Brief

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, seconded by Monica Rodriguez, introduced a motion to withhold issuance of reconstruction permits for a cold storage warehouse at 1400 South Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles following a fire. The motion was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on August 4, 2026, where it currently remains pending.

Full summary

On June 17, 2026, a cold storage warehouse at 1400 South Los Palos Street in Boyle Heights — zoned M3-1-CUGU with a Heavy Manufacturing land use designation in Council District 14 — caught fire. More than six weeks later, the Los Angeles Fire Department was still investigating the cause and origin of the blaze. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado introduced this motion on August 4, 2026, arguing that the incident's scale and its ongoing health and safety impacts on the surrounding community made it essential that investigations proceed without interference, and that any future use of the site could not be treated as a routine rebuild. The motion directs the Department of Building and Safety, in coordination with LAFD, to withhold any rebuild or reconstruction permits for the property until LAFD confirms its investigation is complete and all evidence-preservation needs have been satisfied. It also asks the City Attorney to prepare a report on the City's legal authority to delay or restrict permit issuance during an active fire investigation, and directs City Planning and LADBS to report on how discretionary review — including full California Environmental Quality Act compliance — could be applied to any future land use project proposed for the site. Beyond the single property, the motion calls on City Planning and LADBS to draft and present an Interim Control Ordinance that would prohibit issuance of demolition, building, grading, and occupancy permits for large cold storage warehousing and distribution uses located near residential neighborhoods and sensitive uses such as parks, schools, day care centers, and libraries throughout the Boyle Heights community. The motion specifies that the ICO include an urgency clause making it effective upon publication, with an initial 45-day term that can be extended by Council resolution for up to 10 months and 15 days, and then for an additional year or until permanent land use controls are adopted, whichever comes first. The motion was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee on the day it was introduced and remains pending there. No further committee action has been recorded.

Activity (4)

• 2026-08-28 City Clerk rereferred item to Ad Hoc Committee for Boyle Heights Fire Recovery, pursuant to Council File No. 26-2000.
• 2026-08-25 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-08-21 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on August 25, 2026.
• 2026-08-04 Motion referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Documents (4)

• 2026-08-25 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-08-25 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-08-24 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-08-04 Motion · motion