“If they can’t clean up, they need to go,” Gordon said. Many in attendance want to see Schnitzer Steel take responsibility, or leave.
“I know that people are here to be solution-oriented, but also to make sure that people are accountable, and one of those entities that need to be accountable, I believe, is the state,” said Bonta, who represents the 18th Assembly District that includes Oakland, Alameda and Emeryville. “My job is to make sure that those solutions turn into actions that can lead to accountability when the state is involved.”
The fire at Schnitzer Steel — which was recently rebranded as Radius Recycling — broke out on Aug. 9 in a large scrap metal pile that sent thick black plumes with aluminum, tin, steel and iron particles and other toxic air contaminants across the East Bay, as far as Milpitas in the south, before spreading north all the way to Martinez. The blaze lasted four hours and involved more than 20 firefighters, three fire engines and two fireboats, including crews from Oakland, San Francisco and Alameda. But those most immediately affected were West Oakland residents and communities who live in close proximity to the plant.
“[They say] they’re doing everything they can and there’s still these toxic fires that happen year after year after year,” said Oakland resident Pam White, who is a member of the climate justice group 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations. “That raises questions about whether they should, in fact, be in a residential neighborhood.”
