Garden Grove residents demand city close GKN Aerospace facility after chemical leak
Garden Grove residents urged their city council to close the GKN Aerospace facility at the center of a chemical leak that forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes for almost a week in late May.
"If the city can prohibit commercial cannabis businesses or implement an ordinance against the production of pickles and sauerkraut, surely you can do the bare minimum to protect your constituents from a dangerous weapons manufacturer and the hazardous chemicals they employ," said Logan Smith, a policy specialist at the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice.
The hazardous material incident started on May 22 after a tank containing methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable and toxic substance, failed to cool and leaked at GKN Aerospace's facility. The self-heating substance was at risk of a "catastrophic explosion" or leak, which would have affected neighboring residents.
The Orange County Fire Authority crews spent Memorial Day weekend trying everything they could to stop the BLEVE, or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. By the time they "eliminated" the threat of a potential explosion, 50,000 residents had been forced to evacuate their homes.
While the immediate danger had been averted, crews needed to clean up the toxic chemical, which could cause severe respiratory illness.
Some residents argued that GKN Aerospace had a history of safety violations, believing that paying fines or compensating families wouldn't even be a slap on the wrist for the company.
"Since this incident, I looked them up, and there have been a lot of violations they have been fined for," resident Kevin Nguyen said. "If they're irresponsible about how they operate, they shouldn't be allowed to operate."
The Garden Grove City Council ultimately decided to send a letter to GKN Aerospace demanding that the company send a representative to a future council meeting.
"The community should not be left to absorb the consequences of this incident without answers, support and a clear commitment from GKN to prevent future harm," Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein said.
GKN Aerospace officials have announced a series of community support initiatives intended to help residents affected by the leak, including a $3 million donation to Orange County United Way's OC Community Resilience Fund "to provide assistance to those affected by the recent evacuation of areas surrounding GKN's Garden Grove facility."
"The company is also committing an additional $1 million to support broader community initiatives across Orange County," the company wrote in a press release. "GKN earlier funded $1 million to the American Red Cross to support residents directly impacted by evacuation orders when those orders were in effect."
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said his office launched a probe into GKN Aerospace and urged any whistleblowers to report any wrongdoing.
The Orange County Health Care Agency is overseeing the removal of the chemicals in the two remaining tanks. The project will happen on Friday if the equipment arrives on time.
