Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills over the weekend that aimed at strengthening accountability for large-scale facilities and increasing support for communities in the event of an emergency like the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights in June.
“Boyle Heights showed us the lasting impact a major facility emergency can have on a community,” Newsom said in a statement after signing Senate Bill 716 and Assembly Bill 817. “These laws strengthen the tools, resources and accountability needed to protect residents and help communities respond when emergencies happen.”
SB 716, which was penned by Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), will increase fines for violations of local ordinances involving “specified nonresidential structures of 20,000 square feet or more when the violations pose a threat to health and safety,” a news release shared by Newsom’s office said…