Los Angeles Considers Settlement After South LA Fireworks Explosion

A settlement with residents of a South Los Angeles neighborhood where a botched illegal fireworks operation injured people and damaged homes will be considered Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council.

The settlement affecting about 90% of neighborhood residents staying at the Level Hotel in downtown Los Angeles will be reviewed by the City Council three years after fireworks exploded during a police clearance operation on June 30, 2021. Seventeen people were injured, 35 properties were damaged and dozens of residents were displaced.

Checks are expected to be issued and families in the hotel will have up to 90 days to find alternative housing, Angelina Valencia, communications director for Councilman Curren Price, told City News Service. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“The councilman is committed to treating these victims with respect and dignity, and he has supported them every step of the way,” Valencia said in a statement.

The explosion caught on camera was caused by a bomb disposal operation involving thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks found in a nearby home. A man accused of planning to resell the fireworks before July 4 has been taken into custody.

The bomb disposal plan called for the fireworks to be detonated inside an armored truck designed to contain the explosion. A report by federal investigators determined that the amount of explosive material loaded into the bomb disposal truck for detonation was grossly underestimated. Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said human error likely contributed to the explosion.

“We made some miscalculations that were significant,” said Moore, who publicly apologized to residents at the time.

The full federal report found that the team also ignored warnings from an expert team member who said the cache should be divided into smaller portions.

The explosion prompted changes in department policy.

At a news conference Monday, some of the families displaced by the blast expressed uncertainty about whether they will ever return to their homes. The families, with the help of Ron Gochez, a community organizer with Unión del Barrio who has helped organize the residents, gathered Monday in the 700 block of East 27th Street, one block east of San Pedro Street, a day after the third anniversary of the blast to ask Mayor Karen Bass and Price for more help in returning to their homes.

Some families have expressed concern about the possibility of being evicted from their temporary housing at the Level Hotel. City officials have not informed the hotel of any eviction plans, Valencia said.

“The City Council is currently considering a settlement agreement that includes provisions to provide adequate time for affected individuals to vacate the hotel,” said Price, whose 9th District includes the affected area. “We understand the importance of allowing individuals to return to their homes and resume their normal lives, and I am committed to facilitating that process with the utmost care.”

Bass and Price met with some families and discussed ways the city can support them.