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Irwindale City Council declares Sriracha factory a public nuisance

The City Council resolution gives the Sriracha factory 90 days to make changes to stop the spicy odors.

By Ananth Baliga
Bottles of Sriracha sauce lined up. (Flickr/TedEtyan)
Bottles of Sriracha sauce lined up. (Flickr/TedEtyan)

IRWINDALE, Calif., April 10 (UPI) -- The Irwindale City Council voted unanimously, 4-0, to declare the Huy Fong Foods' Sriracha facility a public nuisance, escalating the standoff between the two.

The resolution came despite assurances from the company that it would submit a plan within 10 days to reduce the smell, which residents say burns their eyes and throats at certain times of the days, and to fix the smell by June 1.

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"The City Council is determined to assert its authority regardless of the status of the odor remediation efforts," said Huy Fong Foods attorney John Tate.

Huy Fong Foods is working with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to conduct tests at the facility and create a mitigation plan for the Sriracha-maker. Although the results of the tests haven't been revealed, AQMD officials have said that the smell can be reduced by using carbon filters, something the company has used in the past.

The city council is expected to adopt an official resolution at its next meeting, after which the company will have about 90 days to mitigate the odor. If it fails to do so, city council members asserted that they would enter the factory and make the changes themselves.

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Despite the animosity, Councilman Albert Ambriz said the city hopes to keep the hot sauce factory.

"I respect the fact that they are here. But they know there's a problem and it needs to be fixed," Ambriz said.

Irwindale has also sued Huy Fong Foods in the Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging a beach of agreement and creating a public nuisance. The case will come before the court in November.

[LATimes]

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