Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday announced major progress in cleaning lead-contaminated soil in neighborhoods around the shuttered Exide battery recycling facility in Vernon. The governor’s office said that by Oct. 23, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) had cleaned close to 6,500 residential parcels and all 7,800 eligible parkways in surrounding Southeast Los Angeles communities. The office said the state has also finished cleanup at every identified school, park and childcare center in the affected area.
The governor’s office said California has invested more than $700 million in the cleanup since 2016. It said Newsom prioritized the work, investing more than $500 million in what it described as one of the largest residential lead cleanups in U.S. history. Residential cleanup remains ongoing, with additional properties underway, according to the release.
The release lists totals of 6,495 residential parcels, 7,818 parkways, 12 schools, 68 childcare centers and five parks cleaned. “DTSC is delivering real and measurable progress for families living near the former Exide facility,” said DTSC Director Katherine Butler. Yana Garcia, Secretary for Environmental Protection, said the work means “nearly 6,500 families have cleaner properties” and safer places to learn and play.
The former Exide facility in Vernon operated for decades recycling lead-acid batteries, the release said. According to the governor’s office, in 2002 DTSC told Exide to investigate and clean up releases from its operations, and in 2015 DTSC directed Exide to pull back a pending operating permit, which closed the plant. The office said that after a federal bankruptcy court later allowed Exide to walk away from the site, Newsom condemned the decision and said the state would keep fighting to hold Exide and its creditors accountable.
The governor’s office said California has made sustained investments to speed cleanup, including major state funding in 2021 for demolition, on-site cleanup and residential remediation, added money in 2023 for parkway work, and continued funding for more contaminated residential parcels. It said the administration also took steps to request adding the former Exide facility to the federal Superfund National Priorities List, which, if successful, would bring additional federal resources.
According to the release, California conducts comprehensive soil sampling to guide cleanup decisions. The governor’s office said DTSC has sampled 10,028 parcels to set cleanup priority, identified 9,016 parcels as eligible for further remediation based on soil lead thresholds, and conducted verification and retrospective sampling on 623 properties. It said about 80% of those contacted have granted DTSC access.
The release said DTSC remains engaged with residents through meetings, public sessions, office hours and door-to-door outreach. It said the department launched the Exide Cleanup Feedback Management System to let residents track progress and share feedback. The release said that since 2017, more than 120 people have joined DTSC’s Workforce Environmental Restoration in Communities program, and over 70 graduates later worked on the cleanup in their neighborhoods.
