Brief

Councilmember Tim McOsker, seconded by Adrin Nazarian, introduced a motion to discontinue, phase out, revoke, or withhold permits for Rancho LPG Holdings and JCI Jones Chemicals — both hazardous materials facilities operating in Harbor Gateway. The motion directs city departments to take action to curtail operations and protect public health and safety. The Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved the motion on June 23, 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Tim McOsker, seconded by Adrin Nazarian, introduced this motion on May 29, 2026, targeting two hazardous materials facilities that have generated longstanding community concern in Council District 15: Rancho LPG Holdings, LLC in San Pedro, and JCI Jones Chemicals, Inc. in Harbor Gateway. Both facilities operate near residential neighborhoods, schools, businesses, transportation corridors, and critical infrastructure, and both currently have outstanding violations or ongoing compliance and enforcement matters. The motion cites a recent chemical leak and industrial emergency at a Garden Grove manufacturing facility as a reminder of the potentially catastrophic consequences — evacuation, environmental contamination, property damage, and threats to human life — that a major hazardous materials incident can produce. The motion directs the Department of City Planning, in coordination with the Department of Building and Safety, the Fire Department, the City Attorney, and other relevant departments, to report within 15 days on every available mechanism the City could use to limit, phase out, revoke permits for, declare a public nuisance against, or otherwise shut down Rancho LPG and JCI. Specifically, the requested report must address: legal and regulatory pathways toward closure; whether either facility holds vested rights or legal nonconforming use status and how those rights could be modified or revoked; all enforcement, zoning, permitting, nuisance abatement, and code enforcement tools available to the City; whether grounds exist to initiate immediate action based on ongoing public safety threats; and any legal or regulatory barriers to the City's authority. Two further directives in the motion require the same departments to report on all existing local discretionary land use approvals and permits tied to the two facilities — and any future discretionary actions that could be denied or conditioned — and on all applicable state and federal laws, including CEQA, NEPA, hazardous materials remediation requirements, and any streamlining provisions, that could affect the City's ability to close, relocate, or decommission the sites. The motion was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee upon introduction, scheduled for a hearing on June 18, and approved by the committee on June 23, 2026. It now moves toward full Council consideration. This file is one of more than a dozen related Council actions stretching back to 2011 on these same facilities, reflecting years of unresolved community concern about hazardous industrial uses in close proximity to Harbor Gateway and San Pedro residents.

Activity (3)

• 2026-06-23 Planning and Land Use Management Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-06-18 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 23, 2026.
• 2026-05-29 Motion referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.

Documents (4)

• 2026-06-23 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-06-23 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-06-23 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-29 Motion · motion