County health director updates Garden Grove council on GKN cleanup as residents demand moratoriums and compensation

Garden Grove — At its June 23 meeting, the Garden Grove City Council heard an update from Dr. Darwin Chang, environmental health director at the Orange County Health Care Agency, on the ongoing Unified Command oversight of the GKN hazardous‑materials incident and the company’s site cleanup.

Dr. Chang said the operation is being managed in two‑week operational periods under the OCFA incident command model and that the county is coordinating with South Coast AQMD, the Department of Toxic Substances Control and federal EPA. “Earlier in the first week of cleanup, we did remove about 4,500 gallons of neutralized or stabilized MMA and that did go to East Liverpool in Ohio and it went to a licensed EPA permitted site for destruction,” he said, adding that materials are being routed only to certified facilities and that air monitoring at the fence line has shown no elevated readings.

The presentation and lengthy council question period covered timing, enforcement and community notifications. Dr. Chang said his office enforces hazardous‑materials rules through administrative hearings and, if warranted, referral to the district attorney; he also cited Hazardous Waste Control Law and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, and said fines for hazardous‑waste violations can reach up to $70,000 per day per violation. He described the county’s disclosure threshold (55 gallons) and said contractors commonly use specialized containers of about 300 gallons per tote for transfer.

Outside the formal presentation, more than two dozen public commenters filled council chambers and the overflow room. GKN representatives said much of the plant’s work unrelated to MMA has resumed and emphasized coordination with regulators; Steve Carlin, a GKN vice‑president, told the council that monitoring continues and that he will schedule a community meeting. Workers and union representatives pressed for rapid reopening of safe operations; an inspector who identified himself as a union shop steward said many employees want to return to work.

At the same time, many residents and advocacy groups urged far tighter local restrictions on GKN. Speakers asked the council to adopt an immediate moratorium on expansions and permitting, create residential buffer zones between hazardous facilities and homes or schools, require full removal of hazardous chemicals from the site, and seek fuller compensation for evacuees who lost wages and housing. One speaker said 50,000 residents were ordered to evacuate and called current mitigation “reckless negligence.”

Council members and the mayor acknowledged public anger and said the city is investigating legally defensible local options — including land‑use restrictions and potential emergency ordinances — but repeatedly cautioned that municipal powers are limited. Several council members said the city must coordinate closely with county and state authorities (the Health Care Agency, DTSC, AQMD and federal EPA) and avoid measures that could be legally vulnerable or unintentionally penalize other businesses. City Manager Lisa Kim said staff will continue pushing for information, for a community town hall with GKN, and for clarity on financial relief for affected residents.

What happens next: county and state agencies continue incident command and cleanup reviews; the council asked staff to prepare options for local action and to keep the public informed. A number of public commenters demanded a moratorium on permits by the next council meeting (July 14); staff did not set a date for any ordinance but said it would report back as it compiles legal options and technical details.