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Residents press Duarte leaders for public report on Larios Park cleanup
Summary
Community members asked Duarte officials to push the Army Corps and EPA for a full cleanup report after post-fire material handling at Larios Park; staff said some sampling reports are on file and pledged to seek additional records and contacts.
Residents at a Duarte City Council meeting on May 2025 pressed city officials for clearer public records about hazardous-material handling and testing after a post-fire staging and cleanup operation at Larios (Larios) Park.
Community members told the council they could not find a promised after-action report and asked the city to help obtain and publish the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA findings. "We do not have anything available," said Alejandra Ceja, a Duarte resident, describing the public's difficulty locating the cleanup documentation and saying the absence of a report raised health concerns for children and pregnant residents.
The request drew additional public comment. Christine Rodriguez, a community organizer with the LA Fire Survivors Committee, said the lack of transparency had eroded trust: "The lack of transparency with this report is only building less community trust with those in power like yourself." She urged council members to press the Army Corps to release the materials the community is seeking.
A longtime local volunteer, Steve Fernandez, who said he has worked with EPA and other agencies, described how responders handled material at the Duarte staging area and sought to clarify community fears. "All those materials were wrapped, sealed, and then they were wrapped again," he said, adding that the Duarte site functioned as a logistics and transfer location rather than a permanent hazardous-waste processing facility.
City staff and elected officials told speakers they would try to connect residents with federal and county contacts and pointed to materials the city has already posted. City staff said a 126-page set of soil-sample results had been shared on the city's website and offered to help residents locate additional documents. Staff recommended contacting the Army Corps of Engineers and the county reports portal for any other sampling or assessment documents.
The public comments followed earlier, inter-jurisdictional cleanups and related communications among Azusa, Arcadia, Irwindale and Duarte after recent wildfire responses. Speakers and council members repeatedly referenced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) as involved parties.
No formal city action or vote was recorded on the cleanup reports at the meeting. Council members and staff described next steps as outreach: staff said they would attempt to connect residents with Army Corps and EPA contacts and to point to existing county and city postings where available.
Why it matters: Residents said the missing or hard-to-find reports limit their ability to understand environmental and health risks near Larios Park and along the San Gabriel River corridor. Council members acknowledged the concern and staff committed to helping obtain and share available records.
What to watch: Residents requested that the city publish or link to officer and third-party reports as they become available, and community organizers asked the city to issue a plain-language notice when authoritative testing is posted.
