Left in the dust

A Site for Sore Eyes

In Bell Gardens, a small city just southeast of Los Angeles, attention doesn't come easily. It is just one in a string of cities along the 710 freeway that often seem to evade the scrutiny of the press, the authorities, and even the district attorney's office. 

Several Bell Gardens politicians, most infamously former councilman Mario Beltran, who was recently convicted on two counts of campaign finance fraud, have drawn recent suspicion from federal investigators for their apparent illegal procedural exploits, but many of the city's most devastating problems have a tendency to go perpetually unaddressed. 

 

One of the more tangible examples of this unfortunate but all-too-common neglect is the fenced-off and supposedly contaminated parcel of land located just a few dozen feet from two schools and a residential neighborhood on the east side of Bell Gardens. 

The small vacant lots are the former sites of two chrome plating factories, J&S Chrome Plating Co. and Chrome Crankshaft, that allowed chromium and mercury to leak into the soil and groundwater. Since the recognition of the leaks and the subsequent bankruptcy of both companies 28 years ago, the lots have remained largely untouched by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, standing as a reminder to the community of its low priority. 

 

Since the early 1980s, green fencing and ominous signs  have guarded the contamination site, warding off anyone who might have plans to sneak in. But neighboring business managers say that doesn't stop gang members and the homeless from entering at will. 

According to Gloria Conti, an information officer at the DTSC, the organization conducted an assessment of the contamination in 1987, seven years after discovery, and ordered that the land be cleaned. But, as Conti explains, this task is easier said than done.  

"One of the reasons a lot of these sites don't get cleaned right away has to do with a lack of funding," she said. "These cleanup processes cost millions and millions of dollars. I mean part of the time is identifying the site in the first place. But the other part is finding someone to pay for it. If there isn't any owner or private entity to pay, it gets put on a backlog." 

 

Conti also noted that one of the most important aspects of her job is information distribution. When the DTSC identifies a contamination site, she is assigned to handle the crucial task of keeping the surrounding community in the loop.

"We have got these sites all over the place and it's upsetting people," Conti said. "I've had people make demands, saying they want us to buy them a house or put them up in a hotel. People say they are scared that these sites are near them and I say, 'well we all live near them. They are called gas stations'."

But many of the nearby residents, some living only a few feet from the site, are dissatisfied and disenchanted with government, and in this case, the agency responsible for ensuring a safe environment for their families. 

A Town on the Fringe

Though it is geographically and integrated with the other 87 cities that comprise Los Angeles County, the city of Bell Gardens is self-sustaining. Spanish is far and away the most used language according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which reported that 93 percent of the population is hispanic and more than 88 percent speaks the language at home. The Bureau also estimates that the direct immigrant population is up above 50 percent. 

The rate of poverty in Bell Gardens is also staggering. With nearly 30 percent of the population living below the line, Bell Gardens more than doubles the national average in that regard. In addition, the per capita income is under $10,000, little more than one third the national average. 

From Bell Gardens contamination site

In the neighborhood that surrounds the contaminated parcels, the polluted soil is no secret. In fact, many of Bell Gardens' lifelong residents remember the incident vividly. It has been about 15 years since the factories vacated, and the only information they have received since that time has come in the form of brief flyers available in the administrative offices of the schools. 

Baldy Vasquez grew up in Bell Gardens, and he now has a daughter who attends Suva Elementary, one of the schools next to the contamination site. Vasquez said he doesn't necessarily fear for his safety, but he is frustrated at how little attention the matter received.

"They don't tell us anything," he said. "They just leave us here to get sick or something. I don't even know who 'they' is ... It's been years and we live around it every day. And nobody will listen to us." 

From Bell Gardens contamination site

From Bell Gardens contamination site

Dacia Thompson, who lives directly across the street from the site, feels the same way. Thompson was a student at Suva Intermediate, right next to Suva Elementary, when news broke of the heavy metal leak. She said though it's been a while, she still remembers it well.

"When we heard about it, everyone was really freaked out," she said. "But after a while, it just sort of went away." 

Like Thompson, many residents of Bell Gardens speak of the incident with a reluctant sense of acceptance. Many still wonder if and when the land will be tended to, but others say they would rather not think about it.