public safety

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is thanking the EPA, Cal Fire, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department for their joint efforts removing 75 tons of illegal fireworks found in a warehouse in the City of Commerce. The fireworks were safely moved over the course of the last several days and will be destroyed by the EPA.

“This was a disaster waiting to happen and needed to be dealt with immediately before someone got hurt,” said Supervisor Hahn. “I appreciate both the EPA and Cal Fire for hearing my and Chief Marrone’s concerns and acting as quickly as they could. This was a challenging situation, and it took coordination across all levels of government to solve.”

The fireworks were originally discovered by Cal Fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when they raided the warehouse in late May. They were deemed hazardous material and, therefore, outside of the LA County Fire Department’s authority to remove. However, Hahn and LA County Fire Chief Marrone raised concerns when they learned in mid-July that the materials would not be moved until mid to late August. On Jul 16, Hahn and Marrone wrote a letter to US EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting the urgent and expedited removal of the fireworks and pallets of hand sanitizer found in the warehouse.

Today, led by Supervisor Janice Hahn, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to support state legislation authored by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi that would add landslides to the list of disasters that qualify as local emergencies under California law.

The move comes in response to the ongoing, unprecedented land movement in Rancho Palos Verdes, which has destroyed homes, displaced families, and left the city struggling to access critical resources for response and recovery.

“There is no question about it – the land movement that has devastated neighborhoods in Rancho Palos Verdes and displaced families absolutely is a local emergency, and state law should recognize it as such,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Right now, cities impacted by landslides are forced to respond to these crises with one hand tied behind their back. That has to change.”

Rancho Palos Verdes has suffered severe and irreversible damage from widespread land movement. But because landslides are not currently included in the California Emergency Services Act, the city faced challenges unlocking essential recovery resources for affected residents.

Under existing law, disasters recognized as local emergencies include wildfires, floods, storms, droughts, earthquakes, and other specified events — but not landslides. AB 986, legislation authored by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, would add landslides and conditions exacerbated by climate change to this list.

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve Hahn’s motion to support AB 986. You can read the full motion here: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/205861.pdf

San Pedro, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker are inviting the public to a town hall to discuss the Clearwater Tunnel Project after a partial collapse occurred under San Pedro last month.

“We are all grateful that none of the workers were seriously hurt and that everyone made it home safely,” said Supervisor Hahn. “But we know this incident has raised real concerns for residents. Many feel they don’t have enough information about this project, and they want to know what is being done to keep the workers and our community safe. This town hall is an opportunity to get answers directly from the Sanitation District.”

“The collapse of a portion of the Clearwater Tunnel was a serious incident, and I’m incredibly grateful that all of the workers were safely evacuated. Thanks to proper emergency training and the quick action of the workers and first responders, a tragedy was avoided,” said Councilmember McOsker. “Now, the community deserves clear descriptions of causes, proposed repairs, and potential impacts. Supervisor Hahn and I are committed to full transparency, which is why we are holding a town hall so residents can hear directly from project leaders and ask the important questions they need answered.”

The Clearwater Project is a $630 million, 7-mile tunnel stretching from Carson through San Pedro is designed to replace two aging sewer tunnels that serve more than 5 million people in Los Angeles County. The project, which began in 2019 and is expected to finish in 2027, is critical for preventing overflows, protecting water quality, and ensuring the sewer system can withstand earthquakes.

On July 9, construction crews experienced a partial collapse at the 5-mile mark of the tunnel. All 31 workers were able to exit safely, although several were treated for minor injuries. Both of Supervisor Hahn and Councilmember McOsker requested investigations into the incident and construction has been halted.

The town hall will take place Saturday, August 9, at 10 a.m. at the Dalmatian American Club in San Pedro. Supervisor Hahn, Councilmember McOsker, and Robert Ferrante, Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, will be present to provide updates and answer questions from the community.

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone have sent a letter to US EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting the urgent and expedited removal of 75 tons of dangerous illegal fireworks and 27 pallets of hand sanitizer from a warehouse in the City of Commerce.

Cal Fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the discovery when they raided a warehouse in late May. The fireworks and hand sanitizer have been deemed hazardous material and, therefore, outside of the LA County Fire Department’s authority to remove. Although the US EPA has identified a Department of Defense site for the storage and safe destruction of the materials, Los Angeles County officials have been informed the removal of the fireworks is projected for mid-August, a timeline that is unacceptable to Supervisor Hahn and Chief Marrone.

“This is a recipe for disaster, and it needs to be dealt with immediately,” said Supervisor Hahn. “These explosives are sitting in the middle of a busy commercial area where people work everyday and just blocks from homes. Our fire department would remove these fireworks themselves if we had the authority to, but as it stands, we need the EPA to act and we need them to act quickly.”

The letter sent today urgently requests the US EPA to expedite all necessary arrangements to ensure the removal of the fireworks and hand sanitizer as soon as possible, well in advance of the projected mid-August timeframe. In the meantime, the warehouse is under 24/7 surveillance and fire watch.

Read the full letter from Supervisor Hahn and Chief Marrone here.

LA County Sanitation Districts will examine cause of collapse

Hahn speaks to workers evacuated from the partially collapsed tunnel in Wilmington on Wednesday night

Wilmington, CA – Last night, the partial collapse of a tunnel being bored as part of the Clearwater Project by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts temporarily trapped 27 workers, with four others later entering the tunnel to assist the trapped workers. All 31 workers were eventually safely evacuated from the tunnel. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker rushed to the scene and spoke to the rescued workers after their evacuation. Work on the project has been halted pending an investigation of the cause of the collapse.

Supervisor Hahn, who serves on boards of directors for LA County Sanitation Districts, released the following statement:

“We are blessed that all of those men made it out and made it home to their families. Most people in the Harbor Area communities didn’t even realize that this tunnel was being bored beneath them, but these men go to work every night to build this critical infrastructure project for our region. I am so grateful that they are home safe tonight.

As the sanitation district we will be looking into exactly what caused this, and will do everything we can to prevent anything else like this from happening again.”

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn to establish the County’s $20,000 reward for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the June 2, 2025 murder of Benjamin Ryan Castaneda, 27, on the 8100 block of Broadway Ave. in unincorporated West Whittier-Los Nietos.

Castaneda was driving north on Broadway Avenue around 11:20 pm when a gold or brown four-door sedan, also driving north on Broadway Avenue, pulled alongside the driver’s window. The suspect shot into Castaneda’s vehicle. Castaneda was struck by gunfire and later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Pico Rivera Station responded to the scene.

“I cannot imagine the shock and pain that Benjamin’s family has experienced in the weeks since his sudden and horrific killing,” said Hahn. “We need the public’s help to bring the violent criminals who took him away from them to justice.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau Detective Gail Durham or Sergeant Frank Alvarado at (323) 890-5500 or the Crime Stoppers Hotline at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).