Waste Probe : Northridge Factory Is Raided

A search of a Northridge factory has uncovered evidence of “illegal storage of hazardous wastes and incompatible storage of hazardous materials,” the city attorney’s office said Friday.

In a written statement, City Atty. James K. Hahn said a multi-agency task force took chemical waste samples Thursday from Lai Circuits Inc., a circuit-board manufacturer. He said evidence of a number of problems was found and that the samples are being evaluated to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.

After the raid, a city Bureau of Sanitation official issued a citation alleging violation of industrial waste regulations for dumping heavy metals, acids and caustics in the sewer, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gwendolyn Irby said.

Materials in Sewer

Hahn said the search warrant was obtained after high levels of the materials were found in the city sewer downstream of the plant, situated at 8741 Darby Ave. He said the raid uncovered a “bootleg pipe” that may have been used to send waste directly into the sewer.

San Lai, the owner of the company, said the allegations were “just a surprise to us.”

Lai said he doubted that the company’s manufacturing process could have produced all the metals the city alleges came from the factory. “It seems to me we don’t have certain heavy metal impurities,” Lai said, citing chrome and zinc as metals his company could not have discharged.

Mal Toy, of the Bureau of Sanitation, said that, if the company continues to violate waste-discharge regulations, “we have the option of issuing a cease-and-desist order that effectively shuts down the operation.”