Resident tells Parks commission her home was 'poisoned' during asbestos removal; commission says issue is for City Council

A Cerritos resident identified in the meeting as Linda (referred to by the chair as Miss Troxell) told the Parks & Recreation Commission on Feb. 5 that her home was "poisoned" during an asbestos removal in January 2018 and that local offices had not helped her obtain compensation.

"My home in Cerritos poisoned over 8 years ago by the contractor that was supposed to remove the asbestos," the resident said during public comment, and later asked the mayor to contact the governor on the matter. She named several officials and staff she said had not assisted, including Janice Hahn, staff in Janice Hahn’s office, Derek Tran and Hilda Solis.

Commissioners noted that the Parks & Recreation Commission does not have authority over citywide code enforcement or individual resident claims and advised the speaker to bring her concerns to a City Council meeting when the mayor would be present. Chair Prado said this was a city council issue rather than a parks matter.

No staff action or formal referral was recorded during the meeting. The complaint remained unresolved on the record: commissioners encouraged the resident to pursue the matter with the City Council or appropriate city staff.

What was said: the resident asked for help contacting the mayor and governor and for assistance recovering money from contractors and offices she said "refused to help." Commissioners responded by clarifying jurisdiction and suggesting next steps to pursue the complaint at the council level.