial sites, according to the Voice of O.C. You can search for violations by facility through the agency’s public search tool here. You can report any concerns about strong odors, excessive dust, smoke or other air pollutants here. Find LAist’s in-depth guide on reporting air pollution concerns here. 
• Local fire departments are tasked with inspecting facilities that could cause a fire. In Orange County, for example, the Orange County Fire Authority does “periodic inspections” of “facilities using or storing hazardous materials,” according to their website. For ongoing concerns about the chemical tank situation in Garden Grove, the public can call OCFA at (714) 628-7085. 
• You can search for violations by various types of regulated facilities across the state using this map from the California Environmental Protection Agency, or CalEPA. GKN Aerospace, for example, has dozens of violations logged there. You can also file a complaint with CalEPA here or to the federal EPA directly here. 
• The California Department of Toxic Substances Control regulates hazardous waste sites. You can use their tool, EnviroStor, to search for public information about hazardous sites near you. 
• The California Geologic Energy Management Division oversees oil and gas facilities across the state. You can search for wells near you via their searchable map here. L.A. County also has its own searchable map for oil and gas wells here. 

A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.

Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.

The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.

Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.

“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”

La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.

Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.

The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.

The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.

The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.

His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.

Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.