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Foundry settles AQMD charges

By Hector Becerra
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Southern California air quality officials Thursday announced a $4.7-million settlement with a foundry they said polluted El Monte neighborhoods.

The agreement between the South Coast Air Quality Management District and Gregg Industries settles 12 air quality violations issued between October 2005 and August 2008, said Sam Atwood, an AQMD spokesman.

El Monte residents made hundreds of complaints about bad odors to the AQMD, he said, noting that the sand-mold and iron-casting foundry also operated equipment in violation of air pollution permits.

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As part of the agreement, Gregg Industries will hire an expert to track and document odor and smoke emissions, complaints and corrective actions by the company.

Gregg Industries also will hire an environmental engineer who, among other things, will conduct daily plant inspections and correct problems, according to the AQMD.

-- Hector Becerra

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Hector Becerra

Hector Becerra is managing editor of the Los Angeles Times. A native Angeleno who grew up in Boyle Heights, Becerra’s first foray into journalism was as the editor of the University Times at Cal State Los Angeles. He started his career at the Los Angeles Times in 1999 and was a general assignment reporter until 2014, covering everything from wildfires to crime to Latino cultural trends. He has been among the first to a murder scene as part of a ride-along in South L.A. and has tried his hand as a field worker, picking strawberries in Santa Maria. Becerra was part of the team of reporters that won the Pulitzer Prize’s Public Service award for its coverage of the city of Bell corruption scandal. He was city editor for the California section until 2022, when he was promoted to deputy managing editor. He was named managing editor in 2024.

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