Marina residents urge council not to renew Los Animas Concrete lease, cite noise and permit lapses

Several Marina residents urged the City Council on Feb. 4 to deny any new lease to Los Animas Concrete and to require the company to cease operations on city‑owned land.

At least three residents who live on or near California Avenue told the council they hear trucks and concrete‑plant noise daily and described the company as operating without proper municipal permits for years. “There should be no negotiation of any further lease with this Los Animos Concrete,” said Marie Weiner, a California Avenue resident. She said Los Animas operated “on city owned property for 7 years from 2017 to 2024 without any permit whatsoever and without any lease.”

Weiner said the company’s prior conditional use permit expired and that the city failed to enforce permit and lease terms. Tom Lubo, who identified himself as a Marina homeowner and father, said truck movements near his corner “create an unsafe environment for the children of Marina and the students of CSUMB,” and described drivers running stop signs and crossing double‑yellow lines. “If this council insists on issuing a new lease for this irresponsible entity then you have an obligation to solve this problem,” Lubo said.

Another resident, Tom Zaharales, also of California Avenue, asked the council to deny night operations in any new lease. He said nighttime mixing and truck traffic had disrupted sleep, threatened public health and safety, and violated nighttime noise protections. “Approving nighttime operations would have significant negative consequences for residents on California Avenue,” Zaharales said, asking the council to prioritize residents’ well‑being over short‑term revenue.

Speakers asked the council several specific remedies if a new lease were considered: limit any lease to a short term (one year) strictly to permit equipment removal, explicitly prohibit renewals, prohibit night operations, require a strict, enforceable vehicle routing plan or even an access road connecting the site to Eighth Avenue, and seek civil penalties for alleged prior violations.

City staff announced the matter would be discussed in closed session during the meeting. At the closed‑session report‑out, the city attorney said no reportable actions were taken on the item and that “direction was provided to staff” and the matter would return to closed session in the near future.

The council did not vote on any lease or adopt any enforcement action at the Feb. 4 meeting. Residents said they plan to keep pressing the issue in upcoming meetings and asked council members to inspect the site during peak truck hours before deciding on any lease.

Residents urged the council to act sooner rather than later; several asked that if a lease is granted, it must be short and explicitly nonrenewable, and that the city require a clear, short timetable for equipment removal and site restoration in any agreement.