California: Governor Newsom signs bills to strengthen accountability for cold storage facilities, following emergency in Boyle Heights

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Sep 27, 2026

Governor Newsom signs bills to strengthen accountability for cold storage facilities, following emergency in Boyle Heights

What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed AB 817 and SB 716 to establish new contingency-fund requirements and stronger local enforcement tools to help communities respond to future emergencies.

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation to strengthen protections for communities impacted by large-scale facility emergencies, such as the devastating 2026 fire at a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights.

Senate Bill 716 by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Bill 817 by Assemblymember Mark González (D-Los Angeles) are both California Latino Legislative Caucus priorities that respond to lessons learned from the June 2026 Boyle Heights fire and its prolonged aftermath, strengthening tools available to communities when a large facility creates significant health and safety impacts.

Boyle Heights showed us the lasting impact a major facility emergency can have on a community. These laws strengthen the tools, resources and accountability needed to protect residents and help communities respond when emergencies happen.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The bills provide communities with stronger tools to hold responsible parties accountable, support cleanup and recovery, and prepare for future emergencies.

The June 17 fire at a nearly 500,000-square-foot cold storage facility in Boyle Heights burned for eight days and was followed by significant cleanup and public health challenges. The Governor proclaimed a state of emergency as the community responded to the incident and its aftermath.

SB 716 strengthens local enforcement tools by increasing fines for violations of local ordinances  involving specified nonresidential structures of 20,000 square feet or more when the violations pose a threat to health and safety. Under the law, specified fines increase, including for repeat violations within a defined period. For violations that result in a Governor-declared state of emergency or federal disaster declaration, fines may reach up to $50,000 per violation in qualifying circumstances. Initially, the enhanced penalties for violations resulting in a Governor-declared state of emergency or federal disaster declaration apply in Los Angeles County, and then expand to qualifying areas elsewhere in the state beginning July 1, 2028.

"Thank you, Governor Newsom, for signing SB 716 and AB 817 into law. Families in Boyle Heights and East LA were exposed to toxic smoke and lived with the stench of millions of pounds of rotting food for months. They could not open their windows and could not let their kids play outside. Their health suffered, while the company responsible faced fines too small to matter," said Senator Durazo. "Today, Governor Newsom sent a clear message: corporations that put our communities at risk will finally face consequences that reflect the harm they cause. Alongside AB 817, SB 716 exists because this community endured this crisis, organized in response to it, and demanded better because of it. This is their victory. Thank you again, Governor Newsom, and thank you to Mayor Bass and our community partners for championing these bills alongside us from the very beginning."

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AB 817 establishes new contingency-fund requirements for specified community needs for certain large cold storage facilities. Until July 1, 2028, the requirement applies to facilities within the boundaries of the Boyle Heights Community Plan in the City of Los Angeles. Beginning July 1, 2028, the requirement applies statewide.

"When disaster strikes, people should never have to fight just to be heard—their government should already be standing beside them," said Assemblymember Gonzalez. "Today, with the signing of AB 817 and SB 716, we demand accountability and make sure our communities are never left to face a crisis alone. The Lineage fire left a deep wound in Boyle Heights, Montebello, Commerce, and the surrounding communities, one that will take a long time to heal. What happened cannot be undone. The suffering our neighbors went through cannot be reversed. But we can decide what happens next. I want to thank Governor Newsom for listening to the people of Boyle Heights and for signing AB 817 and SB 716 into law. These measures give us a plan, resources, accountability, and the tools to act when our communities need their government most. Our communities deserve more than promises. They deserve action, accountability, and respect. ¡Sí se puede!"

Together, SB 716 and AB 817 build on the state's response to the Boyle Heights fire and help ensure communities have stronger protections when a major facility emergency occurs.

"I appreciate Governor Newsom signing this critical legislation that Assemblymember Mark González, Senator María Elena Durazo, and I worked on and got across the finish line to help the people of Boyle Heights and East LA. These pieces of legislation ensure cold storage companies take responsibility for the impacts of their operations, provide critical protections for residents in the event of an emergency, and allow cities and counties to impose higher fines when the health and safety of communities are threatened," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "I will continue doing everything in my authority to connect residents to critical assistance and to demand the answers and accountability this community deserves."

"Since the fire broke out at the Lineage facility, I have been committed to holding responsible parties accountable to the harms they've perpetrated on our vulnerable communities," said Los Angeles County Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis.  "I want to thank Governor Newsom and our state legislature for giving local jurisdictions more tools to help keep communities whole and strengthen enforcement mechanisms against violators."

View the signing messages for SB 716 and AB 817.

California's all-in response to the Boyle Heights fire

The legislation signed today builds on California's ongoing efforts to support communities recovering from the 2026 Boyle Heights warehouse fire. Governor Newsom has worked with local and federal partners to bring resources to affected residents, workers, businesses and nonprofits, including securing federal disaster assistance that provides eligible small businesses and private nonprofits with access to low-interest loans to help cover essential costs, retain workers and continue operations.

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The state has also supported the locally-led response through public health resources, employment assistance, debris removal, firefighting and emergency response coordination, and connections to business and community recovery resources.

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